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Common uses: Varmint
| Type | rifle (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 55gr Winchester Super-X Pointed Soft Point (X2251) |
| Muzzle velocity | 3570 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 1557 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.208 |
| Case length | 48.8 mm |
| Overall length | 64 mm |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3570 | 1556 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 3058 | 1142 | 0 |
| 200 | 2602 | 826 | -2.3 |
| 300 | 2188 | 585 | -9.7 |
| 400 | 1816 | 402 | -24.5 |
| 500 | 1491 | 271 | -50.1 |
At 1,000 yards, .225 Win. (55gr at 3570 fps, 100 yd zero, standard conditions) has a modeled come-up of about 53.7 MOA / 15.6 MIL, retaining 822 fps (subsonic).
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | State | Drop (in) | Elev (MOA) | Elev (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 2188 | Supersonic | -9.7 | 3.1 | 0.90 |
| 400 | 1816 | Supersonic | -24.6 | 5.9 | 1.70 |
| 500 | 1491 | Supersonic | -50.1 | 9.6 | 2.78 |
| 600 | 1232 | Transonic | -91.4 | 14.5 | 4.23 |
| 700 | 1060 | Subsonic | -155.7 | 21.2 | 6.18 |
| 800 | 956 | Subsonic | -250.8 | 29.9 | 8.71 |
| 900 | 882 | Subsonic | -383.9 | 40.7 | 11.85 |
| 1000 | 822 | Subsonic | -561.8 | 53.7 | 15.61 |
Extended predictions beyond 500 yards are modeled from the same G1 engine — useful for initial DOPE, but outside the 500-yard manufacturer-table validation audit. Confirm with observed DOPE, especially near transonic.
Small-game/varmint context — the deer- and elk-sized energy references aren't applicable to the cartridge's listed uses. When a downrange table is available, its retained-energy column can provide context; verify the exact load and follow local game regulations for legal methods.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own rifle.
The .225 Winchester is a flat-shooting .224-caliber varmint round that drives light bullets at high velocity, making it capable on woodchucks, coyotes, prairie dogs, and similar small game at extended range. In performance it sits close to the .220 Swift and .22-250 Remington, and shooters who owned one generally found it accurate and effective. Its decline was commercial rather than technical: it never developed a following against the .22-250, so rifles and ammunition grew scarce, and its unusual semi-rimmed case set it apart from the more common rimless designs. Today it survives mainly as a cartridge for collectors and handloaders, with factory ammunition produced only in limited runs. For anyone who already owns a rifle so chambered it remains a fully capable varmint round, but it offers no ballistic advantage that would justify seeking one out over the mainstream .22-caliber magnums.
Winchester introduced the .225 Winchester in 1964 as a modern varmint cartridge intended to succeed the aging .220 Swift, which had developed a reputation for rapid barrel erosion. Built on a semi-rimmed case sized to work in standard bolt-action rifles, it was chambered in the Winchester Model 70 and Model 670 and later the Savage Model 340. Despite a sound design, it arrived just as the .22-250 Remington was being standardized from an already-popular wildcat, and it was quickly eclipsed. Winchester dropped it from the Model 70 by 1971, giving it one of the shortest production lives of any Winchester cartridge.
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