Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

Hello everyone! I was just wondering what you all liked for a varmint rifle (Under $800) and caliber, and what bullet you prefer for shreddin' some varmints!

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I hunt varments with my Bushmaster ar-15 and love it. Ireload my .223's withspeer 50 gr TNT hollow point bullets. I've shot several bobcats and countless coyotees with it with great results. They are very accurate out of my gun and do a great job of making a quick kill without totally messing up the critter.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

.22-250. As far as the gun, you'll be hard pressed to set up a decent centerfire varmint rig for under $800. Is $800 your total budget, or just for the rifle? Remember, a good varmint rifle needs good glass on top. I'm a fan of the Nikon Monarch 6.5-20x44 (don't know if they still make that exact scope anymore, though), but one will set you back about $600-650 just for the scope unless you can find a really good deal.

If I were shopping for a varmint rig I'd either be looking at the Coopers, but they're going to be a bit more than $800.

Mike

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

"Varmint Hunting" is a pretty big category. You really need to describe what type of varmint hunting you are wanting to do. Varmint hunting is my favorite thing to do, however I have a dozen different varmint rifles for different purposes.

Most varmint hunters are hunters who would like to shoot out to 200 or 300 yards. With your budget that would probably be the limit of the equipment you could buy with your dollars.

A 223 makes a very effective varmint rig out to 300 yards, and is probably the least expensive ammo to buy, that will still allow you to have accurate shooting(accurate enough for varmints).

Probably your biggest decision is do you want a lighter walikng varmint rifle. Or a heavy barrel fixed position rifle.

Single shots work fine for fixed position rifles. But for a walking rifle the magazine fed rifle works great. A magazine fed rifle is easy to load and unload, while having your ammo available in an instant.

A fixed power scope will allow you to buy better glass for a cheaper price. however fixed power scopes are acceptable on a fixed position rifle. But not the best for a walking rifle. Target knobs are really not needed for a 223 out to 300 yards. So you do not need to waste your money on the so called "tactical" scope. 12X is more than adequate for shots out to 300 yards, but 14X or 16X would be alright if you find a good deal. Also light transmission is not a big deal since twilight shooting will not be the norm. A good Bushnell 3200 or a scope in that range should do you just fine.

Some shooters will recommend a Savage rifle. And that is not a bad choice. It would not be my choice, but still not a bad choice.

If you have budget constraints then an Encore rifle would be a god choice. you could get a heavy barrel now, and a light barrel later on. But that is just an idea.

There are plenty of good walking rifles available. The Tikka light would make a great walking rifle. Also the CZ would make a great one also.

The Remington SPS Varminter would make a great fixed position rifle. And the are actually cheaper, or priced comparatively to the Savage.

As suggested above the AR platform is a great varmint hunting rig. I have a Rock River Varminter that is scary accurate. However there is 3 major problems with the AR. First they do not fit your price range. Second: I varmint hut in 5 states. the AR is only legal to hunt with in 2 of these states. Third: Some farmers will look at you like you are a terrorist if you pull out an AR to shoot ground hog's with. Their opinion may be wrong. However perception is reality. Tom.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

With that kind of budget,you likely need to look at a savage or marlin bolt action (in .223,.22-250,.243,or 25-06) and use the rest on a good scope. I'm pretty sure the marlin don't come in smaller calibers however but just got 1 in shop and am impressed with it for the price. The cheapest "varmit" scope I've had good success with is the weaver V16. It's a 4x-16x-42mm scope with tall turrets,very good optics and tracking(adjustment reliability) for the price. They run289$ at www.swfa.com. Now,with about 400$ or less in rifle,and a lil less than 300$ in scope,you'll have enough left over for mounts/rings and some ammo.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I love my 22-250 for varmit hunting. great flat shooting caliber that will reach out and touch something.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I'm not a serious varmint hunter so I'd go for something more versatile than the .22's.Either a .243 or .257 Roberts would be my choice.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

.220 Swift, or 22-250 Rem. Good luck.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

If you are looking at $800 total including glass then I would recommend this
http://www.savagearms.com/12fv.htm
If you are looking at $800 for the rifle then I would recommend this
http://www.savagearms.com/12model_longrange_precisisionvarminter.htm

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I would definatley go the Savage route. They make an awsome 22-250 with the accu-trigger. Stainless steel barrel, synthetic stock, put a $350 nikon on it . All under $800 and you got an awsome varnmit gun. No need to spend thousands. 300yrd shots will be no problamo.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I would look for a Savage Model 12 in 223 Rem. I would put a 6 - 24 x 50 30mm duplex reticle scope on it. Savage is one of the few makes which offers 1:7 twist in a few models.



The problem with 22-250 is it is generally designed to shoot 40 - 50gr bullets at hyper velocities which don't hold up because the bullet looses velocity due to it's poor ballistic coef. It also would be a borderline throat eater at those extreme velocities.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

Savage has a Model 110 FP law enforcement series 24" barrel like 8.5lbs but its real balanced and doesnt feel like theres a weight tied to the end of the barrel.

The 110FP comes in 300mag and 25-06 the 10FP comes in 223 and 308

I got my 110 FP in 300 mag for $655 and that includes tax and shipping

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

HEAD0001's points are good. I pick from a couple different ARs, a CZ550 Varmint in .22-250, and a CZ527 Varmint in .223.

ARs can be fun to hunt prairie dogs with, but I generally prefer the .22-250. It's so heavy though that if I'm going to do any kind of walking (like, coyote hunting), the ARs or 527 fit the bill much better. The 527 is built on a "micro" Mauser action, very strong, very reliable. I also like the set trigger. In spite of the heavy barrel, it's nearly equal to what you'd expect from a standard-weight deer rifle. A bit unusual looking in that its single stack, five-round magazine is readily visible (not flush).

Glass is a big consideration. You can get by with 4x, but you'll probably feel better with something more powerful. I'm using Burris FFIIs in 6.5-20 and 4.5-14. I prefer the 6.5-20 simply because it has the Ballistic Mil-Dot (and I'm used to estimating range with a Mil-Dot reticle). With the 6.5-20 on the CZ550, I probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of $950 invested. The CZ527 with the 4.5-14 comes in right around $800.

I'm loading .223s with 60 grain Hornady SPs, and the .22-250 with 50 grain Hornady V-Maxes. Though both my Colt and Rock River ARs like the heavier bullets, I loaded a batch of .223s with the lighterV-Maxes for the CZ527just to see how they shoot. Have towait until the prairie dogs un-hibernate to find out.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

Depends on the varmint but my two favorites are the 204 ruger and a 223 AI. I shoot 52gr. Berger V-max for the blow ups and A-max but thats cuz i hunt fur.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

The V-Max and A-Max are Hornady bullets. I'm a big fan of the 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tip for my .22-250. Always very accurate, and they blow up nicely on impact.

Mike

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

Driftrider-you literally took the words right out of my mouth. Or maybe because you think/type faster-hmmmmmmmmmm

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I'm not that big into varmints but I want to be, just can't find the time.
I have two rifles I bought as light deer rifles and varmint guns, one is the Savage 12vbss and the other is the model 25 classic, and though I don't own a Cooper I doubt my Savage's would take a back seat to one.
The model 12 weighs about 13 lbs with a Weaver V24 scope and the model 25 will probably weigh about 8 1/4 lb with a Simmons 4x12, so one walking and one sitting.
Both have 1-9" barrels and will handle the Speer 70 gr simi spitzer which is likely the best .224 whitetail bullet ever designed, although this year I'm going to try the Sierra 65 gr Gameking which is supposed to be designed around whitetail deer size game

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

All the varmint calibers i have are...17 rem, 221 fireball, 218 bee, 223 AI, 204 ruger, 220 swift, 22-250 AI, and 22 hornet. I hunt for fur so thats why i like to use the smaller calibers. The 220 swift and the 22-250 AI are mostly used when im long range smaller varmint hunting like prairie dogs, groundhogs and such...so basically to blow all holy hell outta stuff.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

everyone that suggested the savage line of rifles knows that they are the best bang for the buck. i have a 12 in 22-250 and topped it off with lupee bases and rings with a tasco 6-24x42 with mil-dot and target knobs. on a good day with my nosler bt reloads at around 3600fps i can put 3 in the same hole, but usually i do more like 3 into a dime.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

I would go with the .204 ruger over the 22-250.

RE: Best Varmint Rifle and Caliber?
 

King of the varmint cartridges the 220 Swift