Any humble advice on a varmint rifle? - Page 2

joed · July 15, 2015, 08:21 PM

Why worry about burning up a barrel? My 700 VS in .25-06 saw lots use in 25 years. About 8 years ago the barrel wore out. So, I took the opportunity and replaced it with a Krieger. What used to shoot 3/4" on a good day now shoots under 1/2" any day if I do my part. Unfortunately I don't shoot it much anymore due to the areas I hunt and have only put 40 rounds through it in 8 years.

I originally bought the rifle for $235 and it cost $400 to rebarrel 25 years later. I can't wait to wear out the barrel on the .22-250.

Another thing I don't do is reduce any of the loads for these rifles. My view on that is if you want to shoot reduced loads get a smaller cartridge.

I think BIG P loves the .25-06 as much as I do. It is a spectacular hard hitting cartridge, I've never seen a bullet hit as hard as that cartridge does.

Drm50 · July 15, 2015, 08:42 PM

I stumbled on this bullet by chance. Springfield original M-1a came with Manuel
that listed this bullet in accuracy load for the 308. Shot excellent but had feed
issues in theM1a. I had already bought 1000 so I experimented with them in
my other .30 cal rifles. Including a 30/30(which had to be single loaded) I had
only 1 rifle that didn't like them,a 1895 Win. Shot them out of a 300H&H m70
& 300win/ H&R ultra at approx 3400fps. Has a little recoil, but you can see
hit on long shots, used the 300s on varments with great success. The 130 gr
Speer HP is more of a mushrooming type than varment bullet. Longest shot
I made on coyote was 440 yds, longer on groundhog. Out of 308 m-70 I killed a deer at 250. Dropped it like a thunder bolt. These bullets let me get some use
out of the 300 mags that were only carried for big game.

Colorado Redneck · July 15, 2015, 10:42 PM

Savage rifles are great. If you shoot more than 20 rounds or so in an hour, the 22-250 will wear you out. The 204 Ruger is my favorite prairie dog round, and it has taken one coyote---dropped it like a bad habit. Using 39 gr. Sierra Blitzkings, the 204 performs very similar to a 22-250 using 50 gr bullets. I can hold the sight picture with the 204, but even though I have leaded the stock on my 22-250 I seldom see the actual hit.

Using a 25-06 for varmints would make me flinch by about shot number 10. If recoil and holding the sight picture is your goal, my vote would be 204 Ruger.

Hunter Customs · July 16, 2015, 07:48 AM

I have a friend that's a very avid coyote hunter, such as myself.

He's has a 204, 22-250, 220 Swift, 25-06, and 270, he's used them all to shoot coyotes.

He's not to impressed with the 204 as it does not seem to be anchoring the coyotes, he says it slams them to the ground but they get up a run off.

I've had the same experience with the 223 when using 45gr JHP bullets.

Everyone of them I shot with the 45gr JHP bullet had to be shot at least twice to keep them down.

Then I switched to the Sierra 55gr BTHP Game King, I lost a little speed but it's lights out one shot kills now with my 223.

The 204 should be good for the prairie dogs but when it comes to the song dogs with a winter coat of hair I'll stick with my 223.

However if I'm going to be making shots past 350 yards the 243 will be my gun of choice.

psalm7 · July 16, 2015, 08:28 AM

If slightly uncommon cartrige is not a problem 2 good varmit rounds are 6mm Remington and 220 Swift . My favorite varmit cartridge is the 25-06 Remington .

joed · July 16, 2015, 08:31 PM

If you're talking prairie dogs go for a .223 with a heavy barrel. The barrel won't be glowing cherry red after an hour.

Some prefer a thin barrel. I'm not a stalker and 90% of my hunting is sitting and waiting. So, if you aren't walking all day go with heavy, I promise you won't regret it.

BIG P · July 17, 2015, 11:55 PM

JOED your right.I like my 22-250.But the 25-06 make my knees wiggle,Know what I mean

no SLOW LOADS FOR ME.

Jpw360 · July 19, 2015, 02:07 PM

this is great advice....i ended up doing alot more research and visited all the firesrms shops in my area and held a large variety of rifles which surtainly expanded my choices.

I did order a rifle and my choice was bases on pure logic. I ended up picking a Remiton 700 vls on a 223...here is why:

Mission criteria and application:

The criteria was a heavy barrerl rifle to hunt varmints up to and including coyotes. The heavy barrel requirement is based on the grounds that i want to be able to see hit and misses.

Round selection of 223: after doing lots of inter ballistics and external balistics analysis i realized that 204 ruger has very low recoil and seemed to be a good contender. While very fast, bullet drop is minimal within 300 yards but knock down power is not adecuate for the the mission purpose. I wanted a good degree of leathality.
So i eliminated this round knowing fully that id be missing out on its bullet drop and speed.

22-250: while very fast and with plenty of knock down power recoil from mostly everyone here suggested that its or could be a bit difficult to see hit and miss.

That only left 223 for a choice....ofcourse i wont have the flat trajectory of the 204 ruger... But it will have more energy at longer rangee and it wont have the reach of a 22-250 but again...recoil is very minimal
And when it is all said and done...the average price for 223 ammo is way cheaper than 204 and 22-250..thats also a plus

Now onto the rifle:

Never say never...i always said " id never own a remington..i dont like them"

The remington 700 vls from all my research has a good reputation...its very accurate from most reviewers perspective and cost is not too bad...it is coming in a wood laminate (the sako 85 varmint is also a wood laminate) which is a plus and if you dont like something sbout it you can definately change it as the maket for 700s is huge. It a 9.375 lb so is right in between sako 85 (8.5 lb) and savage model 12 (10 lbs) and it has a 26" heavy barrel and it cost $940 in my area..cheaper than sako (obiously) and also cheaper than savage...another plus..twist is 1 in 12

MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS HOW WELL THIS RIFLE FITS ME...it fits me very very well

The only thing i could see myself changing in it is the floor plate and put in a magazine and put in a nicer trigger.

Hunter Customs · July 21, 2015, 07:54 AM

I was a dedicated Remington man up until a few years back, I own four of them all older Remington's, no new ones.

I switched to Savage as I'm getting Rifles I like better and better accuracy from them.

I had a Remington 223, could never get the accuracy from the rifle I felt I should be getting and I prefer a 1 in 9 twist in 223, Savage give me that.

My Savage bolt gun is a distributor special called "4x4 truck gun".
It has a synthetic stock, 20 inch heavy contour barrel with a 1 in 9 twist, large bolt handle, a bolt that works like it's rolling on ball bearings and the Savage Accu trigger.

I'm shooting Sierra 55gr BTHP Gameking bullets at a little over 3300fps from this rifle, the rifle shoots 5/16 inch groups at 100 yards consistently as long as I do my job.

It's my go to gun for shooting coyotes 350 or less, if I'm going to have to shoot longer shots I get out my old Remington 700 BDL heavy barrel 243varmint rifle, it does the job.

Good luck with your new rifle and good luck hunting.

Jpw360 · August 6, 2015, 09:39 AM

I ended up buying a rem 700 and boy am i everhappy with it....this thing is just mind blowing..i hated remington rifles before for nonparticar reason...i tought they were run of the mill cheapo rifles...but i trully takeball that back ..this thing is super....so much that im thinking to getbanother one soon in a diff caliber

Keshka · January 18, 2018, 09:55 PM

I have or have used all of the mentioned. All I have to say is I flat out love my .204 target grey.

ps....none of the coyotes around here get back up.....just sayin'

Scoits · January 19, 2018, 04:00 AM

If you get into reloading try the 40 gr Hornady v-max bullet for PDs and ground squirrels. You can improve your time to target and almost duplicate a 22-250 50 gr load.

eastbank · January 19, 2018, 06:09 AM

I have shot .440-.750 three shot groups as 300 yards with a rem 700 laminate varmit in .223 with a 12x leupold scope and 50gr v-max at 3300 fps. eastbank.

Scorch · January 19, 2018, 10:50 AM

First, let me say that I am a huge fan of the 22-250. I got my Mark X Mauser 22-250 when I was 24. It was my first true varmint rifle, and I shot it a lot for about 20 years. That said, if I had known 40 years ago what I know now, I never would have gotten the 22-250 and I would have gone with my first choice, a Remington 700 in 223. While the 22-250 really shines beyond 400 yds, and i have several "bragging right" shots beyond 400 yds, there are many, many more shot opportunities inside of 300 yds. Beyond 300 yds, the 22-250 rules, but inside of 300 yds it scares the targets and puts them underground for hours at a time. If I were to choose a dedicated varmint rifle today, it would be a 223 bolt action, probably a Ruger American, a Howa 1500, or a Remington 700 or Model 7 with a medium weight fast twist barrel.

Art Eatman · January 19, 2018, 11:11 AM

Since the question was asked in 2015, odds are that no new info is needed.

July 15, 2015, 08:42 PM	#27
Drm50 Senior Member Join Date: November 10, 2014 Posts: 1,380	300 mg/130 gr Speer HP I stumbled on this bullet by chance. Springfield original M-1a came with Manuel that listed this bullet in accuracy load for the 308. Shot excellent but had feed issues in theM1a. I had already bought 1000 so I experimented with them in my other .30 cal rifles. Including a 30/30(which had to be single loaded) I had only 1 rifle that didn't like them,a 1895 Win. Shot them out of a 300H&H m70 & 300win/ H&R ultra at approx 3400fps. Has a little recoil, but you can see hit on long shots, used the 300s on varments with great success. The 130 gr Speer HP is more of a mushrooming type than varment bullet. Longest shot I made on coyote was 440 yds, longer on groundhog. Out of 308 m-70 I killed a deer at 250. Dropped it like a thunder bolt. These bullets let me get some use out of the 300 mags that were only carried for big game.

July 19, 2015, 02:07 PM	#33
Jpw360 Member Join Date: July 13, 2015 Posts: 38	Final choice this is great advice....i ended up doing alot more research and visited all the firesrms shops in my area and held a large variety of rifles which surtainly expanded my choices. I did order a rifle and my choice was bases on pure logic. I ended up picking a Remiton 700 vls on a 223...here is why: Mission criteria and application: The criteria was a heavy barrerl rifle to hunt varmints up to and including coyotes. The heavy barrel requirement is based on the grounds that i want to be able to see hit and misses. Round selection of 223: after doing lots of inter ballistics and external balistics analysis i realized that 204 ruger has very low recoil and seemed to be a good contender. While very fast, bullet drop is minimal within 300 yards but knock down power is not adecuate for the the mission purpose. I wanted a good degree of leathality. So i eliminated this round knowing fully that id be missing out on its bullet drop and speed. 22-250: while very fast and with plenty of knock down power recoil from mostly everyone here suggested that its or could be a bit difficult to see hit and miss. That only left 223 for a choice....ofcourse i wont have the flat trajectory of the 204 ruger... But it will have more energy at longer rangee and it wont have the reach of a 22-250 but again...recoil is very minimal And when it is all said and done...the average price for 223 ammo is way cheaper than 204 and 22-250..thats also a plus Now onto the rifle: Never say never...i always said " id never own a remington..i dont like them" The remington 700 vls from all my research has a good reputation...its very accurate from most reviewers perspective and cost is not too bad...it is coming in a wood laminate (the sako 85 varmint is also a wood laminate) which is a plus and if you dont like something sbout it you can definately change it as the maket for 700s is huge. It a 9.375 lb so is right in between sako 85 (8.5 lb) and savage model 12 (10 lbs) and it has a 26" heavy barrel and it cost $940 in my area..cheaper than sako (obiously) and also cheaper than savage...another plus..twist is 1 in 12 MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS HOW WELL THIS RIFLE FITS ME...it fits me very very well The only thing i could see myself changing in it is the floor plate and put in a magazine and put in a nicer trigger.

January 19, 2018, 10:50 AM	#39
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	First, let me say that I am a huge fan of the 22-250. I got my Mark X Mauser 22-250 when I was 24. It was my first true varmint rifle, and I shot it a lot for about 20 years. That said, if I had known 40 years ago what I know now, I never would have gotten the 22-250 and I would have gone with my first choice, a Remington 700 in 223. While the 22-250 really shines beyond 400 yds, and i have several "bragging right" shots beyond 400 yds, there are many, many more shot opportunities inside of 300 yds. Beyond 300 yds, the 22-250 rules, but inside of 300 yds it scares the targets and puts them underground for hours at a time. If I were to choose a dedicated varmint rifle today, it would be a 223 bolt action, probably a Ruger American, a Howa 1500, or a Remington 700 or Model 7 with a medium weight fast twist barrel. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

July 15, 2015, 08:21 PM	#26
joed Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2014 Posts: 442	Why worry about burning up a barrel? My 700 VS in .25-06 saw lots use in 25 years. About 8 years ago the barrel wore out. So, I took the opportunity and replaced it with a Krieger. What used to shoot 3/4" on a good day now shoots under 1/2" any day if I do my part. Unfortunately I don't shoot it much anymore due to the areas I hunt and have only put 40 rounds through it in 8 years. I originally bought the rifle for $235 and it cost $400 to rebarrel 25 years later. I can't wait to wear out the barrel on the .22-250. Another thing I don't do is reduce any of the loads for these rifles. My view on that is if you want to shoot reduced loads get a smaller cartridge. I think BIG P loves the .25-06 as much as I do. It is a spectacular hard hitting cartridge, I've never seen a bullet hit as hard as that cartridge does.

July 15, 2015, 10:42 PM	#28
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Savage rifles are great. If you shoot more than 20 rounds or so in an hour, the 22-250 will wear you out. The 204 Ruger is my favorite prairie dog round, and it has taken one coyote---dropped it like a bad habit. Using 39 gr. Sierra Blitzkings, the 204 performs very similar to a 22-250 using 50 gr bullets. I can hold the sight picture with the 204, but even though I have leaded the stock on my 22-250 I seldom see the actual hit. Using a 25-06 for varmints would make me flinch by about shot number 10. If recoil and holding the sight picture is your goal, my vote would be 204 Ruger.

July 16, 2015, 07:48 AM	#29
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	I have a friend that's a very avid coyote hunter, such as myself. He's has a 204, 22-250, 220 Swift, 25-06, and 270, he's used them all to shoot coyotes. He's not to impressed with the 204 as it does not seem to be anchoring the coyotes, he says it slams them to the ground but they get up a run off. I've had the same experience with the 223 when using 45gr JHP bullets. Everyone of them I shot with the 45gr JHP bullet had to be shot at least twice to keep them down. Then I switched to the Sierra 55gr BTHP Game King, I lost a little speed but it's lights out one shot kills now with my 223. The 204 should be good for the prairie dogs but when it comes to the song dogs with a winter coat of hair I'll stick with my 223. However if I'm going to be making shots past 350 yards the 243 will be my gun of choice.

July 16, 2015, 08:28 AM	#30
psalm7 Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2014 Location: Middle TN Posts: 543	If slightly uncommon cartrige is not a problem 2 good varmit rounds are 6mm Remington and 220 Swift . My favorite varmit cartridge is the 25-06 Remington .

July 16, 2015, 08:31 PM	#31
joed Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2014 Posts: 442	If you're talking prairie dogs go for a .223 with a heavy barrel. The barrel won't be glowing cherry red after an hour. Some prefer a thin barrel. I'm not a stalker and 90% of my hunting is sitting and waiting. So, if you aren't walking all day go with heavy, I promise you won't regret it.

July 17, 2015, 11:55 PM	#32
BIG P Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 1,679	JOED your right.I like my 22-250.But the 25-06 make my knees wiggle,Know what I mean no SLOW LOADS FOR ME.

July 21, 2015, 07:54 AM	#34
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	I was a dedicated Remington man up until a few years back, I own four of them all older Remington's, no new ones. I switched to Savage as I'm getting Rifles I like better and better accuracy from them. I had a Remington 223, could never get the accuracy from the rifle I felt I should be getting and I prefer a 1 in 9 twist in 223, Savage give me that. My Savage bolt gun is a distributor special called "4x4 truck gun". It has a synthetic stock, 20 inch heavy contour barrel with a 1 in 9 twist, large bolt handle, a bolt that works like it's rolling on ball bearings and the Savage Accu trigger. I'm shooting Sierra 55gr BTHP Gameking bullets at a little over 3300fps from this rifle, the rifle shoots 5/16 inch groups at 100 yards consistently as long as I do my job. It's my go to gun for shooting coyotes 350 or less, if I'm going to have to shoot longer shots I get out my old Remington 700 BDL heavy barrel 243varmint rifle, it does the job. Good luck with your new rifle and good luck hunting.

August 6, 2015, 09:39 AM	#35
Jpw360 Member Join Date: July 13, 2015 Posts: 38	I ended up buying a rem 700 and boy am i everhappy with it....this thing is just mind blowing..i hated remington rifles before for nonparticar reason...i tought they were run of the mill cheapo rifles...but i trully takeball that back ..this thing is super....so much that im thinking to getbanother one soon in a diff caliber

January 18, 2018, 09:55 PM	#36
Keshka Junior Member Join Date: January 18, 2018 Posts: 1	I have or have used all of the mentioned. All I have to say is I flat out love my .204 target grey. ps....none of the coyotes around here get back up.....just sayin'

January 19, 2018, 04:00 AM	#37
Scoits Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2017 Posts: 178	If you get into reloading try the 40 gr Hornady v-max bullet for PDs and ground squirrels. You can improve your time to target and almost duplicate a 22-250 50 gr load.

January 19, 2018, 06:09 AM	#38
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	I have shot .440-.750 three shot groups as 300 yards with a rem 700 laminate varmit in .223 with a 12x leupold scope and 50gr v-max at 3300 fps. eastbank.

January 19, 2018, 11:11 AM	#40
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Since the question was asked in 2015, odds are that no new info is needed.