Reloaders Varmit Rifle

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Engineguy129

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It's been a while since ive posted in here, I lurk quite a bit tho. I'm looking to buy a custom rifle through Score High, local to me. Just a toss up on caliber for Coyotes..etc.

Additional helpful info. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so long shots can be quite common. I currently have, .25-06, .30-06 in bolt guns and .308 LMT MWS. I have been reloading for a short amount of time, 2 years. I enjoy the heck out it and have had pretty good success. I prefer it over buying factory ammo. I'm retired Air Force, and currently inspect power plants all over the US. Money is great, but kills Deer and Elk season. So I chase varmits to fill the void in my off-season.

Why not use the .25-06? Because owning guns is a sickness and I need another..ha! So far, I've been thinking about 22-250, .243 and 6.5 CM. I'm not too concerned about pelts at this point in time.
 
As much as I like my 220 Swift, most of my varmint hunting is with my 260 and 100 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. If I was just coyote hunting, I'd stay with the 220, but I see pigs more than coyotes, and the 220 is just a little light for a large pig. So, out of your choices, I'd go for the 243 or the 6.5 CM. And, since you have plenty of deer rifles, I think I'd choose the 243 and a light Ballistic Tip.

What rifle are you considering?
 
Since you reload, the 6mm Remington is worth considering. There's an Antelope refuge in my state that allows coyote hunting to increase antelope fawn survival rates. However, the last I knew, they stipulated that no rifles over .224 caliber can be used. Thus, the 220 Swift was the premier caliber for that site.
 
We had had hogs here, They've been pretty much wiped out. Every now and again you hear about some one getting a few, mostly by Texas border. That's not saying I won't ever try to seek them out. Seen tracks on the Pecos out by Roswell. Didn't have enough time to really check things out.

I've been thinking about their practicle sporter:
http://www.scorehi.com/

I've been shooting/hunting for over 37 years. Mostly, guns my dad and I had. I really didn't take the time to really learn about calibers outside of what we owned. Now that I reload, I read a lot and the doors have opened, lots of info and it's exciting as hell.

I work with a bunch of ex-marines. One particular, loves long range shooting and turned me onto the 6.5. Not particularly huge on punching gongs/paper outside load development. Isn't brass kind of a pain to get? That is the only thing that has me teetering of jumping in with both feet.

I know .243 is hugely popular and readily available, Which is a big plus. From what I've read it's pretty darn versatile w/reloading.

The .260 seems and sounds awesome. Ran across it reading up on 6mm. What is everyone's thought on this?

Thanks for the comments so far. Decisions decisions
 
If you're to actually use the rifle for coyotes in the field, I'd stick with 22/250, 220 Swift, 243/6mm, or 25/06. These cartridges provide flat trajectory for those longer shots w/o nearly as much hold over. When you really hunt coyotes, you'll often find they don't sit around waiting for you to use your rangefinder and twiddle your scope knobs so the "hold on brown out to 300 yards" feature will be appreciated.
 
A 1:10 twist .243 can provide tight groups with 55-grain, 70-grain and 85-grain bullets. My coyote load is the Sierra 85-grain HPBT with 3031. Half- to three-quarter-MOA, reliably, in my elderly little Sako carbine.
 
A friend had a varmint rifle built for long shots - it is in 6mmx284. Someone caught a p-dog he hit at 450+/- yards. The body was about 2 feet off the ground with a huge red mist and the head was detached.
 
I would use what you have. Nothing wrong with using that 30-06 for shooting coyotes. I would drop down to a 125 grain bullet and have at it. The 30-06 that I got from my dad a 1955 721 was used by him on many a whistle pig with 110 grain bullets.
 
"I would use what you have. Nothing wrong with using that 30-06 for shooting coyotes."

For a dedicated coyote(varmint) rifle, I'd argue that statement.
I shot coyotes with a 30/06 for several years before trading for a 243. No comparison in ease of making longer range hits. Sure, the 06 will kill coyotes but only if you can hit them. True in the field performance is based on being able to hit the target.
Coyotes don't often allow a lot of time to estimate range(or use a rangefinder) so the cartridge's ability to deliver a hit based on a quick estimation or simply "hold on the brown" is paramount to making hits.
The 6mm284 is quite the cartridge. I haven't tried it due to the extra recoil, cost of start-up, and mostly, I just don't need that much gitty-up anymore.
 
I think that if the OP could get his hands on my 260 (Tikka stainless with 20 inch Brux #4 contour barrel) and shoot it a couple of times, he'd want one just like it. Extremely accurate, light to carry, and very little recoil from the 100 gr bullet. Same bullet trajectory as a 270 with a 130 gr bullet. With the slightly heavier than factory barrel, it points and shoots easily.

And a similar rifle in 243 would also be great for varmints. A reloader could get a 55 gr bullet to about 4000 fps for coyote or shoot a larger bullet for hogs.

I went with the 260 because I could ramp up to heavier bullets (120 to 140 gr) as needed.
 
"...would use what you have..." That doesn't help Engineguy's need.
"...long shots can be quite common..." How long is long? The .243, .22-250 and 6.5 Creedmoor are 300ish yard cartridges, ballistically. Bullet drop past 300 is excessive on all of 'em. The drop like bricks.
Mind you, .243 and .22-250 ammo can be found everywhere. The 6.5 maybe not so common. Assuming the travel includes some varmint hunting.
 
T. O'Heir said:
"...would use what you have..." That doesn't help Engineguy's need.
"...long shots can be quite common..." How long is long? The .243, .22-250 and 6.5 Creedmoor are 300ish yard cartridges, ballistically. Bullet drop past 300 is excessive on all of 'em. The drop like bricks.
Mind you, .243 and .22-250 ammo can be found everywhere. The 6.5 maybe not so common. Assuming the travel includes some varmint hunting.
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I don't know why people get worked up over bullet drop, get worked up over windage IMO. Drop is easily compensated for by turning a knob or using a reticle with holdovers. Wind is the toughest thing in shooting to deal with. Give me a .223 with an 1:8 twist barrel, and I'm a happy camper for varmint hunting. Though a Remington or Savage with their 1:9.25 twist .243 shooting 105 grain A-Max at nearly 3000 fps is pretty darn sweet as well.
 
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Usually weight is not an issue for varmint/predator hunting rifles. Not knowing your price point, I would offer up the Ruger Precision Rifle. Get one in .243. The 7.7 twist gives you a lot of options.
 
Geo_Erudite said:
Usually weight is not an issue for varmint/predator hunting rifles. Not knowing your price point, I would offer up the Ruger Precision Rifle. Get one in .243. The 7.7 twist gives you a lot of options.
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Maybe weight isn't an issue shooting prairie dogs and wood Chuck's in a pasture or field. However to a serious predator Hunter weight is always an issue. Sometimes your carrying a shotgun and a rifle, as well as an electronic call and a decoy more than a quarter mile from where you parked your vehicle to where you make your stand. Then you have to carry out any predators you shoot if you're saving fur.

While the Ruger Precision Rifle's twist rate in .243 does open a lot of bullet options, I don't want to carry a 12+ lbs scoped rifle all day making several stands. Now going to a pasture full of p-dogs parking the truck setting up a portable shooting bench and plopping down a heavy rifle, I'm up for that. For a walking varmint rifle I prefer the rifles in the sub 8 lbs range when scoped and full of ammunition.
 
I vote for the 243 also. Just a real nice round. As Art say's- 85 Gn Serria BTHP, except I use 4895 for powder. Very accurate round. If your distance was not so bad I would say get a 223. The old 223 will do 400 plus yards with ease.
 
Well, having owned and shot a 22-250 for coyote, it is truly a spectacular cartridge. The only complaint I had with it was shooting in the wind was about the most frustrating thing I have ever done, so I would recommend a 243 or 6mm instead there in the desert SW. More recoil, sure, but you generally don't fire hundreds of rounds at a time when hunting coyotes. If the recoil and noise are an issue, then go with the 22-250.
 
If it's a custom rifle, and you are a reloader, why not a 22-250 with a 1:8 barrel?

That will let you launch 75 and 80gr Amax (or Sierra, Berger, or Nosler) bullets at a velocity which will give you more than enough "wind bucking" BC to keep up with the bigger boys and still use relatively inexpensive .224 match bullets.

I shot with an old fella who set up his High Power match rifle in that combination, and it was a winner, even in bad wind at 500 yards.

Jimro
 
I'd guess any of the cartridges you named will work ok.

For coyote hunting I like the 243 really well. For high volume prairie dog work, I haven't found anything wanting in 223.

--I agree with taylorce1 on the issue of bullet drop. If you know your distances or can determine them, it is most often wind which causes me to miss. A come-up chart is pretty easy to make and close enough to 600 yards with a 223.

A few years back I built a F class rifle in 6.5 Lapua. I chose it over the 6.5 Creedmoor due to the provision of a small rifle primer. It works really well. Once the throat is gone I had plans to rechamber to 6.5x284. -- Too bad I have less than 50 rounds through it. Just sort of lost interest. :( At this rate, the throat will be well preserved for centuries!

If I were going for a custom rifle though, the 6.5 Lapua is the one I would choose for most hunting, with 223 for prairie dogs.
 
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