Varmint Rifle Caliber ?

R

RDF

New member
I like the looks of the Remington 700 VLS. Which caliber would you chose,the .22-250, .223, .243 or 6mm. Uses would be primary varmints and secondary use for some white tail deer.
I have a 700-in-30.06 that i use as my deer rifle. I'm looking at having two rifles for most of my hunting needs. (for now)

[This message has been edited by RDF (edited November 18, 1999).]
 
While I have friends who shoot deer with .223 and 22-250, and while I love my VS in .223, I would recommend the .243, with a caveat: You have to use about twice as much powder as you do with .223. If that's no problem, then you'll find that the .243 gives you a range of 55gr @ 4000+fps, to 105gr. or so at lower velocities. The 55-70gr. varmint bullets for the .243 are screamers, and are deadly accurate and devastating. You'll also find .243 brass to be very common around firing ranges, where you can pick up a bunch of free once-fired premium brass.

On the other hand, if you were not going for deer hunting, also, I'd stick with .223, or maybe 22-250. The 22-250 will give you a little longer range, but I like having both a bolt gun and my AR with the same caliber. I also find the .223 really easy to reload and it's plenty accurate. (Shot a .246" 5-shot group the other day with 55gr. BT's.)
 
Personally I prefer the 25-06 for varmints AND you can still take deer.. same is true for the 243. Any BIG case necked down to smaller caliber will give you MUCH more powder and thus LONGER range.

the 243 is a necked down 308 and the 25-06 is (suprise) a 30-06 case necked down to 25 cal.

I haven't gotten the Varminting bug YET (when i go with my friends i take my 30-06 and 223 AK) But if I did... I'd get a dedicated varmint rifle. Don't worry about making it versatile.. just make it accurate as hell. 22-250 is a SCREAMER of a cartridge compared to the 223.. but you really can shoot a LOT of 223 for the cost of a factory box of 22-250.

Many varminters make "benchrest" rifles that are NOT suitable for field carry so you see them show up with 5 or 6 guns at a given dog town.

For starters i'd pick a medium wieght bolt rifle with a bull barrel and a BIG objective scope. (like a savage 110 FP "tactical" in 223 or 308 )start reloading your own ammunition cause whn you shoot varmints you shoot a LOT.

There is a REALLY inexpensive alternative (shhhhhhhhh) Buy a New England Firearms HANDI-RIFLE in 223 or 22-250 or 25-06. You can shoot AMAZINGLY well with one of these budget varminters and a tasco scope (but don't tell anyone I told you) Buy TWO and you can shoot one while the barrel cools down on the other.

Good luck and have FUN

Dr.Rob
 
RDF,

If you are going .22 cal get the .223 over the .22-250 Why? Brass is way more readily available. You dont burn barrels out as fast. For all practical purposes the groundhogs cant tell the difference out to 300 or 400 yards.

Now, Having said that, I HIGHLY recomend a 6mm (.243) caliber bullet for a varmint rig. So get either the 6mm Rem or the .243 win. I have a 6mm Rem. that is VERY accurate. But the .243 is more common.

The sister cartridges of the 6mm Rem and the .243 Win are WAY WAY more versatile than the .22 centerfires.


Note the 6.5mm-08 or (.260 Rem) also makes for a very very versatile cartridge.
 
In my opinion--and in my deer camp--when you said "secondary use for some white tail deer", you took the .22s out of the equation.

I just don't trust the take-down capability of a bad hit. That said, my first deer was taken with a .222--but it was a neck shot on a really cooperative doe at about 20 yards.

I have used the .223, the .22-250 and the .243 on coyotes; they all work. And a .220 Swift is just as accurate as the .223 or the .22-250. They are all a lot more fun if you handload.

Your parameters are for varminting and some deer. Okay, I strongly recommend the .243. I've taken around 20 deer with it, using the 85-grain Sierra HPBT; mostly neck shots. I use the same bullet on coyotes.

I've shot 60-grain and 70-grain bullets in the .243; they work well. But I'm too lazy to re-zero between the various loads, so I just stay with the 85.
 
Just thought I'd add this: A friend's son just called, asking my advice about some .223 loads. He shoots a Ruger #1. He killed a deer the other day at 150 yds, shooting 55gr. V-max (which are varmint, not hunting bullets) and the deer dropped like a rock. Bullet entered one shoulder, exited other side of deer, leaving hole about fist-sized. I'd still recommend the .243.
 
This thread with its talk of all the best calibers and rifles is making me salivate.

Please close the thread before I go out and buy another rifle. ;)

As for calibers, I am pretty much a wimp and find the .243 and up rounds to be a little tiresome on lonnnng days. The .223 is more than ample for varmint only tasks and suggested for anything but the longer ranges. I admire the .22-250 but it doesn't fit my relatively short range needs.

If your typical amount of shooting during one session doesn't bother you with the 6mm+ family of calibers and you want it to do time as a deer rifle, by all means...

Durn it. Now I have a sudden bug to go buy a .270 for some reason. My wife will _not_ be pleased. Hmmmm. Maybe a 7mm-08...

See what ya went and done?

Rick

------------------
"Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American." Tench Coxe 2/20/1788
 
If you load your own ammunition and want a rifle for varmints and deer get the 6mm Rem. Factory ammo is more expensive than 243 but i prefer the 6mm. Otherwise i agree that the 257 and 25-06 are good choices too. the 223 is nice and cheap to shoot as well.
 
Forget all the previously mentioned calibers. Those guys don't know what they are talking about.

Go with the .460 Weatherby. It is good for everything and you'll never have to buy another rifle.

You just have to pay a lot of attention to trajectory tables, for those 400 yd shots. And bullets are a little expensive. And you do have to use quite a bit of powder. And then the brass is kinda expensive. It also kicks a LITTLE bit more than a .223.

Maybe a .243 would be better.

[This message has been edited by ARshooter (edited November 24, 1999).]
 
I think that caliber would be fine for varmints. Say, have you ever noticed how some hunters name the varmints they are hunting? Names like "Dumbo", "Ol' One Tusk", etc. ;)
 
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