What's the best rifle/caliber choice for my situation?

I keep two rifles in the house. We live way out in the country. For close up work, I have a scoped Marlin 39A. For out past 75 yards or so, I have a 223 bolt gun, and I load and shoot 40 gr Nosler BT's. I wanted something that would fragment and not ricochet. It'll really put down a coyote. If you are shooting critters smaller than pigs, that or the V-Max bullet will work just fine.

As for what rifle, just go with the Ruger American, or the Ruger American Predator. But if you can find a 223 in a pawn shop for less money, go for it. Don't even worry about the twist rate. Any available twist rate will shoot 55 gr or smaller bullets, and that's all you need.
 
7.62x39 might be Overkill but not quite as much as a .308. Would also work for something larger IF you needed it.
 
Situation hunter

I would agree with other folks here that you are building a good case for the 223.Don't look past a Mossberg Patriot at between $350 and $400 it's a good gun for the price.
 
I'll point out that you need to watch what's beyond your target better when using the bigger calibers. A small caliber varmint bullet is far less likely to skip off frozen or hard ground than a .30 cal bullet and won't retain nearly as much energy if it does.
Considering the distance the OP stated, it would seem this may be a fairly small area so may be other property owners not far away. A couple of us had "stadium seat" views of another hunter shooting at a coyote in the middle of a large hay field some years back. The first shot at the standing coyote was a hit but the animal ran anyway so the shooter kept shooting. Four rounds fired before the yotie stayed down. We could see the .30 cal bullets skip once or twice off the frozen bare ground before being stopped by the dense treeline 1/4 mile away-even the two that did hit the animal.
 
"...don't plan on doing an excessive amount of range shooting..." Practicing with the ammo you intend hunting with is absolutely necessary.
There is no such thing as a 'best' anything. What's your budget? Are you reloading? Where you are and if you intend hunting larger game matters.
The best time to buy a scoped, used, varmint rifle is just before deer season. Best time to buy a scoped, used, deer rifle is just after deer season. You won't find any bargains on varmint rifles now.
Don't expect to rid yourself of all those beasties either. They were there before you and will still be there long after you.
 
I have three .223 bolt-actions, one is a Rem 700 Stainless Light Varmint that I use for varmint disposal in the fields around the house and the bigger fields down back. I like stainless because I don't like to have to clean bores every time I shoot a critter (about once every couple weeks).

For that use, I don't want a semi-auto that should be cleaned more often. My other rifles with chrome-moly barrels get cleaned every time they're used.

JP
 
Why would ya have to clean it after one shot? Are ya using corrosive primers or somethin? My "tractor gun" was a semi auto, and I didn't clean it for years. During which I put a crate of ammo through it, got drenched in the rain, and so covered in dust it would literally spill off when I picked it up.
 
The .243 hands sown. Velocity,flat shooting bullet choice.
I can say the same of similar for whatever I hand load.
The .243 seems to have lost favor, even though it outshines many others.
One thing find a firearm with the longest barrel for the round. 26in is not too long and it doesn't add but an ounce or two over a 22 in. The reason they want to sell .22in barreled rifles they are cheaper.
Mossberg is even putting a .22in on a 300 Win and .338 too.
That is just silly , and far undercuts performance.
 
the possum: I've had one chrome-moly barrel ruined because I put it away dirty, after shooting several varmints. We have a fairly moist atmosphere in Maine and that, plus leaving it next to a metal sewer stack in the closet, did the job. By spring, I could barely see through the tube and it was severely pitted.

I didn't intend to leave it like that through the winter...just forgot.
 
I think quite a bit would depend on where you are. I've got 10 acre's on the edge of town. I start shooting much here and town will flip out! Are you a fairly large land owner with few if any other family's living close by??
 
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