What's your caliber of choice for varmints?

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Bowhunter57

New member
I'm trying to decide on a caliber for groundhog hunting and other similarly sized small game varmints. All shots will be inside 50 yards. Open sights and holographic sights are being considered.

Your thoughts and experiences are appreciated. :)

Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
I would go for 22 lr at least to get started and then move up to 30/30 if necessary. But in terms of cost and groundhogs it seems to me 22s are the way to go.
What you aficionados in varmint hunting say?
 
A 22 rimfire in a rifle has more velocity and accuracy than what can be obtained in a handgun. I've hunted my share of squirrels with a Ruger Mk III, Browning Buckmark and S&W 22A with good success. However, I don't feel comfortable shooting the previously mentioned semi-autos beyond 25 yards, for groundhogs.

Perhaps I should've mentioned that I'm interested in a centerfire caliber, like a 9mm, 10mm, 38 Spl., 357 Mag., etc.

Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
My choice for Prairie dogs inside 200yds is a 17hmr. That little bullet just destroys varmints. A ground hog is bigger, but ive shot a cpl coyotes as targets of opportunity and that 17hmr has been amazing even on those.

Little (like no) recoil, kills with authority that far surpasses what you would expect of the itty bity bullet, suppresses well (if that interests you).

Its a winner

Edit...sorry. I didnt realize you wanted a handgun
 
Clarification: We are in the semi-automatic HANDGUNS discussion area. I contacted the OP (Bowhunter57), and he confirmed that he is interested in using a semi-auto handgun for varmint hunting. He has also said that all shots will be within 50 yards.

So, please ... confine your suggestions and the discussion to handgun calibers/cartridges. Discussion of 200-yard shots is off-topic.
 
Back in the days I used a Black Hawk 357 with either 140 gr Speer HP of a cast 150 gr SWC. Killed lots of cotton tails with those 2 combos. My longest hit was 78 yds stepped off.

I also used my Ruger 22 LR purchased in 1975.
 
50 yards with a handgun is going to need a substantial sight radius. (Unless you want to put ammo manufacturers' kids through college)
There are a fair number of hunting revolvers with long barrels that will get you to 50 yards reliably, but not that many semi's with a 7" or longer barrel.

Desert Eagle does make .357 and .44 Mag semi's in 10" and 14" barrels. I have a 14" .44 Mag and it's dead nuts accurate at 25 yards, haven't tried at 50.
 
1911 in 10mm preferably 6" bbl. 50yds is easily doable with most full size pistols. Took this one at about 50yds with a 45acp sitting in the passenger seat of our polaris ranger. A little practice goes a long ways.
 

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If my neighbor is home (rural area), one of my .22 pistols gets brought out. If she is away, I'll use a .357 or .44 magnum.
 
This depends on what you want to do. Groundhogs seem to be the varmint of note. I'm assuming you don't plan to eat them or collect their pelts. So, any of the centerfire choices you mention should be fine. Issues like sight radius really just control the level of challenge.

A good question is what you want for yourself here. Besides exterminating pests, this is an excellent opportunity to hone your skill. A full-sized semi-auto would be good for this. Here is another thing to consider. Do you carry a firearm daily? If so, what do you carry?

Paul Harrell has discussed the advantages of jack rabbit hunting with your CCW or duty gun if applicable. That is a distinct sort of challenge. Shooting groundhogs at distances up to 50 yards is different but should still be rewarding.

Having shot groundhogs with all sorts of things over the years, I like higher velocity hollow points relative to caliber. I think 115 grains is good in 9mm and 165-grains is about right for .40 S&W. I haven't tried 10mm but some of the magnum revolver rounds can get a little gruesome.
 
Cosmodragoon said:
A good question is what you want for yourself here. Besides exterminating pests, this is an excellent opportunity to hone your skill. A full-sized semi-auto would be good for this. Here is another thing to consider. Do you carry a firearm daily? If so, what do you carry?
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I want accuracy with enough killing power to get the g-hogs killed effectively. Therefore, my preference of centerfire vs. rimfire.
I usually carry a Smith & Wesson M&P 9c or a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 45. Both handguns will shoot 1" groups at 20 yards.

Cosmodragoon said:
Having shot groundhogs with all sorts of things over the years, I like higher velocity hollow points relative to caliber. I think 115 grains is good in 9mm and 165-grains is about right for .40 S&W. I haven't tried 10mm but some of the magnum revolver rounds can get a little gruesome.
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I'm the same, in preferring high velocity JHP bullets, in any caliber being used.
I've killed g-hogs with 125 gr. JHP bullets out of a .357 Mag., 180 gr. JHP bullets out of a 44 Mag., 147 gr. JHP bullets out of a 9mm M&P.

Bowhunter57

Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
There are a lot of potential choices available. You might want to choose a good single action gun, like a good 1911 with adjustable sights, or maybe a Beretta 92 type weapon.
However, I don't get many chances at ground hogs, but have killed a lot of armadillos with whatever I had on me at the time. I have shot a bunch of them with one of my Glock 22's in 40cal but that particular gun has an aftermarket trigger and aftermarket sights, and is surprisingly accurate for a Glock.
A Browning Hi-Power could possibly be another choice, with a trigger job and good sights. My son in law has a Glock 19X that shoots lights out, perfectly capable of 50yd ground hogs. Another sleeper, is the old Taurus 92; I had one that I still mentally kick myself in the butt for trading off as it shot dead on at extended ranges with the fixed factory sights and had a great single action trigger.

You might have to go through a few guns to find one that really preforms well at 50 yds as two just alike might vary in performance. A decent trigger would be a good starting point, as well as adjustable sights, although I have had very good luck with fixed sights on some guns.
 
I have shot groundhogs with a Glock 19, 17 & 20. The furthest thus far has been 39 yards, but all were with open sights and non-modified triggers. I'm not anything exceptional when it comes to shooting, so I'd say keep it simple and use whatever gun you have or need to buy that feels right in your hands.

The 39 yarder was with a Gen 4 17 shooting Speer GD 124 gr +P. At the time, that is what I carried and practiced with so I was comfortable with the shot, and probably would have attempted it out 50 yards or a little farther had it been necessary.

That said, I have killed more with the 19 than the other two combined, by the fact that I carry it most. Most shots range from 10 to 25 yards and are either in our around the barn.

Knowing exactly what the gun in your hands will do is, to my mind, far better than having the most ideal gun for the application with only theoretical knowledge of what it will do. YMMV

Also...

surprisingly accurate for a Glock
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The only inaccurate Glocks I've ever encountered were in the hands of inexperienced shooters. Unless you're spending big money on a custom or competition piece, I don't know what you see lacking in Glock accuracy.
 
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