Which rifle?

M

M&P40

New member
Looking to get into varmint hunting/varmint shoots at my club and have been looking at various rifles and scopes. For those of you who do varmint hunt and compete can you give me some recommendations. I would like to stay with the .223 cartridge because I currently reload my AR. I'd use that but only bolt actions are allowed and no AR hunting in PA. So far I've looked at the Remington VTR( I Like ), Tikka Varmint, and the TC Venture. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
My brother is very competitive in his club's varmint target shoots with his Rem 700 VLSS in 223. It shoots aub-1/2 MOA all day long, plenty good enough to hit the spots at 200 yds.
 
Savage have some very nice heavy barrel rifles, also look at the Howa Supreme Varmint.
Personally I would go for a Remington, I'd certainly look into savage rifles, thats what i'd go with.
 
The Howa 1500 series offers a very accurate rifle in .223, but consider if you will be carrying the gun all day, or shooting from the back of a truck, rested. My 1500, with bull barrel and laminated thumb hole stock runs 10 lbs., and while it is the most accurate rifle I've yet shot, I would not want to tote it around the woods for very long.
 
I just bought a Savage Predator Model 10 in .243 and its impressive. They offer it in .223 and .204 as well. It isn't a pretty gun by any means but the thing will flat out shoot. I topped it with a Bushnell Elite 4200 2.5X10X50 with the Illuminated Dot #4 reticle so it has thicker crosshairs for hunting and I'm grouping right at 1/2" at 100yds. I've been very impressed with my plastic stocked rifle so far.
 
I have a walnut-stocked Tikka 595 in .223 and, after pillar-bedding it shoots 5/16" with handloads at 100 yards. That was on a windy day.

No excuses with that baby!
 
Varmit Rifle

I would look at the Ruger M-77 T in 223. I have one in 308 and found it to be a reliable tack driver.
 
Tikka, Savage are probably going to give the best accuracy right out of the box.I have had Remingtons that shot well, and my current 22/250 in 700 VS is 1/2" at 200 yards, but I have also had them that wouldn't shoot no matter what I did. I have not heard of a Tikka or Savage that would not shoot.

Bill
 
My Ruger 77 Mk II light sporter in .223 has always been sub-MOA, even before I installed the Timney trigger. Does quite nicely on prairie dogs to 300 yards.
 
My Choice Savage.


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Most accuracy for the buck Savage 12 or Thompson center Icon, especially the Precision Hunter model, mine shot .375 @100yards out of the box with commerical ammo.
 
Howa 1500 Varminter Supreme Thumbhole.
It was really too accurate for the .223. I would love to see one in .243 and really stretch it out beyond 600yds (the farthest I pushed mine)

3/8"@ 100yds (best- 1/2" average). Just as it sits here. 40gr Nosler BT's over a max load of H-335.
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While I am a hunter of paper and not varmints, I cannot say enough good things about my Winchester 70 Heavy Varmint in .223. It's crazy-accurate (when I have my good days) and the Nikon Buckmasters 4.5-14x40 works quite well with it.

The one downside I can see with it is that it's more of a benchrest rifle vs. a carry one. I couldn't tell you how much it weighs, but I can tell you I wouldn't want to have to carry it for any serious distances.
 
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