Free: Contests & Raffles.
Tikka T3x lite for going lighter. One thing about going light with a 22-250 is that the barrel heats up pretty quick. I let my heavy barrel Remington cool after about 7 shots, could put more through it but getting heavy barrels hot means it takes them that much longer to cool down. For high volume varmints the 22-250 might not be your best friend.
Good feedback. I have no interest in another gun for deer hunting, so I'm not going to bump up to the 243. I have considered the .223, but I like the ballistics of the 22-250. I my own handloading for my other guns, and would for this one as well, so the ammo availability isn't to much of an issue. If I could be convinced that the ballistics weren't any different out to say, 300ish yards, then I might be swayed. What I'm also hoping for is a fairly compact gun, something that is light and easy to pack around so it doesn't get in the way when I'm not really on a "hunting" trip but want to haul the gun around just in case. The Model 70 Featherweight Compact seems to fit that bill well, but is pricey. Know of any other compact versions similar to that one?