Author Topic: varmint gun? (Read 14616 times)

bankwalker · « **on:** November 26, 2007, 06:54:25 PM »

im looking to buy a varmint gun for some off season fun.

ive been looking at a couple guns either a savage, remington or ruger. more then likely i will get a 22-250 or maybe a 204. but i like the fact that i can get the ruger in 243...so i could use it as a deer rifle when im hunting mulies on eastern washington.

any other rifles i may look into? also what scope would be a good match.

thanks alot

high country · « **Reply #1 on:** November 26, 2007, 07:03:44 PM »

what is your budget?

ruger is a solid gun, tikka has a crazy reputation for accuracy. most every 22-250 and 243 regardless of maker has been pretty good as accuracy goes. I would have no problem picking a 243, the 55gr stuff is in the 4k FPS range and heavier bullets are better in the wind. only downer is they heat up a touch faster, and can be tough on barrel throats....not that 250 are not.

bankwalker · « **Reply #2 on:** November 26, 2007, 07:05:22 PM »

under $1000

i really like rugers

high country · « **Reply #3 on:** November 26, 2007, 07:11:16 PM »

I would look at the tikka's and sako's. they are gonna cream the rugers in the accuracy dept. my biggest complaint with my rugers, both the varmint and regular, is the weight....they are tanks. I would say if you are happy with a 1" gun then go ruger all the way, if you want to shoot into the .2's you can go to the tikka/sako and avoid having to do a bunch of smithing. If you do go ruger, the first thing you need to do is pull the trigger and stone it or get it worked by a smith' the stock trigger is pretty ugly, but does clean up very well.

Houndhunter · « **Reply #4 on:** November 26, 2007, 07:14:12 PM »

22-250 is over all the best varmit gun there is in my opinion, always does a good job on yotes. but my favorite is the 220 swift, the only problem is you just bout have to reload them yourself

bankwalker · « **Reply #5 on:** November 26, 2007, 07:20:20 PM »

i agree with the rugers being tanks. i have a 7mm wsm and its just under 8lbs with scope.

but either way i go i figure ill around the 10lb mark on the varmint rifle i buy. the savage i want is 10lbs, the ruger is 9lbs, the tikka and remington are on the lighter side though under 7lbs.

what are the opinions on the remington 700 light varmint rifle? or the rangemaster i think thats the name?

high country · « **Reply #6 on:** November 26, 2007, 10:10:26 PM »

I have a buddy running the 700 lvsf in 22-250.....he likes it. myself, I would have bought an ADL and a mc millian stock for even money....but what ever. I have never seen a 22-250, regardless of make that did not shoot minute of coyote to 400yds....or 243 for that matter. If you are gonna spend a grand on a coyote grabber you oughta scope out the classifieds on the 24hourcampfire. there are some nice rigs that come up over there.

jackelope · « **Reply #7 on:** November 27, 2007, 11:48:03 AM »

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1818162/page/2/gonew/1#UNREAD

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1818731/page/4/gonew/1#UNREAD

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1822706/page/7#Post1822706

I dig the bottom one.

WAcoyotehunter · « **Reply #8 on:** November 27, 2007, 11:53:00 AM »

I shoot a T/C Encore in .204 and a Rem 700 in 22-250 for yotes. Both work really well and kill dogs. I have a ruger .243 and kill coyotes with it also, but it tears them up pretty bad. I would never shoot a bobcat with it. Save the hides, it's a good feeling selling them and making use of your yotes!

tlbradford · « **Reply #9 on:** November 27, 2007, 01:42:15 PM »

I think the .204 is a more effecient caliber than the .22-250. It kills coyotes DRT. For the money, it is tough to beat a Savage. I would also consider a CZ.

MuleySniper · « **Reply #10 on:** November 27, 2007, 04:33:28 PM »

.223 ammo is way cheaper than 22-250. Look at the ballistics and they are almost apples and oranges. You get in the high 3 and low 4000 fps. range, your gonna loose some accuracy. If you plan on doing a lot of shooting, buy a rifle with a heavy barrel. Especially if you decide on a 22-250. Ive heard of guys shooting out their barrels with some of those real hot loads.

Slenk · « **Reply #11 on:** November 27, 2007, 06:18:09 PM »

Buy a Savage or Stevens (under$300) 22-250 for yote's them get a extra Barrel $140 at Midway in 243,7mm08 or 308 for Deer . And then a Dang good Scope to go on top. Easy to change barrels.You don't need hot loads in a 22-250 to kill coyotes and you have a little more range than .223 . 22-250 will not burn out a barrel any faster than 223 . I have been shooting the same barrel for over 20 year and it has been shot a lot.
Slenk

bankwalker · « **Reply #12 on:** November 27, 2007, 06:22:27 PM »

yea thats why i want a savage. i really like the model 12 light varmint rifle. but i think i might get something a little lighter then that though.

first i planned on just getting a target style rifle, sence its mainly a sit and call game so i wanted to most accurate rifle possible. but now idk

Slenk · « **Reply #13 on:** November 27, 2007, 06:33:57 PM »

I bough a Stevens last Spring in 7mm-08 nice light packing rifle . I had the 22-250 ,24" Varmiter Barrel that I had been switching on and off to my .270 Savage for years . I see no need for a heavy barrel for hunting and packing . Just me .
Slenk

PolarBear · « **Reply #14 on:** November 27, 2007, 06:37:56 PM »

I was going to post this same question, glad ya beat me to it. I am also looking for a good coyote rifle for long distances. My .250 Savage is great but out past 300 yds she really drops off. I cant decide between a .204, 22-250, 243 or a 25-06. I dont care too much about saving hides, I am more into extermination.

Slenk · « **Reply #15 on:** November 27, 2007, 06:52:48 PM »

PolarBear
Myself I would go with the Savage if you like the accutrigger or Stevens in 25-06 .
I used to hunt with a feller that, was the only riffle he owned . He used it on Deer & Elk and killed a truck load of each.
Slenk

NORRISKI2 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 07, 2008, 06:23:32 PM »

My brother shoots a Savage BGTV .204 with an accutrigger and I shoot a Rem 700 VLS 22-250, both are well capable of yote extermination.

Coasthunterjay · « **Reply #17 on:** February 07, 2008, 07:10:28 PM »

ok everyone always wants to know this question....now if you are wanting to target only varmints and you have no intend to shoot a larger animal with it then get the 22-250 or a 223. but if you can afford a littlle bit more expensive cartridge then i would recomend the .243.....

the one thing i think about is the what if question....
what if im calling in a timbered area calling coyotes or maybe for bobcats, and a cougar or a bear gets called in.....well with the smaller round you are not even legal to shot them...nor would i want the idea of some animal i just shot suffering in the woods because i shot it with a bb caliber sized round......

BUT WITH A larger round like the .243 (a 25-06 is really nice to)you can legally shot the small game predators(varmints) and your big game animals(including bears, cougars and deer)

i have also been looking at getting a smaller caliber and have been searching for alot of different things but i would stay with the three you have picked i want to stay as small as i can so i am going with a 243.....i also think of the chance that someday i may have a kid that may want to use or go hunting and im always trying to get my wife to go shooting with me, but she wont shoot the big dog....a 243 would be a great beginner rifle and enjoyable to shoot for long periods of time!!!

if i honestly had 1000 dollars to spend on a setup i would check gunbroker.com or one of those other websites and i would either buy a whole setup already built for 800 bucks or i would buy a nice remington 700 in .243 and buy 250-300 dollar leupold rifleman or new200-250 nikon and add a nice harris ultra light or rock mount bipod for it and BAMM..... one animal slaying gun.....

the tikka and savage are both great guns and you can do the same for both and save money but i am a big fan of remington....my recommendation would be to stay away from the ruger models....great gun but not for me......as is i like the remington i like them alot!.................

great choices man but eventually after looking it really only comes down to what you like and what fits good in you hand!

AWS · « **Reply #18 on:** February 07, 2008, 08:18:59 PM »

Without more info it's real hard to help with your desicion.

Do you want to save the fur? The 243 and above and fur friendly don't go hand in hand.

Do you want to take over 300yd shots? 204 and 223 start to run out of horse power out there.

Do you plan on calling or spot and snipe? Sporter weight rifles are handier on a calling stand, heavy weights are steadier for long distance sighting.

Calling guns work better with lower powerred variable 1x4x20mm, 1.5x6x40mm, 2x7x32mm or max 3x9x40mm. Spot and snipe rifles work better with 4x12x40mm, 4.5x14x44mm ect.

Taking these things into consideration your choice of guns and caliber are what will work for your style of hunting. As long as you stay with a quality maker you won't go wrong, CZ, Tikka, Rem., Sav. Browning, and Ruger all make quality rifles. Buy the one that fits you best and you have confidence in. Do buy a good scope Weaver, Burris, Leupold, Sightron etc. make good scopes, look for "Fully Multi-coated lenses".

So what do I shoot? I'm strictly a caller and fur saver. Open country (desert) Stevens custom 222Rem Mag Improved, 40gr NBTat 3900fps Sightron II 1.5x6x42mm. East side mountians with a chance of a big cat, Rem 600 6x45mm 55gr NBT at 3300fps Leupold VX-II 1x4x20mm. Westside where things can get upclose and critters can get up to bear size a Sav. 11 custom 250-3000 75gr X-bullet at 3200fps Leupold VariX-II 1x4x20mm.

Good luck

AWS

MuleySniper · « **Reply #19 on:** February 07, 2008, 09:48:43 PM »

Quote from: high country on November 26, 2007, 07:11:16 PM

I would look at the tikka's and sako's. they are gonna cream the rugers in the accuracy dept. my biggest complaint with my rugers, both the varmint and regular, is the weight....they are tanks. I would say if you are happy with a 1" gun then go ruger all the way, if you want to shoot into the .2's you can go to the tikka/sako and avoid having to do a bunch of smithing. If you do go ruger, the first thing you need to do is pull the trigger and stone it or get it worked by a smith' the stock trigger is pretty ugly, but does clean up very well.

I'll back up the Tikka's too, I can knock the nuts off a fly with mine at a hundred yards

Sako is sweet too, but for less money you basically get the same action as Sako on the Tikka for less dough.
Ms

dbllunger · « **Reply #20 on:** February 07, 2008, 09:57:21 PM »

A .243 beats almost everything. If you reload you can shoot a 55 over 4k, and a FMJ that will save hides. This is the ultimate varmint gun. I have a.243, 22-250 and a .223, but I usually take my 7mm STW when I go varmint hunting.

bankwalker · « **Reply #21 on:** February 08, 2008, 12:56:41 AM »

i really dont care about saving fur...i just want something to go out and shoot yotes. im leaning towards the .243 so i can double it up as a deer rifle aswell.

ICEMAN · « **Reply #22 on:** February 08, 2008, 05:57:41 AM »

I bought a .243 for dawgs, and my son can use it for deer... Besides, it is really a nice little tack driver...

Bofire · « **Reply #23 on:** February 08, 2008, 08:33:58 AM »

:)I am a big time Tikka fan, they use the same barrels as the Sako, but the action is totally different.

Polarbear, My brother lives in Rainier, he has a Remington 22-250 LVSF for sale. In the original box. Let me know if you want to see it.
I put a scope on it and sighted it in last year. Tom still has the target, 10 round group under an inch. factory ammo.
Carl

T-ROY · « **Reply #24 on:** February 08, 2008, 12:12:14 PM »

I'm a huge remington fan and own model 7 .223, /model 700 heavy barrel 22-250, and model 788 in .243. i like the 22-250 the best for my varmit shooting. the 223 is cheep to shoot if you don't reload which i don't. and like you say you can do it all with a 243. I personaly don't like the looks of the tikka. but for the money you can't go wrong. they are under 500$ new at sportsman warehouse and as accurate if not better than any of the rest and to top it all off it weighs in at around 6 1/2 pounds. lot of gun for the money. just my 2 cents worth

Bscman · « **Reply #25 on:** February 08, 2008, 01:18:47 PM »

I'm a big fan of the .22 caliber's for 'yotes and such.
Most of my shooting here on the west-side is typically withing 200yds (often MUCH closer), so they pack plenty of punch.

Other benefits:
If you're out calling for 'yote or bobcats and a cougar walks in, you can't shoot 'em if you're using anything smaller than .22 caliber. Yes, in washington you CAN shoot cougar with a .22caliber CENTERFIRE.

If you're out with ONLY a small game tag--not big game permit--during an open deer or elk season, you cannot hunt varmints with a rifle larger than .24 caliber....so if you opt for a .243 and decide one year not to hunt big game, you'll be taking a few prime 'yote/bobcat weeks staying home because you can't legally hunt....but if you had a .22caliber you COULD be out in the woods calling.

.223 if you don't reload, 22-250 is you do. JMHO.

PolarBear · « **Reply #26 on:** February 09, 2008, 07:04:41 PM »

Bofire, thanks but I am going to have to wait on a new rifle for now. I am building a house and somethings have to be put on the back burner and guess what that is.

The old .250 Savage will have to do for a little bit longer.

wastickslinger · « **Reply #27 on:** February 09, 2008, 07:16:31 PM »

I have ruger #1 22-250. Sweet shooter but man is it heavy. I like the 22-250 because it has a little longer range than the .223 and .204. Not that I can shoot that far but hey maybe someday right?

whitey · « **Reply #28 on:** February 18, 2008, 11:06:47 AM »

AR-15 works good on *censored*s as well as coyotes. Bushmaster the truly versetile rifle

dbllunger · « **Reply #29 on:** February 18, 2008, 11:33:51 AM »

Whitey...just to poke back...COLT IS THE ONLY AR-15 to use. That being said Bushmaster makes a good one. I also used a Hydromatic for many years with never a jam or problem. Thousands of rounds, but it had a Colt bolt assembly, Hydro trigger group, and Bushmaster barrel. Ever see one of those?

boneaddict · « **Reply #30 on:** February 18, 2008, 12:11:35 PM »

For shots in the Wenas...

Bearhunter · « **Reply #31 on:** February 18, 2008, 12:34:05 PM »

Bankwalker, Saturday I bough a Tikka 22-250 T3 lite black on black. $459 at sportsmans with an additional 5% off. Then I top it off with the Leupold VLS cut face varmit recticle scope. 4.5-14X50. Hogsniper and I went and sited it in on Sunday pretty dang accurate. Another sweet gun is the Remington Kevlar stock Fluted stainless barell, but it was somewhere around $700.00, really liked it though. Good luck on your search, I post a picure of it later.

Antlershed · « **Reply #32 on:** February 18, 2008, 03:34:34 PM »

I'm thinking about picking up the Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .223 tomorrow. It is on sale plus it has a $30 rebate on it right now.

Red Dawg · « **Reply #33 on:** February 18, 2008, 04:14:50 PM »

I just picked up a 22 hornet and a 22-250. the hornet is a ruger model 77/22 laminate w/ target grey varmint barrel. the 22-250 is the model 700 vls. Stainless steel with black and grey laminate stock. Remington only made 400 of them in 2003. Got them both off of gunbroker.com for a very good price.

bankwalker · « **Reply #34 on:** February 18, 2008, 08:20:17 PM »

Quote from: Antlershed on February 18, 2008, 03:34:34 PM

I'm thinking about picking up the Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .223 tomorrow. It is on sale plus it has a $30 rebate on it right now.

im thinking about picking up that same gun. i have yet to find the gun i want...that im willing to spend the money on anyway.

Antlershed · « **Reply #35 on:** February 18, 2008, 09:44:38 PM »

I would love to have one of the uber cool fluted barrel Remington varmint rifles, but I just can't afford one. For the price, I think the SPS Varmint should be a great gun.

bankwalker · « **Reply #36 on:** February 19, 2008, 12:25:42 AM »

oh yeah i've played with it in the stores a bit. i use to own 2 sps's when they first came out. and they are great guns. i didnt like the synthetic stocks though. to noisy for my liking so i got rid of them. but as a varmint gun they will work perfectly sence they wont be hitting against brush and stuff like that.

plsu that price with the rebate is a good deal.

Antlershed · « **Reply #37 on:** February 19, 2008, 06:21:20 AM »

Just curious, where are you looking to buy yours from and how much?

whitey · « **Reply #38 on:** February 19, 2008, 08:11:15 AM »

Dbllunger they are all awesome, they are made to MIL-Spec. But colt is the first and very good black gun. good shooting. Once you go black,well you know the rest

bankwalker · « **Reply #39 on:** February 19, 2008, 02:38:11 PM »

Quote from: Antlershed on February 19, 2008, 06:21:20 AM

Just curious, where are you looking to buy yours from and how much?

um im not to sure yet. i think the cheapest i seen that gun was at sportsmans in federal way...

i never really looked to closely at the prices. i know they are cheap though. my sps's when i baught them knew were well under $600 after taxes. i baught the first one from bulleyes in tacoma, and the second from sportsco in fife.

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Author Topic: varmint gun? (Read 14616 times)

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