varmint gun?

[bankwalker]

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]

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]

under $1000

i really like rugers

[high country]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

.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]

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]

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]

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]

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.