# Varmint Rifle



## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I want a varmint rifle. What is your preferred caliber?


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

.223/5.56

Works on all sizes and shapes of varmints......but so doesn't a .308.....


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## mstuck21 (Oct 4, 2019)

.22-250 is what you need.

Spent a LONG time researching and researching same thing. Bought a .17 Rem bc I loved how fast it was and wanted to start reloading. Just had to be different then my buddies. Never took up reloading so all I have now is a really nice gun in an expensive/hard to find round.

The .22-250 is fast, flat, can stretch quite a distance, fur friendly if you reload, popular and available.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

I have a .243 and it is lethal on coyotes to 325 yards.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Are you guys have problems find ammo? Around here they can't seem to keep it on the shelves. The shelves are almost as bare as the toilet paper shelves at the beginning of this pandemic.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Yep, we definitely ammo shortages...


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Our stores have signs at the front door stating no ammo available. I bought a Ruger AR15 with my last stimmy check and haven't fired a single round through it yet because I don't want to waste the ammo. So it just sits on the gun rack in the bedroom closet with a loaded 30 round mag waiting on Joe Biden to come looking for it.


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

You might want to leave him a crumb trail if he is to have any chance at all. As far as the rifle a .243 is by far the best there is. Very impressive accuracy and speed I have a single shot bull barrel with a 50mm 24 power scope works great for beavers and coyotes, but when we get after the hogs I have to break out the 6.5 creedmore it's not any better just a lot faster reloading.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

A .223 shooting a 40 grain bullet is deadly on coyotes. Zero 2" high at 100 yards and it is dead on at 300 yards using a 3 x 9 scope and a good rest. Also have taken feral hogs with head shots using this rifle.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

CowboyRam said:


> I want a varmint rifle. What is your preferred caliber?


I keep two varminters. A long range for over 100 yards and a short range for 100 yards or less, The short range I use for shooting around the house mostly. Not nearly as loud popping off.

The long range is used mainly for coyotes, hogs, and ground hogs.

Preferred calibers are .223 long range and .22 magnum for short range. I have a .17 but it won't kill anything immediately if it is not a head shot.

Regards, Mike


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## Okshooter (Oct 29, 2019)

What varmints are you targeting and at what maximum range to you intend to shoot them? And how many do you anticipate seeing in an area at one time? It would be hard to beat a good AR-15 for accuracy, durability(assume it will ride in a farm truck or tractor most of the time), and ease of use. Ammo will probably be easier to find for it since it's the most popular rifle in the country, but it will still be scarce. If your varmints are going to get much bigger then coyotes, I would start looking at a larger round. 243s are great, but if your main varmint is prairie dogs and you're going to be shooting hundreds of them, the barrel life isn't great. You'll get about 1,000 to 1,500 accurate rounds from a 243 but several thousand from a 223.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I have been leaning towards a 223, and would be shooting mostly coyotes. I pretty much took care of all the prairie dogs around the farm a few years ago. What I did not get with my 22 the resident fox took out.


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

22 Hornet for short shots, 22-250 for longer bigger stuff, makes head shots with ease...


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

I use my custom built 280 ackley with #5 28.5 barrel on a ruger #1 action. A little heavy for some things but very flat shooting. Killed turkeys at 275 yds, longest available shot here, coyote at 380 yds. 140 gr Sierra 59grs re19.


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## Adimice (Jan 18, 2016)

I've had a Rem 220 Swift since the early 70's. 18 power Burris scope. It's just not fair it's so fast flat and accurate. Ammo is hard to find and expensive, but man... is it ever fun to shoot. I used to live in Western Colorado, long shots. Coyotes and ground hogs.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

I use a .243, but it's overkill and is getting more spendy to shoot. I have a hankering to get my hands on and try out a 22-250. It is fun to shoot them, but I've eliminated a lot more of them by spring trapping (before they drop their young'uns) than picking them off one by one as they present themselves.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Well I finally went and did it. I bought a Savage Axis 22-250 form Walmart. $414 before tax, with a Bushnell 4-12x40 scope. Now if I could only find some ammo.


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

I have a SAKO 22-250. I don't varmint shoot here in the South but I have killed a lot of deer with it. You have to be very careful about bullet placement but its fun the shoot. Basically no recoil. I have killed a few coyotes with it and it did a great job.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Now if I could just find some ammo, I then could go out and have some fun with it. I bought it just so when checking cows out on the Red Desert this summer, if I see a coyote, well lets just say he is going to have a very bad day. I'm going to put a little lead in his get-along.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

My new rifle with my bipod.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Sweet. That'll do. Hope you can get your hands on some ammo for it soon. Give us a report once you get some action with it.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

It would be nice to get it zeroed in, and have it with me when I go to the ranch to check my cows. Last year I seen a coyote, I grabbed my uncles gun, but didn't know he did not have the clip in it. The coyote got away. Although that was the only one I seen all year. He does have some prairie dogs at the ranch, I guess I could shot some of those.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

In these times you buy the ammo and then find the gun. You literally picked the hardest caliber to find without paying the gouged prices on a websites.

However since that's really no help I sent you a PM because I don't revel go to places for ammo trolls.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

BWfarms said:


> In these times you buy the ammo and then find the gun. You literally picked the hardest caliber to find without paying the gouged prices on a websites.
> 
> However since that's really no help I sent you a PM because I don't revel go to places for ammo trolls.


LMAO. Ya I guess so. From what I have seen at my local sporting goods store there is not much that can be found in ammo. I was surprised to see the shelves bare, even those for reloading. At some point I may get into reloading, that is if I shoot enough. I did a little reloading for my 30-06 when I was a teenager; used an uncles equipment, but I stopped because I was not shooting enough.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Finally was able to find some ammo. One of the local gun shops finally got some in, so I bought some. Now I need to find somewhere site it in at. I might see if I can become a member of the rifle range in Shoshoni, it's not that far from me.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Drove thru Shoshoni more than once. See if you can find a ballistics chart for your specific brand of ammo including your bullet weight on the internet. Probably want to zero at 200 yards. Note on a small piece of paper your bullet drop at 300 and 400 yards and tape it to the cheek side of your stock then you will be ready at most ranges. Good shooting.

Regards, Mike


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## seventyfourci (May 13, 2014)

Dayum I shoot a 22 marlin packed full of cci stingers for the short range and a 25-06 with 75 grn HPBT's for bigger varmints and 120 grn game kings for the kind of varmints that taste good.


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