Guest MissouriHunter Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 I know i will prolly get a lot of "what i shoot" or " what i like" but i was wondering which varmint rifles are the best for predator hunting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaCoyote Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles .22 centerfires. .223, 22-250, .220 swift. Fast .22's, period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles You are right, there is a lot of opinion involved. It's like asking whats the best deer rifle. There is no correct answer. It all depends on the circumstances of the shooter. It depends on your goal. If you want to save hides, I would stay away from the fast 22 centerfire guns like the .22-250, .220 Swift, and .223 WSSM. They will cause too much damage. Go with a .222, .223, for factory ammo. The .243 Win or the 6mm Rem with handloads can be good choices. I would shoot the centerfire .17 Rem. It makes pin holes in the hides, and strikes like Thor's Hammer. I have been shooting one for 6 years and find it very versitile for varmint/predator hunting. The factory ammo is very limited. A handloader can make this cartridge ideal with a fairly big range of bullets. There is nothing like squeezing off a round and watching the bullet impact through the scope. If you don't care for about saving hides, I would go with a .22-250 or .243 Win. Fact is any centerfire gun will do just fine, but the added recoil from big game rifles, is just added punishment that is not needed. I have shot more coyotes with .30 caliber guns (.308 Win and .300 Wby Mag) but that does not make them the best choice. Either way, you will want an accurate rifle. I would not use a gun that did not shoot 3/4" groups worst case off the bench. I prefer 1/2" or better for varmint/predator gun. This will allow you to shoot to 350 yards and still have a good chance of hitting your target in the vitals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles we shoot .22-250, dad used to reload bullets when he was really into groundhog hunting. he used the 52gr. boat-tail match bullets. those were REALLY accurate. but we didnt care about the hide i have saw dad shoot a crow in the head out of the top of a pine tree at about 175 yards so they are accurate. if i was going to try something else, it would be the .223 WSSM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles [ QUOTE ] he used the 52gr. boat-tail match bullets. those were REALLY accurate. [/ QUOTE ] Thy're the bullet of choice in my .220 Swift, too. I load the Hornady 52 gr. HPBT Match over a good dose of IMR 3031 for 4050 fps. 5-shot groups are routinely around 1/2 M.O.A. and sometimes less. The hard tip on the match bullet will actually help minimize expansion and should reduce pelt damage. I hope to be able to tell you for sure next weekend. We're going 'yote hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MissouriHunter Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles I heard something about a new rifle coming out called a 204 but that might be rumor. I was kinda leaning toward 220 swift but I have never shot so i don't know how hard it is to get ammo or how good as a rifle it really is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MissouriHunter Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles Does the 220 swift, or 22-250, or the 223 shoot farther, flatter, or better. Which one would be the best choice of these three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles I would go with the 22-250. The problem with the 220 Swift is that most of the gun manufactures aren't making it anymore and it has this thing about burning up barrels. Whether it is true or not, remains to be seen. The 22-250 is a bit faster than the 223 and will carry a little further. The 223 has one advantage with some real cheap ammo, but it probably isn't very accurate. I have a 22-250 and it is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles [ QUOTE ] .........and it has this thing about burning up barrels. Whether it is true or not, remains to be seen. [/ QUOTE ] No. It's not. The .220 Swift is no more likely to "burn out" a barrel than any number of other high velocity calibers. Poor shooting habits (i.e. shooting the gun with a scalding hot barrel) will burn you out a barrel faster than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles [ QUOTE ] Does the 220 swift, or 22-250, or the 223 shoot farther, flatter, or better. Which one would be the best choice of these three. [/ QUOTE ] Out of these three, the .220 Swift is the fastest, followed by the .22-250, then the .223. Comparing 50 gr bullets they look like this: 220 Swift = 4000 fps .22-250 = 3900 fps .223 = 3550 fps All three can be outstanding shooting guns. In factory guns, the chambering does not mean that much as far as accuracy. The gunsmithing and barrel quality has more to do with accuracy than thich cartridge it shoots. Any of them can be usd successfully at 500 yards by a good shooter. The Marine Corps Rifle Team uses the .223 in a heavily modified M16 to shoot High Power Service Rifle competition. They shoot open sighted M16s at 1000 yards. They also post some very competitive scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MissouriHunter Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles I have gotten a lot of good fedback but i have narrowed it down a little bit. I am trying to pick between the 220 swift or the ruger 204. What do you think? I am going for something that not to many poeple have but i still want something good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles The .204's ballistics are actually a wee bit superior to the .220's at all practical ranges. However, the .204 shoots a considerably smaller bullet (probably not important on smaller vermin). If you're a handloader, the selection of .22 bullets is way better than for the .20 caliber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MissouriHunter Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles Well pretty much here in Missouri all i plan to hunt is coyotes, fox, and bobcat so would the 220 be to big or would the 204 be to small. Which would be the best for those predators? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Re: Varmint Rifles Either/or, I'd say. Don't think either would be a bad choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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