What's your favourite "varmint" rifle, and what for?

[Wapiti]

I'm interested in what you blokes use as a dedicated varmint rifle?

Longer range, flatter-shooting cartridges that are used on animals - rabbits, nasty birds, foxes, dogs that type of thing.
Stuff that has enough oomph.
22-250? 220 Swift? 25-06 for dogs?

For example, you might be set up at a shearers quarters, overlooking a lambing paddock where foxes are sneaking in.
Or, same deal, except that 300m out across the fence, crows are gathering in a big dead tree to have a go at new-born kids or lambs.
Or overlooking that hole in the fence 250m away where dogs are coming in to take out the chickens or the small fluffy farmhouse dog.

What do people consider a true useable "varmint" rifle? With a reasonable cartridge speed and flat shooting?
I don't think for example a TRG M10 qualifies, that's for something else.

If I was to put in a PTA for one, what would be a good cartridge, and a suitable model and brand of rifle, to be relatively flexible and take care of all those jobs?

[ButchDDG41]

I have a 22-250 and 223. The 223 is an LA102 Varmint, and would be fine posting up in a 'shed' but carrying it further than a few 100m would not be fun. The 22-250 is an old Rem 700 ADL B series that still shoots well and does everything the 223 does however ammo is harder to find and is double the price in some cases. The sako stuff 55 grain works well .

I was looking at a cz515 in 22mag but alas, NSW.

[Damo300]

I have a Tikka Super Varmint in 300wm...but that's not for hunting critters.

I think I'm going to get myself a 204 Ruger. What can I say, I love speed, and of course it would be a tikka or sako.
Everything about that cartridge screams fun to me, and the only 22 I have is the LR.
I'm looking carefully.
Great thread.
Keenly interested in everyone's perspective.

[Bugman]

243 suited me fine for many years. From the odd bunny to goats.

[tuknal]

223 sako 75 varmint does everything i need it to from bunnies to deer

[Wapiti]

Thanks for the input, I realised that I don't have a suitable "varmint" rifle here at all.
Sure I have heavy tactical (hate that name now) factory rifles, but not anything what I consider a long reaching smaller cartridge.

I don't consider a 223 as a long range exploder, just my experience with it, we have two heavy-barrel 223's here but yeah, nah. I know people will use them for things I consider irresponsible and get away with it, of course you can. The real reason they are popular is because they are just adequate for roo head shooting, don't kick and are cheap.

A mate down the road has a Tikka 22-250, which he really stretches out on roos heads, but that cartridge doesn't excite me whatsoever, although I'd consider that is a good description of a varmint cartridge.
.220 Swift seems to have died.
Maybe if they start barrelling these things with fast twists to shoot heavier bullets to bust the wind better. maybe they do, but his 22-250 is 1-14 I think. Maybe that's a short circuit of my memory too?
A lifelong mate of mine - we were born in the same year, street and grew up together, comes out sometimes and he has a 25-06 Ruger varmint heavy barrel, and that thing seemingly shoots like a laser and has this uncanny ability to explode crows at ranges where his 20x Leupold scope's crosshairs centre completely covers a lamb-raiding crow in a tree. Amazing. The damn things detonate like they've swallowed a bomb.
I can't remember what his load was, but I shot it off his bipod at a 40mm thick MS plate we set up at 200m or so, it was pretty far away, and I fired 3 shots and there was one silver dot on the black painted plate. When I went out to look, there was one hole in the steel, about 25mm deep and twice the calibre size, where each bullet went into the previous ones hole and made it deeper. And this ragged circular set of razor sharp petals around the hole. Incredible. Maybe that was just arse, no class on my part. Sold me on Ruger 25-06's.

Seems like all the fancier modern fad cartridges like that have died a lingering death, yet the 25-06 still lives.
What else is there? I can't think of anything in between .224 and say, .25.
Or a suitable rifle to put it into either.
One that you don't have modify to make it work to it's potential.

[JDM9691]

I have a Lithgow .243 in their standard 22 inch barrel, which isn't varmint, but is heavier than most. To be honest it's overkill for foxes, rabbits, pigeons, crows. The 87g vmax I usually run is pretty good at longer ranges, but I also load the 58g vmax which is quite a bit flatter and still terminal for everything I shoot. With a ballistic calculator on the scope, the need to have a flat shooting projectile isn't quite as important, so I generally just shoot the 87's as they hold a bit more energy at range, and you never quite know what might be waiting for you in the paddock.

I often think I should downsize to a .223 , or possibly .204 ruger, but when I crunch the numbers, the $ I'd save in ammo/reloading would take many years to pay for a new gun. The heart says yes, but the chequebook says no.

[Damo300]

I have to admit, I bought the 243 for that exact reason, it's just that I use it for deer now and never really considered it a Varmint rifle, when in fact, it's probably one of the kings of varminting.
Such a huge range of pill weights to chose from too.
I've got mine dialed with heavier loads.
May be time to work up some lighter stuff. See if 4k is achievable.

6mm UM/SAUM would be cool too.

[bigrich]

Thanks for the input, I realised that I don't have a suitable "varmint" rifle here at all.
Sure I have heavy tactical (hate that name now) factory rifles, but not anything what I consider a long reaching smaller cartridge.

I don't consider a 223 as a long range exploder, just my experience with it, we have two heavy-barrel 223's here but yeah, nah. I know people will use them for things I consider irresponsible and get away with it, of course you can. The real reason they are popular is because they are just adequate for roo head shooting, don't kick and are cheap.

A mate down the road has a Tikka 22-250, which he really stretches out on roos heads, but that cartridge doesn't excite me whatsoever, although I'd consider that is a good description of a varmint cartridge.
.220 Swift seems to have died.
Maybe if they start barrelling these things with fast twists to shoot heavier bullets to bust the wind better. maybe they do, but his 22-250 is 1-14 I think. Maybe that's a short circuit of my memory too?
A lifelong mate of mine - we were born in the same year, street and grew up together, comes out sometimes and he has a 25-06 Ruger varmint heavy barrel, and that thing seemingly shoots like a laser and has this uncanny ability to explode crows at ranges where his 20x Leupold scope's crosshairs centre completely covers a lamb-raiding crow in a tree. Amazing. The damn things detonate like they've swallowed a bomb.
I can't remember what his load was, but I shot it off his bipod at a 40mm thick MS plate we set up at 200m or so, it was pretty far away, and I fired 3 shots and there was one silver dot on the black painted plate. When I went out to look, there was one hole in the steel, about 25mm deep and twice the calibre size, where each bullet went into the previous ones hole and made it deeper. And this ragged circular set of razor sharp petals around the hole. Incredible. Maybe that was just arse, no class on my part. Sold me on Ruger 25-06's.

Seems like all the fancier modern fad cartridges like that have died a lingering death, yet the 25-06 still lives.
What else is there? I can't think of anything in between .224 and say, .25.
Or a suitable rifle to put it into either.
One that you don't have modify to make it work to it's potential.

i don't have a iron in this fire , but i'm watching the conversation with interest . the 25-06 is a interesting calibre. i've heard it talked about over the years as a long range varmint lazer . i've read on american forums of some experienced hunters out in remote areas of the US using it on elk with good shot placement . i think this is way to light , but one particular fella was a "one gun man" who used nosler partitions and really knew his gun apparently . people i've talked to about "quarter bore" rifle reckon best accuracy is to be found nearer to maximum loads and pressure . i found this to be the case with the 250 savage i had.

another heavy , flat shooting varmint laser is reportedly the 270 win with lighter bullets around 100gn . i recall uncle nick wore out 7 barrels or so, doing long range roo culling with a 270. supposedly . most common long range varmint rifle that i hear of is the 243 . cost effective out of the heavier varmint rigs . noticed you can't seem to get ADI outback 243 ammo with the 87gn vmax for quite a while . i'm surprised as i though this would've been a big seller . i've talked to a fella out around warwick way who was using a 6.5x55 loaded with light bullets for long range paddock rat destruction . he liked it , but i don't think that'd float your boat hey . another less common cal would be a 6.5-06 . i think the ultimate , damn the expense calibre would be a weatherby creation . the 257 weatherby magnum is supposed to be the ultimate high velocity lazer . enough of my early morning musings , time for another coffee . cheers

[Wapiti]

Sheet, where do I start? Great input fellas. Head is spinning.

Yes I remember Uncle Nick used a .270 for his early roo culling, shot many 10's of 1000's or handloads taking roos with headshots- you can't sell them to the box otherwise so I assume headshots. He was a massive handloader, I would imagine he'd used lighter cheaper pills.
Back in the day then, there were a few big Sydney shops making pills as supply from the US was very inconsistent from what info is out there.

Weatherby's - I just don't want to get into that scene.
Wow, a 6-6.5mm SAUM would be bloody unreal. That short fat case is always forgotten in todays marketing junk new cartridges, but the long range accuracy crowd love the 7mm.
In his fantastic gunsmithing book, the local expert gun-builder near here Bill Hambley-Clarke, personally uses 7mm SAUM in his long range comps. I bought his book, an essential guide to doing home gunsmithing, chambering, lathe work and accuracy essentials.

The 6.5 PRC is just another same-as copy of the Saum in my view, yeah I know, different dimensions but really there's nothing new in the cartridge world except ways to make you keep buying different mousetraps. I am not at all interested in the PRC fad.

I have this Remington Sendero in .300 SAUM, it's been gathering dust in a safe here. It is a mega accurate cartridge, one of those freaks of fat case, volume to bore and a great accurate platform in the 700, with a 26" barrel. It doesn't quite match the .300WM with heavier bullets, cos the short fat case won't take enough of the slower burning powders like 2217. No hope in using 2225, the mega energy powder.

My hunting mate Craig gave it the name "The Cleaver", not because of where it was bought but what it did in the field out spotlighting one night.
We were shooting this explosion of foxes at a property down the road from me, and I would just quarter them and shoot, on many occasions it actually sent one half to the left, on half to the right. So the name The Cleaver.
One night there was this huge boar, running flat out right to left, I was in the passenger seat of his Landcruiser wagon and he had a suction-cup Lightforce spotlight on the roof. I had this tiny window of opportunity to shoot through, I swung infront of it a body length and shot, recoil obscured the result but Craig reckoned it just collapsed at 30kmh and when it's nose hit the ground it just cartwheeled. Hit at the top of it's spine at the base of it's skull.
"Geeze, that f**ken Cleaver mate" he said, or something. The name stuck.
So no, I won't bastardise it by rechambering it.

I might try the Sendero with 125gn bullets. the "Tipped Gameking" type. I have a few 500-packs of those, from a Cleavers special.
Or maybe the 110gn V-Max? Anyone else used them?
Yes I know .30 is a bit large for this discussion, but it's what I have on hand.

In a 300RUM Sendero, almost identical to this SAUM one except for the longer action, we used to use 110gn V-Max's (or I tried, anyway), Craig used them in his 300WM Sendero too, but in the RUM, many of them never made it to 100m before breaking up in the air in a grey streak. I can't remember the velocity but it was too high for the bullets.
Using 125gn ones fixed that, and the results were spectacular.
They should be OK in the SAUM though. It's just a shortened RUM.

I can't think of another option.

[ButchDDG41]

I load 270 with 115gr Sierra Matchkings to great affect. 54grain 2209 seems to be the go for my rem700. Never even thought of using it for 'varmint' stuff noting the 22-250 I have next to it in the safe. The only problem I have with my 270 set up is the dramatic shift in aim point between the 100, 110, 130, 140 nosler and 150 hornady SST I have loaded up for it. Now any normal person would just remember what sub tension to use or how many clicks to adjust, but I am not a normal person and besides, it gives me a valid excuse for any poor shooting..

[bigrich]

After much thought and consideration wapati, I reckon a 25-06 is for you. Proven effectiveness, off the shelf components with a good choice of 85-100gn varmit bullets. I’ll help you spend your money, lol . Cheers

[Wapiti]

I wouldn't even know what brand rifle to purchase Rich, if I was ever so lucky.

I would be after a heavy barrel, 24-26" long, a nice solid "varmint" type stock with proper bedding design from the factory.
I don't want to build something, or buy something not suitable and spend just as much or more as the rifle with some chassis stock, butt and grip, trigger and whatever else. I'd want to skip that fashion-accessory stuff and spend the money on a better optic instead.
How many people say, Oh those high-end optics are out of my reach, then spend $1500 on a second stock, $400 on butt and grip, then have to skimp on the glass.

Stuffed if I know, mate.

[Faedy]

At the moment my favourite is my .243 running 58gn projectiles.
Devastating on most varmints

[Wapiti]

Blymey, I'm still none the wiser.
.243 seems to be used a bit, 25-06 is a good suggestion. So it seems that a varmint cartridge doesn't have to be a small diameter thing. It can be any cartridge capable of reasonable energy over a practical range by the looks.
Those lighter bullets in 6mm would be explosive, the 243 is a very fast cartridge for its 308 case size for sure.

I have heaps of 125gn and 130gn Speer HP varmint bullets, as well as 125 tipped Gamekings, might be a bit overkill? Certainly overkill doesn't come into it?

Does anyone have a recommendation of a good brand of Varmint rifle?
Howa comes to mind, I'm not sure Remington has made a comeback in those models yet. I've always wanted a HB Savage for some reason.

[ButchDDG41]

The Litghow LA102 is nice and accurate but the action is loooonng. Like 2 inches longer than a R700 LA. The bolt is super chunky. Not sure if they are common across all the calibres they make them in, would make sense I guess form a manufacturing standpoint. One in 243 would be mint.

[Wapiti]

Got all excited when I saw this, then looked at the cartridge chambering list.

SavageVarmint.jpg (167.33 KiB) Viewed 110 times

Only the range of Manbun choices and 6.5 PRC. Bugger.

[bigrich]

Blymey, I'm still none the wiser.
.243 seems to be used a bit, 25-06 is a good suggestion. So it seems that a varmint cartridge doesn't have to be a small diameter thing. It can be any cartridge capable of reasonable energy over a practical range by the looks.
Those lighter bullets in 6mm would be explosive, the 243 is a very fast cartridge for its 308 case size for sure.

I have heaps of 125gn and 130gn Speer HP varmint bullets, as well as 125 tipped Gamekings, might be a bit overkill? Certainly overkill doesn't come into it?

Does anyone have a recommendation of a good brand of Varmint rifle?
Howa comes to mind, I'm not sure Remington has made a comeback in those models yet. I've always wanted a HB Savage for some reason.

I’ve seen some second hand 25-06 rifles online if that suits. Not sure who makes a new rifle in that calibre. I’ll surf the net when I get home and see what I can dig up. I seem to recall “gun world “ at Browns plains has a second hand howa 25-06 for $600 I think. Cheers

[fussy]

Might I suggest you borrow a few of the possible calibres and test them at the ranges you want?
Kick, accuracy, cost per round.

I have an M17 .270 built by Les Popham (RIP). Haven't loaded for it, and it's heavy for carrying, but an ok bench rifle.

[Fester]

Some blokes love the .204, but how much more could it have over a.223? I just have NFI.

My choice would be one of the newer 6mm cals, shooting about 100gr projectiles.
A .243 could do similar, but the new ones offer a bit more and offer faster twists.

They are easily 600m capable, and who is going to go that far on smaller-sized critters, not this black duck.

For me, any brand, as you would be very unlucky to get one that doesn't shoot.
With QC going out the window now, I would still like an accuracy guarantee, and hope they are worth more than the paper they are written on.

The projectile is everything when you stretch the distance and still want ethical killing.

[bigrich]

Here’s another classic varmit calibre, the 6mm Remington. Brass isn’t common, but can be found. Loaded long in a 98 Mauser action, they have a bit more case capacity than a 243. Supposedly a really good thing

[CJRBOLTGUN1]

my go to is 223rem w thermal for night work ,308w or 270w for anything within 350 meters and past that is the 6.5PRC which absolutely destroys anything out to and past 500m ,buggerall recoil coming out of the RPR and yeah yeah its one of the new fancy ones

[bigpete]

My favourite was a weatherby vanguard in 22-250 with a redfield 4-12×40 on top I inherited from my late mate Tom. Used it for roo culling and pest control,even shot a couple of deer with it

[Fester]

The 6mm Creedmoor is one I have seen working at 600m, and the owner replied it was as good at 800, when I asked how far it was good for. He was obviously a very good shooter.

The 6mm ARC is the latest hot rod to take full advantage.
You will obviously pay in barrel life; you can't have it all, though.

I met an interesting bloke at the longer-distance range once who made a full-on wildcat 6.5, like an Akley in a way.
It was to be a long range hunter, and ran an offensive muzzle break.
I was walking down the line picking up his bits that got blown away.
He let me shoot with his Garmin Doppler chrony while his barrel cooled from fireforming cases.
Cost me about $850, as he said some shops had the M1s on sale, and I had to have one, was just waiting for the price drop.

[No1Mk3]

Lot of great suggestions posted, but for me personally, I'm a 1/4" fan from the old 250 Savage aka 250-3000 to the 257 Weatherby Mag. I have a Ruger 77 VT in 25-06 that fits the description of "Varminter" to a T. From 75g V-Max at 3600fps to 120g SP at 3000 it can really do the job. Can be had for a good price from $900 to $1200 leaving money for good optics.

[bigrich]

Lot of great suggestions posted, but for me personally, I'm a 1/4" fan from the old 250 Savage aka 250-3000 to the 257 Weatherby Mag. I have a Ruger 77 VT in 25-06 that fits the description of "Varminter" to a T. From 75g V-Max at 3600fps to 120g SP at 3000 it can really do the job. Can be had for a good price from $900 to $1200 leaving money for good optics.

god damn , that's some serious varmint zapping speed . flat as a lazer with those 75's i'll bet . i did a build on a rem 700 in 250 savage . great little round .

[mchughcb]

25-06 kicks way more on awkward shots out of a window than a 243. Used both. Prefer 243. Foxes dont walk away when hit. Current barrel is a grant swan stainless special.