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

[Damo300]

I can't buy a Tikka. Can't stand the plastic single stack magazines. make stupidly so you can't seat bullets right out. Or the huge actions blocked off for smaller cartridges. Engineering wise, they are full of shortcuts and compromises. Yes I know I am being a blockhead, it's just how I look at stuff and it's a brain short-circuit.
I know they are accurate riles, Sako make them, and the same machines make the barrels for Tikkas too.

PS. Link doesn't work

Yeah copy.
I understand the complaints you have.

The link was just listing a 25-06 in a blued Varmint rifle.

[Wapiti]

Thanks Damo.

[bigpete]

I can't buy a Tikka. Can't stand the plastic single stack magazines. make stupidly so you can't seat bullets right out. Or the huge actions blocked off for smaller cartridges. Engineering wise, they are full of shortcuts and compromises. Yes I know I am being a blockhead, it's just how I look at stuff and it's a brain short-circuit.
I know they are accurate riles, Sako make them, and the same machines make the barrels for Tikkas too.

PS. Link doesn't work

Agree 100%

[Wapiti]

So people view what is a varmint rifle depending on what their opportunities are game/target wise? And where they live too, like closer settled areas, noise and stuff?
So then a 25-06 would be overkill or over-noisy where a 223 would be a perfect choice, or maybe even a 17HMR.
Thanks to everyone sticking their necks out to reply so far.

I'm wondering how I can put to use what I already have, before I see if it's worth if getting another rifle.
Although the Sendero I have might not be a bit of a compromise, or even overkill, I might just drag out the old 300 SAUM and see if it can foot the bill.
I don't have anything between .243 and .30 here.
It's really old-school conventional, hinged-floorplate mag that only holds 3 of the short far cartridges, conventional shaped HS-Precision stock, that's been lapped in the V-blocks so the action had not measurable twist whatsoever.
No butts with adjustable cheek rests, no extendable length-of-pull, no replaceable AR15 pistpl grip interchangeability, no alloy stock with slots and pic rails for things for TEOTWAWKI gear.

OK, it's only got a 3-shot mag - I could get a suitable AICS floorplate and there are a few mags available that will run this fat round, but a "varminter" isn't a sniper-rifle that needs a big mag capacity, surely? OR a PRS rifle that needs 10-shot mags to compete? There I go, the "Commodore" syndrome, I'll give that a miss. Each shot should count? And at least I could occasionally top up the mag from the top when laying behind a bipod?
I'm thinking that then, although it has a .30 bore, it has enough powder capacity to drive any of the lighter hollow point bullets available to shoot pretty flat.
I'm sure I still have some of those 110gn V-Max's, as well as Speer 125 and 130gn HP's, 125gn Tipped Gamekings, 125 Tipped Matchkinbgs, 135gn Sierra Varminters,
Oh boy. Now what.

[bigrich]

I can't buy a Tikka. Can't stand the plastic single stack magazines. make stupidly so you can't seat bullets right out. Or the huge actions blocked off for smaller cartridges. Engineering wise, they are full of shortcuts and compromises. Yes I know I am being a blockhead, it's just how I look at stuff and it's a brain short-circuit.
I know they are accurate riles, Sako make them, and the same machines make the barrels for Tikkas too.

PS. Link doesn't work

i understand your point of view . i love good quality rifles , but cost for some these days is a factor . which is why there's a uptick in budget rifles like the ruger american, savages, howa and others . with the tikka you get a sako barrel , a good quality trigger with a extremely accurate receiver that's machined to very good tolerances. yeah , the plastic magazines are a budget design , but it's really quick to change out a 5 shot mag in my 308 tikka for another loaded one from my top pocket . quicker than trying to thumb in rounds to a staggered stack top feed mag . the other thing about the mags is being single stack they feed anything , wildcats and ackley cases are no problem . you can get a "M+" mag for tikkas which has a 3" mag length . if i knew of this when i had my 7-08 tikka i might still have it , as mag length WAS a limiting factor with trying to get the best out of this calibre . the long bolt , yeah , cheapens manufacture which makes T3"s more affordable than sako. tikka aren't the first to think of this cost cutting , push feed model 70"s went the same way to compete price wise with rem 700's back in the day. my old 70 xtr in 222 had a long bolt i'll tell ya , but was one of the most accurate rifles i ever owned . having extra mag length available by taking out or modifying a mag "filler" and changing the bolt stop can be useful for conversion to longer cals .

not trying to convert you over to tikkas wapiti , just a discussion on the pro's/cons of some rifles with a long bolt . i can change the bolt stop and plastic mag and rebarrel my tikka to anything with a 308 bolt face , 22-250 to 9.3x62 . back on topic , availability of 25-06 is a bit limited these days . doing a quick search i only came up with "sporter" type hunting rifles , no heavy barrelled varmint style 25-06 at all . seems like the 6.5's have taken over that market .

maybe , just maybe, a "custom" built rifle might be the go for you. waiting on gunsmiths and barrels can be frustrating and painful , but rewarding when you get a rifle built to what you want, the way you want it . you've expressed a fondness for rem 700's , so maybe find a donor rifle in say 270win cheap, and do a build . barrel you want, at the length you want, in the stock you want, ect. not cheap , but owning a custom that's a "keeper" is like having a cherished child that you'll never part with . i know , cause i've got a few cherished children

enough of my musings , time for a cuppa and i got to get going on some reloading for some checks and development on my 222 and 7x57 children
i once owned a 6.5 man bun , but it was the barstard red headed child i threw down a well

[bigpete]

110gn V Max is a fantastic pill in a 308 for " varminting " imo

[Wapiti]

I can't buy a Tikka. Can't stand the plastic single stack magazines. make stupidly so you can't seat bullets right out. Or the huge actions blocked off for smaller cartridges. Engineering wise, they are full of shortcuts and compromises. Yes I know I am being a blockhead, it's just how I look at stuff and it's a brain short-circuit.
I know they are accurate riles, Sako make them, and the same machines make the barrels for Tikkas too.

PS. Link doesn't work

i understand your point of view . i love good quality rifles , but cost for some these days is a factor . which is why there's a uptick in budget rifles like the ruger american, savages, howa and others . with the tikka you get a sako barrel , a good quality trigger with a extremely accurate receiver that's machined to very good tolerances. yeah , the plastic magazines are a budget design , but it's really quick to change out a 5 shot mag in my 308 tikka for another loaded one from my top pocket . quicker than trying to thumb in rounds to a staggered stack top feed mag . the other thing about the mags is being single stack they feed anything , wildcats and ackley cases are no problem . you can get a "M+" mag for tikkas which has a 3" mag length . if i knew of this when i had my 7-08 tikka i might still have it , as mag length WAS a limiting factor with trying to get the best out of this calibre . the long bolt , yeah , cheapens manufacture which makes T3"s more affordable than sako. tikka aren't the first to think of this cost cutting , push feed model 70"s went the same way to compete price wise with rem 700's back in the day. my old 70 xtr in 222 had a long bolt i'll tell ya , but was one of the most accurate rifles i ever owned . having extra mag length available by taking out or modifying a mag "filler" and changing the bolt stop can be useful for conversion to longer cals .
See, there's my point on all that Rich, why would I pull my hair out trying to fix all those things to make the rifle acceptable to me, as you have obviously done to rectify all those things that bugged you - and would bug me too.
You still love mucking around like that but I just have made a life where I just don't have the time or mental energy fixing stuff that isn't what I want from a design.
Then there's that magazine issue - having to play around with someone's small-workshop magazine conversion (great idea, BTW) to fix that gay single-stack mag. Who wants a plastic 5-shot mag that is longer than a 10-shot double-stack steel one that has been designed with some thought?
To chase up all that stuff, pay for it and fit it. I call it the "commodore syndrome", a bloke buys a boring sleeper 308 V8 commo and spends enough money (let alone what his time is worth) screwing around with it, he could've bought a HSV and has something that NOW, is a collectors item. The bubba'd Commo isn't.
I'd rather buy a Sako that has everything I personally see as great engineering already, including Pic-rails machined into the receiver.
I'm over stuffing around with accessory bits like you rightly describe fix the things that are a designed-in compromise to build Sako's economy models.
I'm not happy that Sako did these things with the Tikkas, but costs needed to be made to make that (far from) budget line.
I still think though, that Tikkas are way better engineered than the economy models from other makers. Far better.
Then there's the bloke who buys a standard Tikka .300, actually takes some thought to use strong steel Sako-brand one-piece mounts that fit straight onto the rail machined in the top (doesn't fall for the afterthought Pic-rail screwed to the top with another joint of tiny screws to fail or need Loctite to stay secure), and doesn't care about the 3-shot plastic mag cos he is a true hunter.
not trying to convert you over to tikkas wapiti , just a discussion on the pro's/cons of some rifles with a long bolt . i can change the bolt stop and plastic mag and rebarrel my tikka to anything with a 308 bolt face , 22-250 to 9.3x62 . See above- why do that if the design is so great already?back on topic , availability of 25-06 is a bit limited these days . doing a quick search i only came up with "sporter" type hunting rifles , no heavy barrelled varmint style 25-06 at all . seems like the 6.5's have taken over that market .
Marketing in action mate. If they make people better shooters, or keep the industry ticking over, good luck to them. But there is NOTHING new under the sun with cartridge design yet... until these full steel hi-pressure barrel strippers start coming out, probably in the 6.5's first because that's where all the paper shooters are going.
maybe , just maybe, a "custom" built rifle might be the go for you. waiting on gunsmiths and barrels can be frustrating and painful , but rewarding when you get a rifle built to what you want, the way you want it . you've expressed a fondness for rem 700's , so maybe find a donor rifle in say 270win cheap, and do a build . barrel you want, at the length you want, in the stock you want, ect. not cheap , but owning a custom that's a "keeper" is like having a cherished child that you'll never part with . i know , cause i've got a few cherished children
Mate I only like Rem 700's because they are the strongest around, simple machined from barstock action that is easy to blueprint, easy to clamp in a lathe-chuck when rebarreling, have great triggers from the factory and are a streamlined super-smooth design. Simple as too.
For a factory design, they have a lot going for them not just inherent accuracy.
If they were good enough, and tough enough, to be used in warzones for forever in the M24 and M40 models - extremely simple bombproof rifles that have proved themselves in the worst conditions, they will survive my expectations.
enough of my musings , time for a cuppa and i got to get going on some reloading for some checks and development on my 222 and 7x57 children
i once owned a 6.5 man bun , but it was the barstard red headed child i threw down a well

What a great detailed post, thanks Richman. I see all your points and you have a great take on them all, please accept my personal views and at the same time, forgive me for my breaking from the norm in my thinking.

[Wapiti]

110gn V Max is a fantastic pill in a 308 for " varminting " imo

Yes Pete, absolutely.
Shivers, I remember years ago with a mate, lying on some soft dag-filled wool bales with the Sendero I described, with a mate with a blued 300WM Sendero, we were both loaded with these 110gn V-Max's shooting through an open elevated bale truck-loading landing at crows that were trying to pick the eyes from lambs on an oat paddock during a drought. The crows just detonated. When their mates came down to squawk at the bits of their dead mates, we destroyed them too.
The V-Max's seemed quite easy to get shooting well for LR hits, from memory.

I remember this fox ambled up on that day, came through a pig-hole in the fence and stood side-on watching this ewe, Craig was onto it and when that pill fired from his .300WM hit it I remember it cartwheeling around 3x360's in the air with pieces from it's chest flying everywhere.
But who'd consider that a varmint rifle?
The only thing it had on it as a mod from the box was a set of 2-piece Mk4 steel bases, Mk4 rings and a 4.4-14x50 Mk4 scope.
And a trigger polish with Craig's patented trigger jobs (Austosol!!!!)

[Fester]

Yeah, standardising the parts is how Tikka prices are kept at that nice level, until the recent price rises.
Now I like the Begara for the bang for buck.

The Tikka stocks are pretty basic, but don't bother me.
A better recoil pad fixes that bad angle shape that makes the rifles jump with recoil.

I got a spare 5-shot mag, but prefer the 3 shot one for carry, and deer hunting is mainly a 1-shot thing.
Carrying my Weatherby S2 lately just makes me appreciate the Tikka even more.

The Tikka 25-06 varmint is a neat find. It's an interesting old-school cal, and sounds like one of those inherently accurate calibers.

[Damo300]

I may have bum steered on that link to a tikka in 25-06.
It was on the barns website when looking up the Tikka Stainless Varmint.

Screenshot_2026-10-24-12-28-48-60_cbf47468f7ecfbd8ebcc46bf9cc626da.jpg (504.09 KiB) Viewed 78 times

You can see in the options that they say one is available, but I cannot find one.
Can't even find one that existed.

[bigrich]

I can't buy a Tikka. Can't stand the plastic single stack magazines. make stupidly so you can't seat bullets right out. Or the huge actions blocked off for smaller cartridges. Engineering wise, they are full of shortcuts and compromises. Yes I know I am being a blockhead, it's just how I look at stuff and it's a brain short-circuit.
I know they are accurate riles, Sako make them, and the same machines make the barrels for Tikkas too.

PS. Link doesn't work

i understand your point of view . i love good quality rifles , but cost for some these days is a factor . which is why there's a uptick in budget rifles like the ruger american, savages, howa and others . with the tikka you get a sako barrel , a good quality trigger with a extremely accurate receiver that's machined to very good tolerances. yeah , the plastic magazines are a budget design , but it's really quick to change out a 5 shot mag in my 308 tikka for another loaded one from my top pocket . quicker than trying to thumb in rounds to a staggered stack top feed mag . the other thing about the mags is being single stack they feed anything , wildcats and ackley cases are no problem . you can get a "M+" mag for tikkas which has a 3" mag length . if i knew of this when i had my 7-08 tikka i might still have it , as mag length WAS a limiting factor with trying to get the best out of this calibre . the long bolt , yeah , cheapens manufacture which makes T3"s more affordable than sako. tikka aren't the first to think of this cost cutting , push feed model 70"s went the same way to compete price wise with rem 700's back in the day. my old 70 xtr in 222 had a long bolt i'll tell ya , but was one of the most accurate rifles i ever owned . having extra mag length available by taking out or modifying a mag "filler" and changing the bolt stop can be useful for conversion to longer cals .
See, there's my point on all that Rich, why would I pull my hair out trying to fix all those things to make the rifle acceptable to me, as you have obviously done to rectify all those things that bugged you - and would bug me too.
You still love mucking around like that but I just have made a life where I just don't have the time or mental energy fixing stuff that isn't what I want from a design.
Then there's that magazine issue - having to play around with someone's small-workshop magazine conversion (great idea, BTW) to fix that gay single-stack mag. Who wants a plastic 5-shot mag that is longer than a 10-shot double-stack steel one that has been designed with some thought?
To chase up all that stuff, pay for it and fit it. I call it the "commodore syndrome", a bloke buys a boring sleeper 308 V8 commo and spends enough money (let alone what his time is worth) screwing around with it, he could've bought a HSV and has something that NOW, is a collectors item. The bubba'd Commo isn't.
I'd rather buy a Sako that has everything I personally see as great engineering already, including Pic-rails machined into the receiver.
I'm over stuffing around with accessory bits like you rightly describe fix the things that are a designed-in compromise to build Sako's economy models.
I'm not happy that Sako did these things with the Tikkas, but costs needed to be made to make that (far from) budget line.
I still think though, that Tikkas are way better engineered than the economy models from other makers. Far better.
Then there's the bloke who buys a standard Tikka .300, actually takes some thought to use strong steel Sako-brand one-piece mounts that fit straight onto the rail machined in the top (doesn't fall for the afterthought Pic-rail screwed to the top with another joint of tiny screws to fail or need Loctite to stay secure), and doesn't care about the 3-shot plastic mag cos he is a true hunter.
not trying to convert you over to tikkas wapiti , just a discussion on the pro's/cons of some rifles with a long bolt . i can change the bolt stop and plastic mag and rebarrel my tikka to anything with a 308 bolt face , 22-250 to 9.3x62 . See above- why do that if the design is so great already?back on topic , availability of 25-06 is a bit limited these days . doing a quick search i only came up with "sporter" type hunting rifles , no heavy barrelled varmint style 25-06 at all . seems like the 6.5's have taken over that market .
Marketing in action mate. If they make people better shooters, or keep the industry ticking over, good luck to them. But there is NOTHING new under the sun with cartridge design yet... until these full steel hi-pressure barrel strippers start coming out, probably in the 6.5's first because that's where all the paper shooters are going.
maybe , just maybe, a "custom" built rifle might be the go for you. waiting on gunsmiths and barrels can be frustrating and painful , but rewarding when you get a rifle built to what you want, the way you want it . you've expressed a fondness for rem 700's , so maybe find a donor rifle in say 270win cheap, and do a build . barrel you want, at the length you want, in the stock you want, ect. not cheap , but owning a custom that's a "keeper" is like having a cherished child that you'll never part with . i know , cause i've got a few cherished children
Mate I only like Rem 700's because they are the strongest around, simple machined from barstock action that is easy to blueprint, easy to clamp in a lathe-chuck when rebarreling, have great triggers from the factory and are a streamlined super-smooth design. Simple as too.
For a factory design, they have a lot going for them not just inherent accuracy.
If they were good enough, and tough enough, to be used in warzones for forever in the M24 and M40 models - extremely simple bombproof rifles that have proved themselves in the worst conditions, they will survive my expectations.
enough of my musings , time for a cuppa and i got to get going on some reloading for some checks and development on my 222 and 7x57 children
i once owned a 6.5 man bun , but it was the barstard red headed child i threw down a well

What a great detailed post, thanks Richman. I see all your points and you have a great take on them all, please accept my personal views and at the same time, forgive me for my breaking from the norm in my thinking.

all good mate , i like the technical side of things , and don't mind modifying or "hot rodding" stuff as my budget allows . a mind set i still have from my car days

thinking outside of the norm is great , exchanging views and ideas is one of the great virtues of this forum . your views are respected and appreciated . the rem 700 is a very inherently accurate bit of gear , which is why i chose a 1980 built rifle for my 222 build . if one of my tikkas gets damaged or soaked in the rain it's no big deal . it's easily replaceable if damaged with another . for me a tikka is a working rifle that fits my budget with great accuracy after a little tuning and handloading . i've owned sako's but got rid of them as they are a bit too nice to chuck around my fourby , and the high initial cost . i won't mention the ejection issues i had with my long action 85's i reckon no rifle is perfect , they all have some quirk or eccentricity in the design to some degree . finding one with acceptable quirks for our expectations is the challenge . i've owned a wide variety of brands and calibres and learned a lot . i've been slowing down of late though as the cost is getting to me as i get closer to retiring from my trade . looking ahead and trying to "future proof" my finances . i have 7 rifles at present in a good spread of calibres with the view of them being reasonably cheap to run cost wise . to a point

it's not looking good for a 25-06 in a factory rifle for you , which is a shame as this would appear to be a great cal for your intended uses . i won't suggest anything 6.5 as you'd probably box my ears next time i see you only other options that spring to mind are loading the 270win or 7 rem mag with light projectiles as these are off the shelf easy to get components . dunno about varmint style rifles in these chamberings . i don't see 7mm mag in sako listings , but they do a s20 precision in 270win . looks like a mean long distance shooter the big C list a remington sendero in 7mm rem mag . they do list a win 70 featherweight in 25-06 , but i've heard some horror stories about poor accuracy over the years . out of those choices the sako s20 with 90-100 gn bullets loaded fast seem like the best option . food for thought anyhow . cheers

[Wapiti]

Appreciate the discussion mate, your experience is appreciated. Like my sig-line says, when you offer opinions you risk criticism, but who cares when your comments come from having a go eh?
Hey a forum is made up of people who put in opinions and experiences, not the ones here for a read.

Mate, I have the Sendero's already, dropping 0.62mm diameter to a cartridge that is a 7mm Rem mag is gaining nothing for me, especially with the incredible range of projectiles available in .30. And despite all the hype and the on-paper numbers, I'll be at a disadvantage I reckon.

6.5, well I'll leave them to the blokes chasing the black magic. The range of pills is also not as great as .30 again, and I haven't finished taking the p*ss of a neighbour who bought a 6.5 PRC, told us all we were dinosaurs and he was "keeping up with the latest tech, man" then has gone on to make a number of failures in front od us all because of the stupid match ammo he buys for shooting animals.
So there we go again, see? It's the projectile choice matched to an adequate cartridge that gets the results, not the marketing consumer fad. The moral of that story is as always, before you yell "look at me, look at me" sort it all out before you open your trap.

Actually, I am extremely interested in a 6.5, but I won't go for the CM or PRC, ever, but ever since I saw that Sako 90 blued Hunter in 6.5x55 I am in love. And with modern ammo (not loaded to suit the old pre '96 and '98 Mausers with the rear locking bolts and single locking lugs), you have a cartridge that almost matches the PRC without needing to go to work in stove-pipe work pants down over your crack, clutching 3 cans of V's at the pre-starts with the 3-day growth and the elastic band man-bun.
Those walnut-stocked '90's are f'ing beautiful hunting rifles.
But I'm off topic.
I'm seriously psyching myself up to dragging out the 300 SAUM and patching out the years of Hoppes 9 that's sat in it.

[bigrich]

Appreciate the discussion mate, your experience is appreciated. Like my sig-line says, when you offer opinions you risk criticism, but who cares when your comments come from having a go eh?
Hey a forum is made up of people who put in opinions and experiences, not the ones here for a read.

Mate, I have the Sendero's already, dropping 0.62mm diameter to a cartridge that is a 7mm Rem mag is gaining nothing for me, especially with the incredible range of projectiles available in .30. And despite all the hype and the on-paper numbers, I'll be at a disadvantage I reckon.

6.5, well I'll leave them to the blokes chasing the black magic. The range of pills is also not as great as .30 again, and I haven't finished taking the p*ss of a neighbour who bought a 6.5 PRC, told us all we were dinosaurs and he was "keeping up with the latest tech, man" then has gone on to make a number of failures in front od us all because of the stupid match ammo he buys for shooting animals.
So there we go again, see? It's the projectile choice matched to an adequate cartridge that gets the results, not the marketing consumer fad. The moral of that story is as always, before you yell "look at me, look at me" sort it all out before you open your trap.

Actually, I am extremely interested in a 6.5, but I won't go for the CM or PRC, ever, but ever since I saw that Sako 90 blued Hunter in 6.5x55 I am in love. And with modern ammo (not loaded to suit the old pre '96 and '98 Mausers with the rear locking bolts and single locking lugs), you have a cartridge that almost matches the PRC without needing to go to work in stove-pipe work pants down over your crack, clutching 3 cans of V's at the pre-starts with the 3-day growth and the elastic band man-bun.
Those walnut-stocked '90's are f'ing beautiful hunting rifles.
But I'm off topic.
I'm seriously psyching myself up to dragging out the 300 SAUM and patching out the years of Hoppes 9 that's sat in it.

hey mate , hope you bin getting wet out there yeah , your right , dropping down a poofteeth in calibre on another sendero is a bit pointless . i did mention i came across a fella using 6.5x55 for long range varmiting out near warwick . he liked it . you can get some light projectiles for that bore , 90gn speers , 95gn vmax, sierra do some as well . 6.5x55 is known for it's long range ballistic qualities with 140's , but does have limitations though . twist rate for bore size is not as good as a 25-06 shooting same weight bullets in my opinion . still , 6.5x55 would tick a lot of boxes for you . i played around with this cal in a few different rifles, m96 sporters, model 70 "super grade" custom i bought from rebel years ago, and a T3 tikka . as a hunting round it leaves a bit to be desired for me . as a varmit round it has some real possibilities . for myself , i'd have a 6mm remington , 10 twist , modified mag length to seat out to make the most of the 7x57/257 rob case ,or just build on a 98 mauser. wouldn't want to run anything heavier than 90's , but that's the good thing about a custom, pick the twist you want. ADI data lists top speed with 70's around 3671fps with 2209 , 3317fps with 2209 and 87's . seat those 87's out and you'd really have something

just as a talking point , tikka have recently changed their twist rates in 243 rifles from 10 twist to 8 . to suit the market of wannabe long distance shooters at ranges i guess . hang on a second , my old mate jim has a 6mm rem reamer . by new 8 twist 243 tikka , change/modify bolt stop , buy "M+" 3" mag , run reamer through T3 varmit rifle . there's my varmit rig f@ck i'm a real dreamer hey

i just looked , sako only do sporters in 6.5x55 . umm, tikka make varmit rifles in 6.5 swede aside from that , factory 6.5 swede varmit rifles don't exist unless they're man bun or PRC , or some new thing i haven't heard of yet

[Wapiti]

I'd imagine a gun maker would make a decision on whether or not to chamber a rifle in a cartridge not that suited for, or popular opinion doesn't see, it's worth doing. I would imagine that's the reason Sako don't chamber their varmint rifles in 6.5x55.
But they do in the 6.5 Manbun - the Sako site says that the calibres it chambers in the ,"Sako 90 Varmint are 222 Rem, 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7 mm-08, and 308 Win."
Marketing can blame them for that, one is a paper puncher though. I guess if you don't include yourself you will miss out on sales but I can't imagine too many Sakos on the weekend target shooter lists.
But all of those cartridges are well represented, except the manbun, as quite popular varmint rounds from way back by experienced shooters I have seen.
But I already have a Sako Varmint in 223 already, and although it's very accurate and really rewarding to use, it doesn't set the world on fire for me for excitedness. Beautiful 6-round flush-fit magazine, scaled-down for the cartridge 223 action, everything thought of.
It's just so clinical. And the cartridge just doesn't excite me.
My Ex, a gym and aerobics instructor, used to use it for weekend training here by running the hillls here carrying it. Since then, it's been neglected. Far out man, I'm strange.

[Fester]

It's hard for blokes like me who just like to buy new rifles from shops with stock to move.

Every maker and importer will order a batch of the new models in .223, .308, and now 6.5 Gaymoor of course.
If you want a 7mm-08 or something different, tough luck, or order and wait until Xmass next year.

They said the Creedmoor will put the .260 Rem to bed, and it looks that way now.
The Swede will survive because of its cult following, and the old rifles that lots of blokes still shoot.

I love the 6.5 cals, but they are not that fast, and don't hit like a 30cal.
Hunting with them has it limitations and shot placement is crucial.
For longer-range target shooting without spending $8 a shot, the 6.5 CM is the obvious choice, but everyone knows that by now, it's just so easy. Don't even have to reload as blokes got the accuracy using the Hndy match ammo.

I have never really considered loading lighter pills for varminting.
I would just set up a 6mm to shoot 100gr pills or less.

To get any benefit from the old-school 6.5 cartridges, blokes would have to like loading to the max, as a Manbun does about the same, with a smidge less powder.
I load for Swede and Creed, and they are pretty much on par; the CM is just easier.

[Wapiti]

Now don't anyone get their knickers in a knot or take this personally, but
I don't get this scratching around with certain cartridges because they use a little less powder than others, or some cartridges get a few more reloads from a case, or whatever else the excuse. The Manbun uses less power than the Swede, but loaded for a modern rifle to the same pressure level as the shortened Manbun case is, gives a heavier 140gn plus pill in the Swede more velocity, hence energy, hence more hunting rifle flexibility.
The manbun was made for efficiently (read cheaper) punching holes in paper on a rifle range, for those who enjoy that. Less recoil for those who get worn out over a competition or are affected by that sort of abuse, cheaper to load a few boxes of ammo in these hard times to throw away into the dirt backstops.
But the bloke who wants a hard hitter, guaranteed meat in the Engel after walking all day in the bush, quietly using their stalking and spotting skills, don't give two fuxx about 10, 15, 20 grains more powder to take that one rewarding shot.
Add to that the weekend off when he could be doing overtime, all the fuel and worn-out tyres and servicing the car earlier, all the other gear to stay out of trouble and eat, drink and stay alive. I don't think a little bit of powder is anytime, relevant whatsoever.
Let alone the bloke who runs a farming business where 10-15 cents more powder to kill an animal that will breed more of the damn things, and eat feed that costs 100's of $$$ worth to replace that feed (If he can get it in hard times), or worse, a predator that kills a $20,000 breeding animal that took 10 years to get to that stage. Who cares about some powder.
Or that fukken crow you just busted pecking at a fawn being born that will turn into a $25,000 hunting animal if you can keep it alive, laughing at you at 275yds in the tree?
I hear it quite a bit, even in threads here, and I don't get it.
We're talking about cartridges designed to take the lives of animals, not ones designed for target shooters looking for less recoil and something that is just adequate to get the most 10x's.
On another note:
Did anyone forget about pure fun?
Why does a varmint rifle, or a hunting rifle for that matter (because these firearms are used to kill animals, not throw 100's of holes in paper)(and as Seinfeld famously said "And there's nothing wrong with that") have to be the most efficient, or be so economical to use it hamstrings itself in being inflexible?
What about playing with something with more guts than you need, more noise, more fun?
Something that no matter what wanders in front of you, you can laugh and take them all in circumstances where the ideal side-on shot is just not going to happen..