Recommendations for a new varmint rifle

[Don Fischer]

I've got a suppressed 18" Aero Precision AR15 in .223 Wylde that kills stuff pretty dead out to 350 yards. Thats about as comfortable as I feel shooting with it accurately. It's about a 1 MOA gun so at 350 yards that +/- 3.5 inches starts to mean a lot on fox, coyote, and groundhog size critters. I rarely need to shoot further than that, so it has remained a faithful varmint companion for several years now.

<300 yards- .223 caliber AR15
<400 yards- .22-250 bolt action rifle
>400 yards- 6mm Creedmoor bolt action rifle

That's funny. When I was in the service I was told by another guy he'd read that if your hit in the arm with an M-16 at 500 yds the bullet will break every bone in your arm.Never have been able to buy that but I'd bet the bullet at 500yds hit's you right it will kill you!

 

[Don Fischer]

Too bad you don't reload, 220 Swift would be my 1st choice but at 40 bucks at least for a box of 20 that is not reasonable, so I would recommend a Ruger American Predator in 22-250 just picked another 1 up last week 1:10 twist gives you a pretty decent range of bullet options and for the money they shoot really well....stick a Leupold CDS on it and let'r rip. Good luck post up what you get!!

Lets see. At $40 a box of 20 and say you get 15 coyote's with it, whats a coyote pelt worth, $15? That comes out to $225 for the pelts less $40 for the ammo spend $40 and recover $185, doesn't sound like to bad a deaal, So what are good coyote pelts worth anyway. I may take up coyote hunting!

 

[jt13]

That's funny. When I was in the service I was told by another guy he'd read that if your hit in the arm with an M-16 at 500 yds the bullet will break every bone in your arm.Never have been able to buy that but I'd bet the bullet at 500yds hit's you right it will kill you!

They're certainly possibly of killing at FAR beyond the ranges I listed. I used those as the furthest I like to use them at. I use MPBR, BDC scopes, and Kentucky windage and like to hit what I'm shooting at (as mentioned a 3.5" vital area).

 

[Elkmagnet]

That's funny. When I was in the service I was told by another guy he'd read that if your hit in the arm with an M-16 at 500 yds the bullet will break every bone in your arm.Never have been able to buy that but I'd bet the bullet at 500yds hit's you right it will kill you!

I'm sure it could kill you. The problem is it becomes very hard to hit a coyote with a 5.56 in varying wind at 500.

 

[brockel]

After looking at so many of the recommendations on here, I started looked at the BC on a lot of these.

6mm BC is .50 or above
220 Swift is .255 mult
.223 around the .254 range all the way up to .290
22-250 is at .242 BC
224 Valkyrie is .545 BC

Things that make you go hmmmm. How much do you guys focus on the BC?

Ballistics Coefficient for each of those rounds would depend on which bullet you pick. A high ballistics coefficient isn’t a must have but it sure helps cheat the wind a little better when shooting long range. Distance is the easy part of dialing. Wind is where things get interesting

 

[Elktrack]

How much do you guys focus on the BC?

Don’t go strictly down the BC rabbit hole! It obviously plays into the equation but it’s not the deciding end all factor. Too much is made of BC by hunters. I’m not turning this into a rant or hoping to derail but I wouldn’t focus as much on that. For an all around varmint rifle to 500 yds there’s a bunch of good option’s already mentioned here.

 

[WNC2500]

Ballistics Coefficient for each of those rounds would depend on which bullet you pick. A high ballistics coefficient isn’t a must have but it sure helps cheat the wind a little better when shooting long range. Distance is the easy part of dialing. Wind is where things get interesting

I've had good success on the ELDM bullet in the two calibers that I shoot. That was the BC that I typed in.
Where I hunt varmints at does have wind pretty consistently, hence the reason I even took any BC into account.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I've had good success on the ELDM bullet in the two calibers that I shoot. That was the BC that I typed in.
Where I hunt varmints at does have wind pretty consistently, hence the reason I even took any BC into account.

Look at it in combination with velocity. Both are important.
Jump on a ballistic calculator and punch in the numbers for each cartridge. Look at the difference in a 5mph wind vs a 10 mph wind at 500.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

After looking at so many of the recommendations on here, I started looked at the BC on a lot of these.

6mm BC is .50 or above
220 Swift is .255 mult
.223 around the .254 range all the way up to .290
22-250 is at .242 BC
224 Valkyrie is .545 BC

Things that make you go hmmmm. How much do you guys focus on the BC?

223 rem, 220 swift, 22-250, 224 valk can all shoot the same bullets. Factory 22-250 and 220 swift rifles and ammo are generally slow twist for light/low bc bullets but I think tikka is doing 8 twist 22-250s now. Valk is typically fast twist for heavy/high bc bullets. 223 is all over the place with lots of 8, 9, and 12 twist options out there. 7 and 9 twist is common in 556 ar platforms.

Those 50 grain class bullets get blown around a lot once you get 200 yards and further and the winds blowing. Something like the 77tmk or 75 ELDm will buck the wind a lot better than a 55 grain varmint bullet.

 

[Phaseolus]

I have a Tikka T3 in .223 with the same scope as is on my Tikka T3 30-06. I find it great to get trigger time for cheaper with essentially the same rifle I hunt big game with. I’m thinking about getting the same setup in .243 now

 

[WNC2500]

So, for the last few weeks I have looked for and tried to hold some of these. Tikka T3 felt good but cheaper model was less crisp. Bergara Ridge, and Bergara HMR felt good but heavier.

What is your experience with Bergara rifles for varmint?

 

[WNC2500]

No one got any feedback on Bergara? Sportsman's has the balloon pop deal tomorrow AM, may have to make a purchase........

Based on all the love of the Tikka throughout this thread, I wanted to like it, but it did not seem as solid.

 

[nhenry]

No one got any feedback on Bergara? Sportsman's has the balloon pop deal tomorrow AM, may have to make a purchase........

Based on all the love of the Tikka throughout this thread, I wanted to like it, but it did not seem as solid.

Bergaras are good. They have the benefit of the 700 aftermarket as well.

Surprising you felt that way about Tikkas tbh. They’re very well built. Even their synthetic stocks are higher quality than most. If you can get your hands on a Tikka Varmint Hunter, that’d be a solid shooter.

 

[1896]

Dakota .204 Ruger

 

[WNC2500]

Bergaras are good. They have the benefit of the 700 aftermarket as well.

Surprising you felt that way about Tikkas tbh. They’re very well built. Even their synthetic stocks are higher quality than most. If you can get your hands on a Tikka Varmint Hunter, that’d be a solid shooter.

Could have totally been the one that I picked up. Have never felt a Tikka before. I will look around for that.

 

[Knight.54]

I am thinking dialing. Coyotes, prairie dogs, gophers, badgers mainly, (but not lions, tigers, bears, oh my).

Don’t forget those armadillos!

 

[Knight.54]

Lets see. At $40 a box of 20 and say you get 15 coyote's with it, whats a coyote pelt worth, $15? That comes out to $225 for the pelts less $40 for the ammo spend $40 and recover $185, doesn't sound like to bad a deaal, So what are good coyote pelts worth anyway. I may take up coyote hunting!

Could you kill 15 without burning a drop of gasoline?…I’m not quitting my day job yet!

 

[longbow51]

My daughter has a Ruger Hawkeye Predator in 6.5 Creed that shoots <MOA. And I might not drop that "sits to pee" stuff around the Special Operators who use it as a sniper round.

 

[WNC2500]

Ok, so it’s been bought.
22-250 has been cleaned and put in safe.
1:9 twist

Questions for everyone:
1). Looking at twist rate chart that a HT member sent to me says that 35-40 is poor, 45-50-55 is okay, and 60 & 90 are good. What’s your experience with that twist?

2). Best scope on varmints? I’m planning on reaching out to Schmalts.

 

[Don Fischer]

Could you kill 15 without burning a drop of gasoline?…I’m not quitting my day job yet!

Of course but then again I am a fisherman!