Best Varmint Rifle?

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Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson

Active member
What's the best varmint rifle? I've been using a shotgun for killing coyotes and foxes, but often I do not call them in close enough. I need something with a bit more range, and that won't destroy the hide with a big ol' hole. It'd also be nice if it were fairly cheap. What do you all recommend?
 
Andrew Wilson said:
Any brand/model you recommend in that cartridge?
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If budget is an aspect we can find both of those in so many models, BUT I'm not an expert on these matters; your budget, do you want to use it for deer hunts as well, your local hunt regs, etc.. Some of the Remingtons from the 80s in semi-auto for the .243, or even the 6mms; not sure where the ammo costs are on 6mm today... I CAN say that with the 22-250s you want to look at the gun's barrel twist rates, and which are the better weight of the pills. IE; I just found a weird Ruger No.1V (varmint) from 1976 with a 26" barrel, and that twist rate prefers the lighter (40-50gr) for accuracy. If you want pelt preservation of some sort, I'd go with 22-250's smaller holes. Not sure which year it was, but one of my uncles had a 22-250 in a Rem. 700 bolt gun IIRC, and it was a tack driver.
Now, if you don't mind buying blind on GunBroker, there's a little glitch in the systems right now; following an auction via your phone hasn't worked for me lately. Which means the other buyers *probably* can't either, and so many people live/die by phone apps., so you can *accidentally* snipe some decent deals; look at sellers feedback #s, history of recent sales and what they've been selling. I'll look up some examples in GB....wow, there's over 6300 22-250s FS in there now, here's a nice appearing Ruger example with a B&L scope on it, decent feedback for seller; https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1152176255 the prices seem to have jacked just in the last few weeks. Peruse the racks of your LGS?
 
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badgererickson said:
If budget is an aspect we can find both of those in so many models, BUT I'm not an expert on these matters; your budget, do you want to use it for deer hunts as well, your local hunt regs, etc.. Some of the Remingtons from the 80s in semi-auto for the .243, or even the 6mms; not sure where the ammo costs are on 6mm today... I CAN say that with the 22-250s you want to look at the gun's barrel twist rates, and which are the better weight of the pills. IE; I just found a weird Ruger No.1V (varmint) from 1976 with a 26" barrel, and that twist rate prefers the lighter (40-50gr) for accuracy. If you want pelt preservation of some sort, I'd go with 22-250's smaller holes. Not sure which year it was, but one of my uncles had a 22-250 in a Rem. 700 bolt gun IIRC, and it was a tack driver.
Now, if you don't mind buying blind on GunBroker, there's a little glitch in the systems right now; following an auction via your phone hasn't worked for me lately. Which means the other buyers *probably* can't either, and so many people live/die by phone apps., so you can *accidentally* snipe some decent deals; look at sellers feedback #s, history of recent sales and what they've been selling. I'll look up some examples in GB....
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Twist rate is a major concern with copper ammo, which is unfortunately required in California.
 
The 22-250 is king for coyotes out to 600yds with a light 50-55gr ballistic tipped thin jacket bullet. Stay off the shoulder and you'll rarely get an exit.

If your strictly using it for coyotes a sporter weight Remington 700 is perfect, cut the barrel down to 20" and have it threaded and run a light can.
 
CALI CONTEXT: Calistan Fish & Game like to take guns, correct? IF you don't mind a more disposable sort of utility rifle, the Kel-Tec CMR-30 has been pretty cool for me, and the pistol mate to it is their PMR-30, using the same mags. Use at least 45gr rounds, run each mag dry at least 2x for break in; there will *probably* be some hiccups (FTF/FTE). No worries, use it as drill practice for tap/roll/rack to clear the Malf., the guns are pretty GTG, light AF. It sucks to have to plan for those contingencies, but it's CA, I'm sure you're used to it.
 
Was going to reccomend an accurized AR but then realized your in California and know they are f-ed up with dumb rules. If its just for Coyotes and ground squirrels a .223 is realatively inexpensive to feed.
 
Terry Houin said:
Was going to reccomend an accurized AR but then realized your in California and know they are f-ed up with dumb rules. If its just for Coyotes and ground squirrels a .223 is realatively inexpensive to feed.
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I agree here. There are a lot of good Cali-compliant ARs that can get the job done for you. You’d be shocked what kind of accuracy you’ll get out of a base model S&W M&P15. Put a decent optic on it and you’ll be able to handle your business.
 
robmcleod82 said:
Pretty hard to go wrong with a 16-18" Ar in 556 for this job. If a bolt gun is what tickles the howas can be had for cheap or a ruger american.
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I think I'm going to make a few modifications to my AR and start hunting varmints with it. How badly does the 223 damage the pelt?
 
Terry Houin said:
Was going to reccomend an accurized AR but then realized your in California and know they are f-ed up with dumb rules. If its just for Coyotes and ground squirrels a .223 is realatively inexpensive to feed.
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There's a cool little mod called the mag latch that takes 2 seconds to install and uninstall, giving you California compliance. Unfortunately, they're sold out right now.
 
Ron Dan said:
I agree here. There are a lot of good Cali-compliant ARs that can get the job done for you. You’d be shocked what kind of accuracy you’ll get out of a base model S&W M&P15. Put a decent optic on it and you’ll be able to handle your business.
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Sounds like this is where I am headed.
 
I bought a Mossberg MVP a few years ago when I was in CA. They take AR mags which is cool but they’re a bolt action set up. I believe MVP stands for Mossberg Varmint and Predator. Chambered in 5.56mm.
 
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