Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles What constitutes big game vs varmint rifle?

While I am not one to just go with the flow. Observations seem to indicate a majority of hunters would consider 25 cal & up as a big game rifle. Consensus seems to indicate 6mm / .243 calibers & less to be varmint cartridges. If these general statements may be considered true, may I share that I disagree in a fairly notable way about generalities of how bullet diameter, makes or breaks the definition of a big game rifle.

To elaborate on my opinion, Big game for most folks I know, is more often than not Whitetail & mule deer that seldom exceed 300 lbs. Id like to make a case that bullet construction is a big factor in what makes a big game cartridge vs a varmint cartridge. Yes Black bear & elk come up once in a great while as well, perhaps even a moose.

Based on my 40 years of experience & much of that was with the 6mm REM with 100 grain spire points. 6mm is plenty for Whitetail deer with a proper bullet IMHO. Lots of deer hunters do well with the .243 Winchester & a proper bullet. Quite a few guys Are even doing well with the 6x45 (.223 necked up to .243) on deer.

Last two seasons I gave a Bolt action 6mm ARC a try on Whitetail using a 108 grain Elite hunter the 1st season with fine results on a 254 yard shot on a brute of a mature whitetail. Second season with the 6mm ARC I opted to give the 87 grain Absolute hunter a try on whitetail. Filled two doe tags opening day of season with fine results again.

Seems to me the 6mm's are up to the deer hunting chore, when selecting the right hunting bullet & of corse, doing your part sending the proper projectile for the task through the vitals.

Some may call a .243 a duel task cross over gun, though the same could be said of larger calibers as well.

Others have been quite happy with 223 caliber for deer & I suspect they experience rather consistent success as well. Can't say I have much experience with the 223 on deer.

This is a very legitimate question which will likely stir some discussion. I’ve seen lots of deer taken with various .22-.25 caliber hunting rifles. I have no qualms about using them as they are adequate.

Maybe not ideal, but certainly adequate.

I’ll start out saying the cartridges don’t make a rifle varmint or big game. Everyone here knows that 25 cal and 6mm can work for big game and the heavy 22 cal bullets can work on game like coues. I tend to see the Small Rifle Primer cartridges as more of a varmint round. I know you can get 308 and Creedmoor in srp too. Another sign of a Varminter is longer and or heavier barrel. My varmint rifles aren’t usually carried but a short distance so the extra 3 pounds don’t really matter like it would if I carried it all day with other gear.. A lighter trigger tends to fit a Varminter more than a practical sporter I think but that’s arguable. I call Varminter rifles Target/Varmint because that term is more useful since it’s kind of the same thing. A lot of varmint shooting where I’m from is not as active as the range shooting I do because varmints are fewer than they were in the past.

This oughta be good. Defining what you consider big game is as important as defining the rifle.

I'll get some popcorn...

Now you have to define "Varmints" .

To me varmints hunting is mainly high volume colony varmints, GS and PDs add in GH and marmots. Rifles HBs in any of the fast light rounds.

Then there are predators, fox ,coyotes and cats then do you call them, stalk them or ambush them over bait. This is lower volume, maybe packing rifles farther, heavier/stouter bullets. Do you want to save fur or have a nice mount or just want to kill them dead.

I think I have a dozen rifles that cover everything above from 20 cal to 6.5mm and I've been know to shoot a bunch of $100. Fox with cast bullets out of a 300 Sav.

Big game to me is anything over a 100 lbs and a big game rifle is one that will kill them reliably when things aren't perfect. To me that means penetrating from any angle and leaving a blood trail. If you still hunt or track whitetails you aren't going to get the shots you have over a feeder, bait barrel or in a food plot.


So if your hunting varmints with it it is a varmint rifle. That said if your shooting literally hundreds of rounds a day a light recoiling round that is flat shooting, easy on barrels sounds like a varmint round to me.

AND.....my predators [wolves] may be the size of some deer.

Varmint...or big game?Big game rifle? Or Varmint rifle?

They also must have some damn big varmints in places. I have always wondered why they would make a 308 win that says "varmint" on it.


If it takes a 308w to anchor a varmint, it must be in fact a real "heavy varmint"^^

That is a "heavy varmint"^^^

Well, I hunted jackrabbits with a 300 Win Mag when I was in High School. One of only a couple of guns where I actually shot the barrel out. Does that count?

A campfire member has a 460 Weatherby varmint rifle.

I killed my heaviest varmint with a 243, a very large feral boar.

I'd consider this 223 AI strictly a varmint rig

Salvage target s/shot action.....28" full cylinder/no taper 9 twist barrel

Choate varmint stock with 1# lead shot added to grip cavity

6-24 Vortex PST glass.......weighs in at 18# as shown

Goes from truck bed to portable table & kill p/dogs

Mostly what steps in front of the rifle is what makes it a varmint or big game rifle.

I’ve never shot anything bigger than a mean old pig or ten with a 25gr .17 Remington or any smaller than a pesky pine squirrel with a 458Win.

Can’t honestly say I ever lost an animal because my rifle was too small or ruined one because it was too big.

Placement is KING

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THIS


...about wraps its up. next topic!

growing up in PENN I knew guys that shot ground hogs and crows with 30-06 and 35 REM. Whatever you have handy I guess...

I would think whether or not the game is dangerous might add to the validity of a rifle being called a big game rifle... If pigs, bears, lions , wolves, African critters with big teeth, crocodiles/alligators, and other nasty critters are on the menu you should probably consider whatever you select as adequate to the job as a big game rifle. Everything else is just for fun and could possibly be called a small game rifle - unless you're having a cigar, whiskey, and BS session with your buddies- then any old lie will suffice...

If you’ve shot at, or killed a varmint with it, it’s a varmint rifle.