Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Practicality of HB Varmint rifles.

After my experience with the Ruger Predator in 223 I got to thinking. I have been lugging around the HB M700's for years. I currently have a 22-250 and sold my 243. Both tack drivers, but the 243 took some work.

We don't have prairie dogs here in Ohio, or anything like that. We have woodchucks and coyotes. Shots do not come fast like in prairie dog shooting and the barrels have time to fully cool.

Logic is telling me to sell the M700 22-250 which would give me enough, or nearly so, to buy the Ruger Predators in 22-250 AND 243. It's a 22-250 stainless laminate thumb hole.

Thoughts

So, you want to sell a "tack driver " and buy two others that you have no idea if they will shoot or not?

Why not keep them all? What's wrong with you?😊

Potentially, fact is I'm tired of lugging it around. Woodchucks are getting scarce, gone are the days where you can hang out in 1 field and shoot 6. I figure that's because the coyotes are so thick and the farmers using anhydrous ammonia.

I used to be in the same boat, I had a heavy barreled .223 that I never took out on account of the weight and impracticability.. I found myself grabbing my little Model 70 Ranger .223 (which to this day, I'd like to restock...but that's another post) or even the .22lr.

Like you, in Ohio, I take come what may shots at groundhogs, coyotes, crows, foxes when applicable, and crows. I ended up selling the heavy barreled varmint gun. Rapid varmint fire never happens here, and I do more walking (or riding on the tractor around the farm) than shooting.

One of these days, I'm gonna pick up a .17 Hornet, I'm thinking that the 527 American would be about perfect!

I don't tend to hang on to safe queens. That's cash sitting and doing nothing.

Learn to call and shoot the coyotes. A friend of mine had a 700 hv in 223. Shoot just as well as my 40x. A bird in the hand. Hasbeen

No telling how many miles I carried those big heavy barreled varmint rifles after coyotes in my youth. Used to shoot a fair amount of prairie dogs too, but most of the colonies around here have gone away.

I have fewer and fewer heavy barreled rifles now. I have a few for sitting down and shooting distance, where shot strings are longer and I need the extra metal to soak up heat. But for hunting, and especially coyote calling and general varmint shooting, I have gone to sporter weight barrels. Truth is, they will still hold a tight 3-4 shot group for as far as I want to shoot them, they just won't do the long strings like a heavy barrel will.

This is my current "favorite" coyote rifle, R-700 in 243. Killed 3 out of 4 on that stand, the last at 387 yards.

If got a 223 I want to turn into a 223AI.

I did not take his post of inquiry as expressing a desire to get rid of an accurate gun to roll the dice on others. I took it as him asking about the logic of replacing a heavy weight gun for two lightweight guns. The lightweight guns, at least the models, have a reputation for excellent accuracy. That's just my take. Anyway OP, your plan is sound and makes sense, in my opinion. If I have misstated your intent behind your post, my apologies to both you and jnyork.

I've got a 223 I want to turn into a 223AI, that would be really close to a 22-250. I also used to have a 223 in a model 7 back in the day, it was a pretty handy little rifle to carry everyday in the truck. One of the best shots I was around bought a Ruger Ultralight when they first came out in 22-250. For the most part, I think that was the only rifle he carried until the day he died.

A handy little rifle your not afraid to put a scratch on and carry is a pretty good deal IMO and I also sent my varmint rifle down the road.

You would be almost entirely correct. What I didn't emphasize was my old fat azz hauling them around. Here if it puts 2 shots where they belong from a cold barrel it's a good one. 5 Shots is completely irrelevant. I'm not shooting prairie dogs and I'm not shooting matches.

Gotta stop paying attention to what people do all over the country and pay attention to what I do. If I lived in the western states I would not be asking as that level of repetitiveness would be necessary, it isn't here.

Armednfree: How much do you want for the Remington 700 stainless Varminter with thumbhole stock in caliber 22-250 Remington?
And what is the round count?
TIA
BTT
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Most modern sporter weight rifles should be capable of 1/2 to 1 MOA accuracy either with handloads or by testing various factory loads. That is plenty good enough for varmint work out to 200. My 243 (factory barrel) will shoot 1/2 to 3/4 MOA with both the 87 VMAX and 100 SGK. It will also shoot the Winchester 80 grain PSP into less than 1 MOA. Those are the only things I have tried in it. At that level, if I miss it is all on me a and not the rifle.

In 90% of my situations, there is no reason for me to carry a HB rifle anymore. Especially out hunting and walking 4-8 miles a day. Even out here in the wide open country I am in, I don't need the extra weight. I shoot that pencil barrel 243 out to 800 yards on a regular basis. As long as I keep it to 3-4 rounds and let it cool, no problem.

If you are tired of carrying the weight, like I was, then make the swap.

SELL A GUN!!!

THAT'S BLASPHEMY!

Under 300 rounds for sure, or less. I never shot it much. As soon as I did the load I only used it for hunting. It shoots 37 grains IMR 4895 with a 50 grain..

I'd guess around $750.

I havent owned a full bull barreled gun in a while. I do most of my varmit shooting from the bed of my truck so i dont mind a little extra weight in a varmit rifle. Both my 6 mm and my 22-250 are varmit weight barrels but they are still fairly heavy. I find the easier to shoot at long range with the extra weight.

Wife and I have carried rifles well over 18 pounds around many ranges in the country for years...

Its all in what you want to carry. I often carry a heavy MTU contour 308 deer hunting. Its never bothered me in the least.

If you can't handle it anymore then don't.

But dont' expect the light ones to shoot as well or as easily, just in case thats the next complaint.

I still prefer a heavier gun to a lighter one.

The one exception is my sheep gun, and that one may never get fired or carried.... but its there just in case...

I've had quite a few heavy-barreled rifles in the last fifty years. I don't recall any that didn't shoot well. I can't say that about all the rest.

I had a heavy barrel chuck gun once. Hated carrying the damn thing around so I got rid of it. I prefer a mid weight sporter about 8 pounds all up. I have three that meet those specs chambered in .223, .22-250 and .243. They're all plenty accurate to shoot chucks as far as I'm ever going to get the opportunity in the rolling farm country I hunt, 99% of which will be less than 350 yards.