Looking for some input for the ultimate walking varminter build. Want to see impact through scope so minimum recoils is important. Terminal performance is important as like to see impact and the results (frapage). Already have a 223 lvsf bedded in a Ti takeoff but looking to have a custom build.

Thanks, MILFhunter

Get a Tikka light stainless in 204, put it in a pretty stock if you feel the need.
I don’t like the Remington pattern actions with small cartridges unless you use DBM

Both of mine are Kimber Montana's. One is a factory 204 and the other one is a custom in 17 Rem. built on the Kimber action. With a Kimber contour Lilja barrel finished at 22", a Leupold 2.5-8X36 in Talley Lightweight ring mounts, Vero Vellini sling, and 5 rounds, it weights in at 6.4lbs. on my postal scales. The factory 204 Kimber with a Leupold VX2 2-7X33 weights .1lbs. lighter.
This is my idea of the perfect walking Predator rifle.

I like K22's Kimber builds.

I went a little different direction. I had a 700 LVSF in .17 Remington that wasn't a top notch shooter. It has been rebarreled to .204 with a 1-12" twist PacNor barrel, 3 land and groove, 24" long, factory sporter contour, fluted to 3/4ths of an inch from the muzzle. It sits in a McMillan Hunter's Edge stock. Trigger is a Jewell HVR set to about 8 ounces. I went with Talley ringmounts and a Leupold non-AO 4.5-14X with varmint hunter crosshairs. It is 6.98 pounds. It shoots 40 grain VMAX, 39 grain Blitzking, and 40 grain Nosler bullets into half inch for 5 shots at 100 yards, all with 27.5 grains of Varget and Remington 7-1/2 primers in WW brass. It does almost as well wtih the 32 grain Hornady and Nosler bullets and 28 grains of H335, same brass and primers. I haven't tried the Speer TNT or Sierra 32 grain blitzking yet but I'm betting they work just as well as the others.

It just likes to shoot. Isn't fussy. 7 pounds is a good weight balancing packing (one of my favorite winter coyote spots is closed to drive-in from mid Nov - late March and it's about a 4 mile walk each way) and stability for shooting.

Tom

Well then you already have my idea of a good walking varminter....





Liked it so much I put together two of them!

MILFhunter: I highly recommend the 17 Remington Fireball for your "walking Varminter" and you WILL be able to spot bullet impact/see your hits with this caliber as well.
I have both a factory stock Remington 700 in 17 Remington Fireball and a full custom Remington 700 in caliber 17 MachIV (the ballistic and virtual "twin" of the 17 Remington Fireball).
I have killed Coyotes and Prairie Dogs out at 400 yards with this caliber - and watched the bullets strike.
"I" loose sight picture at the instant of recoil with "my" Walking Varminters in caliber 223 Remington!
Best of luck to you with whichever cartridge you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Yeah Tom, I sorta like your solution here...

then with Blue Dot Loads... I can see the bullet hit without losing site picture...

my favorite two models from Remington were the original Mountain Rifles for a Big Game hunting rifle..
and the Predator model...camo stock, barrel etc..

almost like them as much as I do a Model 70 Featherweight...

I kinda remind myself of the fat lady with too many kids you see at Walmart..
except I ain't fat, but I like too many different varmint rifles.. which are not running all over the place screaming and tearing down the walls like the Fat Lady's kids....

just wish I had the opportunity to be able to shoot them all out before I'm ready for the morgue...

I had two.

Kimber 84M Varmint in 22-250. Had barrel cut to 24", metal Ceracoted sandy tan, everything in a Wildcat fibreglass/graphite stock. Kimber bases (came with rifle -free is free) and Leupold rings. Had a Leupold VX 3 2.5-8×36 on it but switched to the 3.5-10 (long story).

Remington Model 7 Predator in 17 Fireball. Same progression of scopes as above but in Talley LW. I agree with Seafire that this model may be the nicest walking varmint rifle on the market. Was on the market as Remington cancelled it. It would have been a good package for most calibers. The only problem was is that it was a Remington and not a Kimber. So I sold it.

Imported one of Whittaker's 223 Kimber Montanas. Awaiting the arrival of Lilja 1-9 Mod84M 17 calibre barrel. It will be a 17 Remington.

So back to two.

I thought about building a nice walking rifle, but ended up just buying CZ 527s, which were/are available in the lighter-recoiling cartridges you're after. I've got .17 Hornet, 22 Hornet, 221 Fireball and .204, but they make them in .222 and .223, and in special runs of .17 Remington, too. They have single-set triggers and in general, pretty well done. I did have to bed the recoil lug of my .204, as the mortise was cut "off" and the barrel was rubbing against the stock. I opened up the mortise, poured in some Acraglas Gel, and put some tape around the barrel and centered it up, about an hour's worth of work (and a day or two of letting the Gel set up).
It's not my best shooter, but it will poleaxe a coyote like a lightning bolt.

Me too, sort of.

Mine were put together from these parts: 700 ADL actions, 700 SPS bottom metal, 700 LVSF barrels in 223 and 22-250, and McM Sako/Tikka Hunter stocks. These rifles were assembled before McM modified the Sako/Tikka Hunter to fit other actions better, so the bottom metal fit isn't as good as it would be in the modified stocks.

I put Leupold 4-12x40s on them with Warne bases and fixed Maxima rings.

Great walking varmint rifles, but they would be better if the barrels had come with quicker ROTs.