Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Favorite Varmint Calibre

Ok just wanted to get alittle something going.
<br>Please tell! What is your fave?
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<br>Mine is the tried and true King of the Factory Varmint rounds the 220 Swift.
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<br>While we're at it your favorite bullet is?
<br>I like or should I say my Swift likes the Hornady 50 gr Vmax molys. The whistlepigs hate em though!!

At present my favorite varmint cartridge is the 22-250. I have shot more gophers with the 223 than anything else, I think I'm on my fifth rifle in that chambering, a Rem 700 VSSF.However...on my last gopher shoot I took along a rifle I've had for a year and a half but had only shot on the range,a Sako Varmint in 22-250,glass bedded and trigger tuned to about 2-1/2#.I had more hits at long range(300+) with this combo than I've ever had with a 223.Including one very unlucky crow than perched on a fence post at a lasered 368 yards.It literally blows them into chunks with the 50 gr VMax.Over that last 12 years I've shot gophers with 222,223,243,6mm,220 Swift and 22-250.AT PRESENT I like the 22-250 best,...but I'll be first to concede that one good day with certain rifle can happen with any cartridge but I can't wait to get back out with the Sako.

Swift,
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<br>I use a 22-250 or .22lr. If I had other chamberings I would use them too. My 22-250 likes the v-max 40gr. It shoots the 63gr. Sierras well too. For some reason the in between bullet weights don't shoot so well for me.
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<br>One of the funnier situations I had with the 63gr Sierras was when shooting groups from my pick-up's hood. I had just returned form the target and saw a ground squirrel sitting smack in front of the target with his back to me as though he were checking my groups. He was still measuring when the first round of my next string took him.
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You may count me as another 220 Swift fan. My Old Rugger M77 likes any bullet you care to stuff into it. 63 gr Serria, 52 gr Serria Match hollow points, 52 gr Speers, 55 gr Nosler Balistic tips, 52 gr Bergers, 40 gr Nosler Balistic tips, will all go inside a half inch circle at 100 yards as long as I launch them with IMR 4350. That rifle is "out of the box" except for a trigger job I did myself. It is a sweet one. PDS

My favorite varmint cartridge:
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<br>For less than 125 yards a 22 mag with Remington 33grain vmax.
<br>For 100 to 250 yards a 222 shooting a 55-grain vmax.
<br>For everything over 250 yards my 22-250 shooting 55-grain nosler BT.
<br>Deadeye
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Swift:
<br>My favourite is the 22-250 and Speer 52grain Hollow points. And Stick, don't pity me, I just haven't gotten around to an Ackley yet, so this one has to do me.

22-250 and 45 grains of hornady opens a can of whoop-azz on a dog town...

.219 K-Zipper, 33 gr 4064, 50 gr Sierra =3600 fps.

Mine is the 22-250 shooting a 55 grain ballistic tip with 38 grains of H-380 velocity 3500 from a 22 inch barrel (low pressure load). will shoot into .3 to.5 all varmint day.

Swift; I'm with you. I have owned as many as three Swifts at one time, presently have two. I have also owned 22-250's, a 225 Winchester and a 224 Weatherby. For a smaller 22 centerfire, the 222 Remington is my choice [I have 2 of these as well] The Swift IS king of all factory 22 cal varmint cartridges, IMHO. I shoot the 50 Ballistic tip at over 4000 fps with either IMR 4064, Reloder 15 or Vihtavuori N-140. The 55 Ballistic tip at 3900+ with H380 or Vihtavuori N-150. Any of these loads are shooting around .5MOA consistently and a couple shoot into the .2"s if I do my part. They take down Gophers, Crows and similar targets at LONG range with authority. Inside of 250 yards, I prefer the 222. Regards, Eagleye.

RIght now my varmint gun is an '06 with 125gr Sierra's as that is the smallest rifle I have other than a 10/22. I'm hoping to get either a 22 or 6mm sometime in the next year.

Have you ever noticed that those who prefer the 220 Swift also shoot the .222 Remington and those who shoot the .22-250 also tend to favor the .223? It seams to be a rule with all the prairie dog shooters I've ever been around.

Hey pds thanks for reminding me, I gotta pick up a 222. LOL

I have two .223s and a .22 Mag - the distances I shoot at rarely exceed 250 yards, we don't have woodchucks around here (the main targets being ground squirrels) and coyotes are either called in or gone. The .22 Mag is fun, if not a really serious rig. One .223 is a CZ American and the other is a heavy barreled Savage.

For close work (out to 200 yards) I like the 17 Mach 4
<br>25gr berger bullet at 4100
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<br>For further work (out to 700 yards) I use my 22 CHeetah MK 1. Push a 52gr berger bullet at 4280 FPS.
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<br>For those longer shots (passed the 700 yard mark) I like the 6-06. Push a 55gr ballistic tip at 4650 FPS
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<br>Speed kills, with the right bullet
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<br>Don

I'm definetly in the minority here. I like a 6br with a 70gr berger at about 3300fps

I can't give just one favorite. For really long shots prairie dogging I have to have a 30" long barreled 6.5-284.
<br>The high bc bullets make the wind a lot less of a factor.
<br>Longest shot was on 7-22-02 at 1091 yards on a small p-dog using this rifle.
<br>(Hit it twice to insure a body count for the witnesses.) Only the scope has changed to a 30mm tube version.
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<br>Mid-range shots from 400 out to 850 or so are managed with a long barreled (29") fast twist 243.
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<br>The utility rifle for out to 400 is a 223 with light bullets. Accurate, lots of rounds per pound and plenty of red mist with the right bullet.
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<br>Mike

Nice rifle, I guess like your profile says your preference can change. I just wish I could afford to make up a custom rifle.

" I just wish I could afford to make up a custom rifle."
<br>Anyone who's serious about his shooting and dissastified with factory rifles can't really afford NOT to have a custom rifle made --- I speak with the experience of one who's ALWAYS had raggedy britches and yet have had several first-quality custom rifles made to my specs.Yes, it takes money. More to the point, it takes time, thought, and patience -- which is usually the problem (not money).
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<br>What you do is STUDY, THINK, and PLAN -- then go at the project one stage at a time, as you can afford it. A plain economy custom rifle is as satisfying as an expensive fancy one.
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<br>Anybody who can afford a factory rifle can afford a good action.
<br>Anybody who can afford a factory rifle can afford a good barrel.
<br>Anybody who can afford a factory rifle can afford a decent stock.
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<br>Most good custom makers will go along with you -- will let you pay 'em what you can when you can -- will work on your project in similar separate stages.
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<br>Most shooters who say " I just wish I could afford to make up a custom rifle" suffer through perpetual dissatisfaction with 'way more than three or four interim factory rifles while they spend 'way more on 'em than one good, totally satisfactory custom rifle woud've cost.
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I could not agree more. However, it often takes time and experience for a person to know what he wants or needs in a custom rifle. When one develops some definite opinions concerning the action, stock, caliber, etc that he likes and has shot enough to know what he is dissastifed with in factory offerings, then he is ready to go the custom rifle route. I have plenty of friends who had custom rifles built that are no different than a factory offering in looks or performance.
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<br>One has a 98 with very pretty wood in 220 Swift with a "name" match grade barrel which is medeocre in the accuracy dept. In fact, my Rugger M77 Swift will out shoot it any day with any load. He was much in love with the rifle until his shooting skills surpassed the inherent accuracy of the rifle. Now, he wishes he had used an accuracy minded Smith. I have also noticed that the length of pull on this "custom" rifle is about the same as a factory stock. He has rather long arms, and could have used a longer length of pull. I believe when this friend ordered his custom rifle he had not given enough thought to all his options. I believe he was thinking "It would be nice to have a custom rifle with a pretty peice of wood". And that's exactly what he got. No more, no less. What's the problem with that? Well, now that he has more experience and knows what he really needed and want's he feels "stuck" with a custom "compromise which performs no better than an off the shelve rifle.
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<br>Another friend had a nice Sako hunter in .17 Remington with the wood stock. He had the stock cut off to fit his five year old son who is small for his age and has short arms to boot. Nothing wrong with that. The rifle shot like a house-a-fire. That boy killed a pick up truck full of deer with it. When he grew and the stock no longer fit, his dad started to look for a replacement stock. He found a Fajen he liked and the next thing I knew the rifle was gone to the smith for a full Custom job. New barrel, stock, trigger, the only thing he kept was the action. I asked him how much more it would have cost to build that rifle if he had not supplied the action. His answer was $ 300.00. My response was; You mean for 300 more dollars you could have built this rifle AND kept your little Sako too? His jaw droped, eyes got real wide, and he could just barely whisper "yes".
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<br>I could go on for a while with stories of friends who have rifles both custom and factory who are not really happy with them because they did not define in their own minds their needs and intended use before they placed the order. I suspose I have been guilty of this at times myself. If you think about it, I suspose alot of people make the same mistakes. Otherwise, where would all those good used rifles at the gun shows come from??????