Varmint Rifle

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Auburn1992

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Because I am moving (to a place that allows shooting), I thought I would get a new gun. I will have enough range to shoot up to about 250 - 300 yards - probably more if I make some friends there. Due to this, I was thinking about getting a varmint rifle; something that can be extremely accurate.

So far in Sportsmans Wharehouse, I have noticed three guns: the Remington 700 VLS, that Remington XR-100, and the Savage 12FCM. Right now I have the chance to get the VLS (in .243) for $650, the XR100 in 22-250 (or .223)for $750, and the Savage 12FCM for $850 (in .308). The problem is that I don't know which to choose.

I have just around a $1000 limit so I would like the price of the gun to be a little cheaper so I can have some room for optics.

Which do you think is the best deal for the money and which will be most accurate. Also, please post some pictures of your varmint rifles so I can get an idea of what I like.
 
I would suggest a 223 Remington...Savage has some very accurate rifles with some decent prices.

The 223 is easy on barrels, inherently accurate and ammo is everywhere...large selection of factory ammo too ( bullet weights and types)
 
If I were to get the XR-100 in 22-250 and shoot out the barrel (probably won't happen but is a 'what if'), would I be able to rechamber it to .243? I know a barrel swap would have to take place but what else?
 
22-250 shoots a little flatter.
But for 300 yards the .223 will work.
You will have to hold over a little more with the .223 then with the 22-250.
As for the 308 it will work well for varmints, but I think it is more of a med-large game round.
The .243 will be almost dead on at 300 yards, but it's louder, and cost more to shoot.
My Savage fouls the bore in about 12-15 shots, so if you plane to shoot more varmints than that in a session, the you'll need to carry a long a cleaning kit.

All in all the .223 will work GREAT, it is Cheaper, and has MANY choices of ammunition.

My vote goes for the .223
 
Any will work fine. For a little less recoil, you might skip the .308. I'd probably opt for the rangemaster in .223 or 22-250, but the VLS would work fine too. .243 is a great caliber, so that'd be a good jack-of-all-trades type rifle.
 
The reason I would want to go with the rangemaster in 22-250 over 223 is because the .223 version has a 1 in 12 twist rate
 
Here's my input. The .223 will kill varmints to 400 yards pretty easily. The .22-250 will go another 150 or so. However, if you want to be able to hit them when it's breezy, and want to see real devastation at range, you need to go .24 or .25 Caliber. Even my .220 Swift with 55 grain bullets at 3950 FPS does not give the spectacular show that my .25-06 will using 75 gr. HP's at 3,700 FPS. And the heavier bullets will stay on target better. I can hit them at over 300 yards and still knock them 10 feet or more into the air. The .22 caliber cartridges just won't do that.

I love my .220, but there's a reason my next rig will be a 6mm-06 Improved. 70 grain bullets at 4,000 FPS have the reach and the power.

Of the choices you listed, I'd say .243.
 
As a 22-250 owner,

I say stick with the .223 or .243. The 22-250 is a finicky little sob. Since you're just staring out, I'd go with the .223. It's a great gun up to 350 yards. When you can hit 12 inch high pararie dogs at the those distances with regularity, you're ready for the longer distance .243 or the prima donna 22-250. Get the latter dialed in with the right load and experience spectacular hits up to 550 or so. But, EVERY varmint hunter should have a .223. Cheapest to load as well and doesn't burn barrels like the 22-250.
 
I have a Weatherby Vanguard Varmint in .308 that is a really nice shooter. I have put a Timney trigger to fix the only thing I didn't like about the gun. You can buy the rifle and trigger for less than any of those you list and have money left to spend on a decent scope. Of course this advice comes from a hardcore LSU fan so I'm sure a War Eagle will not want to listen. LOL


James
 
.223

Hey there"
My vote is the .223. I use 55 grainers and a 1 in 14 twist. 55s are good on coyotee to 300 plus. P-dogs much more with a good repeatable scope.
while I have all, The .308 is an accurate round but I must say that the recoil will get to you if you just want to shoot targets.
I have some very impressive long range kills with the .223.......
 
Rem.700 Vs.

Hey there:
I shoot the Rem. 700 VS in .223 also the Rem.700 PSS in .223 and the Rem. 700 PSS in .308. All are extremely accurate rifles.
Both .223s have 1 in 14 twist rates and shoot the 55s and 40s very well.
 
Savage has 223 Rem. bolt action rifles with 1 in 9 twist...Remington uses 1 in 12 I think...

The 1 in 12 will work fine for bullets up to 50 grains (you "did" say varmint rifle)

The Savage will work for the longer, heavier bullets.
 
New PSS

Hey there.
The new PSS or even the police models now come with 1 in 9" twist on the Remingtons. And The 1 in 12 is fine for 55 grainers. I shoot them all the time.
My long kills have been 726 and 723 yards on P-dogs. Many shots at the 300 to 500 yard mark . This can be done with a good scope as I said before.
55s toss under 1/4" grousp at 100 meters from the 1 in 14" barrels.
An AR styled rifle could be an out for you. They have or most do , the faster twist and will toss the heavier rounds better.
Some ARs can be down right impressive in the accuracy dept. Mine is a 1 in 9" and 20" H-Bar. and will shoot 1" or less at 100 with a scope.
Many will do much better then that.
 
Mine is a Savage 12 FV in .243 with a Weaver Grand Slam 6.5-20, Sharpshooter Supply LVT stock.

savage12fv2.jpg

For 300 yard shooting I would go with either a fast twist .223 or a .243, no need for any more recoil than those two. The .223 with the right bullets will also do for deer size game where legal, but the .243 is better. Ballistics are better for the .243 but it's not really much of an issue at 300 yards.

Since you are also looking at AR's I also use this DPMS 16" bull barrelled upper in 1:9 twist, it works for up to 69 grain bullets out to 300 with no problem.

DPMS223-1.jpg
 
Settle on a caliber, then look for a gun. The 308 is pretty pricey to shoot nowadays. My 1-7 Savage is shooting Black Hills 77g SMKs really well at 500.
 
The .223 will cost considerably less for all the practice you'll be doing. Figure how much it will cost to shoot 1000 rounds + the rifle price and add a decent scope- then compare. The .243 would be better if shooting deer is important. The 22-250 will break the bank?? I like the savage btw
 
Mine isnt as nice as Browningguys, but I love my .223 12FV. I put a Bushnell banner dusk/dawn 6.5-24x40 and a harris bipod on it (soon I will get a bvss stock to make it more aesthetically pleasing). It shoots great with factory ammo and even better with handloads. I have not tries anything really long just 200yds. but I dont doubt it will reach out 500-600yds with the right load accurately. I would worry a little about my 1:9 twist at that range though, id most likely be looking to shoot 80-90gr bullets.
 
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