Thread: Varmint Cal

One thing to consider when hunting small varmints such as rabbits at long range is that part of the (sick) pleasure derived from the sport (refer to the thread about what we find relaxing) is the acrobatics they perform when being hit by the high speed projectile. Its actually quite amusing and sometime damn hilarious! Therefore being able to witness the impact is (IMHO) quite important.

Bigger calibers with higher recoil and high powered scopes with small fields of view means missed acrobatics. Having shot several thousand rabbits in the Hawkes Bay in the past two years, the difference between shooting the .223 and the .22-250 is quite marked. The .223 recoil allows you to maintain vision on the target. The .22-250 recoil is just enough for you to miss some impacts. .243 is hopeless.
When I am out hunting rabbits, I take the .223 (or even the HMR) unless I know that the ranges are getting out to +250m or the breeze is getting up, at which point I start going up in the caliber.

Just worth considering if you want to see the kill on a small target.