Thread: Want a new rifle

Hey, I'm loking for a new toy Varmint rifle.
I was set on a Rem 700 SPS Varmint in 22-250 when it was mentioned maybe I should look at a .243 aswell using the 55grain projectiles they look good on paper.
What are peoples opinions on this
Who would have thought buying a new rifle would be so hard

If its for varmints stick with .22 cal. No need to go bigger.

If you want to shoot varmint at longer ranges than the 22 consider an hmr, I've drilled Plover and rabbits out to 250m

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Originally Posted by smidey

If you want to shoot varmint at longer ranges than the 22 consider an hmr, I've drilled Plover and rabbits out to 250m

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Got a 22mag for that. Want to go longer again

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.22-250 would get my vote....buying an EBRG for shooting bunnies just doesn't seen right. you can poke a 40-45 grn barnes type pill in 22-250 if you want to shoot a deer, and have a rifle that is made for the task you are asking of it....less powder per bang and projectiles at a educated guess will be cheaper too.

If you already have a deer rifle, go proper varmint gun: 22-250 or 204. They both start hitting stuff from 250 m and further where the 17 hmr stops ;-)

Savage are now making the Mod.12 varmint rifle in 22-250 with a 1:9 twist so you can run heavier bullets to take better advantage of the extra grunt over a 223. Much more useful than the 1:12 to 1:14 twist most factory rifles use for 22-250 (1:14 for the Remington), which is pretty limiting in that regard.

204 and 223 are also good options to consider, not as fast but quieter and longer barrel life etc, how far are you planning to shoot?

Worth thinking about whether a 'varmint rifle' is actually suited to your use too though, I had one (in 204) but didn't keep it long as a big heavy rifle with a 26" truck axle barrel isn't very well suited to carrying up and down hills looking for said varmints. Sold it and bought a sporter weight 223 which is just as accurate and much more versatile.

I have done a lot of varminting, and predator hunting in the last 14 years in Canada, have had most of the common factory cal, including .17 hornet, .17 fireball, .204, .22 hornet, .222, .223. 22-250 and 6mm Remington,
for high volume shooting the .17 hornet, .17 fireball, .22 hornet and .222 are better as they don't get hot, as fast, and aren't as fatiguing to shoot, use less powder and are cheaper to load. plus you can spot your hits with these calibers most or all of the time.
for long range, .204, 22-250 and 6mm, with 6mm being in a league of its own, I use 65gr v-max at 3750fps,
It looks like your in Dunedin, so good chance at a deer or pig, from time to time, I would look hard at a .223 or 22-250 with a fast twist, 1-10 or faster barrel, this would allow you to run up to about a 75gr bullet. much better for big game.
NZ varminting is mostly rabbits and hares, so its unlikely to be high volume shooting, so get a sporter weight rifle, it will be much more versatile.
I have sold a bunch of mine off, and are down to a 17 hornet, .17 fireball, .222 and 6mm Remington, still have a .204 and .22 hornet in Canada.
sold off both 22-250, one wouldn't shoot well and the other weighed 12 lbs and I wouldn't use it in NZ, .223 sold for same reason too heavy, .204 undecided.
if I had to pick a rifle, just for varmints, it would be the .17 fireball, 20 vartarg, or .222, right balance of cheap to load and big on performance, 300m range, 400m in perfect conditions.
if I had to choose one round, to do both varmints and the odd deer or pig, 6mm Remington, followed by a fast twist 22-250.

Southernman... 6mm remington over .243?

Originally Posted by clickbang

Got a 22mag for that. Want to go longer again

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Ok, my first thought about that is what glass you looking at? To see the little target that far away

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Originally Posted by bully

Southernman... 6mm remington over .243?

yea mate, but I have a .243 in a take down BLR, it just cant come close, to the accuracy of my 6mm rem, but its a limited run, Remington CDL stainless, so that's to be expected, also found the 6mm rem, much easier to get multiple loads, shooting well, right now it will print, 65gr v-max, 85 gr partion, and 80 gr prohunter, into the same point of impact at 200m, with 1.5" five shot groups, 85gr partion is still only 3-4" below the v-max 65gr at 300m, shoots very well with 87gr hollow point but they 6" low,
both .243 I have had, I struggled to get a varmint light load, and something for deer close to same point.

But I hand load, and winters in Canada are long, also lived next to a 500m range, gave me sum thing to fiddle about with, on those cold days. finding compoents a lot more expensive in NZ, glad I have worked out loads on sum of my rifles,

Originally Posted by smidey

Ok, my first thought about that is what glass you looking at? To see the little target that far away

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Something in the 6-24 x 40 range
Was looking at a Bushnell Elite

i would take the big step up to a 6mm .. if i already had a .222/.223 and wanted to go all out with a dedicated longrange varmint rifle.

Originally Posted by rossi.45

i would take the big step up to a 6mm .. if i already had a .222/.223 and wanted to go all out with a dedicated longrange varmint rifle.

I don't own either, I use my heavy barrel Marlin 22mag at the moment for rabbits, have used it on wallabys aswell.
Was just wanting something for longer ranges and target shooting out to 600yards
I don't really hunt anything bigger, not that I don't want to just having a young family limits free time abit.
I've got a good old Parker Hale .303 thats shoots pretty well if I need it.

22.250 because its 22.250