Varmint rifle

It's next years project but I'm going to get a rifle for varmints (foxes, hares, Roos) and I'm torn on what to get. I want to have a rifle so if I see a deer I can smack it as well. I've narrowed it to 243, 6mm rem or 25-06. I'd prefer a 6mm rem but they seem to be hard to come by. And I dunno whether to get it in a tikka t3 lite, howa, got slightly classier and get a sako a7 or my brother reckons a rugged hawkeye although I'm really not a fan of the ruger (no offence to any owners). What's everyone think?
Cheers,
Jack

The 243 is a cracking round. You can push some of the smaller projectiles out to 4,000fps yet the bigger projectiles you can drop a deer with.
I reckon as far as your standard common sorta calibers go, she might be about perfect for what you are after.

There are a lot more knowledgable guys on here than me though. That's just my 2c.

I'd go for a 243 as well.

243 will do the deed. The common calibre are generally common for a reason...

Are you reloading or shooting factory ammo?

Yeh 243 is a great Caliber my brother Patrick has one in Steyr mannlicher and it's a beautiful gun, the only downside is it's not legal here for reds and sambar but I dunno how much that matters,*
Yeh your on the money rimfire, not sure I'd be game to push it out to 4,000fps though be scared of burning out my barrel ha*
Yeh Matt we only reload, I've got a packet of barnes varmint grenades for 6mm that Patrick bought but never used. We've just started getting into the barnes projectiles with tsx and ttsx,*I've been using 130gn hornady sst's through my .270 which were great but have just got a 300wm and bought some 180gn barnes ttsx so I'm keen to see how they go on a big stag! Patrick just shot his first deer on the weekend with his 243 and tsx. it was unreal the amount of internal damage and lack there of external damage, they really do expend all their energy inside the animal. What do you load mate?*

Have you thought about a 6.5x55?

http://www.6mmbr.com/243win.html

.243 AI would be my choice if you don't mind fire forming the brass first.

Would make a great varmint round and can get those heavier pills steaming too.

if you have a 270 allready a 25-06 is a bit close really.

243s are great. my main rifle is one.

the difference between a tikka t3 and a sako A7 is negligible. go second hand sako 75 or 85 if you are going sako they are worth the extra coin
howa are good rifles for the money and are dirt cheep
let your brother get a ruger. they are well, agricultural

6x47

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Originally Posted by Matt2308

.243 Win + .243 AI Cartridge Guide

.243 AI would be my choice if you don't mind fire forming the brass first.

Would make a great varmint round and can get those heavier pills steaming too.

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That is what I run....Don't form fire at the range...... hunt and form fire, One it doesn't cook the barrel from to many shots to fast, two its fun :P

I run the 87gr Vmax and it blows shit to bits and puts big holes in goats but head shots only for me on deer as its to soft for a shoulder shot

I had a 6mmRem for a while and while a great round is not that different to 243 in performance much the same speeds as 243AI

6x47L would be great but expensive bits

22-250 performs well

22-243 if reloading is a good one to

6mmBR

or go just plain Jane 223 and shoot lots of rounds and dont worry about barrel burn and learn to dial and allow for wind and it will school you on LR shooting for bigger cals to :D

223 1:9 twist with 69gr Targex pills or SMK doing 3K + in a 22" barrel is effective and a handy rig

6x47 involves building a rifle.
seems like alot of effort to go to to get a lightly loaded 243 that you cant buy bullets for.
wildcats are fun, but they are a luxury rifle rather than a mans one working rifle

the difference really between the 25-06 and 243 which I see as the front runners, is what is your planned distance to shoot over?
how are you with recoil?
do you like light rifles?
how many shots are you likely to use a year?
do they sell the reloading components for each one locally?
are you likely to do a string of shots?

6x47 involves a rebarrel only, it's super accurate, achieves 243 velocitys and has pretty good barrel life. It's a good compromise, however the brass and dies cost a little more.

and that the components are not as wide spread. and no factory ammo

you could probably even extend the thread on a 243 and run a reamer thru if you had enough knox
but why?

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Originally Posted by Bill999

6x47 involves building a rifle.
seems like alot of effort to go to to get a lightly loaded 243 that you cant buy bullets for.
wildcats are fun, but they are a luxury rifle rather than a mans one working rifle

the difference really between the 25-06 and 243 which I see as the front runners, is what is your planned distance to shoot over?
how are you with recoil?
do you like light rifles?
how many shots are you likely to use a year?
do they sell the reloading components for each one locally?
are you likely to do a string of shots?

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Distance varies, Roos can be as far as you like, I'm no Olympic shooter by any means but with my bipod I'll comfortably have a crack at anything up to around 400-450m. Recoil doesn't bother me nor does having a light or heavy rifle. Fox and hare shooting is usually a shot every now and then but Roos can be several quick ones. Having said all this varmint abiotic is just a summer thing that gets me through to deer season mostly so I woulbt be hammering 1000 shots a year through it or anything. And now that red season is all year I'll probably so it less which is why I was thinking of slightly bigger calibers than 223 because at the end o the day it'll probably end up another deer rifle a fair portion of the time. So just don't know, still very indecisive about it all.

And to Toby, 6.5 swed was my first pick but I just don't need it having my .270 so I've set a max of 25-06

have you looked at running a 110gr pill thru that 270 of yours?
that will basically make it a 25-06 IE 270 winchester is a 28-06

243s dont have much left in the tank at 400m but im sure that dusnt matter much with roos.

243 will not damage its barrel as much with strings of shots like a 25-06 will.

weight and recoil go hand in hand, heavy rifles are easier on the shoulder.

25-06 will have a shorter life than the 243. as its rifling will start to dissipear over time. 243 is better but not that much.
with a thousand shots every year that is some really high use, if you could get away with a 223 that would last alot longer

just to add to the hoard of information

if you allready have a 270 id find it hard to justify a 25-06. its the same as having a 7mm08 and a 243. same class.

running reloads and the 105 amax (1:8 twist required) 243 is good to well beyond 400 yards ;) Its still going over 2000 ftps past 600 yrds and has plenty of energy to 800+ for roo's

even with my 22" 1:10 twist barrel I have with 90gr ballistic tip pills I get bang flops at 400 and its not until you are out around 500 that they walk a few steps but still good kills, I have changed to the 87gr Vmax as it will open better and still has ok BC for the weight but I have yet to try it past 300 yards

Even the 223 with heavy high BC pills will work past 400

It comes down to the ammo and twist, If you dont reload are there people that do custom loads in your area? it works out close to factory costs but better ammo or if you reload yourself it will be cheaper!

It sounds like a .243 or 243AI would suit your needs well.
Great range of bullets ranging from very light varmint to heavy, high BC and sectional density giving you the opportunity for extended ranges and deer if you want.
Factory ammo is readily available and with the other rifles you own it seems to sit in the gap well.
The .22 cals are probably a little too small for long range roos and larger deer but I do know people who take reds with a .243 but they tend to use 100 grain soft points which wouldn't be the best choice for varmints.
As you do reload, the .243AI would make brass trimming a rare procedure, give you around 100-150fps extra, allow you to shoot normal .243 factory ammo and be something a little different without burning through barrels or the extra work involved in some wildcats.

whats the best choice for a one in ten twist 243 leathel?
an 18.5inch barrel isnt going to help me tho I suppose

I wouldn't use the 270 for it, I love the old girl and i wouldn't burn her out it's done a fair bit of work. I wouldn't go a 223 because it's just not legal for any deer and getting caught with that it would be bad to get caught. 243 seems to be getting all the love here!

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Originally Posted by Bill999

whats the best choice for a one in ten twist 243 leathel?
an 18.5inch barrel isnt going to help me tho I suppose

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for what purpose? would depend on the range you want and intended target, 87-95 gr pills should work and 87- 90's is what I get best groups with... 18.5 will loose a fair bit of speed

fallow, red, tahr

Iv yet to run it thru a chrony to see what speed I get, not that critical at the moment while Im still burning thru the pile of factory ammo I have

90gr Nosler ballistic tip is one of the firmer ballistic tip pills with OK BC and should go OK (goats is all I used them on and they realy worked well at 350-400), 87gr Hornady always is a favorite but less range due to BC, 90-95gr Targex in the right place have performed well but you need to slip it in the ribs on a big animal rather than smash the leg... Or Barnes for TTSX closer stuff but again low BC so not a long range pill

are the 90gr ballistic tips strong enough to hold together for shoulder shots?

I used the 150BTs thru my 7rem mag and they really impressed me

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Originally Posted by Bill999

are the 90gr ballistic tips strong enough to hold together for shoulder shots?

I used the 150BTs thru my 7rem mag and they really impressed me

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My 243 is not my deer rifle so I never tested them on a larger shoulder, goats from pretty much any angle they worked well... Lots of goats dropped but very few were looked at to see how they went as most ended up in gorges or hung up in bluffs etc, we were culling not hunting for meat and most shot from 350-400, the odd one 30-200 yards and they died OK but not as well as the ones further away.. Not sure why, Close exited fine still

Howa .223 would fit the bill. Does all three of your main target species just fine. Isn't a 243 (most important) and will tidy a deer up when needed, and cheap to run.

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Originally Posted by Wirehunt

Howa .223 would fit the bill. Does all three of your main target species just fine. Isn't a 243 (most important) and will tidy a deer up when needed, and cheap to run.

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Why the 243 hating? Everyone else seems to think it's a good idea for what Jack's after.

223 is already off the cards if you've read the thread (can't shoot deer in Aussie with them).

Can't shoot deer with a 243 there either by law except in a couple of spot as minimum is 270.

The reason for 243 hate rf, seen to many animals get away after well placed shots.

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Originally Posted by Wirehunt

The reason for 243 hate rf, seen to many animals get away after well placed shots.

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So you suggest something significantly less capable instead?

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Originally Posted by Wirehunt

The reason for 243 hate rf, seen to many animals get away after well placed shots.

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That is because to many use 100gr pills in 243, going to slow compared to the 223 and 55gr pills, put 80gr pills in the 243 and its got more speed to shock the vitals better :)

100gr pills bust through more legs bones if you hit them but if you don't they they pass through the lungs without blowing them to bits...too slow


Well IMHO...

thats odd. I see alot more good kills from my 243 than I do from the 223, and I expect to.

I also run 80gr in the 243. and 55gr in the 223