critter rifle

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geez768

New member
I am looking to buy a varmint rifle. i cant decide what cal. to get. I like the twentys I thought of the twenty tactical but i dont reload right now so thats out. the 204 ruger looks nice but new. also thought of the 223. any favorites that are available most places and why you like it better than others. looking to shoot ground hogs and coyote (a little) and other like sized animals. no need for a deer rifle (live in ohio) plus i have a 30-06 and 7.62x54R.

thanks :)
 
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skeeter1

New member
Go with the .223. Ammo is (currently) relatively inexpensive, and will take out little critters just fine. I'm in Ohio as well, and for the distances I shoot (<100yds) the .22LR with the right ammo works just fine as well. CCI Stingers for me.
 
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Jseime

New member
CCI Stingers for me.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of the Mini-Mags but I've never tried stingers in my 597.

I think that if you are only going after things smaller than coyotes then a .22lr is the ultimate in cheap to shoot fun.
 
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geez768

New member
I do shoot 22lr all the time and .17hrm but i want a small center fire. the farm i grew up on is in southern ohio it is hilly but 200+ yrd shoots in the bottoms and in pastures are not uncommon.
 
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hj28rules

New member
I believe it would depend on what kind of 'varmits' you're after. The .22LR or .22 mag is ok for smaller game like rabbits, squirrels, crow etc. However, if you are goint to be taking coyote, bobcat or other similar sized game then I would suggest a .223 or 22-250 minimum for the range/knock down power.
I am a big fan of CCI .22 Stingers and CCI .22 Mini-Mags for my Henry. I also use a Colts HBAR15A3 .223 with a Nikon 3x9 scope for the larger varmits I encounter here in West Texas. Your requirements may differ. Good luck & good shooting with what ever you decide on.

LM...Ft. Worth, Tx.
SFC US Army (ret. 1996)
 
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garryc

New member
I'm an ohio hunter also. I use a M77 sporter in 223 as my small field and walk around gun. I use a rem 22-250 VLS or a Rem 700 varmint in 243 as my sit down guns. The 22-250 covers it all if I want it to. The 223 ( and that includes the HB I had at one time) is somewhat lacking in many of the fields I hunt in. I'll suggest a 22-250 right off the top. Do not cheat on the glass! I use sightron s2's with the dot.
 
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jamaica

New member
I have certainly enjoyed my 222 Rem. It is pretty similar to the 223 in performance. Very good up to 200 yards on critters up to coyote size. I shoot 55 gr bullets which will take out a deer quickly if you shoot for the head. These small bullets are not recommended for body shots on deer though.

The .22 centerfire rifles spitting out bullets at 3000 + FPS are a big step up from 22 LR. Yes, the ammo will cost more, but to me it is worth the price.

I vote for .223 or 22-250. :)
 
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Scorch

New member
I am a huge fan of the 22-250, but my 223 is a better all-around rifle and I probably use it more than the 22-250. I would recommend a 223 for a first varmint rifle because of the light report and lower cost of ammo, but a 22-250 will do it all.
 
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mikejonestkd

New member
as mentioned above: the .223 is cheaper and is a significant step up from a .22 rimfire. The .22-250 is better for serious long range varmint hunting but for around the family homestead/ ranch the .223 does just fine.

There are many, many affordable bolts in .223. If semis are your thing there are tons of EBRs in .223 that won't break the bank.
 
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sneaky pete

New member
Hyper-velocity .22lr

The other day I was reading an article that was on the Los Angles Silhouette Club web site from Leverguns.com called Specialty 22 Rounds by PACO and it talked a little about HYPER-VELOCITY 22LR and list 3--CCi Stingers @1667FPS, Quick-Shock @1716FPS, and Aguila Super Max @ 1788 FPS although he said that they were really around 1800 FPS. He went on to say that he thought that the Quick-Shock was the deadliest because of the break-up of 3 sections with 3 separate wound channels. All that with NO recoil.. Sounds good to me. I think that the whole article is a good read. THANX--SNEAKY
 
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garryc

New member
Geez, frankly if you get into the activity you'll be talking a battery of varmint rifles. A good chuck gun and a good yote gun are two differant animals. Generally with a chuck you are locked into an area of a field where the holes are, usually on a bipod. With a yote you need to have a gun you can move because they can show up at any time from any direction. Thats why an AR is such a good yote gun, it points fast. For a bolt gun I prefer a sporter weight barrel and a sling for the sitting position. Not many ohio yotes are going to let you get away with picking a HB rifle on a bipod up to move it.
 
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Ifishsum

New member
I vote for the .204, it's a hoot. In a heavy rifle the recoil is minimal enough that you can see what happens through the scope, and it shoots as flat as the .22/250. Kinda like the best of both worlds for a dedicated varminter. Ammo is well distributed now and while not as cheap as .223, it's not any more than .22/250, at least around here.

It works quite well on coyotes too.
 
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garryc

New member
I have no experiance with the 204 but I'm sure it would work fine on yotes. As for the HB rifle, it's not the best choice for them in ohio. If I had to pick a pure yote gun for ohio it would likely be a CZ527 sporter in 223. Short ,light, fast and accurate. As a matter of fact, the 527 varmint in 204 or 223 would make a good mid range chuck rifle. The big advantage ,IMHO, is that the action is sized for that round.
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I just called Fin-Feather-fur in ashland ohio. The cz 527 varmint laminate is selling for $629.99.
 
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geez768

New member
thanks guys, i know like everything else i will have several before its over. buti am looking for a "one size fits all for now" gun. it will probably be a 223. i do want a 204 and a 22-250. heck i may also pick up a 17 rem befoe its all said and done. (and they will do fine on coyotes ive seen it)

can never have enough guns. :rolleyes:
 
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