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The Firing Line
varmint hunting rifles
Uploaded on June 18, 2009I was wondering what everybody uses to hunt varmints with. I am looking to buy a new varmint rifle but I am not sure what I should get. I am looking for a rifle that shoots not so expensive ammo and also would have a pricetag under $300. I was thinking of getting a .17hmr or a .22 wmr. I shoot left handed so it is very tough to find rifles that accomodate me. So what do you use for varmints and do you have any suggestions for me?
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Ruger makes some nice leftie guns, but they are not under $300. My suggestion is to find a Ruger 96/22Mag. It is a lever-action 22magnum and they are pretty dang accurate.
Savage.
either a remington 700 in 243 or a Thompson center contender carbine with a custom 204 ruger barrel. with a heavy beaver tail forend and thumb hole stock . i have a nice little 17hmr in a savage mod. 93 with an acu trigger that i use for close range stuff it is a great little gun ,and the price was cheap like 195.00 for it . many crows never new what hit them with that little gun but it is not a lefty , but for that price who cares
Consider the .204 Ruger as many are falling in love with it for varmint hunting. Finding a used rifle with a varmint barrel may be your best bet though for that price range. You will do well with any varmint cartrige. The .223s have been relatively inexpensive if you load your own. Remember that varmint hunters tend to shoot small caliber rifles for low recoil, flat shooting speed and bullets that disintegrate on impact so that they don't ricochet all over the place.
I use a NEF .223 handi rifle. You won't be able to pop off a lot of rounds but they are accurate and get the job done.
I don't know about the rifle but I do know a great deal about the 22 Mag. I have three that I use on a regular basis, A win.61M pump rifle, a Rem. 597M, and a H&K 300. These are all very good shooting rifles. The Win. 40 gr. jhp is the round that I've had the most experience with. This is my favorite round and I have literally shot hundreds of varmints with this load and it has never failed to perform. I believe that if you plan on shooting varmints over the 125 yard mark, you should consider a centerfire like the 223. I have never used the 17hmr, but my brother in law has and he is a careful hunter and a good shot. He has had tremendous success as well as dismal failure with this round. The 17 hmr is the most accurate rimfire that I have ever fired.
Ruger 77 in .220 Swift, 6x24 Tasco, Harris bipod, IMR 4064 and W/W 55 grain power points.
If you lookin to spend $300 the 17 hmr. I know left handed shooters that use right handed rifles. How big are the varmints your hunting? The .17 hmr will take out rabbit sized critters out at 200 yrds all day long. Coyote sized critters deserve a min. of .222 or .223. The .223 being fairly inexpensive. (or it used to be before the dems took over)
I've posted this before on this site about the 22 Mag. I've shot three coyote this past winter with the 22Mag. and the 40 gr. jhp. All of these animals were taken over bait and short of the 100 yard mark and all were one shot clean kills. Don't write this round off. I can't tell the difference on small game from the 22 Hornet with factory rounds. I've not used the newer 30-34 gr loads that shoot at higher velocity on any game, but the 34gr Win. in two of my rifles is deadly accurate.
You could also look into a Ruger leftie M77 in 223. They are very accurate and well worth the money.
i would highly recomend a savage rifle chambered in the 17hmr its fairly cheap to shoot and it packs enough of a punch to turn any varmint inside out and sky high
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I use a NEF .223 handi rifle. You won't be able to pop off a lot of rounds but they are accurate and get the job done.
Ruger makes some nice leftie guns, but they are not under $300. My suggestion is to find a Ruger 96/22Mag. It is a lever-action 22magnum and they are pretty dang accurate.
Savage.
either a remington 700 in 243 or a Thompson center contender carbine with a custom 204 ruger barrel. with a heavy beaver tail forend and thumb hole stock . i have a nice little 17hmr in a savage mod. 93 with an acu trigger that i use for close range stuff it is a great little gun ,and the price was cheap like 195.00 for it . many crows never new what hit them with that little gun but it is not a lefty , but for that price who cares
Consider the .204 Ruger as many are falling in love with it for varmint hunting. Finding a used rifle with a varmint barrel may be your best bet though for that price range. You will do well with any varmint cartrige. The .223s have been relatively inexpensive if you load your own. Remember that varmint hunters tend to shoot small caliber rifles for low recoil, flat shooting speed and bullets that disintegrate on impact so that they don't ricochet all over the place.
I don't know about the rifle but I do know a great deal about the 22 Mag. I have three that I use on a regular basis, A win.61M pump rifle, a Rem. 597M, and a H&K 300. These are all very good shooting rifles. The Win. 40 gr. jhp is the round that I've had the most experience with. This is my favorite round and I have literally shot hundreds of varmints with this load and it has never failed to perform. I believe that if you plan on shooting varmints over the 125 yard mark, you should consider a centerfire like the 223. I have never used the 17hmr, but my brother in law has and he is a careful hunter and a good shot. He has had tremendous success as well as dismal failure with this round. The 17 hmr is the most accurate rimfire that I have ever fired.
Ruger 77 in .220 Swift, 6x24 Tasco, Harris bipod, IMR 4064 and W/W 55 grain power points.
If you lookin to spend $300 the 17 hmr. I know left handed shooters that use right handed rifles. How big are the varmints your hunting? The .17 hmr will take out rabbit sized critters out at 200 yrds all day long. Coyote sized critters deserve a min. of .222 or .223. The .223 being fairly inexpensive. (or it used to be before the dems took over)
I've posted this before on this site about the 22 Mag. I've shot three coyote this past winter with the 22Mag. and the 40 gr. jhp. All of these animals were taken over bait and short of the 100 yard mark and all were one shot clean kills. Don't write this round off. I can't tell the difference on small game from the 22 Hornet with factory rounds. I've not used the newer 30-34 gr loads that shoot at higher velocity on any game, but the 34gr Win. in two of my rifles is deadly accurate.
You could also look into a Ruger leftie M77 in 223. They are very accurate and well worth the money.
i would highly recomend a savage rifle chambered in the 17hmr its fairly cheap to shoot and it packs enough of a punch to turn any varmint inside out and sky high
Post a Reply