Advice on a new varmint rig

I

ILoveBigRacks

Regular
Rating - 100%
236   0   0
Location
Beaumont, AB
Looking to buy a varmint rifle and not sure what's the best bang for the buck. Have looked at lots of various price ranges from a Savage 12BVSS to a couple Cooper Varminters, and several in between including the cz 550 or 527 Varmints, Rem 700 LVSF or VSSF, Tikka T3 Varmint or Super Varmint, or a Kimber 84M Longmaster Varmint. Waaaay too many to choose from. Would love to lay my hands on one of the Coopers but don't know if it really justifies the cost. Have got an Elite 4200 8-32 to throw on it for now - may upgrade later.

Any thoughts?
 
I bought a used Ruger M77 but I really wanted Savage 12BVSS in a left hand. Waited over a year for one and gave up. shot a few right handed ones and I love the gun. Savage makes an amazing firearm. The accutirigger takes about10 rounds to get used to but once u fine tune it to your liking it's hard to shoot anything else. U can ge the gun in black syn stock on SIR for around $900.00 right now. your scope should do fine for now.
 
I am a psycho gopher and coyote hunter. I use totally stock Remington SPS Varmints in 204 Ruger. 22-250 would be a nice varmint caliber too, but the 204 has zero recoil, making exploding rodents a cool spectator sport through the scope.

I shoot ALOT. I basically wear out a barrel per season and it is cheaper to replace the whole gun than to install a new barrel.
 
I just ordered a 12LVP in .223 and am looking to rebarrel it to 20 VarTarg. I'm still researching the caliber to see if it's what I want. I'm definitely looking forward to getting this rifle.
 
Cummins4x4 said:
Can't go wrong with a Cooper, have one. Also CZ, Rem, Ruger and HR, get one of each:) seriously Coops rock
Click to expand...

I hear "Cooper" hasn't made himself very popular with his apparent politcal affiliations of late.... There was a big stink and a boycott happening down south over it recently,
 
I have a Savage in .204 which I feel is a great combination for gophers, for coyotes a 22-250 would be better.

The .20 cal rounds are great, you can watch the bullets strike in most heavier varmint rifles.

I like the Savage cause you can upgrade the barrel yourself, and accutrigger is pretty decent.

The Remington 700 has a vast array of parts available to customize but you need a smith to replace barrels

A Kimber or a Cooper will be great right out of the box but they do command a premium price for this. They also come with really nice wood, which is not so common nowadays. However I become paranoid with nice walnut, it attracts sharp things like nails to a magnet. Laminate or synthetic will make you feel better if you go walkabout with a bipod.

Another gun to consider is the Weatherby Vangaurd SUB MOA rifles, just a another choice to throw in, in case you wanted more options.:D
 
savage 12bvss has my vote

I own a savage 12bvss in 22-250 and I have nothing bad to say about it other than I'm not a big fan of the internal mag; I would prefer a hinged floorplate or box mag but its not a huge deal. I have found that mine is loving the Hornady 60gr v-max with varget powder. I have to vote for the savage, and now they are coming out with some new configurations of the 12 series. I think that the 12 varminter thumbhole has a box mag now.
 
I don't know what the availability of Savages is like now, but I was wanting a 12FV in .223 reaaaal bad about a year ago but there was none to be had...anywhere. I gave up and bought a Remington 700 SPS Varmint instead.
The Rems triggers not as nice as the accutrigger, but its close.
I use 40gr Vmax reloads for the .223 that are downsized to save on barrel. Also reload for my Ruger M77 MkII "Target" .204 with 32gr Vmaxs' for the same reason.
Love both those guns. Oh, and both are topped with Elite 3200s. Its best not to cheap out on optics.

Obtunded called it right..zero recoil makes watching the show better than going to the movies. :evil:
 
Cummins4x4 said:
Last I heard Cooper had been turfed by the B.O.D, but they are still making great rifles. Boss-hog2, any issues with getting dies? Also heard someone was going to be making vartarg brass.
Click to expand...

I had to get my Redding bushing dies out of Sinclair International, they are Category III # RD 36336-- US$ 175.90+ bushings:(
 
Rick65Cat said:
I don't know what the availability of Savages is like now, but I was wanting a 12FV in .223 reaaaal bad about a year ago but there was none to be had...anywhere. I gave up and bought a Remington 700 SPS Varmint instead.
The Rems triggers not as nice as the accutrigger, but its close.
I use 40gr Vmax reloads for the .223 that are downsized to save on barrel. Also reload for my Ruger M77 MkII "Target" .204 with 32gr Vmaxs' for the same reason.
Love both those guns. Oh, and both are topped with Elite 3200s. Its best not to cheap out on optics.

Obtunded called it right..zero recoil makes watching the show better than going to the movies. :evil:
Click to expand...

I ordered a 12 LPV from Frontier (a board sponsor) and it has to come right from Savage. It might take up to 3 months, but I'm hoping less with the way things are going in the States.
 
Lots of choices:

A Cooper will probably be on the list some day. They are very nice rifles. I own a Kimber .22 SVT. I'm happy with it. Nothing had to be done to it. They shoot right out of the box. But... both of these are expensive rifles.

Of the regular varmint/tactical/informal target rifles I have:

1) Remington VSSF II in .223. I haven't shot it yet, so I'm not sure how accurate it is. 26" fluted barrel, HS precision stock and stainless steel. The trigger was taken down to 2.5 pounds for $40. I happen to really like the new X-mark triggers on the rifles I have. Although heavy at around 5 pounds from the factory, they have no creep, or overtravel and break very clean. There isn't anything about this rifle that I don't like. Now we'll just have to see how it shoots. With a 1:12 twist, it's my only .223 that should shoot the varmint/lighter rounds well (This was chosen for that very reason).

2) CZ 527 Kevlar in .223. A great package. Nice action, 5 round detachable magazine, 20" barrel and a synthetic HS stock. I like it a lot. But... I haven't had a lot of range time with this rifle. It has a 1:9 twist rate so it should favour the heavier .223 ammo. I haven't found any off the shelf ammo yet, that it likes. I suspect reloading will be required for full accuracy. If I don't get the accuracy I want, I may consider having this rifle rebarrelled. I like it that much. The stock trigger on this rifle is mediocre. However it does have a set trigger like the Savage rifles. The set trigger is excellent. I had my trigger worked on by a gunsmith, so the regular trigger was brought down to 3 pounds. Before it was notchy with lots of creep and travel. Now it's smooth and crisp. Definitely worth the money to have the trigger done.

3) Remington XR-100 in .204.
This is one of those rifles where I ended up with one that didn't live up to expectations. I've shot other XR-100 rifles and they were great. The trigger on mine had to be replaced, and the bolt needed a sleeve. I've tried every off the shelf .204 ammo for this rifle, except the 40 grain stuff. It didn't shoot any of it very well. I'll try out the 40 grain stuff and hope that works. Otherwise it's reloading time. If that doesn't work, then a new barrel. I like the stock, I like the single shot receiver. I think this rifle has a lot of potential. I just haven't tapped into it yet.

4) Ruger Mini 14 target. .223.
I haven't shot mine yet. However Stainless steel, semi auto non restricted with 1:9 twist barrel, rugged design and thumb hole laminate stock. I had the trigger on mine worked on by a gunsmith. The original trigger sucked. The cleaned up one is very good. A bit of travel, but much lighter, smooth and crisp. It was a huge difference. Other reports have shown these rifles are capable of .5 moa at 100 yards.

One of the issues I've faced at my current location with these lighter calibers is wind. I've had a lot of success with my .308 rifles, but often it's just too windy to shoot the .204 or the .223 rifles.

Some of the new Savage rifles with the HS or Mac stock are serious contenders as well. They look decent. Also a tikka if you're willing to buy a new stock. There are lots of options out there. Check out what you like best and the cost associated to them.
 
KDX said:
I just ordered a 12LVP in .223 and am looking to rebarrel it to 20 VarTarg. I'm still researching the caliber to see if it's what I want. I'm definitely looking forward to getting this rifle.
Click to expand...

I have a 20 Vartarg Improved reamer on order. I'm going to do a slightly longer wildcat with it. Something like 20x40 Imp just for fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom