Best LONG RANGE factory varmint rifle & cal?

Chilly Willy

Chilly Willy

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Erin, ON
After todays wacking of 18 dirt pigs in 3 hours with my Tikka T3 SS Lite in 243 Win and only 19 shots (one big pig need two to anchor him:eek: ) at considerable ranges out to 300 yards with a fair cross wind, I was thinking gee it would be nice to own a LR Varmint rig with big magnification (6-20 Leupold VXIII) or Bushnell 4200 6-24. The biggest question I got right now is which to get as far as a factory varmint rig that will be extremely accurate at long ranges against cross winds? I'm thinkin' Tikka t3 SS Varminter, Browning Varmint Stalker or possibly a Reminton VS SF II

Thoughts???? :confused:
 
Tikka T3 Varmint SS 22-250 with the Leupold scope is my first choice. My buddy has the same rifle with the Bushnell Elite 4000 6x24x50-shoots like a dream. Its in my gunsafe right now. (hehhee) He also bought the new T3 Tactical in 223 with the VX3 6.5x20x50. Sweet rifle shooting nice groups with factory Remington ammo. I looked at the remington. Nice rifle also. I know there is a fellow in Alberta with a new Remington Serendo 22-250 for sale with a few additional items for about $950.00
 
1. Rembo, I like the way you think. This is an exceptional cartridge for sure, and is a nice one to load. Some cartridges are not nearly as forgiving...

2. CW, where the heck were you? Groundhogs in these parts are practically an endangered species, I think the fishers have got most of them. Some of my fondest shooting memories are of days spent potting groundhogs in and around the Mulmur Hills west of Barrie.

3. A great factory cartridge for groundhogs in a number of manufacturer's offerings is the .25-06. With a lot of bullet weights and choices, it is a superlative varmint rig. Most of those pleasant memories described above were etched in my old brain cells when I carried a Remington 700 BDL in that chambering. The 700 shot cast bullets every bit as well as jacketed ones, and liked anything I fed it, from about 70 grains to 120 grains.

4. The best scope is the one you already own, provided it has at least 9X magnification. Yes indeed, more is better, but a 9X should be able to take any groundhog to 400 yards.

Doug
 
hah, I second the choice of the Sendero SF II in 264, pushing a 95 gr Vmax to its potential (close to 3800 fps).

but, that could grow old quick, as recoil wouldnt be in the same class as a 243 or smaller.

a heavy barrel Savage (gag) in 243 would be close to perfect, with a 6.5-20x40 VXIII with the varmint hunter reticle. Make mine a Remington VLS in 6mm Rem ;)
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I've heard that the 264 Win Mag is a real beast to load for...very picky. But hey that could be a challenge! But the truth be known the 6.5mm bullet selection just doesn't fragment or expand quickly enough on dirt pigs to make them that effective. My 260 Rem BDL SS DM shoots 100's & 120 BT's great but I found significantly more drop than my 243 Win and when 260 lost its virginity this spring to a hand full of dirt pigs (exactly a mag's worth) the dahm things managed to make it back to their holes.

I'm looking for something that will anchor the bastards and blow them up real well and be versatile for the LR coyote too.
 
CW, I have NOT found the .264 Win Mag to be tricky to load, quite the opposite! I have not tried bullets as light as you used in your .260 Rem, the standard is pretty well 140 grain bullets. But then again I never loaded it for varmints neither!!!

Like todbartell says, recoil on this puppy is not inconsiderable.......

But you can shoot a .25-06 all day............

;-)

Doug
 
the 95 vmax is pretty nasty on coyotes, as is the discontinued 87 gr. Speer hollowpoint.

this load with the 87 gr Speer clocks over 3400 fps out of my 23" barreled 260 Rem, and wrecks stuff on impact

Dec4_05006.jpg


and the 95 vmax @ 3315 fps does bad stuff too, this shoulder/spine shot sent some coyote parts 3' behind him, and fur 10' in the air on impact. quite the sight.

Skeena_06_015.jpg


I still think the 6mms are the better answer, but the 260 is better for deer so thats why I have it :D
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If loading specifically for windy conditions, I think I'd look for a rifle that has a fast enough twist to fire heavy for calibre boat tails at high speed.

Like .224 75-80grains

.243 90-105gr

You get the point. I think almost anything will splash a groundhog, but I'd be looking for a BC of 450 at least...
 
I think something with a .243" bullet will give you the best combo of trajectory and recoil....a 6mm Remington shooting long sleek bullets like the 87 VMax or 85 Ballistic Tip....:)

I like todbartell's mention of a 700 VLS in 6mm.......:D ..or a plain vanilla 243 in a good rifle is great...
 
264, 6.5-284 and 7mm RM all ought to make fine 1000-yd varminters, if you're up for it.

The 243 is also a very capable long-range varminter, but in the wind it'd lean towards the 6.5's.

Realistically, a 223 or 22-250 should offer all the range you need, with the 243 adding a bit, and a much bigger thump on both ends.

As for rifles - the best bang for your buck has to be the Savage 12-series, hands down. These are right up there with rifles costing 4x as much in terms of accuracy. Otherwise, you might want to look at a Remington 700 VLS/VSF or a Tikka/Sako Varminter.
 
This my new coyote slayer the "king" of 22's a 220 Swift. Took this girl out the other day and shot muskrats out to 300 yards and 3 jackrabbits. I could not believe what it did to a jack rabbit at 75 yards :eek: it was as if the rabbit was kicked and did a summersault in mid air. Nothing like slammin a varmint with a bullet traveling over 4000fps :0
Ive always been a fan of Remingtons varmint rifles. This is my 3rd one and each one has easily shot moa. I have an Elite 3200 5-15 on it right now but purchased a Elite 4200 6-24 (thanks Gorky:D ) and it will be on there next week.


Remington Model 700 VSSF pre J-Lock 220 SWIFT
Gun.jpg
 
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scott; I'm a real lover of the Swift as a varmint killer also. I have coming a 40X Single shot in 220 Swift and I'm pretty antsy to try it out. I'll bet the coyotes and dirt pigs and crows better find a good distance to separate me from them once I get her sighted in and a pet load developed. Regards, Eagleye.
 
well I'm debating the Tikka T3 Varminter s/s in 25-06 or 243 against a remington rig of either 25-06, 243 or 6mm Rem now. The Rem's have 2"'s in barrel length over the tikka's but dahm those tikka's shoot!
 
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