Does anyone else think that a gun chambered in .308win is NOT a varmint rifle???

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sgt.rock

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I often see guns listed in .308win and think "Isn't that a bit of overkill?" I mean, even for wolves, its a bit much. Does anyone (other than icehunter) use oversized guns for "varmints" .....................and I mean by the word "varmint" that it is a small, annoying , animal, such as a prairie dog, or coyote. I just wondered this for years, so ..............time to ask. I think its a bit silly to use that round in the same breath as .223 , .22-250, .220 swift, etc and for the same game. In my world, the .308win is for big game. Maybe the ground hogs are getting bigger. (eating those genetically modified foods I guess!!)
 
sgt.rock said:
Just find it funny that ANY gun chambered in .308 can be called a "varmint" rifle. I guess precision rifle as a name doesn't sell as well???
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I understand what you are saying but about 8 years ago I acquired a Tikka Mod. 55 heavy barreled varmint rifle chambered in 308.
It was actually catalogued as a ' Varmint Rifle ' believe it or not and is amazingly accurate, more than my F-class guns..
I do not know how many other 'varmint ' chamberings it came in aside from the usual 22-250 and 223.
It was likely made before the term " precision rifle " became a popular description...
 
Not trying to poke at anyone but if you were to stick with the accuracy logic then would you use a .338 lapua for prairie dogs? .50 cal? They are pretty sound on the range. Just asking.
I believe everything within reason. I wouldn't use a 10 gauge to shoot teal, or a fifty cal on deer, gotta find a happy medium. I personally think once you hit .243 your hitting the top end of the "varmint" size calibers
 
That's what powder measures and lighter than big game bullets are for, especially on the prairies shooting coyotes where the .223 doesn't quite "measure up" at long distance ...
 
Take a Remington Varmint rifle, that's the model. Its got a varmint stock, a Remington Varmint contour barrel and a short action. When you take the exact rifle and change only the caliber its still the Varmint rifle and anyone can see that with one eye closed. Its not fitted out or sighted as a target rifle, isn't near the allowed weight as an F-class rifle so isn't really that. The 700 baby killer, or 700 sniper wannabe or 700 11 pound .308 names have already been taken by the same rifle with different stocks.

My half ton has what is basically a slightly detuned Corvette engine, but its still a truck. I can use it as a car, but it still is what it is.
 
I am having a ball on marmots with my Nemesis loaded with a Sierra HP 110 gr pushed at 3200 fps with 50 gr of BL-C2 and BR-2, got 2 dozens of them this year with shots ranging from 100 to 400 metres... JP.
 
My varmint rifle is what ever one makes it out with me that day. Last year my 45/70 with 300gr hollow points accounted for more gophers than my other rifles!
 
When I was a lot younger, and not in possession of a different rifle for every possible application,
my "Varmint" rifle was a Reminton 700 Carbine [18½" barrel] chambered in 30-06 Springfield.

Loaded with the Speer 130 grain HP bullet, chased by 55 grains of H4895, it was a terror on
Columbia Ground squirrels.

I think the longest successful shot was just over 400 yards, but shots at
<300 were pretty well 'slam-dunks."

I think a Varmint rifle is whatever you have in your hands when shooting varmints. :)

Regards, Dave.
 
Over the past four decades many varmints have bit the dust, thanks to a multitude of .308's in my arsenal, so I don't think that it is out of the question to call a. 308 a "varmint" rifle...
 
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