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

Slaymoar said:
I don't find that caliber to be a varmint rifle.. but you can have a varmint purposed 308. Its just about its use really.
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Actually when a person thinks about it to refer to a 308 as a varmint cartridge it adds to the 308s credibility that it is in fact a darn good all around chambering.... no ??
 
I think of a 'varmint ' rifle being a smaller caliber at high velocity with a fairly heavy barrel... but every has their own perception...
 
sgt.rock said:
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!!)
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Well , for one, varmints are not just small animals, they are "Pests that impede humans" ... Depending on where you are, coyotes can get pretty big too, AND, sometimes you are just out to get rid of them, not keep pelts, a .308 would be perfect for misting the little pests, no clean up required.

Usually, a "Varmint rifle" Just means a scoped rifle with a heavy barrel built for accuracy, its not necessarily telling you what game you need to take with it.

I say .308 is a perfect round for varmints if you have no interest for pelts, you dont go over kill on birds or big game because you are usually out for meat or some sort of harvest, but if your just trying to destroy a pest, is there really such thing as overkill?
 
I have a 22-250 and during regular hunting season always think i will see the buck of my lifetime when dogging. My heavy barrel 25-06 is assuring, i only run one load, using a stout premium deer load, doesnt blow a door in coyote chests. Perhaps a "overkill" for varmits, but not the minimum deer caliber.
 
Got a Remington model 700 Sendero in 308 . It also came in 22-250 .. Same gun just different caliber ,
It was advertised to be able to hit a groundhog at 500 yards .. So I guess if you had the 308 or the 22-250 you had a varmint rifle
 
a 308 is fine it depends on range and size of varmint
bears and deer can be varmint in some areas
they make varmint rifle up to 300 win mag now for the very long precision shots I think the 308 just extends your rage and ability to reach out farther than the 223 or 22 250 and still have a punch when you get there
with the very light bullets made for varmint you might not be over gunned if you hand load
if nothing else it will make an excellent long range deer rifle
 
I can see 22 center fire rifles being more effective (faster, flatter and accurate) plus the cost of ammunition or reloads would be a lot less. Personally, I would leave the 308 Winchester for most North American big game animals and target shooting.
 
One of the glories of a .308 is that it can be anything you need it to be, simply by adjusting the load. It can be a bench rest rifle in the morning, a varmint rifle in the afternoon, and a big game rifle that same evening - and perform all of those tasks very capably. As always, it's the rifleman and not the rifle that carries the responsibility.
 
The 308 might be on the stout side for the smaller varmints (though not so for coyotes or wolves) but if we look at varmint hunting as marksmanship practice for big game season then it makes more sense to use a rifle that behaves more like a big game hunting rifle. Everyone knows that the 308 is light for big game larger than Eastern Whitetails or Blacktails in BC, but the analogy still applies. You can shoot it enough that you are flinch-proofing yourself and the performance of the 308 will allow you to shoot out to distances (say 300 yards) in wind conditions that make the 223 and 22-250 less about skill and more about luck.

All in all the 308 should serve as an eminently practical varmint rifle.
 
Varmints come In all sizes . I have heard in some places they stand 6ft. tall and walk on 2 legs.
Forty odd years ago my dad and I would go out every Sunday morning and each fire off a couple of boxes of reloads at the gophers.
His rifle was a Win88 .308 48gr. 4320 and 130 gr. HP CIL bullets .He was deadly with that outfit , come deer season.
Oh yes my rifle was a 7mag. At the time it was the only center fires we owned so that's what we used. In the summer they were varmint rifles in the fall they were deer rifles.
 
My "varmint gun" was 7mm Rem Mag, Remington 700 Sendero for years. Never too much gun, I took about 12 yote's with that gun any where for 100- 400 yrds.
 
Back when I was single with a little more cash to play with, I had a custom built .270 heavy barrel varmint built on a 98 Mauser and
a Model 70 in 264 Win Mag. Both were a holy terror on the "Wiarton Willies" and "Puxatawney Phils"

Fed the 270 Sierra 90gr. HP's and the 264 Sierra 85 HP's. There was no doubt whether or not you got a good hit !
Pretty good performance on windy days that seemed to blow buddies 222 Rem Mag right off target.

Today I content myself with a 223, a 257 and a 25-06. Lots seem to like the 6.5x55 and 260 Rem for varmints too.

If your 308 is your varmint/predator choice ... good on ya !
 
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