Good All-Round Varmint Calibre?

KePet said:
The Savage Axis in .223. They are, in my opinion, one of the ugliest rifles on the market. The are made as cheaply as Savage can, with a universal stock that has different trigger guards with a spacer built into it for different calibers. But as has been said about the Stevens 200, they shoot like a laser beam. Under $400 with a scope included. .223 isn't the greatest varmint caliber, but it does get up over 3000 fps. You can buy it pretty cheap in bulk, and you can get it anywhere. One of the shops in Lloyd (The one by the Husky) has American Eagle "tactical" at around $400/1000. Again that's not the best price you'll find but it is convienient.
Click to expand...
Magnum Gun Outfitters
 
I wouldn't buy a .223 in the current crisis the shooting community is in. Guys down south can't find any .223 that not priced 4x above normal retail. It will only be a matter of time before the Canadian market drys up.
Check out Cabelas dot com (USA). They are sold out of every box of loaded .223 and every bullet in .22 cal, these arent the small guys either.. Its pretty scary.
If you do decide on a .223 I seriously stock up on varmint bullets, brass, primers..dies ect..cause its gonna get ugly.
 
KePet said:
The Savage Axis in .223. They are, in my opinion, one of the ugliest rifles on the market. The are made as cheaply as Savage can, with a universal stock that has different trigger guards with a spacer built into it for different calibers. But as has been said about the Stevens 200, they shoot like a laser beam. Under $400 with a scope included. .223 isn't the greatest varmint caliber, but it does get up over 3000 fps. You can buy it pretty cheap in bulk, and you can get it anywhere. One of the shops in Lloyd (The one by the Husky) has American Eagle "tactical" at around $400/1000. Again that's not the best price you'll find but it is convienient.
Click to expand...

Thanks again everyone for all the information. I picked up a .223 axis at the gun show in lloyd this past weekend. Got it for $350 with a hard case included. The bolt does seem to be more difficult to operate then my savage mark 2 but other then that it seems like it is a good budget shooter.

IMG-20130119-00854_zpsd7e12b79.jpg


I then went to magnum guns and picked up 100 rounds of ammo for $50 bucks.

IMG-20130120-00862_zps9276a671.jpg




My next goal would be to think about getting into reloading. Anyone have any helpful information or links?

Also if anyone has advise on being a better shooter in general I'm all ears.
 
.204 for me, not the cheapest round, but it is faster, flatter, then any of the rounds mentioned so far, if using factory ammo. It gets those speeds using less powder than other "hot rod" rounds like the .250, and less prone to riccochet too.
If you don't reload, you feel the bite at the cash register, but you are paying for a very consistant ammo. I have no incentive to start reloading, there is no way I could match the accuracy of a handload to what is on the shelves, once I found the one my gun enjoyed.
Wouln't mind shooting a .223 for the cost factor, but I know that whenever I go to the vault to grab a gun, it is the .204.
 
Everybody has already said .223. So here is my suggestion; 6.5x55 swedish. You can get bullets down to 95 grains and up to 160 grains. that is a gun that will kill yotes and moose in the same day. And the round has a lot of accuracy potential. Moreover the swede is a pussycat when it comes to recoil. If you don't want a surplus gun you can get a tikka t3 in 6.5x55.
 
Buy a set of dies, and watch the EE for a bucket of brass. There was a guy offering an ice cream bucket of IVI brass for $30 and postage, in the last few days.

Yeah, it will need some processing (crimped in primers), no, it won't kill you to do it.

Then you are looking at $20 a hundred for decent soft point bullets, $50 or so a thousand for primers, and whatever you decide upon for powder, ranging from $40 a pound, on down, depending on what you find available in bulk from the local suppliers or the likes of Higginsons.

Better shooter? Practice. Not just pounding away the ammo once a month, rather, regular shooting under relaxed conditions. Out in the gopher patch, you will soon see the results, and when the hunting season rolls about, it'll show.


Cheers
Trev
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom