Hey guys just looking for some opinions here, I wanna set up my M14 for varmint hunting next fall, plan to get a bipod, cheek riser, and scope and mount to allow for longer shooting. The rifle I have shots great with open sights, I love shooting it, and right now I'm looking at a couple scopes, either a bushel 3600 elite 4-9, or a similar Leupold VX-2.how would these scopes stand up I know M14's can be hard on scopes. How would you think this setup would work on coyotes and deer, I have a nice .22 for smaller varmints . Thanks for the info guys.
M 14S as a varmint rifle???
- Thread starter BigC396
- Start date
It would be more than adequate for the job, Fed 150 grain blue box ammo works well but isnt cheap so maybe look into reloading and if you want to put a scope on it get a good mount (ARMS18 ,Sadlak, Smith etc) or it wont matter what scope you put on as alot wont hold a zero well.
For scopes I own the following scopes and like them all but rate them as follows
Redfield revolution 4x12x40, Burris fullfield 3x9x40, Bushnell elite 3200 3x9x40.
The rifle is a really reliable firearm but a bit on the heavy side for some..(wimps lol)
I bought a couple Harris swivel based notched leg bipods 9-13 in and highly recommend them .
Check the threads for mounting a bipod options and lots of other info there too.
Good luck and happy hunting !!
For scopes I own the following scopes and like them all but rate them as follows
Redfield revolution 4x12x40, Burris fullfield 3x9x40, Bushnell elite 3200 3x9x40.
The rifle is a really reliable firearm but a bit on the heavy side for some..(wimps lol)
I bought a couple Harris swivel based notched leg bipods 9-13 in and highly recommend them .
Check the threads for mounting a bipod options and lots of other info there too.
Good luck and happy hunting !!
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it'll work just fine on deer, but might be a little on the overkill side for coyotes - even with the so-called "varmint" bullets- you also might have trouble making enough gas to work the action with anything under say 130 grains or so- by that i mean making the bolt going all the way back and engaging the sear- if you get misfeeds that's more than likely your problem
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Two things come to mind: how are you at functioning the rifle while wearing gloves or mittens; and are you a spot-on accurate range estimator? The handling is something you can overcome with practise, but ranging is never easy. The best varmint cartridges are flat and fast so there is less over or undershoot on the target.
Thanks for the responses guys, my brother in law has found a good deal in Alberta on a Bushnell elite 3200 so I'm gonna get him to pick me up one. I do plan to get a good scope mount, don't want the headaches of a cheap one.
I know 308 is a bit big for coyotes, but I picked up this rifle because I thought i would be a good all around range, deer, moose, coyote rifle till I expand my collection enough to have dedicated varmint and big game guns. Once I have those I'm gonna spend some cash to accurize and customize my M14 to my satisfaction. I'll send some time the wint and spring practicing shooting the rifle with open sights till I get my scope and other gear and well into the summer. Looks like ill be having a lotta good times at the range
I know 308 is a bit big for coyotes, but I picked up this rifle because I thought i would be a good all around range, deer, moose, coyote rifle till I expand my collection enough to have dedicated varmint and big game guns. Once I have those I'm gonna spend some cash to accurize and customize my M14 to my satisfaction. I'll send some time the wint and spring practicing shooting the rifle with open sights till I get my scope and other gear and well into the summer. Looks like ill be having a lotta good times at the range
just don't forget to add a cheekpiece to the TOP of the stock so you can see that scope when you mount it, or your neck will be sore - you'll quickly find that all the trigger time you spent with the irons goes RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW when you get the scope mounted
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Thanks for the responses guys, my brother in law has found a good deal in Alberta on a Bushnell elite 3200 so I'm gonna get him to pick me up one. I do plan to get a good scope mount, don't want the headaches of a cheap one.
I know 308 is a bit big for coyotes, but I picked up this rifle because I thought i would be a good all around range, deer, moose, coyote rifle till I expand my collection enough to have dedicated varmint and big game guns. Once I have those I'm gonna spend some cash to accurize and customize my M14 to my satisfaction. I'll send some time the wint and spring practicing shooting the rifle with open sights till I get my scope and other gear and well into the summer. Looks like ill be having a lotta good times at the range
BigC396, we are not limited to bullet weight or caliber here for coyote, so forget the light varmint weight bullets for the M14. What ever round your m-14 is accurate and cycles properly with, and is legal for deer, is good to go on coyote. The .308Win is not the best choice for pelts, if you ever become a dedicated coyote hunter, but if your like me and you may see two or three dogs the whole season, the damage is acceptable.
I normally use a scoped M70 FWT for coyote ,but today I used my m-14, right up to dusk. If you can bring them in by calling, with snow everywhere, theres good contrast to use your aperture sights right up to dusk, though a scoped rifle is superior for these smaller targets at low light.
Make sure you have your wildlife card, and have at least the wildlife stamp on your license. If you already had a small or big game license this fall, you are good to go on coyote with nothing else required.
If you have any other questions on Coyote hunting here in NS, send me a PM, or download the Nova Scotia Hunting and Furharvesting summary of regulations for 2011. Heres the link. http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/hunt/regulations/2011/2011HuntingRegs.pdf
Enjoy your M-14.
I was looking at a .243 for predators but I'm going to try Hornady 110 vmax's in my M14 for coyotes as the 150 grainers were very destructive on pelts .
I just loaded em up and the 110's shoot 1 ragged 5 shot hole at a 100 yards with no cycling problems, keep em on the hot side though.
I can't tell you yet what they're gonna do to the hides as I've only shot them at the range so far, but it is varmint bullet.
As far as flat shooting they are supposed to be going 3100 -3200 fps according to the manual so they should be flat shooting enough. Next time out I'll try em at 200 yards.
If you don't handload you can buy Hornady Ammo ready to shoot with this bullet.
I just loaded em up and the 110's shoot 1 ragged 5 shot hole at a 100 yards with no cycling problems, keep em on the hot side though.
I can't tell you yet what they're gonna do to the hides as I've only shot them at the range so far, but it is varmint bullet.
As far as flat shooting they are supposed to be going 3100 -3200 fps according to the manual so they should be flat shooting enough. Next time out I'll try em at 200 yards.
If you don't handload you can buy Hornady Ammo ready to shoot with this bullet.
Its a big misconception that large calibers destroy pelts. Your large caliber heavier bullets dont expand as as quickly as the smaller ones. The most destructive are the high velocity .22s I have litterly blown coyotes in half with .22 250s. And have shot them with .338magnums and had very little damage.
+1 on this. Here in Manitoba it's okay to shoot varmints with FMJ ammo too and have never had that blow the heck out of a pelt either. I've shot lots of coyotes over the years with M14s and Lee Enfields and have usually done alot less damage than the smaller faster cartridges have.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
If you live in a jurisdiction that doesn't allow FMJ on coyotes/wolves, you may find that a tough target bullet will perform similarly on those animals, and yet be legal to shoot them with.
When I had a scope on mine, I thought about using the rifle as a hunting rifle, I am addicted to varmint hunting. I know the rifle is picky about the loads and bullet weight (op-rod and such). I was too chicken to try the 110 v-max in my M14 platform, so I loaded up a bunch (wide range of loads) and shot out of my Weatherby Carbine.
I was not too impressed with the bullet performance overall, and found at the longer ranges (200 and 300) they tended to wander a bit. I found the best was 40 gr of RL-7. The next best was 49.2 of IMR 4895. The 125 grainers were a little better and so I went back to the 150 grains for the best performance.
I was not too impressed with the bullet performance overall, and found at the longer ranges (200 and 300) they tended to wander a bit. I found the best was 40 gr of RL-7. The next best was 49.2 of IMR 4895. The 125 grainers were a little better and so I went back to the 150 grains for the best performance.
Thanks for all the opinions and info guys, I been looking into some prices for scopes mounts and other such things. Thinkijng now I might save my money for a reloading set and learn to shoot my rifle open sights well. Maybe next year I'll buy a dedicated varmint rifle if I see and can get shots at more then a few dogs. Where I plan to hunt deer is pretty in the bush so anything over 100 meters max 200, I figure if I can't train to get hits at that range with iron I should quit. I will eventually get dedicated hunting rifles after iv built up my milsurp and black rifle collection to my satisfaction. So many guns so little money. Gonna be a fun fall this year, especially if I can make a trip to Alberta for a coyote hunt with my bro in law.
I almost forgot, the other significant reason for my choosing a dedicated varmint rifle (and the reason I removed the scope from m14) is that mine weighted out at almost 12 lbs. 12 lbs, in my opinion, was just too heavy to pack around.
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
I agree with you B, if you are referring to my post, here we can't use FMJ's in any game habitat, and deer weight bullets(150BTSP) in the .308, have ripped open coyotes for me like crazy. I'm guessing the varmint weight in .308 would be destructive though effective. Maybe the 180s or up would be less, but then again the M-14 shouldn't be used with over 165gr ?
