Varmint cartridges

Basically, the only 'item' in the safe I have for varmints is ;) an oldie & a goodie. An old custom Winchester high wall in 219 Donaldson Wasp with an era matching 10X J.UNERTL scope. And, ;) it LOVES handloads using the 50gr V-MAX:d:d.
 
I've got a .17 hornet and .17 fireball and 6x45(.223) in New Zealand, hornet for walking, fireball for sniping at long range, and the 6x45 if I think I might encounter a deer while small game hunting.
22 mag, 20 Vartarg getting the most use on ground squirrels here in Alberta,
Sako 6ppc for dogs.
Also playing with a PCP air rifle in .25 cal. On squirrels, this is quite a lot of fun, and far more accurate than my .22,
 
223 (actually 5.56) because it's so versatile. From groundhogs to deer and everything in between. That said, the max shot im going to encounter is 300 yards (and a fair share have come at that distance) so the little round has plenty of power and i can plink/practice for days because ammo is cheap.
 
dan belisle said:
6mm bullet on a 223 case. Good round. I have a Brno action here I plan on building into a walk around varminter in this cartridge. Almost as good as my 6x47. - dan
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When you put ".223" in brackets, it looked like you were saying that 6X45 "IS" a .223...
 
My biggest concern is over penetration as i hunt small lots and farm land. Cant go to far without having a farmstead or house or hiway behind the target. We get idiots here shooting 270s cuz its legal but they often use the same ammo they bought for their moose hunt.
I love the vmax as they come apart so easily at high speed and work well. A barnes tsx would bounce across a frozen concession block. You plains hunters have it good. Every year i must let several coyotes live simply because i wont risk putting a bullet across a hiway or in the direction of a building. I started using a scattergun gun more and more for coyotes. Still working on loads for my 223. It loves sierra 55gr hp game kings but ive yet to really test them on animals. Going to try nosler 40gr varmageddons once i get a chance to load them
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Basically, the only 'item' in the safe I have for varmints is ;) an oldie & a goodie. An old custom Winchester high wall in 219 Donaldson Wasp with an era matching 10X J.UNERTL scope. And, ;) it LOVES handloads using the 50gr V-MAX:d:d.
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Which reminds me that I have to get my 219 DW back from my uncle's place in Sask.
 
I like the 223 Rem. 40 gr bullets on coyotes from a 12 twist. 75-80gr on targets from a 8 twist. It’s likley my most fired and favourite centerfire cartridge.
 
I guess I'm one of those guys... 22-250 is my main coyote gun

however I have shot coyotes with just about everything I own as some time or another.... 300WM makes a mess and there is not enough thread to sew up that hole :)
 
Shot lots of coyotes but never bothered to skin one yet. So not really concerned about the size of the hole, just the dead coyote.

Bought a Sako in .223 when I was seriously looking for a longer range gopher gun. It was a fortunate find, and I think most of the guys that have asked to be on the waiting list for it are still waiting...
Had a 22-250 come back, that was my fathers gun bought shortly before he was killed in a logging accident. Nothing special past that history, a Rem 700 with a crowbar out front. Makes a fine mess out of a crow or magpie!

Still sorta want a .17, just because. Have most of the stuff I need, tucked away waiting to find their way to the top of the ever growing pile... Ackley maybe, but maybe Hornady Hornet. Maybe a wildcat like a necked down 38 Special. Dunno.
 
For the guys shooting 6mm/243 bore stuff, what sort of loads are you using? I've got a 243win I bought for coyote hunting, but haven't gotten around to working up a load yet.
 
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