Varmint Rifle

[WAB]

What do you mean by varmints? If you are shooting coyotes and a few groundhogs the bigger calibers are fine (.243, .25-06). If you are shooting prairie dogs you will be hating your rifle after a couple hundred shots. I would set .22-250 or .220 Swift as the upper limit on prairie dogs.

 

[Silvine]

223 is what I use but if cost wasn't an option I'd use a 22 250 those things shoot so flat

 

[WAB]

223 is what I use but if cost wasn't an option I'd use a 22 250 those things shoot so flat

Yep, once you’ve got the wind doped anything 300 or in is a chip shot. I’ve busted plenty of dogs in the 400 to 450 range. I usually start to wear out somewhere around 400 shots. Even with a .22-250 and hearing protection, I start to get a concussion headache right in the middle of my forehead about then. That’s when you break out the .22 and see how far you can stretch the little gun.

 

[Luvthunt]

Must be a reason your outfitter had a 223.

 

[AZDAVE]

22-250 is a fine varmint round, as mentioned earlier a fast twist barrel and heavier bullets would be preferable so you don't shred the cape. The problem with 22 cal bullets is that most are designed to grenade when they hit something. On my last safari I was only hunting small animals (Oribi was the largest) I took a howa 6.5 grendel with 120gr GMX handloads and it was about perfect on Impala sized animal down to tiny ten. Larger calibers with solids work wonders on the tiny ten guys, in the 22 cal the 22 hornet is hard to beat for that use. But no matter what you use don't hit the shoulder shoot a little behind more like a whitetail shot, to keep from tearing the cape up.