Varmint guns?

[bigballer]

Lets see your varmint guns!!! Give me your reason for using the gun you use and the bullets you use. I am looking at getting a new gun this year and want some idea's...
Also what would be good ammo?
I've been looking at the .223's and 5.56 which ammo is better?
I buy a lot of my ammo from the Natchezss site and being new to these rounds was wondering which is best grain/FMJ/Hallow Point??? All you gurus out there give me what you got...
BB

[squirrelhunter]

I use a T/C G2 Contender in .223 myself.I don't have a certain reason why,I just have the gun and .223 is a popular round for varmints with bullet components readily available (I reload my own with Hornady 50G V-Max). The V-Max are extremely accurate in my gun,better than Remington factory ammo in fact. I've never had a 5.56 though.

[fullrut]

22-250 for me.

[HuntMeister]

.243 for me, dual purpose, this cartridge will do varmints and deer sized game.

[schall53]

22-250 for me

[oneshot]

Savage All Weather Warrior .243 accu trigger, accu stock, Leupold VXII 3X9X40mm.
58 grain Hornady V Max hand loaded 3800fps.

[45shooter]

CZ 550 in 243. Leupold VXII 6-18x44 with adjustable objective. 65 grain Hornady VMax on 39 grains of Varget.

I bought the rifle with the intent of having a dual purpose deer/coyote gun. I love the single set trigger on CZ rifles.

[Decatur]

Jun 19, 2012 17:37:45 GMT -5 fullrut said:

22-250 for me.

Me too.

[iwearmossyoak]

Bushmaster Varminter- .223, 24" fluted bull barrel, 55gr Win. Supremes and Leupold Mark AR

I love it to death, but I need to build a dedicated lower for it with a good trigger and better stock.

[indyqdog]

5.56 and .223 are the same round. The 5.56 round has a higher case pressure. Therefore, if you get a 5.56 chambered gun, you can use .223 rounds as well. But a .223 gun can't safely handle the higher pressure of te 5.56 round. Personally, I use a good ole .22 but I have my eye on the eautiful new mossberg MVP in .223

[esshup]

From smallest to largest:
Kimber bolt action in .17 Mach II
.22LR 10/22
.223 Savage
.243 Browning A-Bolt Mountain Ti
Custom 7mm wildcat
12 ga.

In sheer numbers of critters killed, the Kimber is leading the pack, and the 7mm is in last place. The 7mm gets taken out when there are 3 of us, one with a shotgun, another with a .223 and me with the 7mm if they stop beyond the range of the other 2 shooters.

[coyote6974]

Here's a list of mine:

Ruger 10-22 stainless, Colt AR-15 tactical carbine in 5.56, Remington 700 BDL in .243 Win, Remington 700 SPS stainless in .22-250, Remington Mountain Guide Stainless in .243 Win, RRA/Bison Armory custom carbine AR-15 in 6.8 SPC II, Winchester Mod. 70 Featherweight classic in .22-250, Winchester Legacy 9422 M.

I mostly use the 6.8 SPC AR, and the Remington 700 Mountain Guide .243 these days. I have the 6.8 topped with a leupold 3.5-10 scope, and the 700 with a Leupold 4.5-14 scope. Both are excellent coyote guns. The 6.8 would make an excellent deer and hog rifle as well. For critters smaller than coyotes I'd use the Colt AR, or a rimfire .22

[lonniep]

Jun 25, 2012 9:38:53 GMT -5 Decatur said:

Jun 19, 2012 17:37:45 GMT -5 fullrut said:

22-250 for me.

Me too.

me three

[trapperdave]

Jul 1, 2012 8:38:32 GMT -5 indyqdog said:

5.56 and .223 are the same round. The 5.56 round has a higher case pressure. Therefore, if you get a 5.56 chambered gun, you can use .223 rounds as well. But a .223 gun can't safely handle the higher pressure of te 5.56 round. Personally, I use a good ole .22 but I have my eye on the eautiful new mossberg MVP in .223

new one on me. And here Ive always thought they were the exact same round, one using the NATO designation (metric)

can someone expand here? Have i really been wrong?

[sakorifle]

Slight difference in size and pressure,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.223_Remington

I use the good old 22 hornet, because i have used the same rifle for thirty years, never needed anything more , and with the 35grn v max and 12.7grn of lillgun its going 3000fps and it is even better than it was, it is cheap to load and fun to use
brno model made in 1949.

regards
Billy

[sakorifle]

as requested to see the varmint gun here she is the old 22 hornet.





regards
Billy

[antiwheeze]

regards
Billy[/quote]

Billy, what is the extra scope ring for?

[lonniep]

22-250 for me as well
I have owner 2
i'm currently using the savage edge
I also had a Stevens Model 200 , it was the better of the 2 in my opinion




The 2nd pic is of the Stevens Model 200 with it's target

[lonniep]

Here is a good read I found while doing some research on this topic

from Edward J. Palumbo wrote 3 years 31 weeks ago
Deerhunter125,
You've chosen two excellent varmint cartridges and it's difficult to pare it down to one...only one. I have a .223 (Win Model 70 Featherweight) and a .22-250 (Rem 700 Varmint), and have had others chambered for the same cartridges. I use the .223 for days when I expect to carry the rifle for a purpose stroll, and the .22-250 for the occasions when I expect to sit quietly and snipe at careless varmints who emerge for lunch or to enjoy the sun. I've nailed coyotes with both, and they had no idea what hit them. The most dramatic (if I can use that adjective) was a coyote hit low in the chest with the .22-250. He flipped backward, down for the count, and barely twitched.
Since it isn't a question of which cartridge is sufficiently powerful or accurate, the choice has to be made on the basis of other factors. If you don't handload and you rely on factory ammunition, the .223 moves to the forefront. If you compare the price of a box of .223 and .22-250, you'll get more (cartridges) for your money with the .223 and bulk packs are available at extremely reasonable prices. The .223 is a very efficient .22 centerfire and I really don't think it gives up much to the .22-250, especially since I load my .22-250 down (my .22-250 delivers its best accuracy with 55-grain bullets at approx. 3400 fps). The .223 can be loaded up to 3100-3200 fps to compete with that, but I usually use 50-52-53 grain bullets in my .223.
There are models and actions (Sako, Kimber, Rem Model 799, etc.) that are proportioned for the .222/.223 family of cartridges, and they make a great deal of sense. The .22-250 uses the same action as the .308 family of cartridges. I'm not saying it's wasted weight or bulk for a varminter but, if weight is a consideration, that availability of a more streamlined action for the .223 may affect your choice.
In terms of accuracy potentials, it boils down to the individual rifle, and I'm not going to express an opinion on that because there are too many factors beyond these cartridge choices that affect accuracy. In terms of terminal ballistics, the .22-250 packs plenty of "whack" at extended distances, simply because it has a greater velocity.
If you were pondering either a .22 Hornet or a .222 Rem, the choice would be obvious (.222). Deciding between the .222 Rem and .22-250 for coyotes? The .22-250 would be (has been) my choice. However, between the .223 and the .22-250, other issues have to be taken into consideration - availability, economy, personal preference, models that appeal to you. If there's a .223 that you admire, I wouldn't change my choice on the basis of whatever additional velocity the .22-250 would offer. If your choices narrowed to a .223 heavy barrel and a .22-250 sporterweight, I'd lean toward the .223. If you weighed the prospect of .223 HB and a .22-250 HB, I'd lean to the .22-250 (especially if you handload) but, in the long term, the .22-250 will cost more in terms of brass and powder. That difference may or may not be significant to you. My favorite .22-250 (my fourth chambered for this cartridge) has digested over 4,400 rounds (98% of them were handloads). My favorite .223 (my third) has fired a less than 2,000 but I can tell you that I nourish it very affordably. Both cartridges are fun to handload, great on targets.
If you handload and expect to consistently operate at longer distances and you want every advantage, the .22-250 is a good choice. I know I probably haven't written anything more than food for thought. I wish this was a yes-no, black-white issue; it's not. There are too many gray areas for me to be more definitive, especially since I like both of these cartridges. My best assurance? If you choose the rifle or barreled action well, you won't disappointed no matter which of these cartridges you choose. Enjoy either (or both) thoroughly.

[tobias]

Lonnie one of these days you'll graduate to a big boy gun and get you a .243! lol! .223,.22-250, and .223 are all good rounds in my opinion. All the WSSM are even better if you can afford to shoot the ammo. Just compare the ballistics on a .223 WSSM and a .243 WSSM to a .22-250.