Thread: Varmint Rifle .223, .243, or .270

Calling all gun nuts and hunters on SRP,

My dad is in the market for a Varmint Rifle. A 12 gauge shotgun isn't cutting it. He wants something that will pack a serious punch at a distance on the muskrats that are destroying his pond! I think a .270 may be overkill, but could use some advice. Thanks, Jim

I agree with Kelly, and advise the 223 Remington. Great round for the job, and since it's a very popular, it shouldn't be hard to find grain variants.

The .223 is a great round but one question is range, How far is he shooting? How much is he willing to spend? Does he want an Auto loader or a bolt action? Lastly does he want scope only or will he want iron sights too? For a great bolt action look at the Remington 700's but it's harder to find one with iron sights. If he wants the irons look at the CZ 527's they're great guns. Best of luck.


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Devilpup

Yeah, the .223 is a proven performern, and there's plenty of ammo variety for it. He could even use the notorious (but instantly lethal) varmint grenade:

First quick apologies to Kelly I hit the wrong button trying to edit my post and erased his by mistake... The new system is a bit different for Mods too

I would go with the .223 also from the choices as a dedicated Varminter if however there was a chance at a dual purpose rifle then either the .243 or the even newer .260 rem...
My goto centerfire .22's are the .233 for smaller stuff and a 22-250 as a Coyote killing machine...

I have a Remington 700 in .270, it is extremely accurate. But if you are just shooting little things, it's a lot more fire power, and recoil, than you need, unless long-range accuracy is your main concern. 223 might be better, and like was stated above, since it's such a common round it will be cheaper, more widely available, and offer more choices than some of the specialty varmint calibers.

I feel I should also mention a .257. That is a great round, and is very accurate at long distance. Very flat trajectory. Low recoil. Con: not so easy to just stumble upon. But IMO one damn fine round, and I even hunt deer with it.

For those of you who miss my wit and wisdom, here is a repost of what I said earlier

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I believe the .223 is probably the best varmint round there is, but if you do not wish to invest in another gun please check out the video from the Missouri Dept of Conservation.

Glen.... Hands off buddy!

For 100 yards or less I would suggest a .223 or 22mag cheap ammo and good accuracy. I have a 22 mag BSA martini action that holds 1inch groups at 100 yards all day long.

Hey Guys,

Just like other things (cars, watches, knives, brushes, razors, etc), there are several options in the gun world that can be considered THE BEST for certain applications. Here are my thoughts... If the range isn't crazy, a good .22 Mag or .17 HMR would be a fantastic choice. A good gun can be picked-up at a low cost and the ammo is relatively cheap to shoot. If the range is further than 100 yards, or the gun might be used for other varmit-weight critters, then I would suggest the .204 or venerable .22/250. Either of these calibers are the shiz on long-range varmits, and offer low recoil with blistering speed!

Whatever he chooses, tell him we wish him good luck on his hunt(s)!