no such thing as too big of caliber for varmits. most of the time its a "let em lay" idiology with varmits, so who cares if its blown in half? thats half the fun. im talking more along the lines of coons, coyotes, hogs. 22 is what you bring for rabbits/ringtails.
it also depends of what type of terrain? are you going to be shooting close range and through brush, or one mountain range to another?
As with most things, I'd say if this is your first rifle don't compromise in hopes that it will do everything "okay" because you'll just end up buying a deer rifle and a varmint rifle down the road. At this point just get your varmint rifle cuz the ammo will be a lot cheaper and if you get a chance to go deer hunting borrow a .270 or .30-06. I think Howa is supposed to make a .243 that is pretty much bad ass right out of the box. Not sure of the model or anything. I've also heard of a Tasco scope that is supposed to be pretty freakin incredible. Lemme see if I can figure out what model it is.
edit: Howa 1500 and Tasco Super Sniper
thanks for the replies, keep them coming. ive definatly been steering more toward the smaller calibers because target/varment is what most will be. i'm going to hit up all the pawn shops and gander mtn on tuesday with a much more knowledgeable friend of mine and see what this town has to offer
Last edited by colman; 08-03-2008 at 07:57 PM.
Red 81 CJ5, 35's, 4.10 and detroit, 4 to 1 dana 300, tbi efi, flat belly, cage, chromos and auzzie in front... sometimes runs. body damage to come
I like .308 for a "do it all" Texas gun.
this is the one i want
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...el_700_VTR.asp
I use this all the time
http://www.browning.com/products/cat...34&type_id=006
My favorite gun is a winchester 30-30 model 1894 but I normally dont take long shots.
30-30 is where its at
gander mountain is alot like cabelas. fun to visit and look around, but way overpriced.
how does it work on bigger stuff? I'm looking for a intermediate gun for use on varmints and other small stuff, that can still drop a deer or large hog when I need it to. Of course all the reviews I read online make it sound like the perfect round for everything, but I've yet to meet someone who has actual real world knowledge of how it performs
Honestly, I would buy the deer rifle first. That way you never have a situation where you have to small of a gun. Then get the varmint rifle as you get more into guns, or perhaps even get a semi auto in smaller caliber for use on varmints and generally wasting some ammo.
I have a Marlin 30-30 that I really like. The new ammo they have gives it a decent range.
Seth Stewart '04
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.30-06. You can get .22 sabot rounds that are fast as **** for varmints and it will take down damn near anything on this continent.*
* Disclaimer: "damn near" is in reference to Brown, Grizly and Polar bears. For them, .458 win. mag.
On the 8th day god created the Super Swamper TSL and said "go forth and kick ass"
I say a .222 is too small. It's an outdated and more expensive round also. It's much smaller than a .223. As far as cheaper ammo prices, a .223 is probably the cheapest you can find that's capable of taking deer. There is no or very little ammo price difference in any other common rifle caliber. A box of 7 mag costs what a box of .243 does. 30-06 has the advantage of surplus ammo being available and a very wide selection of non-custom ammo from 55 grain to over 200 grain. Personally I think the .243 is a great choice for deer and varmints and also has light recoil.
i just picked up a remington 770 .243 thanks for the replies
Red 81 CJ5, 35's, 4.10 and detroit, 4 to 1 dana 300, tbi efi, flat belly, cage, chromos and auzzie in front... sometimes runs. body damage to come