Best varmint gun out to 400 yards

22-250 is okay BUT I wanted the highest degree of accuracy with less muzzle blast and maintain flat bullet trajectory and maintaining bullet energy at long distances.
That's why I shoot the 20BR and 20BR IMPROVED 40deg.
The 6mmBR parent cartridge with small primer is a proven winner.

 

But would you recommend that for a person that does not reload?

 

I am not an expert, but I have been shooting Rockchucks and other varmints here in Idaho since 1978.

Back then Savage offered a 1:9" twist in their 223's. Bought a 12BV-SS in 223 for the twist, then got a 308 bolt head and chambered it in 22-250.
That would be a very inexpensive rifle to convert, and 400 yard hits would be fairly routine if you can gauge distance and wind a little.

 

Wow 400 yard shots on PD routine. Nice!

 

my VARMINTS around here are pigs 100-300 lbs. 308 knocks them out,,graveyard dead,,

 

Best all around ghog rig would have to be a 22-250 or 243.

 

talk about booorrrrinnngggggggg

 

Yah, when I lived in Ohio the Ghogs did not stay bored for long around me....

 

My old school Ruger VT 243 1-10 twist scored from a forum member, after bedding, replacing the trigger with the 10 oz Rifle basix, and relieving the magazine well to be sloppy loose in the stock, is in, my humble opinion one of the best walk around bipod varmint guns ever made. It was my main hunting rig back in my former days of living in the rust belt. My previous was a 22-250.

Loaded with R16 or N160 and 70 grain TNT or Varmageddon FB going 3750 fps (and loafing at that), I hate to think what that would do to a pdog.

I shot a water bottle from 100 yards. The bottle simply disappeared. Upon further examination it was found some 10-12 yards closer to me. The explosion had caused such a rear ward explosi on it filleted the poor bottle and it was now simply a flat sheet of torn plastic... Most explosive impact I have ever seen, and I have tested a lot of varmint loads.

It also shoots 80 Bergers and Sierra Blitz and 95 VLDS into very small groups.... and it feeds like a machine when the shite hits the rotary oscillator and you miss that first one...

 

Hi,

I'm not trying to add to the conversation but I wanted to share an (to me) interesting perspective.

20-some-odd yrs ago Jim Borden was being interviewed by Brennan or somebody from the now defunct VH magazine (best varmint hunting publication EVER!) and was asked this exact question...."Best 400yd varminter?"......his answer was surprising, "your Bench Rest Rifle, 6PPC!"

After the usual hullabaloo he said (I paraphrase) "what's not to like? It'll push a 40gr Nosler Ballistic Tip (BC .230-ish) to well over 4000fps and shoot little teeny dots....."

LOL


I tried it.

It's like cheating

Not relevant to the OP but a perspective I hadn't considered at the time

 

My 6BR with zero Freebore and 55s is insane... And would be plenty for pdogs and g hogs. I am getting 3900 FPS!!!

 

Throughout this conversation I over-looked the authors fact that he doesn't reload YET, therefore would have to suggest the 204R as his first choice and 223Rem as a second choice.

 

243 factory rifle shoot factory 75 g max or 70 gr nosler would be a much better option

 

The 243 factory 75gr v-max is only slightly better than 204R in the wind and worse in trajectory. With the latter, you can spot your own hits/misses so given the range and factory ammo constraints, I'd opt for the 204R.

 

Absolutely. Not to mention, half the powder, recoil, etc

 

Just got back from a pd hunt, shot both 204R AND 223 as well as 6br. with factory ammo, the 223 has more ammo options but the 204 will more easily go to 400. the 204 will buck the wind better with 40 gr and drop less than the 223. In spite of that I'd lean to the 223 because of ammo options and learn the drops. I use 53 vmax and 80 gr AMAX. For pd hunting. the 80 gr aren't as explosive but are more consistent at longer ranges. most of my shots today we're in the 250-325 yd range today, they were shy to say the least.

 

Hard to find factory 204r loaded with 39 gr blitzkings though. I have both but always go 243 seams dogs fly better off the mound at 400+. The 204 is badass cartridge I will say that

 

I only use Hornady V-Max 40 gr. The 32s just do not hang well in the Wind.

 

Title of thread is "out to 400 yards" .....not 400+

 

204 or 223 - if you are getting it for volume shooting, it will be well used and maybe on its second or third barrel by the time you pass it down. Get something easy and cheap to accessorize and rebarrel - Remington or Savage. Buying a prairie dog rifle for heirloom or resale value kind of defeats the purpose IMO.