snert
Silver $$ Contributor
Love te old BDL VS. My idea of perfection...a 9..but a 40XB in wood is a 10.
What's your favorite varmint rifle?
- Thread starter Spike A
- Start date
I have seen 2000+ ground hogs large and small,good and bad drop in the crosshairs of a 220 swift. Very few of them moved more than the typical tail salute. I started out with a Ruger number 1 HV with a 15 power Unertal ultra varmint. Then moved up to a Remington 40 XB-KS with a straight 24x Leupold. I am currently using a Cooper model 22 Phoenix with a 6.5x20 Leupold with M1 dials. With today's rangefinding capabilities and plastic tipped ultra accurate bullets small critters have never been in so much trouble.While I wish I had the other two rigs back the Cooper is my favorite. I don't think it gets any better or any more nostalgic in the ground hog fields then shooting a "Swift"
Remington 700V, .222 Remington. Countless ground squirrels and a fair number of song dogs over the past 25 years or so. I'm in the process of putting together a dedicated 22BR coyote calling rifle -- Kelbly Atlas Tactical action, Krieger sporter #5 barrel, B&C Medalist stock, Leupold 3.5-10x40. Photos to follow. 
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savage mark 2 fv heavy barrel in 22lr w/ barska 10-40 50mm scope. i shoot cci stinger rounds and have taken a lot of varmints with this setup
snert
Silver $$ Contributor
So when you need to let that duece go, there is a home in NY for it....Remington 700V, .222 Remington. Countless ground squirrels and a fair number of song dogs over the past 25 years or so. I'm in the process of putting together a dedicated 22BR coyote calling rifle -- Kelbly Atlas Tactical action, Krieger sporter #5 barrel, B&C Medalist stock, Leupold 3.5-10x40. Photos to follow.
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TheOtherZilla
Pull my finger
Do I have to pick just one?? 22 LR is right up there.. 17 HMR, 22 Mag, 222, 204... Depends on my mood swing any given day.. Have to say today 17 HMR.
I'll keep you in mind! I do find custom-actioned rifles replacing my factory rifles one by one, and my gun safe isn't big enough for all of them. That .222 has been very good to me, but I would consider sending it to a good home.
Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
Ok, I'll be the odd one here, but my .20 Practical AR15 upper (top one) that I swap between a couple of different lowers, depending on how I'm shooting that day, is my favorite. 24" 3P 1:10 BHW barrel let's me shoot most all the popular weights and even the heavier bullets. I built it as a clone to my prone rifle upper so I don't have to readjust that stock when I use it.
But I also really love using my various pellet pistols and occasionally a pellet rifle. No ground hogs here (hoary marmot, but not in my area) so I shoot a lot of ground squirrels, nailed this well fed monster of a ground squirrel at 12 yards, although he was so fat I'm sure I could have ran faster than him, lol! I used to shoot postal matches with my AP's and have done some internal mods, the trigger on this 1322 is just about 18oz now. My 1377 has about a 12oz trigger. I don't let others hunt with these two pistols because of the trigger.
But I also really love using my various pellet pistols and occasionally a pellet rifle. No ground hogs here (hoary marmot, but not in my area) so I shoot a lot of ground squirrels, nailed this well fed monster of a ground squirrel at 12 yards, although he was so fat I'm sure I could have ran faster than him, lol! I used to shoot postal matches with my AP's and have done some internal mods, the trigger on this 1322 is just about 18oz now. My 1377 has about a 12oz trigger. I don't let others hunt with these two pistols because of the trigger.
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drags
Silver $$ Contributor
Hi 1bad284 assuming you are from Emelton Pa. it is interesting how many dedicated groundhog (woodchuck) hunters originate from Penna. I am from Monaca Pa. and I will be starting my 57th consecutive year hunting groundhogs God willing. My current favorite rifle is a 22x47 Lapua with 80 gr. A-max bullets.
Drags
Hello drags, I am not sure how many truly dedicated ground hog hunters are out there anymore. I spend a lot of time each summer in the fields and only occasionally see somebody groundhog hunting. Kids nowadays are too busy shooting them with their thumbs. To me life gets no better then a warm summer evening and a pocket full of Swift shells in a fresh mowed field.I do occasionally shoot my 6.5 x 2 84 when going past 500 yards. I have seen some truly amazing things in the crosshairs of a rifle scope over the last 40+ years!
Here's another one of mine. A Rem 722 with a 26 inch 9 twist barrel and a 1970's (maybe?) Fajen stock. Trigger is of unknown origin but a crisp 2 lbs. I did have a Redfield Illuminater scope on it but that went to a different rifle. Was thinking of getting a Vortex for this one.
Edit: Oh yeah, it's a 223.
Edit: Oh yeah, it's a 223.
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jds holler
Gold $$ Contributor
Sometimes it's a real kick to just "keep it simple". Last summer, before our ground squirrels went down for hot weather hibernation, I found a little spot that had been neglected by me and other shooters. It was a winding dirt road that followed the bottom of a small canyon with sparce sage, rye, and bare dirt. The squirrels were thick and pretty dumb, and me and my boys rifle tore em up. I had a new pair of glasses made with a pretty good lens for my right eye, and at 50 or less yards, they were gonners. Might have zapped a few out around 75 -100, but didn't really need to stretch the range.
Packing this little rifle around makes me feel like a young boy again.
Packing this little rifle around makes me feel like a young boy again.
Just a simply beautiful trio....
Here is three I use mostly...204 Ruger, 6mm Rem and 223 Rem...shoot one till it needs chillin, then on to the next...keep rotating
snert
Silver $$ Contributor
Stick around...in spring the forum erupts with groundhog threads...more of us than you think.
Stateside I'd say this 9T 26" Hart-barreled 223AI AR, BUT only with the new 69 (and maybe the 73 ELD-M), for long-range using the old DPMS VLD magazine (2.460" COAL). I think I've had 5 articles on this gun published and have now made some $ on building and outfitting it. If we can ever get somebody to reintroduce the VLD mag. there will be another article featuring this gun a little but mostly about the true long-range varminting apps. of 8T AR barrels with this and another buddy's setups--
Mom at 425 yds. 65 JLK Low Drag--
VLD Mag. on bottom--
Mom at 425 yds. 65 JLK Low Drag--
VLD Mag. on bottom--
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
I need to get a pic of mine. I have a 22 Varminter built by Hervey Lovell and stocked by J B McCament. It was built on a mauser receiver and a Buhmiller barrel.
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