opinions on vmt. cals

[debubba]

I am going to be building a rig on a rem m700 short action.It will be used for crows chucks etc and, hopefully, someday a trip west for a p dog hunt.I am leaning toward the .204 ruger please either confirm my possible choice or try to sway me otherwise.

 

[CJ6]

223 Rem. Componants everywhere,cheap brass.burns less powder, no special dia cleaning rod/jags,can go to the Mom & Pop hardware store and get ammo etc.etc. If you have a choice get a faster 9 twist,factory) or 8 twist,aftermarket)barrel.and it's cheaper to shoot to boot.

 

[mikecr]

Roger +1
If you're really varmint 'Hunting', the 223 works out excellent. It's just a practical 500yd varmint cartridge.

 

[Johnboy]

i agree 223 is a great case for the job.1:9 should do the job in twist.it will let you shoot from 40'S too 70's in bullet weight.love both of my 223's.
Johnboy

 

[lepcur]

I gotta go with the larger 22s, ie th 22-250 as if ya go with the lighter bullets ya got your 204 speed but you can also go heavier with good vel. for the windy type hunting out west. Mike

 

[debubba]

Thanks for the info guys.I used to have a ruger MK 77 II in .220swift.after burning the throat out of it I had that action re barreled in 6.5 284. since then I have been without a varmint rifle.I guess I never gave the .223 any thought past an AR 15.I will give it some time on the front burner now.

 

[j_22250]

204, 223 or 22-250 depending on whichever boltface you may have. i would even consider a 6mmbr with a slow twist.

 

[MarkS]

debubba


223AI You can shoot both AI and standard 223, kill PD and fireform cases at the same time.

Mark Schronce

 

[chino1969]

If I had to choose just one caliber for varmint hunting it would be the .223. Easy to load, inherently accurate, plenty of great powders and bullets, etc. I emphasize if I had to pick just one it would be the .223. My other calibers are .17 HMR, .218 Bee, .223, .22-250, .22-250 A.I., .243 A.I. & .250 Sav. A.I.. All of these calibers are used for varmints.

Lou Baccino

 

[M700]

I went with the .204 Ruger just to have something a little different to mess with. Lots of fun, but in reality it hasn't proven to be dramatically different in the field than the .223 my oldest son uses. I'm shooting 40 gr V-Max bullets at 3800 fps from my little CZ varmint rifle with a fixed 12x Leupold. Nice easy-to-use combo.

My son is quite happy with his .223 in the Bushmaster though:

Enjoy your varmint busting!

 

[Phil]

.223AI............Brass everywhere, fun to shoot, pretty accurate too......

 

[DOGCAPPER]

Savage BVSS 223..shoots from 40 grain to 70 grain..all excellent....current one has 2800 rounds...shoots 69 grain SIR in 4 to6 range at 100 still...

 

[fdshuster]

Easy choice, for me: the 'standard' 223 Rem. Set it up with an 8 twist barrel & it will do an excellent job with all bullet weights from 55 to 80 gr.: use whatever bullet weight/distance suits the occassion. Easy to load, no tricks, very little recoil, long barrel life, and what is very important to me, very little carbon fouling/buildup, something I was constantly fighting with one of the 'sub caliber cartridges'. I have 6 chamberings in 223 Rem so guess I'm a little biased. My favorite 22 centerfire ctg & I have a variety of others: 222 Rem, 22BR, 22-250, etc.

 

[johnmyers]

While the 223 & 204 are good choices, my pd, coyote, and chuck experience would be a 22-250 if you are only going to have one rifle. If you are having a custom bbl you might want to think about a 1:8 or 1:9 twist bbl. I have a 22-250 with a 28 inch 1:8 twist PacNor and it is great out past 1000yds. Shoots 80SMK's at 3230fps and 75gr AMax's at 3320fps. Run the ballistics and you will see that they outrun any of the lighter bullets by the time they hit 300yds. Good luck with whatever you go with.

 

[LWolken]

It would have to be a .223 Cheap, accurate, low recoil just plain fun. Where I shoot its wide open shots start at about 350-400yds and go on out as far as you are willing to try but practically to around 800yds. I have a 223, 22-250, 6mmbr and two .243 ack's. I still love my little .223 the 22-250 doesn't do much extra where we are. The splat factor is better but thats if you can hit them. Consistent ranges of 300yds to 400yds all day would be good for a 22-250 but you could still do just fine with a .223 You might as well jump right over it and get a 6mm for your next project after you get the .223 The 22-250 only adds maybe 100yds of range over the 223 and thats argueable at best. After the .223 get a BR Just my opinions, Flame On

Lance

 

[Steve Blair]

It depends upon your terrain and target. If you are primarily an eastern hunter, a .223 with 9' twist is very flexible, recoil and muzzle blast are negligible and excellent Lapua brass is available.

If you are a westerner, like me, the .223 does not offer adequate range for coyotes and prairie dogs in the wind. I own a .22-250 and enjoy shooting it. But my favorite long-range rifle is my 6mm Remington 40-X with 9' twist. I can shoot 55 grain Noslers with a better BC than .22 bullets and go all the way to 95 grains in this twist.

The 80 grain Berger Varmint at 3600 is deadly on both paper and coyotes. The Nosler 55 grain BalTip effect on crows at 4010 fps has to be seen to be appreciated. The Nosler 95 BalTip at 3360 is the best coyote load I have seen.

The 6mm is not the easiest on barrels, but nothing with these ballistics is. Bullet choice is as good or better than the .22s.

 

[vmthtr]

For shooting colony varmints a 223 cannot be beat. You will ruin a 22-250 in one trip if it is your only rifle. I shoot a 223 AI for the extra FPS. Never feel under gunned out west, I move if I feel I am stretching it to far.

Mike

 

[fdshuster]

On revisiting this question, as said above, the 'best' cartridge will depend a lot on the distances involved. What works for those of us in 'the East' will come up short for the really long range targets 'out West'. With that being said, I think the 223 Rem is a good compromise, especially if it's a 1-8 that will take the heavier bullet weights, but it too will come up short at the really long distances,over 500 yds?), and more importantly, the wind.

 

[DogBuster]

223 AI or the 20 Practical....
Same boltface...same brass
dies are easy.......
3500 w/Nosler 55s in the AI
3900 w/40 V max in the 20 PT
I have both....both very capable p/dog removal tools....