what's a good medium range/medium caliber rifle for general purpose varminting/deer?

Question

I'd prefer something in a semi-auto that's inexpensive to plink with.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

If you are talking varmint with medium range being between 200 and 500 yards, you will basically be trying to hit a target who's vitals are smaller than a human hand. To be able to do this with a semi-automatic will be near impossible. To do it with an SKS or an AK-type rifle will be vitually impossible. My suggestion would be a heavy barrelled varmint rifle such as the Remington SPS Varmint or VLS. You need a heavy thick barrel to eliminate the accuracy spoiling vibrations. Personally, I would consider such a rifle firing either the .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, the old .244 Remington or the .308 Winchester. If deer were going to be a regular target I would rely on .308 then you must handload for accuracy. With such a rifle and good handloads you should expect group accuracy in the neighborhood of less than an inch for each 100 yards distance (i.e. .6" at 100 yards, 1.2" at 200 yards, 1.8" at 300 yards, etc.).

As was once said, "inaccurate rifles are boring", but today accuracy is everything.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Just to plink, and do it inexpensively I'd get a .22. You can't shoot for much less than that. But for plinking and taking a deer with the same rifle I really like my 3030. I have a couple of semi-auto .22's but I mostly like early style arms (western) so my 3030 is a model 94 Winchester. I also have a Henry lever .22 that I like very much. I'm sure you could find a shop that also has a firing range and they will let you try a few calibers to see what you think of them. And you can see the price of the ammo right there in the store. You may try the .222 and the .223 they shoot very flat and are accurate, a lot of people like them for the low recoil, but keep in mind you don't want to try and shoot larger deer or other large game with that small a cal. you want a clean kill. Look at this Remington link and it lets you choose from 3 different calibers or styles of ammo and click and compare. It shows all stats of the ammo you have chosen. Shooting is literally a blast! Have fun and be safe. Firearm accidents NEVER need to happen. I have my children treat even the barrel only of a rifle or hand gun as if its a loaded arm. OK enough of the safety stuff, here is the link. http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/

Answer 3

A lot of people say that the .243 winchester is a good varmint/deer caliber, but that is something that I would have to disagree with. While the .243 might be good on varmints, it is WAY overrated for deer. About a year ago, I read an article in a deer hunting magazine, the title read "The .243 winchester: barely adequate for a half-starved deer". Lacks the energy to cleanly take down a deer. In my opinion, I would go with the good old .270 winchester, you just can't beat it for the type of rifle you are looking for. Throw the 100 grain or around that weight out at the little varmints, then come deer season, throw the 130 or 150 grain at the deer. The .270 and the .30-06 are the two most popular calibers for deer in North America. Good luck.

Answer 4

Honestly there is a pretty big gap between a good rifle/caliber for Deer hunting and another for Varmint hunting. You could use any small caliber for varmint hunting from a .17 rim fire to a 243 caliber. Depending on the distance you could easily use the 243 cal for deer too.The problem is there are no inexpensive semi-auto rifles that will do what you want and still be inexpensive to "plink" with....With the war going on in Iraq, all ammunition manufactures are working around the clock to supply the military ammunition calibers...Surplus ammo from other countries that used to be inexpensive now costs a lot more.Something to consider before you buy any gun.........

Answer 5

Personally, I have a Marlin Model 60 Semi automatic .22 cal that I can plink with and take squirrels, rabbits, and possibly coyotes (if they are close). At $.02 a round, it's not expensive to shoot at all.

Then I have a Mossberg 100 ATR .270 win for Deer. The cheapest I have found these bullets is about $.57 per round. I definitely don't like plinking with this gun because of the cost and also the amount of recoil compared to the .22.

Overall, I spent less than $400 on both guns.

Answer 6

the .243 and the .25/05 are your best bets. both are really more suited for varmits, but can shoot larger bullets at deer. the .25/06 is just slightly bigger than the .243. the .25/06 is just a skinner, necked down form of the very popular .30/06. i personally think that the .243 is too small for deer because you have to be very precise with your shots, but it is a stellar varmit hunter. both can shoot 100 grain bullets at varmits, and you can go a little bit larger and shoot 130 grains at deer. both are light on recoil, and the farthest i would shoot a deer with either is 300 yards. after that, drag starts affecting it tremoundsly because it drops to the point where an already picky shooting gun now becomes even more eneffective.
i like the .25/06 just because it is bigger, but only buy a little bit, but you arent going to notice the difference in recoil.
remington makes a good .25/06 but not in semi-auto.
remington doesnt make a .25/06 semi-auto but they make a .243 in semi-auto. but why even get a semi-auto? remington makes a pump in .243 for $100 less and it is just as fast and everything is the same except the action. i myself am going to be getting a model 7600 in .270 here pretty soon.
this is the link for the semi-auto
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_750_woodsmaster_specs.asp
this is the link for the 7600
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_7600_specs.asp
good luck with the rifle of your choice and remember; make sure you are comfortable wth the rifle of your choice before you take it hunting.

live in western PA, and damn proud of it <((((><

Answer 7

Your description fits an SKS. They are excellent for medium range for deer and antelope, they are an excellent varminter, they are fairly inexpensive, indestructible, ammo in cheap, and they are fun to shoot. As with all military style rifles the stocks are a little short so one size fits all; I solved this with one of those limbsaver slip on recoil pads that adds an inch and a half to the length and makes it just right. They are very accurate with open sights but you can put a scope on them, too. I have one scoped and one without; just because I can. They are build rugged and simple and mud and snow don't affect them, they shoot first time, every time. Both of mine are the NORINCO chinese models and I also have a russian model. I find there is no noticable difference other than the chinese wood seems nicer than the russian plastic.

Answer 8

If you want semi-auto and cheap to plink with, go with a Ruger mini-14 in .223

.223 is the cheapest ammo, next to .22's. And it will fill your need. However. it is on the small side of the range you are looking for.

Remington, Winchester, and Browning all make semi-auto's in standard center fire rounds. Given your desires, I personally would go with a .243. It's pretty cheap to shoot and it is much flatter shooting than a .223 and it brings a lot more knock down power.

If you can afford it, go with the Browning BAR; if that one is too much, go with Remington's version.

Answer 9

Semiautos are going to give up a bit too much in the accuracy department for varminting. Go with a bolt gun in 257 Roberts, 250 Savage (hard to find any more), 6mm Remington or 243 Winchester.

Answer 10

A 30 30 hands down. It is a great varmint gun. Not a long range gun. I has a good knock down power and low kick. You can pick them up pretty cheap. Yes a 30 30 will take down a deer.