what do you think of this...?

Question

i have a winchester .22 magnum. my grandparents have a farm. they have horses, alpacas (little llamas) and will soon be getting chickens. i have shot a skunk and one ground hog with it before. my pap has shot 2 ground hogs with it before. we havent seen any coyote but the coyote will eat the alpacas and the chickens. i have also shot at a fox before because they have a baby alpaca and the fox would eat it. do you think the .22 magnum will work for varmit control. i shoot 40 grain hollow points and soft noses out of it and that is what i killed the groundhog and skunk with. i am goning to be getting a remington model 7600 .270 soon here and i would use it for deer and for varmits. would that be a good choice? i also am considering a .25/06 because it is flatter shooting. what are your thoughts? i want lots of facts please! i hunt where there are 6 acres of dense woods and about 17 acres of open fields.

Answer 1

.22-250
.223/5.56 NATO

Both great varmint calibers.

.243
.270

Great all around varmint/small game calibers.

For deer, can't beat a .308. And I'm told a .308 will vaporize a prarie dog at 400-yards - so it makes a heavy and expensive, but effective varmint caliber too.

Answer 2

The .22 Long Rifle and .22 Magnum have been killing varmints forever. Within reasonable range (50 to 75 yards) the .22 Magnum will work even on coyote (head shots).

The .270 Winchester is an excellent deer rifle as is the .25-06 Remington. Both will work extremely well on varmint (but they are hard on the pelt). I own both the .270 and .25-06 and just prefer the '06 for deer. With the 130 grain bullet (.270) and the 120 grain bullet (.25-06) deer drop equally well in my experience. Of course, the .270 will shoot heavier factory loads in case you have wild boar or bear on your property.

Good luck.

H

Answer 3

If you learn to handload your own ammo, you can make the .270 Win do multiple duty with varmints and deer.

If you can afford a dedicated varmint rifle, I'd suggest either a .250-3000 Savage, preferably in either a Savage M-99, or a bolt-action of your choice (my preferences are Winchester M-70, or Ruger M-77), or a .243 Winchester, in either a bolt-action, or a Browning BLR lever-action. Both the .250-3000 Savage, and the .243 Winchester can also be loaded with heavy bullets for deer hunting. Both are mild cartridges with good trajectory, and good energy, they are easy on the shooter and do not over-stress the rifles.

The .25-'06 is a fine cartridge, and is great for long range varmint work, and for deer hunting. I does have the drawback of burning lots of powder and wearing barrels out in a relatively short time. That is why you will rarely find a serious varmint hunter using a .25-'06.

The .22 WRM will get the job done at moderate ranges, but if you forsee making 200 yard + shots, you need a centerfire rifle.

Whichever rifle or rifles you get, you should purchase a couple of reloading manuals, study them closely, and then start handloading your own ammo. For a fairly modest price you can get an RCBS Reloading press that has everything you need to start reloading except powder, primers, bullets and brass.

FWIW, I'm no fan of Remington 7600's but lots of folks in this area love them.

Doc

Answer 4

The 22 mag will be fine with the smaller varmints, but a bit light on the coyotes. There's no point in going with an overbore cartridge in a rifle that can't take advantage of it. The "flat shooting" won't be more than a couple of inches flatter than milder cartridges at any range even up to the 400 yard vicinity, which will be past the capabilities of the 7600. If they still made them, what would be ideal for pests and deer would be a 700 BDL in 257 Remington-Roberts, almost equivalent to the 25-06 ballistically but burning less powder and not too much for varminting. It seems everybody these days has to burn a pound of powder in a second to be happy, though, so it's harder to find reasonable and efficient hunting rifles in the classic cartridges now. (I think Ruger may still chamber the 257, though, in their 77.)

Answer 5

A complicated question. Any cartridge (except the .22Mag) are excellent rounds for deer. When the varmint comes into play that adds complication. .270 Win is a great deer round but for varmints especially small ones, (IE Ground hogs,Prairie dogs) it simply doesn't shoot flat enough and varmint bullets are not available in that caliber. .25-06 is excellent all around but its a little much for a novice. The recoil is greater making that follow up shot on a running fox,coyote all that much harder. For a first high power I would recommend .243 Win. It has low recoil, good power for deer, shoots flat, brass for reloading is common,and varmint bullets are available from almost all manufacturers. Once you have experience with shot placement and recoil recovery look at bigger guns.As for facts just do searches on line. I could spew "facts" but experience is best because so many things come into play.

Answer 6

Well a great brush gun is the 30-30 either in Winchester or Marlin . It is good in the heavy brush because of the shape and wt, of the bullet. In fact it's a good all round gun that will bring down anything. Now as far as foxes and coyotes go they are FAST!!!! A12 guage semi auto shotgun with a 32 in. full choke barrel would be good for them. Of course that .22 mag rifle is a great bullet too and with a scope is deadly. There are many types of bullets made for the .22 mag , so shop around

Answer 7

A .22 will be a good to use for varmint control. The .270 is the perfect gun for deer hunting if you're hunting in a field. But a shotgun is best for the woods.

Answer 8

DT89 hit the nail on the head. .222, .223 or a 22-250 are all great calibers for varmit hunting. very fast bullets that shoot very flat. little to no recoil at all. my varmit gun, a remington model 700 bdl 22-250 with a leupold scope ;-)

Answer 9

The 22 mag is pretty light for coyote,i wouldn't recommend it for them.The 270 is a great choice all around,the 25-06 is good too but i would stick with the 270.The 270 is an awesome gun you wont be disappointed

Answer 10

There are many guns for varmits. I prefer a cheap .223 bolt action with a good scope. This is due to ammo prices. You also want something that is going to shoot accuratly. As long as you have a accurate gun go for who cares if you blow em to hell as long as you get the job done. Thats what I think.