1 cal for Deer,Varmit ,target what would it be?

16 December 2001, 14:07

reloader len

I was wanting a gun that would be good for300
yards not too much recoil,good for deer,
target and varmit.No bull barrel, a sporter is
a must. want it to be cheep to reload compared to the mag's. I was thinking about a
browning BLR chambered for 22-250 or 7mm08.
Any suggestions on rifle and cartridge?
reloader len

16 December 2001, 14:34

<jagtip>

My suggestion would be a 25/06.

16 December 2001, 14:43

<heavy varmint>

The oppinions will vary greatly on this one because there are many that would serve your purpose so my suggestion would be get a reloading manual and a copy of Cartridges Of The World, "wich you need anyway" and start at 6mm and work your way up to 7mm to narrow your search, and then choose the one that YOU just can't get out of your head. Personaly I like the 25-06 or 7-08 for your described purpose but like I said there are plenty of others in the category.

16 December 2001, 14:54

<Gary Rihn>

308, 7mm-08, or 260 Rem.

16 December 2001, 15:00

<Big Stick>

Custom barreled 700,in 25-284............

16 December 2001, 15:04

p dog shooter

If you want a varmit\deer gun go with 6mm\243
If you want a deer\varmit gun go with a 25 cal.

16 December 2001, 15:41

milosmate

quote:
Originally posted by reloader len:
I was wanting a gun that would be good for300
yards not too much recoil,good for deer,
target and varmit.No bull barrel, a sporter is
a must. want it to be cheep to reload compared to the mag's. I was thinking about a
browning BLR chambered for 22-250 or 7mm08.
Any suggestions on rifle and cartridge?
reloader len

270 works for me

16 December 2001, 16:25

<dr280>

why- 280 of course!

16 December 2001, 16:45

TomP

Hello Len

I shoot 6mm-284 or 7mm Remington most of the time; having said that, it sounds like you need 6.5mm-284 with a barrel that does not wander too much when heated up a little.

Tom

16 December 2001, 17:23

ricciardelli

6mm Remington. I've taken everything from prairie dogs to elk with that caliber, from 35 feet to 275 yards.

16 December 2001, 17:59

<Kerry.S>

.257 ackley imp. would work for all of the game you mentioned
Kerry

------------------
If you can't hunt, fish. If you can't fish, Hunt

16 December 2001, 18:10

Atkinson

I've known that for years, the 250-3000.

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

16 December 2001, 20:04

RMiller

I'd pick a 308 win. Of the two you mentioned I go with the 7mm-08.

16 December 2001, 20:08

<gone hunting>

308win

------------------
born on a mountain, raised in a cave, hunting and fishing is all i crave!

16 December 2001, 20:44

Arild Iversen

No 1: 25-06
No 2: 308 Win.

Based on my own experience.

Arild

16 December 2001, 23:43

Wachtel

Over here the answer to such a question would certainly be the 6,5x55. I have used it on everthing from long-range bird hunting (must be something like your varmint hunts but with FMJ:s) to roe-deer, deer and moose.

There are several manufacturers who chamber it but I'm not sure if these rifles are available in the US.

16 December 2001, 23:46

Mike375

reloader len,

To add a bit to the equation, what made you think of a BLR in either 22/250 or 7-08.

Mike

17 December 2001, 03:23

old06

Well I have to say that if you don't shoot a lot of small critters the 2506 is the best of the bunch but there is a lot of flexibility in most rounds these days with the new bullets on the market

17 December 2001, 03:25

Pecos

6.5-06

Pecos

17 December 2001, 04:45

sxr6

.250-3000 a classic all the way!!!!!!!!!!

17 December 2001, 04:59

<Mr.16 gauge>

Have to agree with Wachtel on this one....6.5x55 Swede, but I'm on this side of the pond. I use mine with 100 grain Sierra HP on varmints and 129 grain Hornadys on deer. Either round would be good for target shooting; they are both sub 1" at 100 yards. And all out of a surplus rifle that is almost 100 years old!

17 December 2001, 06:11

beemanbeme

a 7-08 rem or a .260 rem. Don't leave home without one. Last year my son killed a big bodied mulie at 287 looong steps with a 7-08 shooting a 140gr nosler part. One shot and he was using a model 7 with the 18in barrel.
The reason I included the .260 is that the 7x57 and the 6.5 swede have become legends with their ability to harvest diverse sized game and the 7-08 and .260 are domestic (USA) versions of them. Ballistically speaking that is.

17 December 2001, 07:03

<reloaderman>

Only one gun????? Kind of takes the fun out of playing with our toys!

17 December 2001, 08:44

old4x4

243 Win takes the cake for me. Lots of one shot kills on deer, woodchucks, coyotes, paper...hee hee.....

17 December 2001, 09:02

<Ol' Sarge>

.25-06 !

"kills like chain lightnin'"

17 December 2001, 09:23

HunterJim

Len,

I have now or have had all the rifles recommended in this thread, but I have to go with the .308 Win for your triple-threat.

You can easily buy great factory loads for varmint, target and deer; and you can reload same for cheap. Plenty of components and good load data around.

I have or have had .308s in bolt, lever and semi-auto. You can also get a pump -- so you can choose your favorite action type.

Bottomline: buy the one you like, and learn by doing.

jim

------------------
"if you are to busy to
hunt, you are too busy."

17 December 2001, 10:04

Mark

WOW, And not one mention of a 30-06! I guess it depends on what is considered "light recoiling". I do think that a 25-05 is a good choice, but of course any of these you can't go wrong.

17 December 2001, 10:28

<PaulS>

30 caliber down to 22 for your use you can find at least one cartridge in any one of these calibers to meet your needs.
You want a light gun that doesn't recoil that will shoot to 300 yards and kill a deer.

If you are limited to commercial cartridges then I would recommend the .243 Win., 6mm Rem. or 257 Roberts. Each of these rounds is good for varmints out to 300 yards - will kill deer cleanly at nearly 200 yards, can be found in light weight weapons that are not too abusive even for a recoil sensitive guy like me.

If you would like to try a wildcat then go with a 30/30 necked down to 6mm. I get 3000 fps with an 85 grain bullet and 1/4 moa from a Thompson TCR. Not too bad for filling a hole in the armory.

PaulS

17 December 2001, 13:20

<leo>

For varmint, target and nothing bigger than deer......243win. or 6mm rem. or nothing bigger than the .25 calibers would be necessary. There's sure a big difference between .22-250 and 7mm-08. Why would you want to decide between these two?

17 December 2001, 13:33

<Don Martin29>

What kind of target shooting? For competative target shooting the rifle and cartridge must be just right. Perhaps the writer means just practice or maybe a sporting rifle event?

Not enough information here so I will go with the .308 Winchester until I know more.

Back in 1957 I bought a M-70 for Varmint and target. It's a varmint model in .243 Winchester. The target shooting was 4 positions at 200 yards and I used a slightly reduced load for that. For varmints in New England that cartridge is kind of loud. But I still have the rifle. It has a 26" light target straight taper bbl. This selection was made because of money.

I think Col. Whelan shot his last whitetail with this model. It's too heavy for deer hunting however.

17 December 2001, 13:38

<yoter>

quote:
Originally posted by TomP:
Hello Len
I shoot 6mm-284 or 7mm Remington most of the time; having said that, it sounds like you need 6.5mm-284 with a barrel that does not wander too much when heated up a little.
Tom

What kind of load are you shooting with the 6-284? I NEED SOME HELP.

17 December 2001, 13:46

Rob1SG

I'll take a 6mm Rem but a 243 Win is probably better as far as available factory ammo.Coyotes are very impressed and deer drop out at 250 yds with 100 gr bullets.

17 December 2001, 14:09

Ol` Joe

I`d go with the 25-06, second choice would be the 6.5x55 or 260 rem if your looking at more deer and target shooting than varmit.

17 December 2001, 16:54

Atkinson

I wonder if there isn't some difference in what some of us consider varmint hunting...

I'd hate to shoot several thousand or even 500 rockchucks or Prarie dogs with some of thoes larger rifles, beats the crap out of you,,,,

My limit on an all day hunt would be a 243 or 250-3000 and I really prefer a 222 or 223.
Now if coyotes were your only varmint then the deer rifles would be fine.

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

17 December 2001, 18:52

<1LoneWolf>

How about a 264 Winchester Magnum?

Recoil isn't note worthy, it will take about any game, and it isn't tough to reload. Not as cheap as Ray's 222 or 223, but very effective.

Then again, the 243 probably does a fine job, not as flat, but still awesome & accurate, and it is definitely cheaper to relaod. By about 20 grains a pop!

But yeah, the 264WM gets you out there pretty darn quick.

18 December 2001, 01:44

Major Caliber

The .270 would be the best choice for what you want to do. It does everything you want very well, they shoot 90gr to 150gr very accurately.

18 December 2001, 03:57

Canuck

6.5/06 or better yet, 6.5 Gibbs. To quote Rocky Gibbs himself, it'll handle "anything from Gophers to Grizzlies".

100gr BT's for varmints, 140 gr Sierras or Noslers for deer.

Ray, I thought a tough ol' bugger like yourself would shoot his 9.3x62 at gophers all day!!!

JMHO, Canuck

18 December 2001, 04:12

<bearlake>

7mm-08

18 December 2001, 04:19

TXLoader

I'd take either my .260 Rem or my 6mm Rem...favoring my 6mm. Shoots flatter, and I can get a .25 cal equivalent load with a Barnes 115gr Original load as an extra punch for deer.

But...why would anyone WANT to limit themselves to ONE rifle? Seems about like saying someone's going to eat nothing but plain baked potatoes for food.....workable, but BLAND after a while!!!

18 December 2001, 04:26

Atkinson

Canuck,
Actually I do, but I was just trying not to imbarass ya'll..

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com