I want to buy a varmint rifle, and I'd like some input from other shooters.

I'm looking at factory rifles from either Savage or Tikka, or having a full custom rifle built by a local smith. I've heard nothing but good reviews of the Tikka T3 rifle, but I've never had a chance to shoot any Tikkas before. On the other hand, I've owned and shot a number of Savage rifles before. All of them have been extemely accurate, and I do love the Accu-Trigger. As for the full custom rifle, the price will be substantially higher but it will be exactly what I want. But then there's still a chance that it wouldn't shoot any better than one of the factory guns.

If I go with a factory rifle, my caliber choices will be pretty limited. It looks like .223, .22-250 and .204 are the main options with some .243 and .308s. With the custom rifle I can get pretty much any caliber I want. Since this will be used mainly for paper punching and coyotes, I would like something bigger than 22cal. Ideally I would get a 6.5x284. But that limits it to the custom rifle.

While money isn't a real issue, I am looking to get the best value that I can. I would like to keep the whole setup, rifle and scope, around $2000. Obvoiusly the custom rifle would go over that, but again it would be exactly what I want. So, if anyone can give me some advice or if there are other options that I haven't thought of, let me know. Thanks.

Andrew

Savage..
it is more utilitarian, and is accurate and will sell well if you decide to move up...

I bought one for just that, and love it so much, I kept it instead and bought another one...

now I am looking to pick up barrels because a barrel swap is so easily done on them..

Tikkas are great rifles, but they don't offer the 'erector set" personna of the Savages...

Both are shooters on the first order...

Pick up a Savage, cheaper than a Tikka, and then put the extra saved on the rifle into Better optics to mount on it...

Find a used Rem 700. Rebarrel to desired caliber, have the action trued/ "bluprinted", do a trigger job and thrown in a nice replacement stock and you'll have a nice semicustom. Should be able to do the rifle for $1500 or a bit less, I'd think and have $500 left for the scope. There goes your 2 grand. As far as the chambering goes, I'd suggest the 6mm Rem, 10" twist.

You can get into a custom rig with a sythetic stock and maybe glass for under 2 grand. A 22-250 is a dandy coyote round, if you go factory. Sounds like I am getting ready to build the rig you are looking for.

6x47 Laupa. About equal or a bit hotter than a 6mm-250. Laupa brass and a small primer pocket. pretty much 243 ballisitcs, with alot less powder and recoil.

Get a used 700 with a 308 bolt face. 400 or less

Preimum barrel hart, Lilja, Pac-Nor. $300 for stainless and do not go with flutes.

Get an HS prescison stock, get it bedded. If you go with Brownells and get a black one you can be done for around 400 including bedding

Get a Shilen trigger and a rifle basics safety 140.00. A facotry Remington can be really worked over for about 50 bucks.

Some one to true everything up and put it together about $400

I get around $1650 You got a custom and a tack driver that will feed. The barrel life should be great and the accuracy should be phenominal. Customs are not as expensive as they seem. I buy all the parts as money allows. Then send it to the smith to put it together. It will take a few months. In the end it is like getting a gun for free.

Come to think of it.

Stiller Predator action, Remingtion clone, needs no truing. $700

Barrel $300

HS stock with bedding $400 McMillian $600 (20month wait) Banser $400 if weight is a concern.

$175 to hang the barrel if the smith has the reamer. A bunch do.

$150 to get a Shilen triger, safety and get it put on. Jewells are nice $195 with a safety but the are built with real tight tollerences. I would not use one on a hunting rig were it would get dirty. I will get flamed for that. Shilen is the next best thing.

$200 for Williams steel bottom metal box spring and follower (nice unit). $75 if you do not go with a floor plate and use an ADL trigger gaurd

$1775 for ADl and 1925 for a floor plate BDL set up and get a custom action, that will hold it's value better than a 700.

Those price can be tweaked up or down, but you are still under $2000 with a custom.

you want a 6.5 x 284,

12 F Class Precision Target Rifle


Laminated flat bottomed stock with extra-wide ventilated forend
Target AccuTrigger adjustable from 6 oz. to 2 ½ lbs
Right bolt, right port short action receiver
Smaller ejection port for extra rigidity
30" Extra-heavy stainless barrel
Chambered in 6.5 X 284 NORMA
MSRP $1211

found on Savage's site here...

http://www.savagearms.com/2007_pressrelease.htm

That will still give you money left over for about a $700.00 scope...

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
Savage..
it is more utilitarian, and is accurate and will sell well if you decide to move up...

I bought one for just that, and love it so much, I kept it instead and bought another one...

now I am looking to pick up barrels because a barrel swap is so easily done on them..

Tikkas are great rifles, but they don't offer the 'erector set" personna of the Savages...

Both are shooters on the first order...

Pick up a Savage, cheaper than a Tikka, and then put the extra saved on the rifle into Better optics to mount on it...

+1.
That's good advice, right there.

I would go with the Savage. I would get one in 22-250 or 243 & then buy a 6.5mm barrel & have it chambered. Then you could have two rifles in one.

Have a look at the CZ527 Varmint in .204 Ruger.

They make some fantastic barrels and have a really nice single-set trigger - and they're not godawful pricey.

My recommendation is the Savage Long Range Precision Varmint Right Bolt/Left Port chambered in .204 Ruger. It is also available in .223 with 9" & 7" twist or .22-250 with 12" or 9" twist (I believe). With the .22-250 bolt face you can easily change barrel to other .473" head cartridge.

If you want a 6.5x284, then as seafire says, the Savage 12 F Class Precision Target Rifle is an excellent choice.

I have also come to like the 25 WSSM very much.

A hunting buddy of mine has Tikka in 22-250. He just showed my three groups he shot with it, all 3 shot groups. Each group was less than 1/4" at 100 yards.
I was blown away. So, I have a new respect for Tikka rifles.

Don

I was thinking about both the Savage Long Range Precision Varminter and the 12 F. I like the idea of swapping barrels on the Savage.

I've bought 3 different Savage rifles with the intent of turning them into switch barrels, but they all shot so well I was afraid to pull the barrels off. Is there any affect on accuracy when you remove and replace the barrel? I think that a 22-250 and a 6.5x284 would make an excellent pair.

i bought a CZ527 in 223 and put a swarovski 3-10x on it. it is pure hell on groundhogs out to 300. for longer shots get something in 25-06 and a chrony and some good glass. i have a remington 700 with a decent 3-9, but would like a rebuild with a mike rock barrel and a leupold m1 scope just for those dastardly groundhogs at extended ranges.

I went and looked at the Savage F Class on their website again. I like everything about it, but that stock just looks clumsy. Is that style enough of an asset to be worth the bulk?

390ish, Is 300 yards, "extended range"?? In VA? I think not!! Groundhog shooting with a touch of prcision starts at 400 yards with the little guns!(.204,.223,222MAG) and escalates from there(well not really because the .204 and .223 have PROVEN to be effective beyond 500 out to 778 with the .204)in VA!! Now when you add in the 6mm and GOD'S CHOSEN CHAMBERING.........25-06 then added distance with effective bullet performance can be claimed! All in fun folks!! Don't jump in my doo doo!! Charlie (GHD)

CKA, First varmint rifle?? Go get yourself a SAVAGE VLP(.204 or 22-250) or their new model the LRPV and then put you a good piece of glass, NIKON 6.5-20 MONARCH or Bushnell 6-24 Elite 4200 or BURRIS 6.5-20 or even a Leupold 6.5-20 on it and HAVE FUN!!!!! A damn site less than $2000.00 and accuracy equaling some of what comes out of some folks custom shops!! ............the rifle will be more capable than you are!! GHD ............PS!! How dead is dead?????????

Hey Collegekidandy,

That 12 F is meant to be fired from a benchrest. That's why the stock looks the way it does. It's designed to not rise up off the bags when fired, instead, it will just come straight back (a little).

I wouldn't recommend it for a carry around rifle. BUT, it sure looks good for a factory long range prarie dog gun! I'd like to see one of those myself...

collegekidandy---You mention varmints,paper punching,and coyotes. I dont know about Washington,but around here the paper doesn't get so big mean and vicious to require more than .22's with .222 and .223 being more pleasant to do it with than even a 22-250. I like my .243's,but I wouldn't want to be using that for a lot of paper poking. One varmint I shoot is jackrabbits. This is done mostly at night from inside a pickup. Blast is a big concern. Using cast bullets tames em down to manageable level. I dont have one,but I like the looks of the CZ's and I've heard lots of good about them. If you don't reload,.223 is probably cheaper to shoot. If you reload get a .222 would be my pick,well ok,I like my 5mm pellet guns so I might be tempted to try the .204.

Out to 450 yards I would consider the Rock River Varminter the one to beat. Mine is chambered for the 223 Wylde. IMO they are more accurate than any out of the box varminter you can buy. including the Savage's, Tikka's, Remington's, and what ever else you can think of. Below is a 300 yard three shot group I shot on Monday with mine in a 5-10 mph LtoR constant crosswind. For $2,000 go with the Zeiss conquest 6.5X20, and you will still be under $2,000. I have a Leupold on mine, I am going to upgrade to a better scope. IMO Leupold just does not have it any more. My Zeiss 6.5X20 on my other varmint rifle is far superior to the Leupold.

As far as coyote hunting is concerned a fast second shot is sometimes necessary. This is as fast as you can get. Tom.

My goal with this rifle is to get something that will out shoot me. This way I don't have any excuses. I figure that if I spend a little extra now, it will save me from having to upgrade later.

Carpetman-
The caliber choice has a lot to do with having something a little different. I only shoot reloaded ammo, factory stuff just costs too much. So the sort of odd caliber isn't a problem.

As for the AR style rifle, I actually just sold my AR 15 because it just never grew on me. I thought it might be fun, but every time I went shooting it just sat in the truck.

Andrew

HEADOO, Your group is impressive so I won't post the 500 yard, .440" group from my VLP in .204 using the wonderful varmint killing, 39 grain SIERRA :!! ......from my surveyor's tripod rest that I built myself with infinite elevation adjustment or leveling capabilities. You can shoot more rounds, faster than me but if you are dialed in and know the rifle, one is all it takes!! GHD

GHD, did you do anything to your VLP or did you get that group with the stock rifle?

CKA, That rifle was "as gotten out of the box" with the exception of turning the "accutrigger" down to it's lowest setting...........nothing else except a lot of range time working up loads that performed! It performs great with the 32 Sierras or the 32 Hornady's but it EXCELLS with the 39 grain Sierra's!! It has 3000 or so rounds down the tube now and still does great things whether punching paper or punching groundhogs! My definite "GO TO" gun for fun and exhilaration!! I will have two of the things next week as there is another one due here on Tuesday!! And even before it gets here, I will have a batch of ammo loaded to test it with that will be 27.5 grains of Accurate 2520 and the 39 grain Sierras...........bet it will shoot that load! A Remington Model 7 Synthetic shot it well as did a Remington 700ADL Synthetic, a Remington 700VLS, a HOWA 1500 varminter, a friends Savage 12FV, and a Remington 700 Varminter Thumbhole!! GHD

GD -- this guy is wanting a first groundhog rifle. most first timers are going to have a bit of difficulty swatting down hogs past 300 with a 223 unless they have access to a chrony and/or a 400 plus yard shooting range. I keep my 223 shots around the 300 yard range. I like blowing chunks off of hogs and the 50 grain sxsp does not seem to give me what I want past that range.

I have really gotten spoiled with the 25-06 and believe it is probably the best tool ever made for giving groundhogs the full dental plan. I used to think the same of the 243 loaded with a 60 grain sierra hp. Am going to try and pop one at moderate range this afternoon with the ak-74 and some of that bulgarian ball ammo.

I know this may be a bit out of price range 2000 but not by much. I get a syn blaser r93 in a 22-250 or 223 and at a later date you can add a big game barrel if you wish. The guns shoot out of the box! They have a great trigger, and you can change calibers in less than 2 min.

Just a thought!

505ED

I finally found a 12 LRPV at the local Sportsmans Wherehouse so I could give it a good once over. I have to say, that is a whole lot of gun! I love everything about it, except the caliber choices. The trigger was set at 8oz, I love the stock, the right bolt-left port, the super heavy barrel, and just the massive size of the reciever.

They are selling for about $930 locally, but I have my favorite gunshop trying to get that down a little lower still. Does it make sense to spend that much money on a gun, and then rip the barrel off of it? I just don't know if I could build a comparable gun for the same price. The Savage actions are selling for a little under $500, and I figure that a good barrel and stock would run about $400 each. Does this sound right?

As some of you have alluded to, I am pretty new to the long range shooting game. My experience is limited to about 300yd paper punching with a 338-06 and a 3-9x scope. I was happy to keep all shots on a paper plate off of the "field rest" we set up on a stump in a clearcut. I'm sure I could pick up a sporter weight rifle in 223, 22-250, or even 243 and it would be perfectly adequate for my needs. Heck, I had a sporter Savage 243Win that would regularly shoot sub 1" groups at 200yds from a bench. But this project is also part of a larger plan to trade of some of my "boring" rifles that I don't really shoot that much in favor of more interesting guns that I will shoot. A good long range gun in 6.5mm sounds like it would be excellent for both coyotes and deer if the opportunity came up.

Here's an update for anyone who is interested. I ended up getting the Savage model 12 LRPV in 22-250. I mounted a Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x scope in Burris Signature rings. I hope to get out this weekend to try it out. Thank you everyone for your advice!

Andrew

What twist did you get? I'm considering one in 22-250 with 1:9" twist. Same scope. There are some folks around here that have been getting excellent results on GH with that rifle - some at distances around 500 - 600 yards. My longest likely shot around here is about 330 yards.

I'll be very interested to hear of your experiences shooting it.

Thanks
Fitch

Mine has the 1:12" twist. This is the only one that was available. I've only put 40 rounds through it, but the groups look good so far.

There wasn't any brass available when I got the rifle so I picked up one of the 40 round packs of Remington UMC with the 50gr bullet so that I could at least start breaking in the gun. I didn't expect much since this was the cheapest ammo I could find. after a few shots to get the scope dialed in I cleaned the barrel and started shooting groups. It takes 4 fouling shots before the gun shoots at it's best. But after the foulers, it certainly shoots! My groups average about .5" at 100yds with the best being .391" and the largest at .746" on centers. I'm excited to see how it does with a little more break-in and some better ammo.

I did have to adjust the trigger pull to about 8oz to keep it from tripping when I closed the bolt sometimes. There was never a discharge, but I just didn't want to take a chance. Other than that, I don't think I could be any happier with the gun. I'm actually trying to convince my father-in-law to buy one so I have someone to shoot with.

I think you made a wise choice. You can always switch barrels to a 6.5 and have two guns for the price of one. I switch barrels on my savage striker pistols with no loss of accuracy.

How do you switch barrels and keep the headspace consistent? Do you just screw the barrel down on a headspace guage then lock the nut down? Or do you have witness marks stamped on the barrels? My concern with the switch barrel gun has always keeping the headspace the same.

Sorry it took me so long to see this post. I use go and no go headspace gauges to the barrel I am installing. Get it set for the go gauge and check it with the no go and then tighten the barrel nut and recheck. Helps if you have some way to hold the barrel while doing this.

quote:

Originally posted by collegekidandy:
How do you switch barrels and keep the headspace consistent? Do you just screw the barrel down on a headspace guage then lock the nut down? Or do you have witness marks stamped on the barrels? My concern with the switch barrel gun has always keeping the headspace the same.

I think Savage offers a varmint rifle to suit any taste or niche. Tikka makes some very nice rifles, Cooper makes a lot of variety if you want to spend a little more, I love Remington M700s as well, but I hate the way they feed small cartridges like the 222, 223, 221, 17 and so on.

I would probably buy a Cooper Phonix or Savage right bolt left port single shot and spend the rest on a 30mm 8-24 from Burris, Nikon, or Leupold. The whole package would be around $2000.

look into my new favorite rifle! the remington x-r 100.... if i had a $2000 budget that's the one i'd get.. it's a single shot rifle based on the x-p 100 action with a laminated thumbhole stock.. i saw one at a scheel's store that had a bore sighted luepold scope on it for about $1200.. don't know how small a groups it shot but it sure held nice with that thumbhole stock and the scope was clear as a bell! if i did get one since i reload a could customize the reloads to make her shoot if factory loads wouldn't....