I have seen references to this type of varmint rifle. Can anyone give me a good definition of one? Thanx!

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Orange Gunsite Family Member, NRA Life member, Varmint Hunter Assn. and American Legion member

"An armed society is a polite society" -Robert Heinlein via Jeff Cooper

Well, I guess my definition would be a lightweight small bore rifle. Probably for shots under 250 yards approx.. My guess is that the most popular calibers would be .223, 22-250, 243.

I am thinking of buying a CZ 527 American in 223, just for this purpose. I have a Rem 700 VLS in 223 that is a VERY accurate rifle but I don't like to carry it around all day. So, I will sell or trade it.

Kevin,
I'm not sure of the definition you're looking for but I'll offer up what I use. A Rem 700 BDL in .17 Rem. It's a great rifle. I've shot groundhogs, raccoons, loads of yotes, badgers, etc.... Although for the caliber the barrel is large it actually has a sporter type barrel. One gunsmith was going to rebore it to 308 but luckily called me before he made a drastic error. Accuracy is better than I can shoot and I've hit well out to 300 yards. Wind is your biggest problem. I have a small bipod (not really necessary) that I remove if "stalking" and use when calling predators.
It wears a Tasco 6x24 that may be a little heavy but has never failed me.
Even with all the negative press, I love the .17 Rem. Never experienced problems even when hunting (and living) in the Mojave desert. I outlined an article posing the question "what about the .17" and then they come out with a 17rf.
Last notes: Never lost an animal with it. Carried it on a trapline for opportunity shots. Worked great. Farmers loved it because I had no riccochets. I even used it inside buildings to deal with groundhogs tunnelling in the runways. Hard to find a hole and never had a coyote take a step when hit.
J

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Never do something once you're not willing to do the rest of your life!
www.jeffsdogworks.com

Kevin,

Well, I live in Montana and have a lot of use for a good "walking Varmint" rifle as well as the traditional "heavy sitting varmint rifles." Caliber really has little to do with the definition of a walking varmint rifle as it will be determined more by the game hunted then anything else.

A walking rifle must have a few different characteristics the be concidered a good choice at least this is how I select them.

-Must be very accurate, as with any varmint rifle. Meaning that it must be able to easily exploit the full potential of the round it is chambered for. This could be 75 yards for a 22 Long Rifle or 400 yards for a 22-250, 220 or 243.

-Must be portable. I feel that they should be as heavy as you feel you can comfortably carry on a long hike without getting worn out. I do not like ultra-light rifles for walking varmint rifles as they are more difficult to shoot accurately at extended range.

-Must be quick into action. While I like a little weight in these types of rifles, they still need to be quick handling. This mainly means that long barrels are not that useful. For a 223 class round, 22" is more then enough and the larger rounds, 24" is plenty. When your walking around, you often jump up targets of opportunity at close range, the shorter barrel will be quicker on target.

-Must be plenty powerful for the game hunted. If your hunting coyotes, don;t use a 22 RF Mag. Common sense here.

This is just a small list of things to look for in a good "walking varmint rifle"

Good Hunting!!!

50

Just came back from two days of shooting in western Victoria (Australia). Took two rifles, a Ruger 77VT in 223, and a Remington 700 Classic in 243. Carried the Ruger on the first day, as I was hoping to find a good spot to sit myself down and shoot at the rabbits from a good distance. It got very heavy by the end of the day. Next day carried the Remington, and kept moving all day. Two foxes, plenty of rabbits, and my unbroken back, proved that it was the appropriate rifle.

My walking varminiter is a Weatherby SPM (Super predator Master) in 22-250. The rifles weighs less than 7lbs with scope.

A walking varmint rifle is usually considered to weigh less than 9#'s in hunting form. I suppose if you can carry it and still walk it is a walking varmint rifle! Many of the rifles I build for coyote shooters would be considered "walking" rifles. You can look at some on my web site at www.duanesguns.com

It depends if I am hunting alone or not. When I am with a friend I carry a long range caliber because when it's my turn to shoot I don't want to hear "use my rifle, that .222 is kind of light"!

The rifle I carry the most is a High Wall in .219 Impr. with a 10X Supertargetspot. It has a heavy 26" bbl. I use a wide marksmans sling. I am so used to this rifle that it is not a burden.

When I hunt alone I might carry my M-61 in .22 LR. It has a 6X Leo M-6 on it.

For me, a walking rife is light weight and acurate form un-supported rests. I like the Thoompson contender in 233 and 7mm TCU for this type of shooting. Light and accurate.

Hello All.

My personal definition of a walking rifle for varmints is a rifle that I can carry all afternoon at a liesurely pace and shoot from the off-hand position accurately. I have a Savage F112 single shot in .223 cal that fits the bill quite well. It has a semi-heavy 26" barrel that makes for a very well balanced rifle w/ scope. My Ruger 77/22 in .22 mag fits the bill also.

I guess you could say it's mostly a personal thing.

Happy Hunting

My walking around gun is a TIKKA 223 bedded in a camo stock 22inch barrel. The best off hand shooting gun that I have fired is the thompson contender seems to be made for off hand shooting. I guess anything fro 17rem to 243 will do with barrels from 20inch to 23 for quick target accusation.

I guess my "walking around" varminter would be my Colt AR-15 SP-1 .223 with 3x scope although I never really gave it much thought as such. It is an accurate piece out beyond 200 yards or so, is handy to carry, and fun to shoot.

My "Walk Around The Ranch Rifle" is a Winchester 70 "Classic Stainless" (22" featherweight barrel contour) in 243 Win. A 3x9 Leupold compact is on top in low stainless Weaver rings/mounts. The Winchester featherweight barrel contour (especially in the smaller bores) is not a "pencil barrel" by today's standards... it's really a brilliant compromise that has enough weight to "settle down." In its original "tupperware" factory stock, with an Uncle Mikes "Mountain Sling" and five rounds the whole rig goes 8 lbs. 2 oz's. I'll eventually stock it in fiberglass for a 7 3/4 lb weight... just right. I dislike rifles over 8.5 lbs "all-up" weight as they get HEAVY after slogging over hill and dale all day... LIGHT IS RIGHT for my type of varminting (coyotes and targets of opportunity).

Brad

Mine is being built now. It's a CZ 527 carbine in 7.62 X 39 rebbled to 6 mm PPC with a 2 X 7 Leopold compact. Can't wait.

I started on a new one today.

It will be based on a Rem 700 in ADL(my preference)and be chambered in 25/300WSM. It will wear a PacNor S/S SuperMatch tube,25" in length and in their Mountain contour. It will be twisted 1-10" and have a deep recessed crown. It will be throated to my liking,as the 100gr XLC will be my mainstay for critters.

The stock will be a light filled McMillan in the Remington Mountain Rifle pattern and wear a Decelerator at my LOP. It will have S/S studs(2) in the usual locations and be Desert Camo in color.

I'm leaning towards S/S Gentry bases and rings and it will certainly have a matte Leupold 6x42mm with an elevation turret.

All metal will be matte black teflon,in accordance to the scope. It will be my new "Magic Wand" and I'll likely tote it everywhere,for most everything.

I've multiple rifles of that ilk and very much like the blueprint...............

Bob M., that sounds like a "nifty" rig... nice, practical choice!

Kevin

If you are a VHA member, you no doubt have read Steve Timm's work. He has several Holland M700's that I think epitomize walking varminters. Except maybe for the blue swirl gelcoat stocks!!!

Tim

Bob,

What kind of accuracy did you get with that CZ in 7.62x39? Did you have any problems with it? I am thinking of getting one, that's why I am asking.

Thanks Brad, I'm sure looking forward to getting it finished. DLS, I never shot it in 7.62 X 39. I picked it up and it went straight to the 'smith. I have another just like it that I'm going to rebbl to the 6.5 PPC wildcat. I may get a chance to shoot that one before I take it to the 'smith. I've heard and read here that some folks had trouble with misfires with this rifle in 7.62 X 39. Also heard that CZ recalled all of them and quit making them. Don't know if that's true or not.

I'm going to build my walking varmint rifle next year:

Rem 700 BDL S/A
Pac-Nor #2 contour bbl in 223 or 22-250, 22" length
McMillan Mtn Rifle stock in lite gray/dark gray marble swirl with a black pachmayr pad.
Barreled action & studs finished in KG Gun-Kote matte black
Optics will be Leupold Vari-X III 3.5X10, DD mounts

Should weigh in at around 7.5lbs scoped, empty magazine and less sling. Perfect rifle for walking the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevadas for song dogs and cats w/spots. MtnHtr

Ditto DLS on the CZ.

For a "walking varmint rifle", I don't think you could beat a Bushmaster 16" flat-top H-BAR with a Weaver V10 2-10x50mm scope. As a matter of fact, when I got mine, it took the place of my Rem 700 VSSF 22-250 and my Colt CAR-15!!!

[ 06-08-2002, 07:21: Message edited by: Nebraska ]

There are a lot of good choices, but I�m fond of may old Brno Fox .222 Rem with a B&L 3-9x42. Accurate enough, and deadly for crows, foxes and other vermints out to 200 yds. With proper bullet and shot placement also OK for roe, black grouse and capercaille for meat. If you want to shoot at longer range, it�s also made in .223.

It�s a light weight gun - only 6� pound with scope, but lying with rest on the backpack give all accuracy I want. The set trigger is quite helpful.

Nowadays the gun is called CZ427.

Best regards,

Fritz

For about 5 years now, my 'weapon of choice' has been a little Rem 700VS in .223, w/ a 20" factory barrel. I picked it up from a dealer at a gunshow that claimed that since they were willing to purchase a given # of guns, Remington would make them w/ non-standard barrel configs i.e. non-cataloged. I still have the factory Remington box w/ the sticker on it. A couple years ago, Remington came out w/ the 'LTR' aka Light Tatical Rifle series, basically a PSS (VS w/ mascara) w/ a short barrel for better handling. Had a couple dealers try to sell me one, and mildly flip out when I showed them my gun. It had been marketed as a 'Western Coyote Hunter Special' aka truck gun, nice and compact for pulling out of the gun rack for that coyote that just crossed the dirt road in front of you...

That gun wore a Tasco SS10x42 for the last 4.75 years or so, definitely not up to its full accuracy 'potential', but it was a 'meat' gun. As in anything it got pointed at, inside of 300yds, was dead meat. Now I have an adjustable butt plate (so the better half can use it too), a skim-bed job, and a Weaver V-16 scope for a little better aiming. Still kills anything w/i reasonable range of the cartridge very, very dead. A little heavy, but satisfyingly solid and compact. To each their own.

Monte

When it arrives...

Mine will be my Cooper Classic in .222 Remington. It should weigh about 6.5 with the 3-9 Leupold Compact I'm planning on mounting.

JB, that sounds sweet... almost as nice as my stainless 243 stocked with with "African Walnut" (plastic)!

Just kidding!

Should be a beautiful little rig... congrats!

BA

Thanks Brad,
I don't know what came over me when I ordered the rifle. I took a look at several and finally weakened to the point...well, you know.

I am usually biased toward synthetic stocked, stainless barreled hunting rifles. My favorite .22 rimfire is an Ultra Light Arms Model 20, it goes 6 lbs 3 oz with a 4-12 Leupold. It's a great "walking varminter" for those shorter ranges and operations requiring a quiet rifle.
JB

If Im activley persuing Varmints I like my 223 Handi-Rifle, the little buggers the most accurate rifle I own. If Im just passing time with my 6 year old or something like that I like my Savage mark II 22 lr. Thats my out for fun-n beer can gun..

By definition a wlaking varmint rifle is one that is light evough to actually carry for an extended period of time. The caliber is dependent on your personal shooting abilities at any given range and the critters you will be hunting. I personally like a 6-7lb gun loaded with scope. My primary WV is a Sako L461 action, Hart 1:14 twist #3 taper, in 223ai, in a lightweight McMillan fibergrain stock.
my reasoning is I can comfortably shoot out to 300 yards in a fast field position and rarely hunt anything larger than a coyote.

C'ya
Dr. Michael

Take a look at Darrell Hollands web-site.....the epitome of a "walking varminter"...I think he coined the phrase.

I enjoy toting around my little NEF Handi-Rifle in .223. It's topped by a 1.75X6 Leica scope that works out just fine in the shorter ranges I usually get here in Indiana or back in Missouri.
I'll probably tote it along to NM this fall, just in case I get bored while deer hunting and want to pop some dogs.

I had a 788 Remington reabarreld with a #3 taper Douglas Premium S.S. 1 in 9 twist barrel and chambered for the .223 Rem. Using Sierra 50 grain BlitzKings and N133 powder at 3350 fps it will shot in the .4's all day long and weighs 7 3/4 lbs. Wearing a 3 X 9 Burris compact. Suits my walking needs to a tee.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight....RiverRat

Hi Guys,
my (and my son's) walk around guns are (for me, a Ruger 77MkII RBZ? in 270Win with a Leupold VxII 3-9x40 scope) and for him, a CZ527 in 223 with a 3-9x40 Tasco. That way, we get anything from rabbits to goats to pigs. Works well, and the rifles shoot better than we do! On top of that, we actually get to eat some of what we shoot.
All the best,
Rugeruser.