Ok guys, as i have posted before, i am in the market for a long range varmint cartridge. I am currently using my father's 7mm RM with 120gr BT's with great results, however the time has come for me to buy my own long range rifle. I have done some research and had located a 6/.284 but it wasn't quite what i wanted. I want a rifle that will cause the groundhogs to sommersault at 400+. I had looked at a Savage 112bvss in 25-06 for this purpose however i have not heard of anyone shooting one in this caliber to see how it shot. I am open to pretty much anything, and would prefer something new. I already have a .22-250 that shoots great so that will fill the bill under 350-400. The 6.5mm/284 is also appealing to me, however i don't want to be able to shoot a bullet that will expand very rapidly and "leave em' scattered" as with the v-max. I need something that will dope the wind pretty good as well. Thanks for any input you can give me...looking to get this thing off the ground before spring gets here.
Thanks,
Simon

Ruck- get a heavy barreled 243 and have it punched to 243AI. You wont be dissapointed.-Mike

Ruck, the 25-06 is one fine caliber for 400 yards and on out. Any of the 75gr offerings are a lot of fun, one of my favorite though is the speer 87gr spitzers. Start at 400 yards and go on out.

Ruck,

I liked the way you listed what you have now. So many times we advise something to find out that they already have it.

A 6mm can be a long range varmint cartridge. There are plenty of good bullets and one does not need an oddball. The 243 and 6mm Rem will do it.

However you don't have a big game rifle for both yourself and your dad. Therefore a 25-06 on up will do it better when the big game the quarry.

I would get a 270 regular or magnum next.

Well, sounds like you have done your homework on this one.

I would recommend either a 6mm Remington or a 25-06.

I own a 6mm Remington that is very accurate and plenty of gun for long range shooting. Mine wears a 6.5 X 20 Leupold and while shooting off the Harris bipod I have shot prairie dogs in excess of 750 yards. But, at those kinds of ranges the terminal performance is not dramatic.
Stuff dies, for sure, but it's not the same as when you shoot them at 300 or 400 yards.

On the other hand, I also own a 25-06. It is on it's second barrel because I used it to shoot lots of varmints as well. The current barrel has shot rock chucks (same thing as a ground hog) at better than 500 yards and some coyotes at that distance. The performance has been good at those kinds of distance.

I guess for rock chucks at a distance I would prefer the 25-06. It just seems to whack them a little better. My 25-06 is extemely accurate and since you already shoot varmints with a 7mm Rem Mag you should not notice the recoil.

The 25-06 will be harder on barrels, but if you do not over heat it they will last a long time.

I also second the 6mm Rem choice. Look at one with a 1 in 7 twist and you can take advantage of bullets like the 105 and 115 grain Berger Match bullets. Although a 6.5mm fan, I prefer the 6mm Rem with the fast twist. If you go with a 6.5 x 284, the Nosler 100 grain Ballistic Tip is an exploder on small game at long range. I shoot that in a 260 Rem at 3460 fps.( 26 inch barrel).

The idea someone had about a 25 Short Ultra Mag also intrigued me alot. I am thinking seriously about that one in rebarreling a Ruger VT.
Cheers and Good luck.

Savage,
thanks for the reply. We do have several other rifles, i have just listed the primary varmint hutning rifles. As for deer hunting rifles, i have a remington 7400 30-06, a Browning BAR Safari in 7mm RM. I'm looking for more of a specialized rifle i suppose solely to shoot varmints with but perhaps the occasional long range deer and i think that the 25-06 would fit the bill fantastically. I will not be shooting it all that much, maybe 400-500 rounds a year would be a LOT. There just aren't as many groundhogs around here as there are prariedogs out west Thanks guys, yall have been a big help
Ruck

I would check out the new 25 WSSM by Winchester which is supposed to match 25-06 velocities but in a super short action. My long range varmint rifle is chambered in 6mm-284 built on a Voerre action. It came to me chambered in the 243 Win but just wasn't enough velocity for my liking. The 6mm-284 was the best choice to rechamber it too at the time. I was shooting 100gr Nosler Partitions @ 3300fps, 90gr Barnes X's @ 3450fps and 70gr Nosler Ballistic Tips at over 3600fps.

I am having a Savage 112BVSS converted to a switch barrel, it is a .25-06 now and I am getting a barrel in 6.5-284 as well. Look at sharpshootersupply.com for info. If you have a savage, you have a large pick of calibers and you can switch them relativley quick! I will let you know how it does, I should get it back some time in Feb or March....I love my Remingtons, but these savages are growing on me! I also have a 12BVSS in .22-250...I love it!

Ruck, are you buying over the counter or building from scratch?

The 6.5/.284 ain't chopped liver, and as fond as I am of the 1/4 bores it would be a fair bit better. It gives you the choice of red mist or not depending on bullet choice, and some of those choices come with excellent BC's. That's kinda important when the range gets longish.

The 6mm's are bad either but I've always had a phobia about 'em. Try www.wildcatshooting.com for a few questions. bunch of long range shooters hang out there.

You ever read the Varmint Hunter Magazine? If so, look for ads by Gordy Gritters of Pella, Iowa. He knows a few things about it too...

Dan,
i'm planning on going over the counter, however i can also build from scratch. I am just looking around to see what is out there. I don't mind paying a few dollars if the savage rifles are good quality. I will look into the things you aforementioned. Thanks again,
Ruck

Ruck,

"I want a rifle that will cause the groundhogs to sommersault at 400+."

That's a pretty tall order. I'd suggest that your minimum cartridge that will do that will be a 6.5-284 and wouldn't blink at a 300WSM. In fact something closer to the top end of that scale might be necessary.

My idea of a long range varmint cartridge is either a 6-284 or 6.5-284 but then I'm not looking to carry nearly as much energy at the terminal end as you. I prize my shoulder too much...

$bob$

Ruck,

I'll cast my vote for the 25-06. Mine performs very well out to 400 yds, and if I get a shot over 400 yds, I'll tell you how it worked there too!!

I have to admit that my 25-06 is far too heavy for packing around the woods. It's more a "picnic gun"...you know, pack a lunch, find a shade tree, and scope the fields.

Ruck,
I have a 25-06 in 112FVSS which is the synthetic version. I do not care for the clunky laminated stock, however I do not know if you can still get the 25-06 in this version or not, but you want the heavy 26" barrel.

First I adjusted the factory trigger till I got it where I wanted it, then bedded the action for a tight fit and 1" of the barrel, filled the hollow forearm with epoxy for maximum stiffness, and epoxied a 1lb lead weight in the buttstock to perfectly balance the rifle for the occasional off-hand shot.

I have fiddled with the lighter bullet weights with good success, but find the best loads for long range work are 100 grain boattails in either Sierra or Ballitic tip form -- which ever is most accurate in your rifle.

If you use 58 grains of RL22 with said 100 grain pills you will be pushing near 3500 fps in a 26" barrel. With quality optics this load will absolutely smoke hogs considerably beyond 400 yards -- if you can hit them.

This same load will do very well on deer for the same type of sniping.

If you want the ultimate reach for hogs, then go with the 115 Berger VLD.

This combo is pretty hard to beat unless you go to a wildcat or the 257 Weatherby.

thanks guys..yall have been a big help...looks like i might just be going with the 25-06 here...but if i run across a good cheap 6.5x284, i'll definitely give it a shot
Thanks again,
Ruck