Fritz 454---You pretty much have everything already covered. Anything else would almost be duplication. Besides at barrel life of only 750 you can rebarrel to something else real soon anyways. So this year fill the real hole in your arsenal,get a nice adult air rifle. Don't laugh. I'm not talking a kid's bb gun. You can get lots of practice year around. There are bound to be pest type birds in your area. You can target practice in your basement if you have such. You can shoot them in many backyards. I have purple martin houses and with them comes sparrows---some starlings and grackels. That is a built in supply of targets,year around. Go to the air gun board here and you can get recommendations. I'll give one---put the Leupold 3x-9x compact with EFR(extended focus range)scope on it. This scope focuses down to 10 meters--typical scopes don't focus as close as you want on an airgun.

Thanks for the help. I think I'm going to get a 204 Ruger in a #1 and then build myself a 6.5-284.
I really have no holes in my arsenal at all. Even the air rifles and pistols are covered. The only thing about getting on a good dog town is how fast you can heat up a barrel so the more guns you have with you the longer you can keep shooting while the others cool down. I usually take along a minimum of a dozen rifles, sometimes 25 or more. It's great practice to shoot dogs with your deer rig or even the really big bores 458s and up.

John

Thanks for all the input so far. It sounds likethe 204 is a real winner. My only concern is that it is really not a 500 yd plus gun. That may not be a problem as I think about it there are very few over 500 yd shots I take but I have shot some at over 1000 yds with the 220 swift, 7 stw and the 50 bmg.

ANd as far a bleading last summer I took my newely finished 600 Overkill to a gopher killing field for fun and testing. Shot up a number with some 900 gr pills @ 2200 fps. This is certainly a short range rig thou.

Thanks for the replies,
John

For long range I think I would favor the 22-250 over the .204. There are a lot of VLD and other long range bullets in .22 cal. Not so much in .20. Shooting my Cooper 22-250 with 52 gr JLK LD bullets I have shot many sub 1/2 MOA groups at ranges out to 650 yds. I plan to have this rifle rebarrelled after next PD season with a faster twist to accomodate the 75 gr A-Max's and the 80 gr JLK VLD's.

I'd say you've got a hell of a deal going with the guns for Christmas. Imagine this, coming downstairs Christmas morning and seeing this fricken huge 50 caliber BMG under the tree!!!!

I can only give you options, from what I know from experience:
.22 HORNET is a fine varment rifle with a 45 grain bullet, out to 150 yards.
.222 Remmington is extremely accurate.
.223 Remmington is a civilian version to the AR-15 military round. It is not quite as accurate at the 222.
What you choose will have to be chosen with what you intend to hunt and aat what distance.

Hey Dan,

You were back in my old stomping grounds. We did a lot. I mean a lot of work with Grumman at their Bethpage facility and was even in on some of the testing out east of there at Peconic River where the engine tests were made for the F-14 engines. It seems like a life time ago.

Now instead of Grumman its Northrop Grumman Company and there are a number of people I know over there that are not happy about the switch. I just got done with a NGC audit oh how much fun can you have at one time.

I trust the LIRR is running fine thanks to dedicated people like you. I would guess that several million use the LIRR every day.

Don't forget if you are ever out here again we've got to get together. This time maybe some range time and a good steak for dinner. I'm going with the .204 so we can test drive that one.

I want to do a switch barrel on the 223 case. I've really got the locking mechanism worked out and you can change the barrel and scope combination and get less than a .25 shift in POI for the smaller bores. On the bigger stuff (over .458) I see about a .5" shift and these changes don't appear to be cumulative at all.

John

I am getting a new varmint rifle for Christmas from my mother and brother. Not too bad. I've gotten one from them every year since I turned 18. That was 23 years ago and has helped be keep the arsenal going. I've got all of the big bores covered and most of the medium bores as well. What I could use is a good long range varmint rig for those hot days on a good dog town. I currently have:
17 rem mag
Several fully tricked out Ruger 10-22 in 22 RF
Win 52
A couple of older marlins in 22 RF
A Ruger 77-22wrf
A Ruger 10-22wrf fully worked over
A 22 hornet
A few 223 (one Win hbss barrel win, an AR-15, a contender barrel and a custom based on a Remington action)
A 220 swift win hbss
A 257 Roberts
A 6mm rem mag
A 7mm stw
A Mac bros 50 bmg for the reaaaaly lonnng shots
I want a really good long range toy. I was thinking of the new .204 ruger or a 22-250. I'm also considering 25-06, a 6.5-06, 25stw, 6.5 stw or even a good 308.
I have no aversion to wildcatting and am not worried about barrel life as long as I can get over 750 shots from the barrel. Any suggestions welcome.

I think I've got all of the close range things covered out to 300 yds pretty well and I really have coverage to well over 650 yds with my 7mm stw but the big case heats up fast and having another one, or something like it, would keep me in the game longer. The 50 is really fun but it's a competition gun and I don't like putting too many down the barrel but it is fun and can make hits over 1000 yds possible.
Anyway, please offer up any sugestions you have.
Thanks,
John

Well i asked a simular question you can see my thread on small calibers what varmit caliber? there is alot of info.As far as the suggestions you list i would be in a toss btween the 204 and the 25stw being what you already have.i have to do research on the 25stw.My situation is a little different being i don't have a good varmit rifle but you have some nice ones already.Well good luck and let us know what the decision is

.204 Ruger or 22-250, flip a coin.

Fritz454: I think you had better just mention to your benevolent loved ones that you want to try one of the nifty new 204's that everyone is raving about!

I am so impressed with my two new Varminters in 204 Ruger caliber that I could just ramble on about them for a long time!

I won't at this time though!

Just check the trajectory (flat!) and the speeds (less wind drift!) of the bullets from this cartrtidge and I think you will be looking forward to 400 and 500 yard shots out in your favorite Prairie Dog Town! Remember with a heavy Rifle you will be able to spot your own shots most of the time!

I have the 26" heavy barreled Ruger 77/VT in 204 and the 26" heavy barreled Remington 700 VLS and they are both VERY accurate with both factory ammo and now my handloads are really chugging along! These barrels are slowish to heat up by the way!

Small powder charges and easy on brass are just a couple of the attributes of this new cartridge!

Yeah visualize a Prairie Dog out there about 450 yards and he is peeping incessantly at you! He is also smart enough to be "bridged" across his den mouth with just his head showing above the rim of the mound as he chirps his warnings! You hunker in and hold just a tad into the wind and just a tad above the head (for distance compensation! Now squeeze that trigger and don't blink at the muzzle blast! Just watch for that Varmints head to "red mistify"!

I did just this very shot in late August of this year with my new Remington 204!

You just can't see your own hits from this type of shot with those other "long range" cartridges you mentioned like the 25/06, 7mm STW, 308 Win., 50 BMG or even the 6mm Remington!

Yeah I do consider the 204 Ruger a "long range" cartridge! But then again I consider 500 yards a very long shot (and I do own a Leica Laser Rangefinder so I know when a shot really IS 500 yards!).

Good luck with which ever caliber you choose!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

PS: I am presently "up for adoption" if your mom or brother are looking for another relative to bestow their love upon! And I think I can have the paperwork done in time for this Christmas! And I have my Christmas wish list one of the new Remington XP-100 actioned Varmint Rifles in 204 Ruger!

Like you said, you already have the short and most of the mid range covered. The 204 and 22-250 are mid range cartridges to me (~400 yards). For the 500 yards and above shooting I'm building a 6.5-284. This gives me the advantage of factory brass and loaded ammunition (If I ever buy factory ammo) in a proven long range cartridge.

fritz,



You don't have a 6 mm and it's a superb varmint caliber. There is a 6mm Rem Mag listed but it must be a typo.



Read this link to 6 mm BR and see if this interests you.

VarmintGuy,

That prairie dog is out there 450 yards per your rangefinder and you can hear him? Peeping at you?

How can a man own so many firearms and not have a .22-250?
I think you may have been deprived! I own 13 firearms myself and none give me the pleasure of my .22-250. There's just something about the caliber that makes owning one a joy. It's usually quite accurate, will really reach out and touch what you're shooting at and is not considered a finicky caliber. Just one mans opinion.

Cal - Montreal

George,
I'm in the mists of doing a switch barrel gun using the 30-06 as the parent case. I'll end up with barrels in 25-06, 6.5-06, 270, 280, 30-06 and 35 Whelan when I'm done.
I've also got two other switch barrel projects in the works. One based on the 375 H&H the other on full length 378 wby brass. I've got them all chambered, headspace and recoil lugs fitted where appropriate.
Since this is a gift I didn't want to get into the really big dollars. A factory rifle of some kind that would be fun and fill a small need.

I do have one 22-250 that is out of service until I get time to put a new barrel on it. I also have a 257 wby in the same shape. I shot out both barrels over the past two years on dogs and gophers. Groups run 1.5" at 100 yds. Hardly good enough for rat prairie poodle control.
John