The Bushmasters Predator in .223 Rem is a 20" version of the BM Varminter (24") but it has a 1 in 8 twist vs the Varminters 1 in 9 twist.

I handled a Varminter at the gun shop yesterday. At 24" and 8.75 Lbs I thought it was just a little long for a calling / carry rifle, but the weight wasn't too bad at all. I really liked the competition trigger which had a 3 1/2 Lb initial pull and a 1 Lb let-0ff.

After handling the Varminter, I'm thinking the Preditor @ 20" and 8Lbs would make an ideal carry / calling rig.

Has anyone gotten one of these new Bushmaster Preditor AR's yet? Anyone got any experience with a Varminter?

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

FS, both are outstanding guns, just a matter of which one suits your needs better. I had a varmiteer and it was a one hole gun, but you can build up a gun that will be just as good if not better for much less.
I like the 24" barrel better for my hunting an a 16" for my walk around gun.
Let us know when you decide and good luck.

I carry a 24" Bushmaster (DPMS upper) and it isn't too bad to carry. A lot of our 'yotes are spot and stalk out here on the Palouse however.
Good luck whichever you decide....


IV

jimmyd223: I've been eyeing one of the Bushmasters for sometime now other than I'm interested in a different caliber than the 223, maybe the 204 ruger or the 6.5 Gendel upper. How would you go about building one cheaper all the combo's I've seen with quality parts would run maybe a little cheaper but not very much. Any suggestions??????

Idahovandal: Nice coyote and rifle!

Save a Coyote.......Kill a Wolf!

bearcat, there are so many options available and you just need to shop around. A good place to look is AR15.com, and check out a few prices and calibers available.
Myself for a ding around gun on a budget, I would go Mega lower and Olympic upper. Keep in mind Olympic's ultra match barrels are some of the best on the market until you step up to Kreiger, Wilson and some of the higher end builders.
Send me a PM if I can help further.

the other thing about putting one together from parts is that you save the 12% tax

jimmyd223
Since this will be my first AR and plan to use it for a calling / carry, I'm thinking the 20" Predator would would be a good comprimise. Being a little shorter should help on the "handling" side without giving up too much velocity.

As far a buy Vs build is concerned my thinking is to get my feet wet with a factory built first and then maybe doing a build it yourself "tatical" type AR later on.

IdahoVandal
Wow...that sure is some prety country up there!!! Nice looking rig too! I hunt NW Arkansas and SW Missouri which is a mixture of cattle country and woodlands. The farms around here are small compared to out west and generally the pastures are along ridge tops and in the valleys with hardwoods along the sides of the ridges, gullies, etc. There are also a lot of large hardwoods areas. So, I'll be hunting a mixture of pastures & hardwoods where the vast majority of shots will be under 300 Yds. No spot & stalk around here.....100% calling.

By the way, what kind of glass do you have on that rig and did you use the 1/2" risers that come with the rifle? What size rings did you use? I use Leupold QRW (Quick Release) rings on my 7mm-08 and have a 3-9x40 scope for hunting and a 6.5-20x50 for range work that I switch out as needed. I would like to be able to do the same thing with the AR.

Also, what is the scope height from the chamber? I realize it is higher than when mounted on a bolt rifle and would like to use the correct height in my ballistics program.

Question
What do you guys think about the 1 in 8 tiwst on the Predator vs the 1 in 9 twist on the Varminter as I would like to be able to shoot as light as 55Grn bullets.

Thanks!!

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

FS you might want to try and find a 20" V-Max, sweet guns and shooters for sure.
1/8 or 1/9 will be fine.

Jimmyd223

Good point!
The points of difference are:
Preditor fluted DCM Competition barrel....Vs chrome lined non fluted barrel
Preditors two stage competition trigger (a big plus)..... std trigger
Preditor vented forend w/bipod stud....Vs non vented forend (both free floated)
Preditor 1 in 8 twist vs 1 in 9 twist
Preditor Hogue grip vs std grip
Preditor 1/2" risers included

There seems to be about a $200 diff in price, but I'm kinda thinking the upgrages might be worth it.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

Got my Bushmaster Predator a few days ago. Indeed, it has a 1:8 chrome-moly 20" barrel and shoots very tight groups out of the box. It sits on a Bushy lower with a JP one stage trigger. I had a Varmiter that shot great. The longer barrel was clumsy to get in and out of our elevated blinds and tree stands and to carry
through the woods.

First shot: It is 2.6" above the line of the bore; I may switch to a rise and lower rings in the future. The scope is a Bushnell 3-9; I have had higher power on it, but a lot of our coyote hunting is spot and stalk (long range shooting) and many times we'll be just walking around and flush them at 50 yards....

IV

IdahoVandal

Thanks a bunch!!! I had been using 3.5" on my ballistics program and kinda felt that might be a bit too high. When you change the scope height in the program it makes big changes in your trajectory.

I plan to put a 3-9x40 or maybe a 3.5-10x50 on mine when I get it, but wouldn't consider going any higher in power than that. A certian amount of hunting will be done in the woods so will need the lower power, wider field of view.

Thanks
firstshot
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Make your first shot count!