The AR-15 has generated such a myth, or stigma if you will of being an inaccurate and "toy" rifle by people who have probably never even considered the gun or shot one. I found the AR/M16 accuracy potential in the Marine Corps where I found myself shooting 10 for 10 at the 500 yard line, putting all my shots within a 10-12" circle. And that was with iron sights on a issue surplus rifle handled by thousands of recruits before me, cleaned with two piece guide rods. I will say this about the AR-15: IT IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST VARMINT RIG! Calling in coyotes? If you consider a good calling gun one that is lightweight, sub moa accurate, minimal recoiling, ergonomic, extremely practical to carry in the field, and suiting a vast availability of sighting configurations, then the AR-15 will certainly be the rifle you want.



The same features that make the AR-15 ideal for combat make it ideal for varminting. You take the "tactical to practical".



RRA varminter, or even a standard, no frills 20" AR will do the job. BTW, I have a brass cathcer and it works great. Keeps the brass from hitting my windshield.



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I have tried a few, Colt, Bushmaster and DPMS.
The Bushmaster varminter is my favorite. They have a 1-9" twist and prefer a 60 gr V-max moly. The Colt H-bar has a 1-7" twist and prefered a 50 gr V-max non-moly. I don't use match bullets. They are for paper, not PD's. The Colt is as accurate as the Bushmaster, but it is not a flat-top so the scope is mounted very high.
The AR platform is gas operated and does get very dirty after prolonged use. Not a problem to keep clean with a brush and a bit of brake cleaner or equivilent product.
I have found that I can keep the action much cleaner by soaking the bolt and carrier overnight in Hoppes #9, scrub and rinsing with carb cleaner (dries fast) and only lubricating by using just a bit of moly-slide on the cam pin and just a touch of oil on the carrier wear spots. Too much oil and it turns into a caked on mess.
Keep some spare parts handy, cam pin and firing pin retaining pin. The cam pin will wear a bit and the FP retaining pin is easy to lose if you are not careful.
10 round magazines are the norm, but old US 20 rounders are best. 30's are just too long to use from a bench or hood of vehicle. If you don't want to miss out on the action, pre-ban Beta-C 100 rnd drums can be found and work well from a vehicle hood.
Brass catchers work. I like the bag type that velcros around the handguard. Easier to take off and empty.
AR's are great shooters that will last a very long time with a bit of care.
Muzzle brakes can be had but are louder.

The AR can make a great varmint rifle. I use an AR with a 1-14 barrel for P-dogs, you can't beat it for the under 300 yard shots, particularly when you get an active town with lots of dogs. With a decent barrel it is not hard at all to get an AR to average around a half minute. The ease of changing uppers, and the relatively low cost of additional uppers make it very versitile.

If you want accuracy stay away from the chrome limed barrels, and if you are only using it for small varmints get a slow twist barrel for the best performance from lighter bullets. The heavy 69-80 gr bullets might shoot fine, but they have a thick jacket.

John

white oak precision

Guys...

Thanks for the replies...from them and my research today, it looks like the Bushmaster Varminter would be a good (maybe the best?) choice for my purposes. Point taken about the balance of the rifle...I think the chrome moly steel fluted barrel might be a good compromise.

I enjoy my AR's more for varmint hunting than my bolt guns...and if the AR's I have don't produce sub 1/2 I wouldn't even consider them...but they easily do and I am using Colt and Bushmaster.....
20 to 24 inch barrels are good choices but one thing I notice depending on how you intend to shoot...since you can buy a AR in just about any barrel config., you need to consider how you intend to shoot and how far to carry. I has one of the DPMS super bulls that was a 1/4" AR, but with it's big heavy bbl, it was pretty front heavy and heavy in general...a medium weight not over 24 and possibly 20 (which is what I mostly use for varmint) works well, carry's well and balances well....and shoot sub half no problem....1/9 is a good general purpose twist....and I have found that the fast twist bbls, stabilize/shoot 40 gr. bullets just fine if not better than many of the heavier bullets. There have been some interesting articles on the lighter weight bullets like the Nosler 40 showing superlative accuracy and my AR's generally shot them very well.

I have one that was pieced together. I wont do that again. Nothing but problems. wont feed. Have to cycle the bolt after each round. acts like its not getting enough pressure. But the accuracy makes it worth all the fuss. been using Black Hills 60 gr v-max. If I get to do it all over again. I will go with a DPMS hi-rider with a heavy 20 inch barrel. They have a taller sight rail, no forward assist, and no ejection port door(crap that is not needed when shooting P-dogs). i would also recommend getting a good trigger. My outfit has 6-24x burris on it which is over kill. most shooting is done at 12x and maybe cranked up to 16 for some longer stuff. i think that ar's are a lot more fun to shootinside 300yds. than any of my bolt rifles. I am still dreaming of getting the chance to shoot at a running coyote.

I don't want to hijack Nebraska's thread, but I thought I'd start this one since it is more specific. I am intrigued with the idea of an AR for a varminter. I still don't think that an AR in full heavy varmint config would make a good calling rifle, but I like the idea for prairie dog and target shooting. I think it would be neat to shoot one amidst all the "mundane" bolt guns...

Having never before been seriously attracted to the AR platform -- kinda thought they more appealed to the teenager who wanted a cool looking gun, with little regard for accuracy -- I now know that several factory offerings are capable of excellent accuracy. The issue of brass being ejected into the weeds could be solved by a brass catcher, I guess, right? Anyone use them in the field?

So, for those with AR varminting experience...please regale me with your experiences. Is there one platform that is better as a whole (package, finish, function, trigger, etc.)? Do you prefer to cobble your own together? In looking at used models, are there obvious mechanical signs to check that act as a warning? Most seem to have 1:9 twist rates...what are you using for bullet weights, and what is giving the best accuracy?

P.S. I know about the ar15.com forum, but I'd really appreciate the opinions of varminters/reloaders.

As stated, the AR platform is usually amazingly accurate. My first AR, a Colt, was more accurate than any bolt gun I had ever tweaked (a new Cooper put the AR back in 2nd place).
As for finding your brass, a coil or two off the ejection spring will have your brass in a neat pile right next to you. This was learned and used by members of our HighPower Club, almost all reloaders.
Just up to the individual to decide how much to spend on for upgrades!

I've long touted the AR as the finest varmint rifle out there. I went through everything from Rem 22-250's to long, custom 220 Swifts for my primary varmint/truck rig. Once I purchased the Bushmaster 18-inch V-Match, it became the only .22 caliber center fire I've owned for over 5 years.

It's very short and handy (for getting out the truck window, or moving through brush. It's heavy enough to make a stable platform. It shot 3/8" groups with Fed Premium ammo when new (all I've shot through it sense was bulk 55 gr softpoints-still around 1-1.25 MOA and CHEAP).

I use GI issue steel Colt 20 rd mags. I think they're the best thing out there, IMO.

The triggers usually suck, but some aftermarket ones are truly amazing. I can't go on enough...from big Texas coyotes at 100 yards to Dakota P-dogs at 400, the AR has been my constant stand-by when shooting anything smaller than deer/hogs.

One more bit of advice...don't get one with a break. Your buddies will hate you, and there's not much noticable change in recoil.

Give one a try...you'll love it.

Yes, I just learned about the muzzle brake thing the hard way...

I just sold a Contender in .223 that had a Muzzle Tamer barrel on it. It was accurate, but I hated the noise and the concussion that was directed back at my face from the brake. It did lessen the recoil a bit (not like we are talking about a lot of recoil to begin with), but I noticed that I started flinching before firing it...not worth it...

So when are you getting your AR?

Heh heh...

I left a message earlier today with a guy selling one with about 200 rounds down the pipe...he didn't call back yet, and if I don't hear from him tomorrow, I may have to head to my local shop and place the order for a new one...

Living up to my handle...got_the_bug...geez...in my mind I have already scoped and started accessorizing the thing!

Do yourself a favor and stay away from the Bushmaster varminter. For very little more $ than a factory rifle you can get a good upper with a SS barrel in whatever twist and configuration you want. If you must go with a factory varminter the RRA is probably the best once you get it recrowned. You can get a good varmint upper at the link below.

John

White Oak Armament

Hey Gasgunner I got one of the 24" RRA Varminter's and it shoots great and for me to shoot this good I would call it fantastic. With my reloads it'll do 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch at 100 yds. The crown looks perfect on mine even under magnification. Did they have a quality control problem, I think everybody does from time to time. I got one of their Natl. Match Trigger kits and had John at W.O. to take it down to 3.5# and boy does he know his stuff, it is so sweet and smooth as well as crisp. I'll definitely second your vote for the RRA.

Steve E.....

I just returned from a two day P-dogging trip and tried a Bushmaster Varminter that my friend had along. Even though he didn't have the best scope, in my opinion (2x - 10x), the thing was wonderful. He plans on putting on a 6 - 20 something in the future. He tried the prone bipod for one day, then purchased a sitting one and liked it much better.

Just as I was leaving he asked me if I wanted to shoot it. We found some dogs well beyond 300 yards. With the light recoil (and a light rifle!) it was easy to see where I was hitting and on the third or fourth pull I was rewarded with a verticle of about 3 feet, with a gainer and half twist, got to see it all!

Amazing. I want one.

gasgunner...



Why do you say to stay away from the Bushmaster Varminter? That is actually the first negative comment I have heard about the rifle in all of my research on the Net. I am interested to hear your full opinion...



Steve E...



I suspect that gasgunner (aka. John), may be the very John from White Oak that did your trigger job...all the more reason for me to value his opinion!

Good to see you lurking John.

Listen to Gasgunner, he is the finest AR gunsmith in the country right now. I have 2 of his service rifle uppers, everyone on the State Service Rifle team does too, if there was better we would buy it.

He will make you a rifle just the way you want it for your purposes out of the finest components and not break the bank on you. You WILL be happy with it and it will be scary accurate and work right every time.

He puts them together just right and tests each one. I believe that once you are using good parts and barrel blanks the only variable to making a sub 1/2 moa AR is the skill of the chambering and assembly and John has that nailed.

Bushmaster uses decent components, but there barrel quality leaves a bit to be desired, and there contour selection is not the best. They do not have any good SS barrels available, and all there barrels are basically standard H-bar contour. For a P-dog gun I like something a little heavier and longer, for a coyote gun I like something short and light for manuverability. They also do not have a trigger worth owning.

Thanks for the kind words Kevin. I enjoy building Varmiters sometimes to, gives me a little change of pace from all the service rifles.

John