I am seriously considering the purchase of a Remington 40-XB in 222 Rem. This is the Rangemaster model with the thunbhole stock. Are there any disadvantages with the repeater version? Also, are there any advantages with a 27 1/4 inch barrel?

It is quite an expensive rifle and i'm just wandering if it is worth buying or spending the money on a custom varmint rifle?

I have never owned a varmint rifle before and your opinions will be appreciated.

I think !! that you would be money ahead to go ahead and get a custom gun built. There are all kinds of differing opinions about Remington's quality control as of late, and considering the money spent, why take the chance? Granting that my experiences of late have been "okay" with Remington, I would still rather have a nice custom barrel in a trued action, in a good stock. Last time I read about a 40X, it was out of square by .008" and the chambers were cut crooked, and this is the best they can do? Get a custom gun done up, and be SURE of what you are getting.

safari_hunter...

Since no one has replied yet, I will, even though I have not owned a 40 series rifle personally...

The deal with varmint rifles is that many are extremely accurate without having to go the custom/semi-custom route. What was it about the 40-XB that drew you? I like your choice of chambering, and that may have something to do with it...there aren't many factory offerings in a varmint .222 configuration. I just bought a mid-80s Remington 700 Varmint Special in .222 that shoots in the .2s, and I have several other newer Remington 700s that shoot under .5" regularly. I shot a .199" 5 shot group with a new 700 in .221 Fireball recently! I am not trying to brag, as there are many other shooters more capable than I, I'm just trying to stress that you don't need to spend the $$$$ for the 40X to get accuracy -- and this isn't just a Remington thing, my Savages are every bit as accurate.

Now, if it was a used 40-XB, and the price was right, I might be tempted (just to have it)... It may make sense from an "investment" point of view (not that most gun ownership is really investment) to purchase the 40-XB over having a custom rifle built. Chances are, if you were to sell it, you'd get a better return on the 40-XB. I don't think that the barrel length will give you a discernable difference over most standard length 26" varmint barrels. Maybe add 50 ft/sec? Nothing to get excited about.

Anyway, my recommendation is to start with a factory varmint rifle at a modest price. For less than the cost of a 40-XB, you could scope it with some decent optics, and even get an aftermarket trigger if you felt it needed it.

Anyone else wanna chime in?

I don't know what the 40X costs, nor have I ever owned one, so no comment on that. What I will say, is that I have experience with Cooper rifles and can offer a strong recommendation for them. They are guaranteed to shoot at least 1/2 moa, and the 22-250 I have consistently shoots in the mid .3's with the four different bullets I've tried in it. This rifle gave me my best ever 3-shot group of .068 at 100 yds. Look at gunsamerica.com for a good selection and some pretty good prices without having to wait the 9 months or more for an ordered rifle.

The 27 1/2 barrel in the 40x is a thing from the past when they made a light and heavy BR model. I think the 10.5 lb rifle had a 20 1/2" barrel and the heavy the 27 1/2". My 40x 222 came with 2 test targets both 5 shot groups were in the low .2's and the 6mm Rem 40x were in the high .2's. Had a 40x 223 and groups were in the mid .2's friend wanted that rifle. I've only had one 40x in a repeater and was a 308. I'm old school so like the single shot better and 2oz trigger. I think the 40x now are pricey and are pretty close to what a custom would cost. If it was me I'd talk to a gunsmith and find out how much and time frame. I think your headed in the right direction as to caliber and wanting a good rifle. I own four 222 and one 222AI plus one 223 and two 223AI and if I was going to built a varmit rig I'd look at the 223AI with a 1/14 twist barrel with 50/52 gr bullets. Nice thing about the 223AI is you can shoot varmits with your fireform loads at least I do. I found that I get about 100 yds over the 222 in range. With the 1/14 twist and good BR bullets shooting at paper I get groups in the low 2's mine kind of does double duty. There are other caliber equally as good but for cheap everyday shooting it's hard to beat the 222 and 223. Well good luck and keep us posted!