Would caliber do you recommend to a beginner in the world of varminting? Assume the intended quarry are - praire dogs, coyotes, feral cats, crows..17 HRM.222 or .222 mag.223 Rem.22-250.204

22-250 is really good. Very accurate round, good for long range shots, easy availibility of ammo(tons of factory choices, if you don't handload). The 223 is another good choice, it my not have the range of the 22-250 but you can get ammo nearly everywhere.

I would recomend the 223 just because ammunition and components are so much cheaper and easier to find.

The 223Rem is such a natural...

Light recoil, less muzzle blast, cheap to feed...

my ONLY Varmint rifle at this time is a 223Rem.

AllanD

Not a good idea to lump the 222 and 222mag together. The 222mag is a little faster than the 223. The 222 is slower than the 223. I vote for the 223 for the reasons the other guys pointed out. I am a 222 shooter myself, however, just because my rifle happens to be very accurate. 223's can be just as accurate though.

Yeah the .223 is the one especially for a beginner for the reasons already mentioned. I just killed a big male coyote this morning with my Mini 14 at about 275 yards or so-unlucky song dog!

A more accurate rifle than the mini would have been more sure but that is what I was carrying. And the 50g TNT worked well.

Get a good bolt action .223-Savage, Stevens, Rem, Ruger or Win and you will be set. Plateau Hunter

For a beginner I feel that the .223 is probably the most cost effective to shoot and enjoy. I have one that I like to shoot. But, my personal favorite for varmints is not on your list. I like the .243Win. because I handload and have a dual purpose cartridge for varmints and big game hunting.

Well, you knew this was coming...a beginner should have one of each . All are fine rounds, and in fact I take all of these out with the exception of the 222 mag, the 223 is the choice for a newbie due to the wide range of factory ammo.

.223 is the way to go. Good luck.

I would have to agree with the .223, but I'm really beginning to like my .204.

223 WSSM

quote:

MajorCaliber
one of us

Posted 08 February 2006 20:46
223 WSSM

MC,
That is definetly a varmint slayer ....but for a beginer? Too pricey and hard to find compared to .223 rem. Ammo that expensive would definetly scare me away if I did not reload.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I would recomend the 223 just because ammunition and components are so much cheaper and easier to find.

Frank said it all.

223 for all the reasons stated above, cheap ammo, accurate, does the job.

No question 223. As all the other guys have stated. Once you get the bug, and a little experience, you can go up or down in caliber, as you choose.

Jerry

As you can tell the obvious favorite for your selection is the .223. This would be especially true if you are in the eastern part of OK. If out in the western part, you may want to give some thought to the 22-250. Noise won't be as big a factor and the added velocity and range would be appreciated. However, that said, I still think your best choice is the 223. Learn to shoot it and then you will know what you will want in the next rifle

I voted 204 thinking about what my desires would be if I were to choose one of those cartridges listed for my one and only varmit rig, but after seeing the results I've got to admit that with the cost factored in that the 223 is a damned attractive round!

If the beginner is a handloader , or ready to start , I would have zero qualms recommending a .204 . Of course , for the non-handloader the 223 is the only way to go.......

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I would recomend the 223 just because ammunition and components are so much cheaper and easier to find.

Just what components do you have difficulty finding for which choice? That's not a valid issue for any of the listed choices. If cheap ammo is the only consideration go with the 17 or the .223. If you are a handloader then take your pick as all are excellent choices. My pick and personal favorite would be the .222. Same performance as the .223 and a definite edge in accuracy. I never shoot factory ammo so it's an easy choice for me however if I did shoot factory I would opt for the 22-250. Ammo is relatively cheap and with the exception of the .204 it has no peers in the choices given. Jim

Any of those choices are fine but if you are going to shoot a lot .223 is the only way to go.I can buy ammo so cheap I rarely reload the 223 its just not worth my time.w/regards

If I ever got rid of my 220 swift or 243 I would go with the 22-250. Nice flat shooter and if ya run out of shells ya can usally find some at the closest ammo store.

Al

quote:

Originally posted by Jim White:

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I would recomend the 223 just because ammunition and components are so much cheaper and easier to find.

Just what components do you have difficulty finding for which choice? That's not a valid issue for any of the listed choices. If cheap ammo is the only consideration go with the 17 or the .223. If you are a handloader then take your pick as all are excellent choices. My pick and personal favorite would be the .222. Same performance as the .223 and a definite edge in accuracy. I never shoot factory ammo so it's an easy choice for me however if I did shoot factory I would opt for the 22-250. Ammo is relatively cheap and with the exception of the .204 it has no peers in the choices given. Jim

1000 once fired .223 brass $26 or less. Now try to find a 1000 once fired .222 cases.

Now a .222 is close to a .223 but if you look the data over it's at least 100 fps slower after you get above 40 Gr. bullets. I know I shoot them both.

Would seem a varmint hunter either reloads or has so much money that ammo expense not a concern---in that case buy one of each.

Other than the relative availability of ammo.......why run around backward with the choices listed??

Get a Swift and be where you need to be right off the bat.

quote:

223 WSSM

Uh, that's NOT a major caliber. Look to the .45-120-3-1/4"...THAT'S a major caliber.

1000 once fired .223 brass $26 or less. Now try to find a 1000 once fired .222 cases.

Now a .222 is close to a .223 but if you look the data over it's at least 100 fps slower after you get above 40 Gr. bullets. I know I shoot them both.[/QUOTE]

Why would I want to buy used brass for any price when I can buy Lapua at Sinclair or Bruno's and have the best there is? If I had to pinch pennies to reload I believe I would find a hobby I could afford like an ant farm or something. And as far as the velocity issue goes 100 fps means nothing to me. It doesn't make a damn bit of difference how fast you miss something! Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Jim White:
Why would I want to buy used brass for any price when I can buy Lapua at Sinclair or Bruno's and have the best there is? If I had to pinch pennies to reload I believe I would find a hobby I could afford like an ant farm or something. And as far as the velocity issue goes 100 fps means nothing to me. It doesn't make a damn bit of difference how fast you miss something! Jim

Well Jim I don't miss. These aren't for Benchrest they are for hunting. The difference will buy me 8 pounds of powder plus. I load that many rounds to go hunting PD's.

I'll save the Lapua for my 6PPC and Benchrest shooting. When you get down to quality brass you are hunting for .1's of inches in accuracy or less. Unless you are shooting Bench rest most folks are just looking for MOP (Minute of Prairie Dog) accuracy anyhow.

I know 100 fps means nothing to you but I used a very conservative figure. If you look at 40 gr. loads it's really more like 200 + fps. Saying that I do use a .222 and I enjoy it.

An example out of Nosler 4
.222 4o Gr highest MV 3540 fps
.223 4o Gr highest MV 3812 fps

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

Assume the intended quarry are praire dogs, coyotes, feral cats, crows.

From 1973 until 2000 I had a Sako .222R/mag and only 100 cases from the first ammo purchase. Loaded those same cases til the barrel went to hell. Sure was a PITA to only have 100 rounds when in a p/dog town miles from home.

When this gun was rebarreled it was chambered for .223 since the range I belong to has lots of .223 shooters that don't even pick up their brass.

Since then, I've got more than a 5 gallon bucket full of brass and process/load as I feel like it. Once they are loaded, they go into another bucket for whenever I get around to go shooting. Most times I take a 50 cal ammo can full and seldom run out even when there's several of us shooting.

How many cases do I have? Don't have a clue, I measure/count them by the depth of the bucket.

My two favorite loads are: 40gr V max @ 3650 w/25gr AA2200. Second most favorite and the one I shoot 95% of the time on Pd's is 55gr, same load, unless I happen to use 4895. This makes a touch over 3000fps. Same 25gr of powder.

This 40gr load has put ten shots in .260" when I was sorting bullets to find the most accurate. I use this for a fur load on coyotes, or p/dogs among livestock where it must never ever richochette.

The .40gr will almost never exit a coyote, they will blow a small fox up though. The 55gr will nearly always exit a coyote and blow holes thru the fur bad enough it's seldom worth keeping. When we hunt them in the winter, we keep the furs, in summertime or any other time it dont' matter what happens to them long as they are dead.

Anyone wanting about 500 .222RMag cases send me an e'mail, georgeld@hotmail.com, I'll make you a deal.

George