What kind of varmint??
They come in numerous sizes & ranges.
Ranging from a few ounces to close to 50 pounds.
And from a few yards to 500+ yards.
And each requires a different caliber for optimum performance.
rc
I agree with this.
Having said that Ill also separate Varmints and Predators. Although both have calibers that overlap.
I like the V-Max bullet for most things but may not be my first choice for a wolf.
The .204 ruger is from what I hear VERY pelt friendly and flat shooting but may not be the right choice for Yotes and long distance in the wind. .223, .22-250 and .220 swift have been getting it done for so long can you go wrong with any of them?
I have had a .223 Vanguard and traded it in on a 6.5 creedmoor for long range youtes and wolves, and also as a back up for deer. I still ave an AR so have the ability to save pelts on yotes and bobcats (hopefully) if needed.
The creedmoor is amazingly accurate at range, bucks the wind and hits hard to drop a yote in his tracks at any distance and should do for any wolf here in Idaho.
I guess the ideal varmint round would be one that is light on recoil, relatively in expensive to shoot, bucks the wind and has down range energy. Pretty hard to choose an ideal. Hard to beat .223/.22-250, .243, .17 HMR etc for availability and ease of acquiring ammo (in normal times) just to name a few. Sure I could use 110gr V-Max in my .270 WSM but how long would the barrel last ad would I want to shoot high volume of it in a sitting? A .338 Win Mag would work too but why? Even if you reload you get very little out of a lb of powder.