My ideal varmint rifle may have never existed in regular production.

[BringHomeTheBacon]

It would look like a Husqvarna Model 3000 Crown Grade with Mauser 98 action.
It would be chambered in .22-250 or preferably .223 Remington. Maybe even a 5.56 NATO option would be available. It would have a checkered walnut position stock and blued steel. It would have a chrome-lined heavy barrel and be free-floated. It would be European made. Does this sound like something you need an expensive custom rifle builder to be commissioned for? I like centerfire 22 calibers for serious varmint rifles. I don't know if any rimfire which can match the range, accuracy and deadliness for 300+ yard woodchucks. I don't like the idea of even thinking about trying to go to town, if you will, on a prairie dog town with a .22 Long Rifle. .17 HMR seems ideal for a fox to save the pelt but for chucks three football fields or more? Bulk 5.56 NATO ammo can be had dirt cheap and .223 can be had fairly cheap in bulk. There are some specialized ARs for long-range chucks, but how does their accuracy compare with a fine bolt gun? I like the notion of chrome-lined considering those lightning-velocity 3,000 plus small-bore loads. Any 4-digit velocity figure with a 3 in front of it signifies entry into barrel-burning territory.

Name your favorite long-range varmint rifle and caliber and please tell us why you like it.

 

[someguy2800]

Chromed lined barrels, 5.56 nato ammo, and fine accuracy don’t belong in the same sentence and 5.56/223 is anything but a barrel burner.

A CZ 527 or Zastava M85 pretty much check all your boxes you describe. A Sako L461 as well.

 

[Demi-human]

It would be European made. Does this sound like something you need an expensive custom rifle builder to be commissioned for?

Yes, specifically a European rifle builder, one that likes rifles from before 1960, when Husqvarna stopped making rifles.

I like centerfire 22 calibers for serious varmint rifles.

Me too. I also have a fourty-five caliber one as well.

I don't like the idea of even thinking about trying to go to town, if you will, on a prairie dog town with a .22 Long Rifle.

Why? You’re missing out. You know you don’t have to shoot ALL of them from 300 yards?

There are some specialized ARs for long-range chucks, but how does their accuracy compare with a fine bolt gun?

Perfectly well for varminting. No, their accuracy doesn’t hang with the “finest” of bolt actions, but they have a singular advantage…

Any 4-digit velocity figure with a 3 in front of it signifies entry into barrel-burning territory.

This is patently false. Proved so by the lowly .223 AR. I feel the .223 holds the perfect amount of powder and it easily reaches past that speed.

Even so, my cartouche du jour pour varmints de 300 mètres, would be the same ubiquitous .223.

Since we are talking about precision, chrome lining would be out. Yes, a few companies do this well, many just do it. Nitrided steels are nearly as tough as the chrome plated lining of “back in the day” barrels. Without the accuracy degradation of plating layers electrochemically onto rifling just cut to high precision.

Having the ability to fire garbage NATO or the cheapest FMJ load wouldn’t enter into the thought process. These are not varmint rounds. Thus, my chamber, more specifically my leade, would be cut to a long .223, not a Wylde or nato.

The perhaps perfect varmint bullet for a long .223 is the Hornady made 75 grainBTHP. Nice ogive for short range, soft lead and jacket for impact effect, accurate, and enough for anything labeled “varmint”.


A 22 Creedmoor is what I’d like to try out. Ready to go long range gopher stomper. In an American Rifle Company short action. I think it’s the Archimedes. Why not go full branding with a Xylo chassis and M-Brace mount? It’s only money.
A Kreiger cut point barrel, a Khales scope and some AI mags.
Off to the fields, long ones!

 

[jmr40]

There are some specialized ARs for long-range chucks, but how does their accuracy compare with a fine bolt gun?

At any range you'd be shooting woodchucks not enough difference to matter. You can get an AR to shoot .5 MOA, a good bolt gun might be closer to .3 MOA. But you have to find a trigger puller good enough to see the difference.

And 300 yards isn't particularly long range. I don't know nearly as much about long range varmint shooting as a lot of guys, but from what I understand most of the 22 centerfires do pretty good out to about 300 yards. The guys who like to shoot much farther like the 6mm and even 6.5 mm cartridges to get a little more bullet weight and less wind drift.

The 223 does what I need. I have 3 AR's. One of them will hang with any common factory bolt rifle in accuracy even with the 5.56 chamber. I sometimes wonder why I keep my 223 bolt gun.

I can appreciate your desire for a high quality rifle. But Mauser actions, fine figured walnut, and deep blue steel just doesn't seem a fit for a varmint rifle. Seems like a nice way to go for a big game rifle.

 

[marksman13]

You have a strange obsession with chrome lined barrels that really does not fit with your accuracy obsession. I’ve got an AR that is a legit .25 - .3 MOA rifle. You may find a bolt gun that will do better, but you’re going to pay at least as much for it as I paid for this AR.

 

[Gordon]

Krico made what you want pretty much

 

[Demi-human]

You have a strange obsession with chrome lined barrels that really does not fit with your accuracy obsession.

I agree. Save the chrome for bumpers, and Desert Eagles. Accurate barrels have nothing between them and the bullet jacket.

 

[horsey300]

Adjustable stock or chassis, .223 or fast twist .22-250 ai, .22 nosler, .224 Valk, or .22 cm, if I REALLY want to stretch with less effort I'm running an 88 eld and won't touch 3k anyway if that don't do it I'm running a 6mm of some flavor.

 

[Roverguy]

Really very happy with my Savage Walking Varminter in 222 Rem. A nice compliment to my Savage 340D in 222.

https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=19154

 

[Seamaster31]

I had a 22-250 built on a Mauser action once. It was heavy, expensive, and controlled round feed. Unfortunately it was no more accurate than an off the shelf Winchester, Remington. or Ruger that cost a fraction of the price. The Mauser action is tough and reliable but is probably a poor choice for best accuracy.

The last time I fired a chrome lined rifle was in the US Army. Chrome in the chambers made extraction more reliable when they were dirty in the damp conditions of SE Asia. If you are going to live in jungle like conditions with your varmint rifle chrome might make sense, but for any other reason it is counterproductive.

 

[gotboostvr]

Really very happy with my Savage Walking Varminter in 222 Rem. A nice compliment to my Savage 340D in 222.

https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=19154

I wish they made the walking varminter with a slightly shortened pencil barrel option. Maybe 18" or so and get the weight closer to 6lbs instead of 7lbs.

Would make a nifty coyote gun.

 

[Demi-human]

Adjustable stock or chassis, .223 or fast twist .22-250 ai, .22 nosler, .224 Valk, or .22 cm, if I REALLY want to stretch with less effort I'm running an 88 eld and won't touch 3k anyway if that don't do it I'm running a 6mm of some flavor.

The 22 Creedmoor could be your Huckleberry.
A 22 CM will tickle 3,000+ with a 90 grain Berger, and 3,200 with an 80.5 full bore. Says Peterson cartridge.

And if that won’t do it, I have no issue crawling on my belly to get close enough to use a 450.


(Though now that I’ve posted I see you have one of those too.)

 

[jak67429]

I use an ar in 223 a savage varmint in 223 and an ar in custom 6.5.mm all have ss match barrels on them and all will reliably kill pg out to 400 yards. the 6.5 has a several at over 500 yards. Some times I will take the 17hmr on a walk if I get bored.

 

[CapnMac]

The perhaps perfect varmint bullet for a long .223 is the Hornady made 75 grainBTHP. Nice ogive for short range, soft lead and jacket for impact effect, accurate, and enough for anything labeled “varmint”.

This ^^^

Run through a 20" barrel flat top AR, or a Savage 110, about no real difference other than magazine capacity.

You probably will wind up investing more in the glass than on the rifle.

 

[Offfhand]

There was a time, a long generation ago, when SAKO made beautiful and accurate varmint rifles that were a pleasure to own and shoot.

 

[someguy2800]

I wish they made the walking varminter with a slightly shortened pencil barrel option. Maybe 18" or so and get the weight closer to 6lbs instead of 7lbs.

Would make a nifty coyote gun.

I would like one with a slim 18 or 20" barrel in 22 k hornet with a nice stiff carbon filled nylon stock (like my Tikka or Lithgow, not the garbage tupperware that savage typically puts out.) I bet you could get it down near 5 lbs.

 

[someguy2800]

I third the 75 gr hornady bthp as my favorite long range 223 bullet. Really great balance of ballistic coefficient and price and they shoot great in all my stuff. The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't blow up like a v max does. I have been wishing for years that they would make a 70 or 75 grain v max.

 

[I6turbo]

There was a time, a long generation ago, when SAKO made beautiful and accurate varmint rifles that were a pleasure to own and shoot.View attachment 1084209

Dat one on the bottom looks most special amongst a bunch of special-looking rifles.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

You have a strange obsession with chrome lined barrels that really does not fit with your accuracy obsession. I’ve got an AR that is a legit .25 - .3 MOA rifle. You may find a bolt gun that will do better, but you’re going to pay at least as much for it as I paid for this AR.

On the general subject of barrel lining/treatment, here's the rationale from a contemporary barrel manufacturer's standpoint:

 

[BringHomeTheBacon]

I agree. Save the chrome for bumpers, and Desert Eagles. Accurate barrels have nothing between them and the bullet jacket.

Up until now, I never knew chrome was an accuracy killer. It saves barrels with high volumes of fire. The military like it for some reason but the M16 was never known as a 500-yard chuck killer. But prairie dog town and gopher attackers can really put volumes of bullets down range too. The .22-250 can be an expensive caliber. Whenever I think .223 and 5.56 NATO, I think el cheapo ammo and plentiful.

What is a good recipe for building an AR-based varminter with off-the-shelf parts or would a gunsmith need to monkey with it still to get 500-yard chuck accuracy?

 

[cfullgraf]

There are a number of factors that determine what varmint gun you might want to build.

Shots out to yards 1000 and have different requirements than shots out to 500-600 yards or so.

Please note, the following has a number of variables that can be applied but give the same appropriate results.

I decided that 500-600 yard shots would be the maximum for me. Longer would be great but with the prairie dog guide we used chose fields with those maximum ranges. .

I elected to build a AR-15 varmint gun chambered in 204 Ruger with a 26" barrel. Out to 500-600 yards, a 40 grain 204 Ruger load was a bit flatter than a 223 Remington. It made for less sight adjustment at the ranges I wanted to shoot at.

I generally used 10 round magazines because the shorter size worked well with shooting from a bench environment. Even then, I loaded the magazines to 4 or 5 rounds to control the rate of fire.

My prairie dog shooting buddy shoots a bolt action Savage rifle chambered in 22-250. He can shoot out to farther ranges than I can with my 204 Ruger but I can have faster follow up shots. Everything has a trade off.

So, in my opinion it depends on what you want to do with the rifle.

 

[LoonWulf]

I would like one with a slim 18 or 20" barrel in 22 k hornet with a nice stiff carbon filled nylon stock (like my Tikka or Lithgow, not the garbage tupperware that savage typically puts out.) I bet you could get it down near 5 lbs.

howa alpine or.........something or other, cant remember the name right now...... think your stuck with .223 as the smallest tho....I want one in 6arc to use as a goat rifle.

Up until now, I never knew chrome was an accuracy killer. It saves barrels with high volumes of fire. The military like it for some reason but the M16 was never known as a 500-yard chuck killer. But prairie dog town and gopher attackers can really put volumes of bullets down range too. The .22-250 can be an expensive caliber. Whenever I think .223 and 5.56 NATO, I think el cheapo ammo and plentiful.

What is a good recipe for building an AR-based varminter with off-the-shelf parts or would a gunsmith need to monkey with it still to get 500-yard chuck accuracy?

My dads "cheap" off the shelf Grendel is MOA accurate and easy to shoot. We were clanging my 4" gongs at 450ish on command, and the 10 at 800 had most of the hits in a hand size group.....dont know how big a rockchuck is, but id expect MOST heavy AR builds with decent bolts barrels, and triggers to produce .75moa or better with best loads.

 

[redneck2]

I’ve been on three week long prairie dog hunts. While I’m far from an expert, a couple observations after putting thousands of rounds at them

A .22-250 is overkill in terms of noise. Couple rounds and any dog within 400 yards goes down for 10-15 minutes. This may vary depending on how much they’ve been shot at, wind direction and velocity, and terrain, but it’s a major factor IMO. I had a .22-250 on my first hunt. Shot maybe ten of the 1,000 rounds I took along and put it away. Sold it when I got home.

As noted, there are AR’s that are ultra accurate. I used my Varminter and got consistent first round hits at 300 yards. With the .223 the dogs stayed up for the most part and we had continuous shooting.

I have a CZ .204 527 that is also ultra accurate with hand loads, gives .22-250 performance with far lower noise level, its European made, has a single set, and IIRC has a Mauser type action. With a 4-14x50 Leupold it’s a great companion to my Varminter.

 

[Demi-human]

What is a good recipe for building an AR-based varminter with off-the-shelf parts or would a gunsmith need to monkey with it still to get 500-yard chuck accuracy?

No gunsmith required.
Basic tools, a torque wrench, an action bar(a wrench that looks like the bolt face, used to tighten the barrel,$30.) and competency.
1.Buy a reputable barrel.
2. Install barrel into receiver.
3. Buy reputable BoltCarrierGroup.
4. Install BCG into receiver.
5. (I’ll include being done as a separate step.) Done.

Great riggers are nice, but I consider the barrel paramount.
I hear of problems with accuracy with ARs sometimes. They frequently don’t involve a Shilen or WhiteOak barrel.

Buy good parts, assemble them correctly and you will have a machine good to 500yards.

After all, even my factory rifle is capable of that.
My first hits at 640yds were made watching my own bullet trace through the scope. Tiny golden dots arcing to steel. And it was made for fighting, not precision varmint hunting.

You should try one. I think you’d like it.
I saw a sale recently for Anderson rifle for $389. Amazing deal for rule one, having one.

 

[horsemen61]

Rem 700 Varmint special
.22-250
.223
.222
.243

I’d love to have one in each caliber listed above