varmit round

[the big he]

I was looking at different rifles and am at a stand still. its has come to now down to the rounds. what is a superior cartridge? the .223 nato 7.62 nato or the 7.62x39. This is a rifle for varmits about the size of a cyote. i would also like to hunt deer with it later

 

[srkavanagh6621]

Well for varmints the .223 is a much better option but if you throw deer in the mix you might want to upgrade to a 7.62 nato. not that the .223 wont take a deer its just not as ideal a cartridge for it.

 

[HOOfan_1]

If you want to hunt deer with it, check your state's game laws. Some states don't allow the .22 calibers.

If you are using it for mainly hunting, then I wouldn't worry too much about getting a military round, because you will be using hunting bullets and not FMJ bullets, so cheap surplus ammo is not a factor. If I wanted a rifle for deer and coyote, I would go for the 6.5x55, but you can only find a factory rifle from a few sources in that. I would second choose the 7mm-08. If you really want to get cheap surplus ammo for paper punching too, I would go .308.

 

[the big he]

have you heard of any good bolt action .223 rifles? preferably with a detachable mag

 

[rcmodel]

The .223 is a superior varmint round for small varmints, on up to the size of a coyote.
The .308 would be very destructive with varmint bullets, and has excess recoil for all day shooting at prairie dogs and such.
But it is more suitable for deer with big game bullets then the .223.

The 7.62x39 is not accurate enough for small varmint hunting in the rifles it is commanly chambered in.

For deer & coyotes?
It's about comparable to a 30-30 Winchester, so would certainly kill them using soft-point bullets.
Don't even think about using cheap FMJ ammo for hunting anything though.

have you heard of any good bolt action .223 rifles? preferably with a detachable mag

Look no further then the CZ-527. There is nothing better or more accurate out there.

rc

 

[the big he]

thanks for the help with the cz-527 ill be sure to research it

 

[sprice]

7.62x51 NATO

 

[nastynatesfish]

A buddy of mine has an old smith and wesson rifle that he rebarreled to 7.62x39 and its an awesome little rifle. He reloads his rounds and its a moa rifle easy. I think he uses 120gr bullets and varget, don't quote me on that though. I have shot it and it is a nice little piece.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

here in Texas you can use the .22 centerfires, for me, nothing works for deer and varmints like the .22-250, I got several but my favorite is my Ruger No. 1 Varmint with a Weaver Grand Slam 4x12x50 on it.

 

[Coltdriver]

Well if you want to hunt deer too then a .243 is a great choice. Outstanding for varmints. Works great for deer.

The only problem with a .223 is that the stubby little bullet really drops quickly after about 225 yards. You can set it up to shoot about and inch and a half high at 100 yards and about an inch low at 225 yards. If you go heavier than 55 grain bullets it really arcs and you loose the flat shooting properties of the 40 to 55 grain bullets.

7 62 39 is about a 30 caliber bullet. Not nearly as flat shooting and out of a military rifle not very accurate. There are a couple of great civilian bolt rifles, in particular the CZ line has a great bolt 7.62 rifle.

 

[Geno]

My heavy-barreled rifles are all chambered in .223 Rem and .308 Win. I zero both cartridges at 300 yards, and limit the .223 to just about that distance. After 300 to 350 yards, I let the .308 take over for long-range energy and less drift. Regarding using a .223 Rem on deer, in Michigan it is legal, but I prefer more energy than what the .223 delivers on deer sized game. That said, when I finally have to get around to re-barrel one of my .308s, it will definitely get re-barreled as a .260 Rem.

JMHO,

Geno

 

[coug]

I shoot a .223 savage preditor. 1/4 min. rifle, I shoot the 40 grn vmax for varmets and my 11 year old daughter has taken 3 deer w/ 55 grn game kings they do a very good job out to 200 yds.

 

[Pat4x4]

man the misinformation runs a muck in hear.. A 7.62x39 can be extremely accurate when your reloading, Just not a top choice for most since there is not a huge factory precision ammo supply

A .223 can go much further than 300 yards consistently and accurately

I myself prefer the 308 for most of my shooting needs