What is the best centerfire varmint cartridge?

[viking499]

I know this is a wide open question and I will get a variety of responses.......

But, what do you think is the best centerfire varmint cartridge? Say for critters under 40-50 lbs and at distances from 0-400 yards.

What is your regular or standby cartridge, critter and average yardage (not longest shot). And it can be more than one choice.

 

[Casefull]

Hard to beat 22 250. Lots of rifle calibers will work well with minimum recoil. If I hunted in a lot of wind I might go with a 30 caliber round.

 

[bluekouki86]

.222 Rem Mag

 

[Jackal]

Without reloading, hands down .223. If you reload, hands down 22-250.

 

[Scooter22]

In all kinds of weather conditions out to 400yds up to 50 pounds? I'd get a good .243 Win. Lots of ammo, components and loading data at a standard caliber price.

 

[REWTEX]

22-250. I've shot many, many yotes with everything from 22 mag to .243 but a 22-250 is hard to beat. 204 Ruger is best for foxes, coons, and such and not too shabby on yotes, so I'd say it is a close second.

 

[tdoyka]

20 vartarg

 

[bannockburn]

My first choice has always been the .22-250.

 

[Art Eatman]

For 400 yards, the .22-250 and the .220 Swift are a bit better than the .223. There are a couple of other uber-fast .22s out there, but much less popular and are rarely mentioned. One is a Weatherby...

I like the .223, but I basically regard it as a 300-yard cartridge, insofar as reliable hits and clean kills.

 

[WestKentucky]

204 22-250 17super THIS MAY BE THE ONLY USEFUL SITUATION FOR 300 BLACKOUT 25-20 and of course 700 nitro express.

 

[witchhunter]

A lot of guys use .223, but out here in the west, we see a lot of coyotes mousing in hay fields. No cove,r so long shots to 500 yards. I like my .22/250 for that reason. I know almost all of the called in yotes are within 100 yards and a lot of calibers will do. But all around, I want my .22/250. I have used one for around 35 years.

 

[matrem]

50 pound critters at 400 yards?
Makes me wonder why the 6mm Rem isn't far more popular than it is..

As far as .22 centerfires go, .22/250 & .220 Swift are head and shoulders above .223 at 400 yards, and even if you have your .223 trajectory down pat, they still are on heavier vermin.

 

[WVRJ]

204 Ruger or 22-250.

 

[1911 guy]

What Art said. Out to and including 300 yards, the .223 is just fine for everything from woodchucks to coyotes. Past 300, you need a bit more velocity to get reliable bullet performance. I think this is where the .243 and .22-250 really come into their own.

 

[mw0248]

243 win. beats 223 all day long, and beats 22-250 all day long. heavier bullet and just as fast

 

[savanahsdad]

25WSSM 75gr V-Max zipping along at 3722 FPS






.

 

[BigBore44]

Depends on the rifle. I have seen prairie dogs exploded at 1012 yards with a .223. Can't believe I just praised that round. But I did see it. And I have seen prairie dogs explode at 1043 yards with a 22-250. But both guns were complete customs (hand built by the owner) and shooting carefully worked handloads. My vote goes for 6mm, .243, or 22-250.

 

[2ndtimer]

The .223 for 300 yards and under, and A .243 Win. For longer shots or windy conditions. I like the .223 with 40 gr bullets at 3700 fps, and the .243 Win. With 70 gr bullets st 3400 fps.

 

[Dr.Rob]

.25-06. Big enough for antelope with a soft point, or with a hollow point or ballistic tip it's doom on varmints.

It's a far more flexible round than .223, with bullets up to say 120 grains. Downside is a long action and a typically heavy rifle to get the best accuracy. Plus side is they are still sold in standard sporter weight barrels.

 

[joed]

I'm with Dr.Rob as I've used the .25-06 for 37 years. In fact it was the only centerfire rifle I owned for 20 years.

But I'd have no problem using .22-250 or .243 for that matter.

 

[js8588]

.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer

Seriously though, make mine a 204 Ruger.

 

[MEHavey]

243 win. beats 223 all day long, and beats 22-250 all day long...

and one Swift rules them all.

 

[mooner]

savannas dad. You have some pretty large velocity deviations. Hopefully these weren't all loaded to the same level.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

.22-250 hands down, even good for hogs and deer.

 

[lencac]

I have used my 458 Win Mag from time to time but otherwise 22-250 is the prairie dog killin champ