Which Rifle Caliber Do You Prefer For Varmints?

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Ala Dan

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Greeting's All-

In light of specific calibers for varmint hunting, which of these two new
calibers do you prefer for this chore? The only calibers I'm inquiring about
are the .17HMR and the Ruger .204; as I would be interested in hearing
everyone's opinion. Many thanks in advance. :D ;)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Disclaimer: I don not own either of these rounds at the moment.

I'm getting a 17 HMR and here is why. Wide variety of rifles including: pump, lever action, bolt, and semi. Inexpensive rifles; nice bolt actions are going for around $200. Ammo is cheaper around $7-$10 for 50 17 HMR and $15 for 20 .204.

The 17 probably does not have the distance of the 204 but that is not a big factor for me.Within reason the 17 should do just about anything the 204 would. If I'm punching yotes I'm gonna step up in size with either probably.
 
In order:

.25-06 Long range, low drop, heavier bullet that can double as an antelope gun.
.223 so cheap you can shoot one, let the other cool off.
.22 mag for when you find a landowner that won't let you shoot centerfire.
 
Varmint can be anything from PD's to 'yotes, so of those 2 I'd go with the .204 with a bit more umph. Now of all calibers I'd go with a .243 of a .257 Rob.
 
I have a .17HMR and consider it weak for a varmint gun. I love the round, it's just a small varmint round. (Squirrels, turtles, rabbits, etc) and range is not enough for sod puppies.

Ruger .204 I've researched a little but not shot, so I'll refrain.

My favorites that will cover all (well, most) bases; in order are:

.17 Remington
.22-250
.223
.25-06

There alternate place depending on specific game but overall the .17 Remington is hard to beat for light to medium critters.

Smoke
 
If by varmints you mean snapping turtles, crows, and exploding chipmunks the .17 HMR will work well to 150 meters.

If your varmints are the larger coyote and fox, maybe groundhogs too the .204 Ruger will be a better choice plus you can reload for cost savings.
 
In my neck of the woods a varmint (Wild Hog) can weigh upwards of 500 or 600 pounds. A .308 or .30-06 would be my minimum, and they work good on the little stuff too :).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Hrmm, if I had varmints, I suspect I might attempt a shot at them with 7.62x25 out of my CZ52.... give them a sporting chance :)

'round here though, "varmint" is generally field mice, yellow jackets, or ants... not much shootin' sport in those :D
 
OUT WEST

Out west (AZ/NM) 'yotes, foxes and bobcats are prime. They can be encountered from 5 feet to 500 yards so you better have a versatile weapon. My choice is the 243. It also handles the wind very well. No news there!! Good luck.. :)
 
Mfree - Hunting varmints with a handgun is hard as hell! I used up 50 rounds last summer while trying to get close enough to get a ground squirrel with my cz75 9mm. It's not the pistols's accuracy that is a problem so much as that when you get "in range" of those tiny ground squirrels they move fast.

Sorry to get a little off topic...AHEM.
My varmint recommendations:
An accurate .223 (like mine) should be able to get 'em out to 400+ yards, I plan on trying for a 500 shot just for fun next summer. You'd better have a good rest and an accurate gun because at even 300 yards you'd better have a 1/2MOA gun to hit those tiny ground squirrels, or probably 3/4MOA for prarie dogs.

Also-
I like 22 centerfires like the 22-Hornet and 221 Fireball for fast shooting at lots of targets under 150 yards. A sporter barrel hornet will not heat up very fast at all, since you've only got about 11 grains of gunpowder vs 25-28 for a .223 and more on up.
 
rifle

Hello,
i use 22, 223 ,308

Tikka T3 Varmit in 308
226950.jpg
 
I have neither, if I was choosing one of those two I would go with the 204 Ruger.

I have a Remington Model 700 Varmint in 22-250, I have a 20" AR in 223, and I just ordered a 24" bull barrel AR for varmint/target work in 223. I've had the 22-250 for over 20 years, I just got into 223 about a year ago and I just ordered another, so it's pretty obvious I like the 223 over the 22-250. :cool:
 
The .17HMR should work fine on small varmints but I have read stories of people using them on coyotes. They are extremely accurate out to 200 yards with a good scope and a rest. I've also read different stories about bullet expansion with the .17 What I do know is that at about 75 yards with my Marlin 917V and CCI TNT ammo, a crow will turn into a fluffy balck cloud.

The only thing I have seen so far for the .204 is a show on the Outdoors Channel where they were taking priarie dogs at 300 yards and knocking them over like bowling pins! One shot on the show had one flip about three times while going up about 4 feet!!
 
Doncha love it when you ask people to help you choose between .17HMR and .204 Ruger--and you get recommendations for .223, 6mmBR, and .416 Rigby? :what:

Yah, I know, the .416 was tongue-in-cheek.

Choosing between the two, I'd go with .204 Ruger. Better wind-resistance, and enough energy to take larger varmits.

ESPECIALLY if you reload, I would go .204 Ruger. You can always load down, but you can't load up. Particularly with .17 HMR.
 
7mm rem mag, but only because I'm too cheap to actually buy a separate gun specifically for long range small critter shooting.

This would probably be a more serious issue if there were any varmints to shoot near my current neighborhood.

Also, does it still count as varmint hunting if you sneak up close to animals before shooting them? 22lr is my favorite varmint caliber in that case.
 
I have a .17 HMR. It is everything I ever wanted a rimfire to be, and never found in a .22. I don't believe its a coyote rifle. :banghead: I don't own a .204. I own a .17 Remington. It IS a good coyote rifle, and I'd guess the .204 will be, properly loaded. The HMR is best with smaller critters.

Tom
 
depending on the size of your local critters, I'd suggezt either a .223 or a .243. Neither the .17 or .204 have enough mass to handle much bigger than squirrels, and neither can buck ny wind pat 50 yards without massize guessing at deflection.

Either of the small rounds you mention would be great plinking or very small game getters. Think about the old .22 wmr or 22 Hornet also. they do pretty well in rougly the same category, although they are less fashionable. If you have anything over 100 yards or bigger than a squirrel, I'd move up in size.
 
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