Varmit Rifle

Dozernut · Dec 6, 2003

I couldn't find the original article I saw on the new .20 caliber round. However Outdoor Life has an article by Jim Carmichael on the .20. Here is a link, go to the archive section at the bottom, page two, article 19. It is titled, "Get Ready for the .20 Caliber". I would have direct linked you but it will not work.

www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/shooting/

Docsknotinn · Dec 6, 2003

Thanx for the info. Did you take a peek at www.smallcaliber.com ? The .20 sounds just like the ticket ! I have thought about a 22-250 several times. I especially like the ss/laminated Ruger # 1 in this caliber. In the past all of the little guns I have had were lever actions. I dont know what I am going to replace my little old Ruger with. Maybee another just like it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

QStottinNC · Dec 6, 2003

Doc, you have a good eye. It's not a armory rebuild. But, a National Guard armorer did do quite a bit of work on it for me. He rebarreled it with a Barnette heavy 1/12 twist. Tightened up the gas cylinder, did the typical front end treatment, and glass bedded it. I installed sights and finished the stock in a low gloss finish. I konw this discussion stated out as a "varmit rifle" thread, and this ain't no varmit rifle. But. it would do a great job for the larger stuff. For the money, I think the best rifle on the market right now for varmit applications is the Savage 110 chambered in your choice of caliber. Remingtons new rifle ( a 710, I think) has many innovative features that makes it outstanding as well. The bolt to barrel lock up on the 710 is similar in design to an AR and lends itself to great accuracy too. The downside to that rifle is that the barrel is pressed into the receiver and makes it nearly impossible to do any major gunsmithing, such as rebarreling or using the receiver to build a custom rifle. The trigger on the Remington is not so great from the factory either. The trigger is ok for hunting, but not great for target work. Remingtons can be found with scopes installed also at a good price. I wouldn't choose anything smaller than a .243W or 6MM if I was going to use it for anything larger than varmits. They are cheap and are often found with a fair quality scope installed from the factory. I've shot a Savage and a Remington, and the accuracy is amazing for a rifle in that price range. The only major flaw is the trigger. It's heavy, with a considerable amount of "drag". They are marketing some replacement triggers for the Savage, and I think the investment might be well worth the money. I use a Remington 700 for my large game hunting chambered in a .270W. Someone mentioned a Mini-14 earlier for a varmith rifle, and I like that idea. It might not be the tack driver that a bolt gun would be, but it would be fun. If you like to tinker on your rifles, that hot set up would be and AR15 type rifle. Anybody can work on one of those things, and you can swap uppers to have 2 or 3 rifles in one. Only problem is, that you wind up trying to buy lowers to match with your uppers , and the next thing you know you own 3 or 4 of the things. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Docsknotinn · Dec 6, 2003

I defiantely have troubles with my uppers and lowers matching /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Its a sad thing that nearly all standard rifles now have non adjustable triggers and cant really be tuned without big expenses. There are few gun smiths left that can accureately stone a trigger to the right pull and even fewer yet who will do it. You almost have to buy a gun from one of the factory custom shops to get a adjustable firearm. My wife has a .270 on a Reington 700 action. Its a real beauty. I dont know the model off hand but it is from the custom shop and was disscontinued or updated. She had a Weatherby Mark 5 in 270 that would not do any better than a 13/4" group at 100 yards so we returned it under their accuracy warranty ( that was lots of fun) just before a trip to Alaska. The store we were working with had this one one the shelf for quite a while, it was supposed to be like $1,800 and the average 700 was in the neighborhood of $600. They gave it to her for like $1,100 and is it sweet. 3# tuned trigger, Rapid taper match grade barrel, jewled bolt, Kevlar stock, Black finish, Precision matched receivor and barrel. This thing will shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yards with ease. It only weighs like 6# with a Swarovski 4-12 on top. I have tried to liberate this one for my own a few times....no luck yet /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Its no wonder so many SWAT and shooting teams choose the Remington 700 action for their base.

DocHeb · Dec 10, 2003

( Its a sad thing that nearly all standard rifles now have non adjustable triggers and cant really be tuned without big expenses. )

I just saw an ad for the new Savage Model 12 Varminter Low Profile rifle, and one of the advertising points was their new "AccuTrigger". They say it will adjust the trigger pull from between 1 1/2 to 6 lbs, and is adjustable by the owner. Would this be worthwhile?

Docsknotinn · Dec 10, 2003

I've never been much of a Savage fan but that sure looks nice /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif worthwhile ? Doc its like trying to do surgery through a hand held magnifying glass compared to a Nikon scope /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif BIG DIFFERENCE , really Big, Huge, Enormous /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MossRoad · Dec 10, 2003

That's neat. Looks like a safety for the trigger. Pull the safety back till your finger touches the trigger, then pull the trigger with the pounds that you have adjusted it too. Is that how it works?

DocHeb · Dec 10, 2003

( Is that how it works? )

You got me /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif - even though I'm a doctor and I think I know everything /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, I really don't know anything about guns past my Browning Shotgun. I just read about the guns on these threads, and somehow I started receiving "Predator Xtreme" magazine (which is where I saw the ad for the Savage Model 12).

cisco · Dec 10, 2003

This post is still going - amazing.
OK, I rescind my prior suggestions in light of your recent post about range. Your original post re. having narrowed down your options to a Mini-14 (223) or 30-30 is right on, and probably a 30-30 is the most appropriate and least expensive option. You can get a good used one, the standard Winchester or Marlin, for $100-150, especially now as folks are pawning or advertising stuff in hopes of raising holiday cash (help them out, buy a gun). The aforementioned are compact, have iron sites, have readily available repair parts, and are nearly indestructable. In addition, you can buy 30-30 bullets nearly anywhere, and cheaply (e.g., 7mm-08 is a WONDERFUL caliber for deer, and the like - just try buying a box of such some night in a rural town; I've 6 rifles, and some of the calibers are a bit exotic - you do NOT need anything exotic).
I'm sitting in my study, and behind me on the wall is a gun rack with the 45-70 my great grandfather favored (he couldn't afford anything but US Cavalry surplus), the 30-40 Krag my grandfather used (won it in "best shot" contest in Salt Lake City - 1910), the 30-30 my father favored (put himself through college in the late 30's on coyote bounty offered by ranchers - shot them from horseback while he was herding cattle), and my 2 decade old Ruger 7mm Remington Mag, now with a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5-8 scope. Heck, under 100 yards, my forebearers could put me to shame, and I've only used 11 bullets on my past 10 deer (for which my father razzed me unmercifully, as a "poor shot", and he was right). So, as my dad lectured me, "it's not the gun that determines the outcome, it's the shooter" (and I, of course, was lousy).
Buy a good used 30-30, load 6 shells, throw it behind the seat of your pick-up, and with the money you saved from eschewing a more expensive option, purchase extra Christmas presents for your wife, grandchildren or whomever.