what is best varmint gun for the money?

JohnD · 04-12-2002, 10:11 AM

I am looking at somthing from savage, should I look elsewhere I do not want somthing to fancy but it has to shoot under 1 moa with factory ammo. What about there sharpshooter lots of money but is it worth it? What cal. should I get? I think .308 would be good that way I can use it for deer also. Does 223 shoot flater?

squirrelsniper · 04-12-2002, 12:38 PM

If you want a heavy barrel rifle, I would recommend either the Savage 10FP or 12BVSS. If you want want a standard barrel, then whatever standard barrel Savage you like the looks of is what I would recommend. Although Savage rifles aren't terribly pretty (the 12BVSS and 16BSS are exceptions), they will shoot with the best factory rifles. IMO, the only way to beat a Savage for out-of-the-box accuracy is to buy a custom or semi-custom rifle, as every Savage rifle that I own (yes, all 5 of them) will shoot well under 1MOA with at least two types of factory ammo. As for what caliber you should buy, I like a 22-250 for varmint hunting, but I don't recommend it for deer. If you are going to use the rifle for deer as well as varmints, I'd recommend either a 243 or 308. The 243 is a pretty good varmint round with light bullets and is OK for deer with the heavier bullets as long as the range doesn't get too far. The 308 is a much better deer cartridge, but is a bit overkill for varmints and recoil is a bit heavier than the 243. In the end, caliber choice is dictated by how you plan to use the rifle, but I'd definitely recommend a Savage as the rifle to buy. Since Savage rifles are so reasonably priced, I solved the caliber problem and bought all three calibers mentioned above, plus a couple more.

hooker · 04-12-2002, 03:57 PM

JohnD, as far as caliber goes, I think it might depend on if you reload or not. I do know that of all the differant calibers that I have reloaded, the .308 Win. is easy. By that I mean it is easier to get accurate loads with it ,or so it seems. At this time I do not own any SAVAGE rifles, but the ones I've owned in the past were all very accurate, and the ones I've zeroed over the years for other folk have always shot well. Right now at this time I guess you could say I'm pretty spoiled. I have an older model 700 REM. in .308 WIN. with the heavy barrel that outshoots anything I've ever owned before. All factory on it. All I've done is tuned the trigger a little bit, and had to add some foam with tape to the comb of the stock to get my eye at the right height to see my scope, for I have a target scope on it. And it will shoot about any combination of powder, bullet weight, primer, case , into sub moa at 125 yds. as long as I do my part right. This rifle is capable of far greater accuracy, than I can shoot. It is defenitly a keeper. I am going to try to come up with the funds to get a SAVAGE SCOUT in .308 later this summer to hunt with, as where I hunt is to rough to lug the REMINGTON around all day. I guess I'm biased to the .308 WIN. caliber. One load that I've used in it that is a good load is the SIERRA 125 gr. GAMEKING. I have harvested whitetail with that load, but it always has broken up, rather than penetrating through the body cavity, no matter what the angle. I have also used it on crows, and groundhogs, and it does stellar performance, also breaks up good when hitting the ground. I beleive that it would do better in the long run as far as bucking the wind, better than any .22 centerfire caliber. On the other hand a SAVAGE bolt gun in .243 WIN. would be hard to beat as a combo deer-varmit rig. Good luck, and good shooting. Ain't it hard to make up a fellows mind when he's after a new rifle?

ReRide · 04-13-2002, 11:22 AM

might consider the rifles from NEF

sadiehn · 04-14-2002, 08:09 PM

Savage is the only way to go I was out to the range with mine yesterday and shot my best group ever .400 with hand loads and I aint working on the accuracy yet.

As for caliber try thinking about 25-06 with good factory ammo you will have a varmint range that will exceed that of any of the 22`s and the 6mm`s that are factory.If you wanted to hunt deer it is probly one of the best.If scoped properly you would be able to use even the same ammo.

The rifle I have is the 112Fvss in 25-06 the only thing I am going to change is the trigger and that is not a must I did add some weight to my stock but I dont take this rifle deer hunting it is for long range coyotes 400 pluss and I want a trigger in the sub 1 pound range.

Mike southers · 05-01-2002, 08:58 AM

By my desk is a target I shot last year with a Remington 700 VS in .308. 5 shots under 3/4" at 100 meters with Federal factory ammo.

alan c. · 05-01-2002, 09:27 AM

Guys I am not an expert on varmit hunting, but growing up in New Mexico my dad's favorite past time was hunting coyote and bobcat. He was quite good at calling them in for the kill. I have seen him make kills out to the 350 - 400 yard mark. His choice of caliber was the 7 mm mag. He free floated the barrel and glass bedded the stock. This rifle was a tack driver. I was never that accurate. The recoil is a little imtimidating. His view was that the 7 mm mag was the all around caliber to hunt any thing in the U.S.

tonto · 05-04-2002, 11:00 PM

:nod:

My bud owns a savage with a bull barrel and black stock in .308(i think it is a model 10).
All I had against it was after 40 rounds it kinda hurt the shoulder, but WOW, 1/2' at 100 yards with ball ammo, and it seemed better at 200 yards at times when the wind died down( or maybe the wind was a good excuse). If i was to buy one i have heard nothing but rave about savage arms, and the price is great. I have heard in the past before this forum was sold to the present owners about the fourth bullet jamming , but i think it was with the clip fed models, and everyone that had the problem either resolved it by bending a tab on the clip or sending it back to Savage arms.
If i was to buy one just for vermints i think it would have to be a bull barrel version with the composite stock in 22-250, or .223.
22-250 if you reload allot, and .223 if you don't or you like to shoot allot as military ball ammo is had cheeeeap in .223
But .308 is an excellent choice as you can hunt big game too and still buy military ammo for shooting up a storm and wipe out the local vermints too!
Sounds like you are right on track and all you have to do now is pick out a model from Savage, they make so many different versions it's mind boggling.
good luck and be safe
PS My bud is hitting me up to buy his "sniper" savage- and it is mine man all mine , I just gotta figure out how to get it safely in the fold without the spouse noticing!

Pumpkinheaver · 05-05-2002, 02:34 AM

Savage without a doubt!

JIMM · 05-06-2002, 09:46 PM

If only you could buy a Savage ,I've been waiting since Jan. for a 12fv in .308.

JohnD · 05-06-2002, 10:05 PM

Actualy I recently got into reloading and I thought my .270 was Not accurate enough. I used to get 1.5"-2" groups with win power points. But now I get under .5" groups with it at 100 yards so there is no need for me to have another gun. Maby there is? Maby I will invest in a better scope instead. Anyway thanks to all of you and I may get a savage in the future.

Mike southers · 05-21-2002, 03:06 PM

Bought an older M77V Ruger in .243. Dern thing tries to put all the bullets in the same hole in the target. Not sure I can handle a rifle with that kind of accuracy!

oneastrix · 05-21-2002, 08:24 PM

Does Savage make a .270?

FALPhil · 05-22-2002, 07:15 AM

Ahhh, the best value. It has to be the CZ Varmint American. Same price as a Savage, much better rifle. Sub m.o.a. out of the box with a hammer forged barrel. Old European craftsmanship in an H-S Precision stock.

http://www.cz-usa.com/_p/pdt.php?id=34

04-12-2002, 10:11 AM	#1
JohnD Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: No where Posts: 181 Trader Rating: (0)	what is best varmint gun for the money? I am looking at somthing from savage, should I look elsewhere I do not want somthing to fancy but it has to shoot under 1 moa with factory ammo. What about there sharpshooter lots of money but is it worth it? What cal. should I get? I think .308 would be good that way I can use it for deer also. Does 223 shoot flater?

04-12-2002, 12:38 PM	#2
squirrelsniper Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 86 Trader Rating: (0)	If you want a heavy barrel rifle, I would recommend either the Savage 10FP or 12BVSS. If you want want a standard barrel, then whatever standard barrel Savage you like the looks of is what I would recommend. Although Savage rifles aren't terribly pretty (the 12BVSS and 16BSS are exceptions), they will shoot with the best factory rifles. IMO, the only way to beat a Savage for out-of-the-box accuracy is to buy a custom or semi-custom rifle, as every Savage rifle that I own (yes, all 5 of them) will shoot well under 1MOA with at least two types of factory ammo. As for what caliber you should buy, I like a 22-250 for varmint hunting, but I don't recommend it for deer. If you are going to use the rifle for deer as well as varmints, I'd recommend either a 243 or 308. The 243 is a pretty good varmint round with light bullets and is OK for deer with the heavier bullets as long as the range doesn't get too far. The 308 is a much better deer cartridge, but is a bit overkill for varmints and recoil is a bit heavier than the 243. In the end, caliber choice is dictated by how you plan to use the rifle, but I'd definitely recommend a Savage as the rifle to buy. Since Savage rifles are so reasonably priced, I solved the caliber problem and bought all three calibers mentioned above, plus a couple more. __________________ Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. http://www.geocities.com/squirrelsniper/index.html

04-13-2002, 11:22 AM	#4
ReRide Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: nebr Posts: 29 Trader Rating: (0)	best value varmint rifle? might consider the rifles from NEF

05-01-2002, 08:58 AM	#6
Mike southers Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: middle coast Posts: 162 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: best varmint rifle for the money By my desk is a target I shot last year with a Remington 700 VS in .308. 5 shots under 3/4" at 100 meters with Federal factory ammo.

05-01-2002, 09:27 AM	#7
alan c. Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Pasadena,Tejas - also known as Texas Posts: 3,757 Trader Rating: (0)	Guys I am not an expert on varmit hunting, but growing up in New Mexico my dad's favorite past time was hunting coyote and bobcat. He was quite good at calling them in for the kill. I have seen him make kills out to the 350 - 400 yard mark. His choice of caliber was the 7 mm mag. He free floated the barrel and glass bedded the stock. This rifle was a tack driver. I was never that accurate. The recoil is a little imtimidating. His view was that the 7 mm mag was the all around caliber to hunt any thing in the U.S. __________________ God Bless. From Tejas -- formerly known as Texas.

04-12-2002, 03:57 PM	#3
hooker Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: King, Noth Carolina Posts: 107 Trader Rating: (0)	JohnD, as far as caliber goes, I think it might depend on if you reload or not. I do know that of all the differant calibers that I have reloaded, the .308 Win. is easy. By that I mean it is easier to get accurate loads with it ,or so it seems. At this time I do not own any SAVAGE rifles, but the ones I've owned in the past were all very accurate, and the ones I've zeroed over the years for other folk have always shot well. Right now at this time I guess you could say I'm pretty spoiled. I have an older model 700 REM. in .308 WIN. with the heavy barrel that outshoots anything I've ever owned before. All factory on it. All I've done is tuned the trigger a little bit, and had to add some foam with tape to the comb of the stock to get my eye at the right height to see my scope, for I have a target scope on it. And it will shoot about any combination of powder, bullet weight, primer, case , into sub moa at 125 yds. as long as I do my part right. This rifle is capable of far greater accuracy, than I can shoot. It is defenitly a keeper. I am going to try to come up with the funds to get a SAVAGE SCOUT in .308 later this summer to hunt with, as where I hunt is to rough to lug the REMINGTON around all day. I guess I'm biased to the .308 WIN. caliber. One load that I've used in it that is a good load is the SIERRA 125 gr. GAMEKING. I have harvested whitetail with that load, but it always has broken up, rather than penetrating through the body cavity, no matter what the angle. I have also used it on crows, and groundhogs, and it does stellar performance, also breaks up good when hitting the ground. I beleive that it would do better in the long run as far as bucking the wind, better than any .22 centerfire caliber. On the other hand a SAVAGE bolt gun in .243 WIN. would be hard to beat as a combo deer-varmit rig. Good luck, and good shooting. Ain't it hard to make up a fellows mind when he's after a new rifle?

04-14-2002, 08:09 PM	#5
sadiehn Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: kenosha wis Posts: 54 Trader Rating: (0)	Savage is the only way to go I was out to the range with mine yesterday and shot my best group ever .400 with hand loads and I aint working on the accuracy yet. As for caliber try thinking about 25-06 with good factory ammo you will have a varmint range that will exceed that of any of the 22`s and the 6mm`s that are factory.If you wanted to hunt deer it is probly one of the best.If scoped properly you would be able to use even the same ammo. The rifle I have is the 112Fvss in 25-06 the only thing I am going to change is the trigger and that is not a must I did add some weight to my stock but I dont take this rifle deer hunting it is for long range coyotes 400 pluss and I want a trigger in the sub 1 pound range.

05-04-2002, 11:00 PM	#8
tonto Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: florida Posts: 93 Trader Rating: (0)	:nod: My bud owns a savage with a bull barrel and black stock in .308(i think it is a model 10). All I had against it was after 40 rounds it kinda hurt the shoulder, but WOW, 1/2' at 100 yards with ball ammo, and it seemed better at 200 yards at times when the wind died down( or maybe the wind was a good excuse). If i was to buy one i have heard nothing but rave about savage arms, and the price is great. I have heard in the past before this forum was sold to the present owners about the fourth bullet jamming , but i think it was with the clip fed models, and everyone that had the problem either resolved it by bending a tab on the clip or sending it back to Savage arms. If i was to buy one just for vermints i think it would have to be a bull barrel version with the composite stock in 22-250, or .223. 22-250 if you reload allot, and .223 if you don't or you like to shoot allot as military ball ammo is had cheeeeap in .223 But .308 is an excellent choice as you can hunt big game too and still buy military ammo for shooting up a storm and wipe out the local vermints too! Sounds like you are right on track and all you have to do now is pick out a model from Savage, they make so many different versions it's mind boggling. good luck and be safe PS My bud is hitting me up to buy his "sniper" savage- and it is mine man all mine , I just gotta figure out how to get it safely in the fold without the spouse noticing!

05-05-2002, 02:34 AM	#9
Pumpkinheaver Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,316 Trader Rating: (0)	Savage without a doubt! __________________ Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!

05-06-2002, 09:46 PM	#10
JIMM Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: cincinnati ohio Posts: 48 Trader Rating: (0)	If only you could buy a Savage ,I've been waiting since Jan. for a 12fv in .308.

05-06-2002, 10:05 PM	#11
JohnD Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: No where Posts: 181 Trader Rating: (0)	Actualy I recently got into reloading and I thought my .270 was Not accurate enough. I used to get 1.5"-2" groups with win power points. But now I get under .5" groups with it at 100 yards so there is no need for me to have another gun. Maby there is? Maby I will invest in a better scope instead. Anyway thanks to all of you and I may get a savage in the future.

05-21-2002, 03:06 PM	#12
Mike southers Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: middle coast Posts: 162 Trader Rating: (0)	Bought an older M77V Ruger in .243. Dern thing tries to put all the bullets in the same hole in the target. Not sure I can handle a rifle with that kind of accuracy!

05-21-2002, 08:24 PM	#13
oneastrix Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 5,213 Trader Rating: (0)	Does Savage make a .270? __________________ There's no one more thankful to sit at the table, than the one who best remembers hunger's pain.

05-22-2002, 07:15 AM	#14
FALPhil Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Occupied Confederacy Posts: 241 Trader Rating: (0)	Ahhh, the best value. It has to be the CZ Varmint American. Same price as a Savage, much better rifle. Sub m.o.a. out of the box with a hammer forged barrel. Old European craftsmanship in an H-S Precision stock. http://www.cz-usa.com/_p/pdt.php?id=34