Advice on Varmint Rifle

[deadsquirrel]

I have been looking at bolt action varmint rifles lately and have delt with the pros and cons of about every caliber and have pretty much decided on the .204 ruger cartridge for many reasons. the biggest animal I would shoot with it would be a coyote. I would end up also putting a sweet scope on it like a 6-32 or something (dont know a whole lot about the different scope brands in particular).

Now, does anybody have any opinions or feedback on specific guns in this caliber or similar calibers that could help me find the best one for me? Looking for synthetic, preferably camo good quality rifle. so far the one i like the best is the reminton model seven which is in the link below.

Thanks for the help!

Model Seven™ Predator

 

[Mgderf]

Do yourself a favor, and at least LOOK at the Howa 1500!

www.Howa1500.com/

 

[U.S. Patriot]

The most popular calibers for coyote, are the 22MWR and the .223. Trust me a 22MWR will drop a coyote, and ammo is cheaper!

 

[DRob]

What kind of varmints?

There's varmints and then there's varmints. If you're talking about varmints where you may be walking around and not taking a lot of shots, you might check out the CZ 527 American. If you're talking about sitting down at a shooting table and firing 500+ rounds a day at prairie dog varmints, you can't beat a Savage Model 12 varminter. There are several models that fill the bill and they are known to be very accurate right out of the box. The Savage accu-trigger is hard to beat also.

The .204 is a great prairie dog round but we don't hunt yotes. We shoot a lot of .204 from a Savage, a CZ 527 Varmint, and a AR-15. All three have Bushnell scopes. The bolt gun scopes max out at 20 & 21x respectively and the AR tops out at 15x.

The HOWA 1500 is a great rifle also. My wife shoots a 1500 SV (stainless varmint barrel) in .223. She killed a p dog at 532 yards shooting that gun equipped with a Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x40 scope. The gun has a lot of rounds down the tube and still shoots very well.

 

[joed]

My preference would be a Remington, Winchester or Savage rifle in .223. I want a centerfire not a rimfire. I have one of each of the above. My favorite is the Winchester Stealth.

 

[Mgderf]

.204 Ruger IS a centerfire.

Hornady's LEVERevolution .204 Ruger .32gr 4225fps @ muzzle!

 

[sloughfoot]

I have been looking at bolt action varmint rifles lately and have delt with the pros and cons of about every caliber and have pretty much decided on the .204 ruger cartridge for many reasons. the biggest animal I would shoot with it would be a coyote. I would end up also putting a sweet scope on it like a 6-32 or something (dont know a whole lot about the different scope brands in particular).

Now, does anybody have any opinions or feedback on specific guns in this caliber or similar calibers that could help me find the best one for me? Looking for synthetic, preferably camo good quality rifle. so far the one i like the best is the reminton model seven which is in the link below.

Thanks for the help!

Model Seven™ Predator

I like the Model Seven also. I don't think you can go wrong with your choice. Lots of rifle choices out there. Listen to your inner voice....Cuz I sure can't pick a rifle for you.

 

[6birds]

I have a Remington 700 in 204, and a Les Baer in 204. Much fun here! Swarovski scopes, the Remington has a Timney and shoots nice, the Baer shoots out of the box 0.5". Both are more accurate than I.

I think you're on the right track on caliber and rifle, but someday, shoot a rifle from Les.

 

[boman]

check out the CZ 527 American

These are really nice rifles---either the American or Varmint model. They are the only factory guns I know of that come with a set trigger and you can get them in walnut, laminate or synthetic.

I have an American in 204 and like it and the 204 is a great cartridge for all around varminting.

I prefer the varmint weight have a CZ527 varmint in 17 Rem that I shoot more often. I've killed 5 coyotes and two red fox with the 17. No pelt damage but won't shoot the 17 over 300yds. It has a 6 X 18 Nikon on it but 12 power would easily do for this gun.

Steve

 

[slow1911s]

Do yourself a favor, and at least LOOK at the Howa 1500!

Howa1500.com: Your source for Howa 1500 rifles and accessories

Some thoughts on the Howa

It's general consensus that it's a wise move to pass by the Howa. Inconsistency is the biggest factor, and the fact that they are imported is a close second. You'd be better off the find a Rem 700 donor action for any kind of build. You might get a good Howa, you might not, but they will not exchange it if you don't. And when I say bad, I mean as in warped actions not fit for truing. This information comes to me from 2 of the more respected gunsmiths in the country. One of them wont even look at your Howa action.

 

[Farmritch]

My choice is .223 heavier bullet less wind drift.
I have 2 .223 I use for Prarie dogs out west & ground hogs in the hoosier state.
Also .223 is the more common round you may have an AR
Or in my case one of my varmit rifles is an AR with a heavy barrel
My opinion
YMMV

 

[joed]

.204 Ruger IS a centerfire.

Hornady's LEVERevolution .204 Ruger .32gr 4225fps @ muzzle!

Yes it is, the .22WMR is not though.

 

[Mgderf]

Some thoughts on the Howa

Evidently I got lucky then

 

[chipdog4]

I have a Reminton model 7 in 22-250. It's a beautiful rifle, but I haven't been able to get it to shoot under moa, yet. I guess I'm expecting too much out of a hunting rifle.

Im not sure about ammo availabilty for 204, do you load your own ammo? 223 has a huge variety of ammo and everyone has it in stock. It can also be loaded very cheaply.

A 6-32 is an awful lot of scope for a coyote. I've had coyotes within 50 yards so low magnification around 3 or 4 is better for me.

 

[bRAD]

you might want to stay away from the remington model 7 due to the relatively short 20" barrel. with the 20" barrel you loose a fair amount of velocity and thats what makes the 204 ruger such an amazing round. When you drop from a recommended 24" barrel down to a 20" barrel you are definately crippling the abilities of that cartridge. I would recommend staying with at least a 24" barrel. Savage has a ton of options for the 204 ruger. One you should look at is their model 25 lightweight varminter. This gun has the midweight barrel that's 24" and the accutrigger. Another option would be the CZ 527 American or Varmint. I prefer the Varmint due to the 24" barrel versus the 22" on the american model. Just my 2 cents.

 

[SamW]

The .204 is a screamer, but I'd hate to pay to put that many rounds down-range on a long p-dog day.

As far as the Howas, I have yet to see a HB model that won't shoot MOA or less, and have never seen, handled, fired, or heard of anyone having a problem with a warped action...Especially since they're made in the same damn factory on the same tooling as the Weatherby vangaurd series.

 

[deadsquirrel]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I know I want to look at these rifles in person and one thing that continuiosly comes up is the Howa. Who sells these locally?

I do not load my own ammo I just like the 204 round best when compared to other varmint rounds. I have heard it is becomming increasingly common

 

[IndyGunworks]

I have heard some pretty impressive things about the .204 as well.... i think most of your other questions have already been answered.

 

[cce1302]

Of those mentioned, I've only fired a Remington 700 VSSF (varmint stainless synthetic fluted) in .22-250 and it was impressive. It shoots a little bit heavier bullet a little bit flatter than the .204 Ruger. Groundhogs are rather easy at 300 yards with it. It'd be plenty for coyotes. Downside is the ammo cost, but unless you're taking it out west to go shoot hundreds of prairie dogs a day it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[deadsquirrel]

I will not be shooting this rifle a ton so ammo cost is not that much of an issue. I cannot find many good reviews on the Remington model seven. I have no idea where i would find a Howa rifle to even look at but I think i would want to stick with a good American brand like a Savage or Remington.

Does anyone have any input on differences between the Remington Model seven (predator with a 22" fluted barrel/what is the difference between that and the regular 700) and Savage Model 10 predator (also 22 inch barrel)? I have read some things that Remington has had some recent quality control issues and that worries me.
I have the links posted right below.

Savage Arms Predator Hunter
Model Seven™ Predator