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Help me decide varmint / possible LR rig

K

Kcsoccer52

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 21, 2004
47
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So I did a lot of searching on the site but still wanted some final input to push me one way or another. I'm looking at getting a rifle which will be used as kind of a truck / carry around varmint rifle. I'm sure that I would be trying to shoot it at longer ranges also ( maybe 1000?).

For the rifle I'm just looking at getting a savage Stevens 200 (cheep rifle / on a tight budget) in either a 22-250 or a 243. I've chose these two calibers because of the low cost of factory ammo as I don't handload. From what I've read the 243 is capable of the longer ranges with the factory barrel and it seems to have a longer barrel life (i may be wrong). So with the 243 and a 1 in 9.25" twist will I be able to shoot the lighter bullets and also make it out to longer ranges with a heavier bullet, maybe 1k? I'm already leaning toward the 243 but I figured I would get some input to push me over the edge one way or the other.

Thanks Guys!
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

go 243 and shoot the berger 95gr vld it will work for both varmint/target long range shooting. 2nd choice would be to shoot the 87gr vmax if going for more explosion. both would work great and shoot fine out of the 9 twist.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

I would go with the 243. It has a large range of flexability from varmints to deer to some long range paper punching.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Go 20" .243. I don't think you will be pushing 1000 out the window, but hey each to there own (joke).

If you settle on a 4 to 500yrd varmint rig, this is what I suggest.
Coyote1-3-101.jpg
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Both the 22-250 and the .243 eat barrels.
Savage makes a faster twist 22-250 other than the normal 1-12 or 1-14.
I have a Savage 12FV in .243, it is extremely accurate. There are only a couple of factory loads that will get you to 1k in the .243, in particular something loaded with the 100 grain gameking.
The .260 would be a bit better choice, as it is less overbore and would not burn the barrel out as quickly, however, there are FAR fewer factory ammo options and Savage does not make a rifle in .260.

Regrettably, they do not make the 12 in .243 anymore, but they do make one of their specialty hunter rifles with the heavy barrel and accustock, but it is about twice what the Stevens goes for.

The Stevens would fill the need for now, you will not get a 1k rifle out of it until you have some work done, most importantly the trigger. sharpshooter supply would be able to supply you with a good one for about 1 hundred bucks. As funds become available, you can upgrade the stock and eventually replace the barrel. If you are reasonably handy with tools (you know which end of the screwdriver to use) and you spend a couple of hundred bucks for tools, you will be able to change the barrel yourself.
Whether you go 22-250 or .243, you will eventually handload. They do not make commercially available match ammo for either caliber, which is a shame. Buying any quantity of .243 ammo is going to cost you in the long run. It is far cheaper to feed quality ammo to a .308 than it is to feed a .243.

Do not let this deter you, I just want you to be aware of some of the challenges. I like the .243, it is a wonderful cartridge, but if you plan on doing any amount of shooting, be prepared to replace the barrel after about 1500 rounds. Same goes for the 22-250.
My recommendation would be to start with a .223, either the 10FP, 10PC or a remington sps tactical, Howa varminter, tikka or CZ. There are numerous loads available in 68, 69 or 75 grain that will get you out to five or six hundred yards. It is easy on barrels, ammo is relatively cheap, though the very best will still cost you nearly a dollar a pop. Save your brass, you WILL start reloading, work on your skills.

If you stick with the Savage, if you still want to move up to .243, .260, 6.5 creedmore, etc... it is nothing more than a barrel swap and bolt head change away (you have to buy a new bolt with a Remmy)
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Thanks everyone for the great advise. I think I'll probably be getting a .243 in the next couple of weeks. fdkay thanks for the write up and suggestions. I didn't mean to come off as it would be a 1k rifle out of the box, plus I plan on a rem 308 pss in the next year or two which would work much better for 1k. I like the fact that as more funds are available (typical college student) I'll be able to upgrade different pieces. Basically what I was looking for is right in between a 223 and 308 so it seems as this will fit the bill. Trust me, I can't wait to start reloading, only 1 year left of school
smile.gif
.

Again thanks everyone,

Nate
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

You may find that a 308 is not better at 1k than a 243. In fact my 243 shooting 105gr A-Max bullets easily beats the crap out of my 308 shooting 175 SMK's. I spend time shooting 1k every week and usually only break out my 243. My 338LM has become jealous lol
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

I just read another thread that said the same thing haha. Learn something new every day. Either way, everyone needs a 308 haha.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Kcsoccer I entirely agree with " Either way, everyone needs a 308 haha." I absolutely could not second that statement any more! If for no other reason the quality of factory ammo, although I do handload mine.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

So now that I've been thinking about this for a while. Would I gain anything by going to a 308. I guess the only reason I didn't want to do that in the first place was I planned on building a rem 700 in 308. After looking around I realize thats stupid to wait on a Remington if it seems like I can have almost as many upgrades for the savage. So my new question is will a 308 fit my criteria better? Keep in mind this is probably my only new gun purchase within the next year and a half.

1) I don't reload so I need to have a good selection of factory ammo.
2) Good for varmints / paper maybe to 1k / and deer sized game. (Stevens 308 is a 22" bbl with a 1 in 10" twist)
3) In terms of recoil is the 243 and 308 similar. I'm a smaller guy but to give you an idea a 12g with slugs doesn't really bother me. ( can I put a break on the factory Steven's barrel)

Ammo cost I though would matter but it seems that the 243 and 308 are very similar.

So with all that jazz above... any more suggestions haha.

Thanks,
Nate
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Might as well
smile.gif
.308s don't really recoil all that much to me I say might as well. One thing to remember though is this: a dualpurpose rifle is kinda like a Jack, good at everything but the master of none. Or something like that. If you want a truck gun and that's what the primary reason for it, then I would go with a gun that met every criteria for a truck gun before I started trying to get it to accomplish another task.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

+1 on what ArcticFun said. Been there/tried that with the whole, "truck gun that can kill anything out to 1K" gig. No problem with getting a gun to carry in your truck, shoot factory ammo through it, and not worry about getting it scuffed up. Get a .243 and shoot the hell out of it. I wouldn't worry about shooting out the barrel; if you have the time and money to actually shoot enough rounds to wear out a barrel, you can probably afford another barrel some day..
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Sorry just by truck gun I meant something like Krummarine said that I'm not worried about getting scuffed up but I didn't want it to be a BR gun either. I do plan on up grading piece by piece to turn it into somewhat of a LR build. In the end it will probably turn out to be much less of a truck gun lol and more of a LR rig if I go 308.

Thanks guys!
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

I'd say get a 308 Stevens package deal. There's the crappy scope to get you started, and you can save for the upgrade path.

On the future upgrades, I'd say get a decent stock first, then trigger, then optics rail plus rings plus scope. At least for me, rifle's ergonomics are the deciding factor on practical accuracy, not the quality of glass.

Start reloading somewhere along the way, and when the factory barrel doesn't do it for you anymore, get a quality replacement barrel.

Better to invest in one rifle with quality parts, and by starting with a factory rig you also find out what you really need. Try to get to shoot friends' rigs.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kcsoccer52</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
1) I don't reload so I need to have a good selection of factory ammo.
.


Nate </div></div>


Well, maybe in other parts of the country, is a different scenario, but here inteh Houston, TX area, LOCALLY .308 is NOT that easy to find, as some would lead you to believe. When I was looking for a rifle, was looking at .270, .300, .308, etc...and what sold me on teh .308 was that everyone was telling me how cheap and readily available .308 ammo is. Well, silly me, I bought rifle withOUT checking availabilty of .308.
Now that I have teh rifle, ammo is hard to come by. I have to been to Bass Pro Shops, Academy, Wal Mart, even Gun Shows when they come through. I can not tell you why everyone says .308 is available every where, when I have YET to find much of it. I can walk into a any of those stores above, and come out with ANYTHING in the .243, .270, .30-30, .30-06, .300...all of those I can find ammo for, but NOT .308

I even asked a sales rep at Bass Pro Shops if that was all tehy carried, and maybe they were sold out or something, and he was like, "Nope, that's it".

So, in hindsight, what I would do if I were YOU, and you are NOT going to handload, go check local stores to see what they carry an abundance of, as well as a good selection of, as in my case, I am now pretty much relegated to ORDERING AMMO ONLINE (which Powder valley has GREAT prices) or cheap $13 a box .308 locally are my options.

Good luck
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / possible LR rig

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kcsoccer52</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> So I did a lot of searching on the site but still wanted some final input to push me one way or another. I'm looking at getting a rifle which will be used as kind of a truck / carry around varmint rifle. I'm sure that I would be trying to shoot it at longer ranges also ( maybe 1000?).

For the rifle I'm just looking at getting a savage Stevens 200 (cheep rifle / on a tight budget) in either a 22-250 or a 243. I've chose these two calibers because of the low cost of factory ammo as I don't handload. From what I've read the 243 is capable of the longer ranges with the factory barrel and it seems to have a longer barrel life (i may be wrong). So with the 243 and a 1 in 9.25" twist will I be able to shoot the lighter bullets and also make it out to longer ranges with a heavier bullet, maybe 1k? I'm already leaning toward the 243 but I figured I would get some input to push me over the edge one way or the other.

Thanks Guys!
</div></div>

Nate,

Get the 243 with a fast twist !!!!!!!!

Steve
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dksd39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You may find that a 308 is not better at 1k than a 243. In fact my 243 shooting 105gr A-Max bullets easily beats the crap out of my 308 shooting 175 SMK's. I spend time shooting 1k every week and usually only break out my 243. My 338LM has become jealous lol </div></div>

thats when you load the .308 with 155 lapua or berger bullets....

but i would go with a .243 out of the two you have listed.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

The .243 has substantially less recoil than the .308.

When you do eventually rebarrel your rig, put a fast twist barrel and shoot the 107 or 115 grain bullets. Yuo will EASILY get to 1000 yards with that.
When it comes to factory match grade ammunition, nothing beats the .308. Every major company makes at least two match loads for it, some make 3 or 4.
I recently ordered 500 rounds of American Eagle 168 grain HPBT, a load they specifically made for the M1A. It is easily .5 moa from our PC10 and it only cost 415 bucks (give or take a couple of dollars). Once again, that is 500 rounds, they were selling the 20 round boxes for about 16.50, about the same price as Prvi Partizan 168 grain match.
The .243 is a wonderful, flat shooting cartridge that is extremely accurate, the .308 is a wonderfully accurate cartridge with long barrel life. For a handloader, the 7mm-08 is better than both, flatter shooting than the .308, less recoil than th e.308, longer barrel life than the .243 and the unsurpassed terminal effectiveness of the 7mm bullets.
Checks buds gunshop out of Paris Kentucky, you may be able to get a Rem SPS varmint in .308 for not much more than the stevens.
Another rifle to consider is the Howa 1500 series, especially the varminter series.
This rifle will fill the bill:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/44486
It is a little more than 100 dollars more than the Stevens:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/73/products_id/14605
But it comes with a heavy barrel and an adjustable trigger. The stevens trigger, I think, is the old style savage trigger, which leaves a lot to be desired.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Thanks for all the new input, I'll just think about it until I get paid in 2 weeks then make my decision, it sound like either would work just fine. Ammo I've found pretty reliably at Cabalas and a couple other stores. Anyway, either way I'll be putting a Nikon buckmaster or SS to start with and I have Burris XTR rings w/ an EGW 20 moa base so it should work well for starter parts.

ps. I do plan to start reloading, who knows if that will be within the next year but we'll see.

Again thanks for all the great info!
Nate
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

I run a 243.....does most of what you are looking for: varmints, paper and deer. Won't do it out to 1K though as I have a twist which favors the lighter bullets. But, 600-700yrds and in and it is a hammer and I have never had a deer move more than 50yrds once hit.
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Also, Bass Pro Shops (where I got my SPS Varmint .308) has it for $569, but Academy has SMOKIN deals right now on BDL's in .30-06, .30-30 .270, .308 for $350!!!
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

I just don't think you can get a "cheap" rifle that will shoot satisfactorily at 1000 yards. That doesn't mean you have to build a custom $5000 rig. I guess you have to define "cheap". I think this rifle is pretty inexpensive and shoots amazingly well at 1k yds with zero gunsmithing required.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/43534

or

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/43532

My other recommendation is always the Savage 12BVSS. But if you put together the costs of a BBL, crisp trigger, McM stock, and DBM, you'd be WAYYY over $1k under other circumstances.

If the recoil is still too much, save up some money and put a muzzle brake on it later. While you're saving up, you'll be used to the higher recoil and shooting it after you get the brake will be a cakewalk.

Just my $.02, but I'm a Savage fan.

-Erik
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

A factory Stevens should shoot as well as a pre-AccuTrigger Savage because that's essentially what it is. The .308 will have the most versatility, particularly with factory ammo, of the choices you mention. In principle, you're talking about a truck gun or "beater" rifle, and I think the Stevens will give you a fairly OK performance without causing one to cringe every time it gets dinged.

If/when you upgrade, I think you'll want to do the trigger first. I'd go with Sharpshooter Supply's sporter trigger, no contest; it was what Savage used in the interim while they got the AccueTrigger up to speed and into production.

Then I'd consider a stock, no special preference, but I'd take care to ensure it will accommodate a heavier barrel sometime down the road. Just understand that it's not a silk purse, and big bucks are probably counterprodictive in this application.

When you do that barrel, a heavy one is a likely choice; but only if it's less likely to be hand carried a lot, and only if it's really gonna be primarily for longer range.

But fact is, the beater will probably do such a good job as is; it probably makes more sense to leave it for what it is, and get something more specific as your needs evolve.

This is one of the few applications where I'd really favor bulletproof optics and mounts. Throwing money at super-duper mounts, etc., is a poor substitute for reasonable care of one's implements; but truck guns need 'em.

Greg
 
Re: Help me decide varmint / truck rifle.

Thanks for the great info everyone hopefully in a week or two I'll pick it up. By cheep I meant just cheep to start off, I defiantly plan to upgrade piece by piece it just wont be a fast process lol. Just gotta wait for the darn snow to melt... I cant complain as I love it but 80" for April is something should have come in December lol.

-Nate
 
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