A Look at Varmint Calibers

I I have written about predator rifles herein a couple of times, but never about rifles and calibers intended for extended shooting over prairie dog towns, or for woodchucks, rockchucks, or any of the other rodentia that are available to the hunter.

Because this is one of the fastest growing aspects of the shooting sports, and many Texans travel far and wide to partake of this sport, I think it’s time to broach that subject.

The first cartridge intended from the onset to be a varmint cartridge was the diminutive .22 Hornet. It was and is a wonderfully mild, reasonably accurate little cartridge, but is short on range and power. It fires a 45-grain bullet at about 2,600 feet per second and is good for about 150 yards on creatures the size of prairie dogs and ground squirrels.

Almost identical to the Hornet is the .218 Bee, but the Bee was primarily found in lever actions, which caused accuracy to be less than stellar as compared to a good bolt action, and I know of no varmint rifles currently chambered for the Bee.

Now we step up the next level. This group of cartridges are so similar in performance that you can just flip a coin or roll dice. The .221 Remington Fireball,  .222 Remington, .223 Remington, and the discontinued, but still great .222 Remington Magnum, are all cut pretty much from the same cloth.

The eldest of the group, the .222, was the brainchild of Remington’s Mike Walker. It was intended from the beginning to fire a 50-grain bullet at 3,200 feet per second. This it will do.

The .223 will push that same bullet to about 3,400, and the .222 Remington Magnum will manage about 3,450 without exceeding current loading data. The .221 Fireball is the weak sister of the group, pushing that same 50-grain bullet to 3,100.

These are all solid, mild cartridges with little recoil and mild muzzle blast. You could shoot any of them all day on a prairie dog town without being worn down by recoil.

The range they are good for pretty much depends on the ability of the shooter. However, I would place the .221 and .222 in the 225-yard area, and the .223/.222 Magnum at about 300.

The .222 Magnum is no longer chambered in factory rifles, but should not be overlooked in a used rifle or if rebarreling or building a custom rifle. Reloading components are still available. One of my pets is a .222 Remington Magnum Ackley Improved.

The real hotrods of the .22 calibers are the .22-250, .220 Swift, and the .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum. The .22-250 will spit a 55-grain bullet to above 3,650 fps, the .220 Swift will manage 3,800 with a 55-grain bullet, and the .223 WSSM will push 3,900. That is fast!

If wind isn’t a problem, any of them are capable of making shots to the far side of 400 yards. However, they have more recoil and a lot more muzzle blast than their milder brethren. Because both recoil and muzzle blast are cumulative, they are not as pleasant for an all-day shoot on a big prairie dog town.

The top end of this group is the .243s and .25s. These are the heavyweights of the varmint group. They are certainly capable of much greater range and buck the wind better. They also kick more and have more muzzle blast.

The .243 Winchester is the largest I would recommend for a day on a dog town, and then only with a heavy-barreled varmint rifle to attenuate the recoil. However, for the hunter who is looking to make a few very long shots, the .25-06 is pretty much unbeatable.

The .243 Winchester will kick a 65-grain bullet out at 3,600 feet per second, or an 80-grain at 3,300. The .25-06 will send a 75-grain bullet off at 3,700 fps, or an 87-grain at 3,500.

This group is where, with the proper bullets, you step up to cartridges that are good combinations for varmints deer, or antelope. Some hunters even use the .25-06 with 120-grain bullets for elk, but that is pushing it a bit much for my tastes.

Also very good, but often overlooked these days, is the .257 Roberts. There are no flies on the old .250-3000 Savage, and the 6mm Remington is one heck of a cartridge.

Also falling into the small varmint category are cartridges of .17 and .204 caliber. I put them last because that is how I think of them.

The .17s are the .17 Remington Fireball (.17-221), .17 Remington, and several wildcats such as the .17/222. These are speed demons of the first order, but shoot bullets of 20- or 25-grains, which are not suitable either for long range or windy conditions.

Their biggest plus is their almost negligible recoil. The .17 Remington will fire a 25-grain bullet at more than 4,000 fps, but drifts very badly in the wind. Also, these tiny hotrods require cleaning after about 20 shots or accuracy falls off pretty drastically.

The .204 Ruger is the only .20 caliber on the market today and it deserves special attention. With a 40-grain bullet at 3,850 fps, or a 45-grain at 3,600, it is fast and flat. I used one on a Wyoming prairie dog hunt a few years ago and was amazed at how flat it shot. In fact, most of my misses were caused by over-shooting. When I hit a prairie dog, the only thing left was scraps.

There you have it. Your choice depends on what you want to accomplish. You can have a rifle specifically for extended bouts with rodents, or a big game rifle for some off-season practice. Pick one that suits your needs and have fun. That is, after all, the ultimate reason for being there.

 

Email Steve LaMascus at ContactUs@fishgame.com