Off Duty, Technology - Navy Times

Gunning for varmints

Semiautomatic variants of the M16 and M4 are increasingly popular in the varmint hunting world. In its .223 Remington counterpart, the NATO 5.56mm round enjoys an enduring niche as a leading varmint manager. The ammunition is cheap and plentiful, and nearly every firearms manufacturer chambers one or more models in .223.

But the timeless debate, “If you could have just one gun for ...” is even more difficult among varmint hunters, considering the game can range from 10-ounce sewer rats to prairie dogs and groundhogs to coyotes weighing in at 40 pounds or more. Shooting distances can vary from 15 to 500 yards.

Accordingly, you’ll find a little bit of everything in varmint gunners’ lineups, from heavy-barreled rifles designed for bench shooting to lightweight, traditional-styled hunting rifles and military-style rifles, including the popular Colt AR-15A or new Smith & Wesson M&P.

The ideal varmint situation matches the cartridge to the quarry and the countryside.

Hard-hitting cartridges

The .223 round vaporizes smaller varmints and flattens coyotes with authority. If the goal is to simply put a dent in the coyote population or flatten bucktoothed rodents as they harvest soybeans, most rifles chambered for the .223 will handle anything out to about 350 yards.

But hunters seeking prime fox and coyote pelts for the fur market have other considerations. They must consider bullet size and construction, and must find a round that delivers stopping power without ruining the hide. (I could relate a story about a 130-grain ballistic tip .270 round and a Wyoming coyote here, but why repeat the gory details?)

For those who worship at the altar of muzzle velocity, some is good and more is better. While the .223 is the everyman’s workhorse choice, its hot-loaded brethren — the .220 Swift, .222 Remington and .22-250 Remington — also have die-hard followings among varmint hunters.

These centerfire cartridges are light-kicking, hard-hitting offerings. In rifles equipped with quality optics, skilled shooters can nail varmints up to bobcat or coyote size at distances of 400 yards and beyond.

One newer cartridge earning a reputation among varmint shooters is the .204 Ruger. The .204 delivers roughly 4,200 feet per second of muzzle velocity when tipped with a 32-grain bullet. Sporting a 40-grain bullet (a standard .22 long rifle load), the .204 slows to a still-screaming 3,900 feet per second.

In many Eastern farm settings, local laws often prohibit rifles other than small rimfires. The venerable .22, including the .22 long rifle, .22 magnum and .22 Hornet cartridges, have probably resulted in the demise of more groundhogs east of the Mississippi and jackrabbits out West than all other varmint loads combined.

Still gaining in popularity are the .17 rimfires, such as the .17 Mach 2, essentially the .22 long rifle necked down to .17 caliber, and the .17 HMR, the necked-down version of the .22 Magnum.

The beauty of .17 rounds is that they’re relatively quiet, have practically nonexistent recoil and feature highly frangible bullets. They are utterly devastating on varmints such as prairie dogs and groundhogs. But the bullets disintegrate, losing kinetic energy upon contact, minimizing ricochet danger — key in suburban areas.

The flat-shooting, high-velocity .17 M2 is bad medicine for ’dogs and ’hogs out to 100 yards, while its bigger cousin, the .17 HMR, will easily suffice out to 160 yards or better. Hunters seeking edible quarry such as squirrels and cottontails need to watch shot placement when using these rounds. Anything other than head shots will mean meat that’s more “tenderized” than desirable.

5 great varmint guns

Rifle triggers always come from the factory set too heavy, so most varmint shooters reset their triggers from the typical 4-pound-plus setting to a sniper-crisp break weight, often about 1 pound. You may be shooting at a 12-inch target 300 yards away, where the slightest jerk means a miss. Keep in mind that using a light trigger means you shouldn’t lock and load until you’ve got a good rest and the muzzle directed safely downrange.

Several new rifle models designed for varmint shooters were introduced in the last couple years.

Model 12 Long Range PrecisionVarminter. Savage Arms has moved into prominence after decades of being considered a backbencher. The Model 12, featuring the patented adjustable AccuTrigger, is a benchrest-heavy 12 pounds and chambered in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington and .204 Ruger. It sells for about $1,000. See http://www.savagearms.com.

Model 84 Pro Varmint. This one’s chambered for the same cartridges as Kimber’s Model 84. With a heavy-fluted barrel, adjustable trigger, Mauser claw extractor and Winchester Model 70-type three-position safety, this is an incredibly sweet shooter. It sells for about $1,100. See http://www.kimberamerica.com.

Model 917VS-CF. This more affordable option from Marlin is a bolt-action rifle chambered for .17 HMR and weighing 6 pounds. It has a composite stock and stainless steel barrel, and sells for about $290.

Model 717M2. This is another Marlin model in the same price range — an autoloading carbine that shoots the .17 M2 and weighs just 5 pounds. It features a hardwood stock and blued barrel. It sells for about $260. See http://www.marlinfirearms.com.

M&P15A. If you want a new “black rifle,” consider this entry from Smith & Wesson, a gas-operated carbine sporting a 16-inch barrel and weighing 6.5 pounds. It has a military standard rail and all the neat features you’d expect on a rifle priced around $1,300. See http://www.smith-wesson.com.

Ken Perrotte is a freelance writer in King George, Va.