Varmint Cartridge Tips and Options for Novice Varmint Hunters

May 10, 2022Varmint Cartridge Options & Tips for Novice Varmint Hunters
Here’s one of Bill Reid’s 6mmBR (6BR rigs). Like his Sako 6 PPC, this is exceptionally accurate.AccurateShooter Forum member Bill White (aka “CT10Ring”) is a New Yorker who relocated to Idaho in his senior years. Bill enjoys long-range target shoots from his Idaho home. His favorite gun hobby is varmint hunting in the nearby states of Wyoming, Montana, and Dakota. He loves to varmint hunt in nearby states, such as Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The.20-caliber bullets of the Ruger provide great velocity and mild recoil. Although the.204 Ruger can easily reach 400 yards, heavier winds can move the bullet around. Tremendous splat factor under 250 yards. I use Sierra 39gr bullets containing IMR 8208XBR in a Sako75. Even today,.204 Ruger ammo can be found easily..223 Remington — The most popular centerfire rifle round, the.223 Remington offers cheap brass and is a great choice to AR-15 owners. You can find it almost everywhere if you run out of ammo. On varmint safaris, I usually bring one AR-15 and one Rembolt gun. My Rem 700 5R 1:9?-twist barrel likes 53gr V-Max bullets. .22 BR — My.22 BR has been my first choice for most prairie dogs missions. The accuracy is excellent with necked-down 6mmBR Lapua brass — quarter MOA and blazing fast. This chambering can shoot anything between 40gr FB bullets and 80gr VLDs if it is set at the right twist rate. It is simple to load. Below is my.22 BR ammunition for another varmint trip. In my 1:12?-twist Shilen barreled rifle, I use 55gr Sierra BlitzKings containing Varget. 60gr Bergers are very accurate and have a flat trajectory that allows them to travel long distances..22-252 Rem — The.22-252 Rem is a classic varmint cartridge. It comes with 50gr Vmaxs. I have seen a.22-250 shot kill three P-Dogs with a single hit. I currently own five.220-250-chambered rifles. Three Sako 75s and one Rem 700 are my current favorites. A single shot Nesika is a small group shooter. The Berger 52gr VarmintHP is my favorite. How to make a custom.22-255? A 1:8?-twist barrel allows you to use the full weight range for.22-cal bullets while spinning lighter bullets quickly for the “red mist effect”. This cartridge can burn barrels. Do not shoot too many rounds at once. You should slowly run a.243 win case through a full-length,.22-243 die. Make sure to use plenty of lube to form your brass. Lapua.243 win brass is my first choice. It is possible to have some problems with the brass being necked down. Be aware of donuts at the neck-shoulder junction. I was unsure how the.22-243 rifle would perform. It has become a passion of mine to shoot it. Half-MOA groups are available with my.22-243, which has 41.0 grains RL-22 bullets and Hornady 75gr Amax cartridges. It’s a great wind gun and can go up to 600 yards with those 75-grainers.6 PPC — The 6 PPC is a benchrest competition cartridge that requires fire-forming. I do have an original Sako 75 Sako 75 single-shot 6 PC rifle that I load with Sako Headstamp 6 PC brass (see below), so fire-forming is not necessary. The Sako 75 came with a 0.113″ test target! My 6 PPC Sako showed me that 58gr Vmaxs, pushed with VihtavuoriN133, are powerful out to 300 yards. [Editor’s Note: Sako brass is no more available. New 6 PPC shooters will have to fire-form their brass or find Norma 6-PC brass. 6mmBR Norma (6BR), offers an unbeatable combination accuracy, efficiency, tunability. The 6BR and a fast twist barrel allow you to shoot everything, from 40gr flat-base bullets up to the most recent 105-110gr match cartridges. Lapua brass, VihtavuoriN135, Hornady 65, 75gr and Hornady58 are the ammunitions I use for my Krieger 1:14-twist HV barrel. This cartridge is capable of accurate long-range shooting, but I limit my 6BR shots to 350-400 meters.6-6.5×47 Lapua — The story’s lead picture is my 6-6.5×47 Lapua varmint rifle with Manners stock and Surgeon action. I Cerakoted and then bedded my barreled action. Below is 6-6.5×47 ammo that I loaded for recent testing. You can see how I separated different bullets from powder loads into multiple bags. The Hodgdon H4350 is an excellent choice for this cartridge. 39 grains H4350 with the 105gr Amax won, but 88gr Bergers shot well as well. This cartridge is capable of “critter dismantling”, at 600-700 yards. Six Tips for Novice Long Range Varmint Hunters 1. Double the amount of ammunition you think you might need. You may find that the fields are particularly rich or that there are more misses due to wind or other variables than you expected. 2. If possible, place your tent with the wind at your back or directly ahead. Cross-winds will be minimized by this arrangement. To show wind direction, you can set up a stake with a ribbon. 3. At least two rifles are recommended. One rifle should be a low-recoil rifle that uses less expensive components for close shots. For longer shots, where wind is more important, you might consider a rifle with a higher-BC bullet. 4. Before you go out, check the weather. Prairie dogs love calm and sunshine. Consider staying in town to clean the rifles if it is cloudy or very windy. 5. Take plenty of water with you on your trip. A male adult should drink 64 ounces (or more) of water each day. More if it’s hot or you sweat a lot. 6. Always hunt with a friend. It is best to hunt with a companion.