Hiya all…
I’m (hopefully) moving into the South West of Western Australia and want to eventually purchase a rifle for varminting - Rabbits, Kangaroos and other small type pests at reasonable ranges - 50 to 200 meters (54 to 218 yards approx), also for a bit of plinking at “long range targets” 300+ yards, you know, barrels or other inanimate objects…
I was thinking of getting a heavy barrelled .223, but was wondering, would I be better off getting a .243? Is it a good compromise between the accuracy of a .223 and the velocity of a .22-250??
I’m planning to reload as well, to keep costs down.
From what I’ve read and heard, the .223 seems to be the overwhelming choice for your application. Of course, if you can, you should go to a range and see if they have these rifles for rent in the chambering you’re looking at. Nothing beats some empirical data for helping you make a decision. Keep in mind the availability issue also, as it may be easier to get reloading components for the .223 vice the .243.
Another .223 vote here. Cheap to buy, cheap to reload. Lots of different bullets and brass available. For plinking, you could easily get a lot of mil surplus ammo. You have better barrel life than a .22-250, use less powder, and your brass will last longer. It’s the most popular .22 caliber centerfire out there.
I very much want a Bushmaster Varminter, but I guess it will have to wait until graduation.
.22-250 is very useful if you need long range accuracy (.22-250 leaves the barrel at 5300ft/sec, .223 is only about 4000ft/sec [+/- 500ft/sec])
if you’re shooting at something small-ish, use the .22-250… if the target is close to man-sized go for the .223 (and a shorter range).
the very high velocity will cause the .22-250 to age its barrel faster, and will expand the brass at a faster rate… but if you’re shooting frequently enough to worry about such things, you’ll be able to make your own decisions…
basically, the .223 will drop the round a lot faster, the .22-250 will wear more heavily on the weapon…
if money isn’t really an issue, choose a bolt or lever action .30-06, it will have more stopping power than a .223 and reasonably high velocity (there is a reason that USMC snipers use .30-06 rounds)
and if money REALLY isn’t an issue… buy a BMG50 from Barret… you’ll spend $2US per shot, and $8000 on the rifle, but there’s a reason that US Navy SEAL snipers use them
Well, the OP said he wanted to kill varmints. As much as I like the .30-06 (never fired a .50 BMG), I’ll just say that both strike me as overkill for the purpose.
I’m a Yank, but from what I’ve seen on the Discovery channel, Kangaroos are a tad bit bigger than a rabbit and would hardly classify as small game here. The caliber of a gun has little to do with accuracy. The make of the gun, and to be even more particular, the specific gun you are shooting, matched with ammo and sighting system, is what gives you accuracy (not to mention the shooter). Here, folks use a 22-250 a lot for groundhogs simply because you don’t need a half inch wide bullet to do the job. .223’s are very popular plinking, varmint (up to coyote) and target guns, and .243’s are commonly used for deer hunting. Pretty much any centerfire caliber will be more than adequate for the ranges you are talking about. There’s a lot of talk about the new .17 guns but I have no firsthand knowledge and not only refuse to speculate but am a bit reserved on their effectiveness against animals (if it isn’t a clean kill, I can’t support it).
Going out on a limb, and assuming that a kangaroo is similar to a deer, and that you are looking for a gun that can do everything, my advice is to expand your options. 7mm’s are wonderful, as are .270’s, .308’s and 30-06’s. Find a well made gun that you can afford and shoot well. Anything can be reloaded these days. There are dies set up for everything and they all cost about the same.
Personally, I am a 30-06 fan. I don’t know of a more versatile gun. You can shoot bullets from 40 grains up to 220 grains at incredible ranges, can hunt anything with conscience on our continent, including yours, and get ammo anywhere. If you want just one gun, I would have to suggest this one.
If in your plinking you will be shooting at a whole lot of targets on an afternoon walk, the .223 is what you want. The larger bore rounds cost more, and from .270 on up, shoulder pain from recoil becomes a factor when taking many shots in a short time period.
Just to clarify your post, are you saying a .224 (22-250) bullet at 5300fps has less stopping power than a .224 (.223 Rem) bullet at 4000fps? I think those velocities are a little on the fast side for those rounds, too.
What do you mean by the .223 dropping the round a lot faster?
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Hey Tennessee dopers, you guys do know the Barrett is made here in Murfreesboro, right? They do have a cheaper single shot now for $3300 or so. Saw one at the gun range recently. Nifty.
<slight hijack>
I was wondering when someone would mention the new .17 HMR. I do not have one yet, but I hear they are about as effective on small game as the .22 WMR is it based on. Only hearsay, though, I don’t hunt myself.
</slight hijack>
I’m not in a position to buy a BMG50, much as I’d like one as they are not allowed to civillians in Australia.
I’ve fired a 7mm-08 and found that to be a little hard on the recoil, enough that I wouldn’t want to shoot it heaps. The .243 is to me a much lighter recoiling load and is pleasant to shoot.
I haven’t shot a .223 in any form, as the farms that I go to only have the 7mm and the .243 and a 12 guage shotgun, as well as various 22 rimfires.
Unfortunately the gun laws over here are a lot more stricter (to me) than in the US, and it is difficult to find a firing range that has the calibers and rifles that I want to use.
I would be careful with the Bushmaster one of the posters was talking about. You get what you pay for with that rifle. I have one (.223) and the sights are pretty bad. I would recommend you get a scope for that thing.
Colt’s AR-15 (.223) is a vastly superior rifle and it doesn’t cost much more. As for a kangaroo, a .223 should bring it down without it even knowing what hit it and your shoulder will thank you.
I also have an M1A (.308) and it’s a great rifle. They are more or less military surplus and the kick isn’t much compared to a .30-06 though it is a bit more than the .223 It’ll also bring down what ever you are shooting at, be it a kangaroo or a wambat
as they are not allowed to civillians in Australia.