varmint rifle

[Fish&Fowl]

Just wondering if you guys have any experience and/or pros and cons of any of these rifles. I am planning on getting a .22-250 in one of these...just trying to get a general idea on brand quality.

1-Tikka T3 Lite

2-Weatherby Vanguard Varmint Special

3-Remington VTR

Also chime in if you have a different brand or model you'd recommend or stay away from. I'm looking at something in the $500-$700 range.

[picksbigwagon]

My sister in laws boyfried has the remington, nice gun but needed to have trigger work done, I have haerd a lot of great things about the TIkka T3's, not heard much on the weatherby. I just got my hands on a savage 243, beautiful trigger on it, my second accutrigger....Others here will help out I am sure, but the 22-250 is a screamer that is for sure.

[CAJ]

I have had 22-250 since they came out of the market. If I could only have one rifle, I would have the 250. It is a very good Varmit rifle and I have taken many Deer with it. You have too realize the limits for Deer, but it wioll do the job. If you reload, there are very good loads for fast and slower loads. An old freind that started me on a 22-250, said a couple hits with a small gun is better than 10 misses with the cannons. Just my thoughts. CAJ

[picksbigwagon]

I am gonna assume that you shot your deer outside of the state of Minnesota with your 22-250. The reg's say that any caliber of of bullet diameter larger than .23" is legal in MN. 22-250 uses a .224" diameter bullet.

[Jackpine Rob]

As a Minnesota resident, I've used my 250 for both varmints and eating-size critters like deer and antelope. I was of course using it in states that trust the shooter to know better than the so-called "experts" when it comes to down-range performance.

As to the specifics of the question posted, I would want to pick up each of the rifles and demand the ability to dry-fire the actual gun I'm going to buy. Find out which one is comfortable both in your hands and up to your shoulder, and then do the dry-fire.

Weatherby, Remington and Tikka all make quality guns. Out of the ones you mentioned, in my admittedly limited experience the Tikkas have the sweetest triggers. Not a small matter if you're a rifle guy.

The adjustable trigger and the fact that you are looking at a Sako action at a WalMart price would lean me towards the Tikka, in the stainless/synthetic. The couple I have shot at the range have been very good. Same accuracy guarantee as the Weatherby, but shooting better than adverstised. The downside on the T3's for me is the dorky plastic clip - I'm told they're rugged and dependable, but I can't personally vouch for that under field conditionss. They're made by Finns, so it can't be all bad!

Personally, my 250 is a Remington 700 action mated to a .224 barrel, with a custom stock, and was constructed back when a guy had to neck down 250 Savage brass and roll his own loads. The round is extremely nifty and versatile, but I find myself using other calibers for most applications. My other varmint rifles include a Remington Model 7 in .17 Rem, but I picked up and dry-fired several Model 7's before I found an acceptable trigger that I was willing to plunk down my money for. I also walked out of several gun shops that refused to let me try out the triggers.

My buddy has a sweet shooting Rem Model 700 in .223 (stainless/sythetic) that was an absolute dog until he had a new trigger dropped into it. Word to the wise.....

Its going to come down to what feels best in your hands - including when you close your eyes and squeeze the trigger. Another regular hunting partner absolutely hates our Rems, but has a CZ in 22-250 that he can literally make stand up and do tricks. Different feel for different shooters.

The 250 is a fun round. Pick a gun that feels good, top it with some quality glass (for gosh sake, don't scrimp on the scope!!), spend some quality time on the range figuring out what loads the gun likes to eat and spit out, and most of all, HAVE FUN!

[anyfishwilldo]

I will give the thumbs up on the Tikka T3. I have a T3 270 WSM, and a T3 22-250 with the heavy barrel. Both rifles are black synthetic with stainless barrels. IMO one of the nicest shooting rifles out there.

[Hoytmystic]

These are three good guns. You can't go wrong with any of them. I like your choice of caliber.

I personally have a weatherby vanguard black and stainless. I like it. The only problem I have is the trigger. It is a little hard to pull and has a slight grind. But you can be the judge. I am personally going to put a timney trigger in my gun.

One of my buddies bought a tikka t3 lite and he loved it. He also said that it was to lite for him.

I have remington rifle and liked them also.

Go to the shops and ask what everyone has. Just remember that you pay $500-700 for the gun. You should pay the same or more for optics. Trust me you will thank me for this later.

Have fun shopping!

Hoytmystic

[SSSTaxidermy]

I've been aggressively looking to get myself into a T3, 22-250. I've heard great reports from others saying the same as you all have. What type of glass would you suggest putting on a T3 or what do you currently have? I'm a Nikon fan so I would most likely steer myself in that direction upon purchase.

[Fish&Fowl]

As we were looking for guns, we ran into one dealer who had a great deal on a couple scopes. I had him call to price out a Nikon Monarch 4-16x42, and he ended up finding two of those scopes, the supplier said $377 each! Cheapest I've seen anywhere else is about $440, so I called him up on the way home and ordered it up.

Thanks all for the advice, keep it coming. I'm going to do some more looking still and pick up as many guns as possible.

[gotcatfish]

 Quote:

Remington VTR

all the way dude. Still can't believe the knockdown power of this rifle.

[Fish&Fowl]

Another quick question I had is about the barrel length. The Weatherby has a heavier barrel, which I like, but is there a reason why it's only 22"? Do you guys like longer barrels for shooting further or doesn't it matter much?

[Jackpine Rob]

Depends what you are going to use it for. Off a bench shooting at prairie dogs - go long, go big. Carrying it over hill and dale in search of coyotes or antelope or whatever - shorter and lighter is better.

The differences between a 20", 22", 24" etc. start to fall into the realm of hair-splitting. You are going to sacrifice a few fps with the shorter barrel, but the weight savings make sense in some conditions. The longer and heavier barrel is going to lay down better / less jump and shake when you're shooting from any type of rest. If you think about competition rifles, those are long and heavy barrels. Too long and heavy for routine field use.

There are some computer programs out there which allow a guy to approximate the the differences in downrange performance caused by different barrel lenghts. If you are trying to wring out the last foot per second, longer is better.

One thing I like to point to guys when we are arguing the longer vs. shorter barrels is the success of the single shot "handguns" such as the Striker, Contender, etc. Guys who play with those things routinely reach out to rifle distances and get the job done. Just a little something to add to the mix....

My 250 has a 24" barrel. Gets the job done. However, when I'm out tromping around calling coyotes, that rifle stays in the case. My calling rifle has an 18.5" barrel. I sacrificed a little performance for a light, easy to carry package that is maneuverable in the heat of battle.

Again, you want to decide HOW you are going to be using the rifle, and what feels right for YOU. Take it from there.

[picksbigwagon]

Good post Jackpine, I was just gonna respond about the weight issue, and the loss in fps.

I just got a 243 savage and am probably taking it out this next monday since I will be walking over hill and dale on some state land, otherwise I use my 20" bull barrel AR, which I didn't think weighed that much until this fall. I am not complaining about the weight but I do want to try this lighter 243 and see if I notice a difference.

[mnhunter79]

I have a savage 22-250 w/bull barrel stainless/ synthetic stock/ with a cheaper bushnell 4-12by 40

I also have a weatherby vanguard synthetic .243 plain blued barrel $399 (scheels) with a nikon- monarch 3-9by 40. love both of them. the 22-250 bull barrel gets kinda heavy when you put bipods on.

as far as accuracy goes, with federal ammo 80 gr. (.243) and 50gr.(22-250) they are both at about 1.25 inch diameter at 100 yds.

p.s. the weatherby's come with a factory shot target, and a accuracy guarantee. they can be sighted in to shoot better than that though, depending on shooter, rest and ammo.

Hope that helps ya out, good luck.

[Fish&Fowl]

I pretty sure I'm going to be going with the Tikka T3 Lite. I have heard nothing but good things from quality craftsmanship to guaranteed accuracy, and the price is definitely hard to beat too.

Thanks again for the input, I just bought Callin' All Coyotes 2 and am getting pumped to get out and give this varmint hunting a try. If there's one thing I don't need it's another bad habit!

[picksbigwagon]

F&F, good luck and welcome to the addiction. I was at Cabelas this mornind and I picked up a tikka 3 in 243, if I didn't have one before this morning, it would have come home with me.....

I like to equate predator huinting to hunting an animal with the eyes of a turkey, the nose of a deer, and the ears of....????...lets face it, they are tough to get, but the hunting part is a blast.

[anyfishwilldo]

Good choice on the T3. I'm sure you will like it. Another nice feature is the adjustable trigger. If I recall you can adjust it from a 2-6 lb pull. Very nice option.

[Ray1]

I just got back from taking a yote at 175 yds with the new t3 22-250. I love that gun. trigger can be adjusted as stated above to 2-6 pounds. IMO the action and the accuracy is awesome. Thanks to all that directed me in the right direction in my post of what caliber.

[northerndave]

If I had to buy a varmint rifle today I'd buy the Savage 12BTCSS in 22-250 with 1 in 12 rate of twist.

But, I already have one of these in the 12BVSS version in 22-250 that will give me 1/4" groups consistantly... so, If I want the new BTCSS I'll get one in .204

(laminate thumbhole stock identicle to the Rem XR-100 stock, stainless flueted heavy barrel & a detachable clip.)

but it weighs 10 lbs, little on the heavy side.