Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Varmint Rifle

I would recommend that you get a nice AR rifle in the standard .223 caliber. It will shoot 200 yards accurately without any issues. It will kill coyotes with no problems. It is also very effective against deer sized game. It is also a great platform for defending against angry looters...which can happy almost anywhere these days.

That would be my advice to you.

On the frt side of my pond I use a .22 mag then on the back half I use a .223 rem.

I have my 17 HMR with a suppressor that I absolutely love for varmints on the pond, a little light cartridge for coyotes in a distance but have taken several deer with it, just pop them in the head, which is one of the options with this caliber.

17 Mach II, 17 HMR, Savage bolt action .22LR re-barreled to shoot the 60g Aguila sub sonic bullets, or now working on a CZ452 American that I reamed to K-Hornet. All have their place. HMR and bolt action Savage are threaded for a can. The other two won't be.

esshup,

I am failing to understand something.

Why was your Savage re-barreled to shoot the Aguila sub-sonic bullets?

(I think a suppressed .22LR shooting sub-sonic bullets would be an excellent tool when trying to eliminate multiple varmints.)

Rod, I have some suppressed 22 ammo and accuracy, without powder, isn’t too great.

Actually, I live in town and use the no powder stuff to kill tree rats(squirrels) that chew holes in everything.

I have shot the CCI subsonic with good accuracy in my Savage. Don't have my data card handy, but I think it was about 5.5" lower on the target than the CCI standard at 50 yards. (I do not have a suppressor.)

DD1,

What brand do you like on your air rifle equipment? Those are now pretty nifty tools!

Because the 1:16 wouldn't stabilize the long 60 grain bullet. I went with a 1:9.

60g Aguilar SSS

Thanks esshup.

Most rifles have a specific diet that they really prefer. Glad you found one, but sorry you needed an extra barrel to do it!

My initial thought was a .17 Remington. Mine is wonderfully accurate (sub 0.5" groups) and the bullets blow up pretty easily (lower ricochet potential than a heavy bullet traveling slower); but ammo is harder to find and more expensive now. Then I thought about the .17 hmr. Then, ultimately decided that my recommendation would be the boring old .223 with lightweight, highly fragile rounds traveling fast. Rifles and ammo are readily available at different price points.

Edited to add... might compare twist rate before purchasing.

Rod, mine is Colibri