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223 Rem.

Boringly accurate, bullets are cheap, little recoil, cheap brass, only ~25 gr of powder in each load, flat shooting, easy on barrels, on and on.

There are several fine choices but there are very few that do anything that the 223 Rem doesn't. I like Rem 700s but a Savage short action or Howa 1500 would so just as well. 40 or 50 gr Hornay V-max or Nosler Ballistic Tips work great on everything up to coyote size. Sight in 1" high at 100 yds and you don't need to hold over on a prairie dog until out to 300 or so.

A couple of mine in 223. Actually just sold the Howa and the Rem is now a 300 BLK...

 

22-250 with exploding tips FTW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm_qwodo3jM

 

Dont listen to these silly folks. They dont know anything. Clearly in your situation you need atleast a .338 Lapua. or a 300 Win Mag.

But seriously, anything these guys listed are good guns. For varmint/deer hunting I would go with the .243 just because it is legal for deer in all states. It will shoot flat and far and drop a deer in its tracks with a good shot as well as allow you to hunt coyotes or groundhogs out in the hay fields at 200+ yards.

But a 223, 22-250, 243, 6mm, 270, 7mm, or 7mm mag aught to work good for your purposes

 

22-250 is a good choice; 25-06 is also very effective, + will do a good job on deer/antelope size game.
I use a Rem. 788, 22-250 W/55 gr.tip, for woodchuck hunting.

 

Got several to choose from, i just take which one i feel like taking haha 17hmr, 243, 300 savage, biggest being a 270. We use the last three for deer season, gonna be buying a AR-15 this week and will probably use that. just my two cents.

 

I can generally buy a 50 rd box at gun shows for between $9.50 and $12.00, depending on manufacturer and bullet type.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_17HMR_ammo.htm

There are three major manufacturers of 17HMR rifles. Here is a good write up

http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_17HMR_varmint_rifles.htm

I find my 17 a good shooter up to about 125 yards and would not hesitate in popping a coyote at that range. Just get some good glass on it and have fun!!!!

 

back on topic..for varmint..all varmint. my personal fav is 22-250. i love that cartridge.

i would love a ruger #1, with a heavy barrel in that caliber..if you are going to step up to big game one day..maybe a 243 or a 25 cal.

 

That was a complete waste of some very good bittles!

 

what kind of caliber you folks recommends for human hunting?

 

Ive had several .243's and its always been a great round. Deer, pigs, coyotes, prarrie dogs, armadillos and and ammo is never hard to find either.

 

im going to support the .243 movement to answer this question. you'll have enough stopping power for larger targets like a coyote or hog.

otherwise id get something in 5.56/.223 so that you only have to purchase one type of ammo.

 

I personally wouldn't ever attempt to shoot anything larger than a chuck with the 17 HMR. The bullets are designed to fragment upon impact, not penetrate deeply enough for larger game. The 17 carries a mere 135 lb/ft of energy at 100 yds. Can it be done? Sure. Ethically speaking, should it? Not so much. To each their own, I suppose.

 

Human hunting is illegal. "Surviving the Game" was only a movie. haha

 

x2 That would be illegal with any native game that size as well

 

http://www.ruger.com/mobile/products/17108.html

I'll just leave this here...

 

The bull barrel is going to add a good bit of weight to any gun. If you are going to be hiking in to more remote locations or doing a lot of spot and stalk, you will be kicking yourself from the tired hands and arms. A mid weight barrel or even a pencil barrel will suffice, without sacrificing accuracy, unless you are shooting several rounds in quick succession. If that is the case, you need to practice more lol. Savage has a 308 scout rifle with a heavy short barrel, bolt action, removable magazine. Savage makes some pretty good shooters right out of the box no-a-days.

 

I give up on that whole thing. It's obvious some hunters need to do some reading and field testing on the guns they choose to shoot. A 30-30 is a better option, hell, that cartridge has killed more deer than most of the others put together, but it too has its limitations, that mostly being effective range.

 

head shots. i'll take them anytime.axis can be hunted anytime,any caliber. all you need is a license.

17 penetrates,scrambles brains,and it runs out nose.

 

back to regular programming.

i need to cook some more axis for dinner,thin out the freezer.