OT - Boss needs a varmint rifle

[deerwhacker444]

My boss wants to get a rifle primarily for coyotes. He's got a 30-06 but wants something a little lighter with less report. He doesn't hunt anything other than varmints, and he'd like to do it as cheap a possible. I was thinking of the NEF Handi-Rifles in .223 or .22-250. Do you folks have any other ideas of what to buy on the cheap.?

[2ndovc]

I've seen a bunch of used Savage boltguns and Remington 788s right around $250.

Though the 788s seem to be creaping up in price.

jb

[Modoc ED]

TIP 1: He's your boss. If you recommend just one rifle and it turns out that he gets it and hates it, he'll be disappointed in you. Give him recommendations for at least 3-rifles.

I'd recommend a sporting weight. Not one of those heavy-barrel 5000-pound rifles. With a sporting weight rifle, he can cover a lot of ground and call from numerous places in a day.

Any rifle in the following cartridges will do:

.223, .220 Swift, .22-250, .204, .243, 7MM-08, and just about any thing else.

[Tycer]

Save the gun and ammo cash and learn to reload.

Coyotes

My long-range varmint recipe for the .30-06 is a 110-grain Sierra hollow-point or Hornady V-Max bullet splitting the atmosphere at 3,500 fps. This is accomplished with 57-grains of H-335 (3,529 fps in my rifle) or 59-grains of Hodgdon Varget for a whisper under 3,500. While the 30-caliber 110-grain bullet is short on sectional density and ballistic coefficient, it shoots surprisingly flat, delivering more than enough energy to topple the biggest prairie wolf on the plains at 300 yards or so.

-Sam Fadala from "The do-all .30-06: from mice to moose, the venerable '06 can take 'em all"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... tBody;col1

That's really not necessary, he can load a 170 grain cast bullet at 1800 that'll be quiet and roll them 'yotes.

[AJMD429]

I believe you can ALSO still get the "accellerator" rounds for the .30-06, which are saboted .223 bullets - probably 55 grain. Muzzle velocity around 4,000 fps.

So, he really might not need a new gun, if his has a decent scope!

.223's are nice, and used to be cheap surplus/contract ammo. Military cartridges sometimes get banned, though.

.243 more oomph, and unless you shoot lots of rounds, extra cost not that much.

Handi-Rifles are a REALLY good buy for a single-purpose gun for someone who doesn't want 'fancy,' unless the need is for rapid followup shots.

OR.... talk him into a BLR in .243, and if he doesn't like it, offer to take it in lieu of overtime pay or something...

[cnjarvis]

I like the idea of the a used bolt action. Something else to consider might be the stevens model 200 or the mossberg bolt action, both can be had "cheap" and brand new.

[mescalero1]

I think JReed and I would prefer ' inexpensive ' to describe one of our favorite little rifles.

[HATCHETTJACK]

marlin xl7 in 25-06 brand new for 300 dollars

[JohndeFresno]

TIP 1: He's your boss. If you recommend just one rifle and it turns out that he gets it and hates it, he'll be disappointed in you. Give him recommendations for at least 3-rifles....

Very wise advice, Modoc Ed.

[mescalero1]

HatchettJack,
that is a deal

[JReed]

Stevens 200 in .223 same as the Savage but with out the Accutriger. Very accurate guns straight from the box at a darn good price.

[cnjarvis]

Stevens 200 in .223 same as the Savage but with out the Accutriger. Very accurate guns straight from the box at a darn good price.

Like dude, you're like on my wave.

[JReed]

Stevens 200 in .223 same as the Savage but with out the Accutriger. Very accurate guns straight from the box at a darn good price.

Like dude, you're like on my wave.

I am very biased

[Streetstar]

Middle rifle is a Rem 700 -- 300 bucks or so at Wal Mart ---- gunsmith cut the barrel to 18" for easier handling, .243 caliber. Was going to convert it to a fwd scope mount scout type rifle, but i dont like the low magnification and prefer to keep at least a 6 power scope, so it is what it is, but is deadly on coyotes, small deer, anything in between

[AndyM]

I would say a used Savage bolt in a traditional varmint cal would be best. 22-250, 223, 243 would be best