Hunting and rifles!!?

Question

I need a couple new guns and i want one for prarie dogs and coyote. Everyone keeps telling me to get a 223. but i was thinkng of getting a 22-250 or a 204. ruger. Is the 204. a good long range gun.

I need one for medium game like white-tail, mule, caribou and i was thinking of getting the Tikka T3 Hunter or a Browning A-Bolt Medallion in the 270. calibre. Which model.

I need one for largest game in north america like moose, elk, black and brown bear. I want a 30-378 weatherby mag. or the 300 wsm.

Answer 1

The .22-250 would be my choice for varmint it always has. As for the Ruger.204 the only problem with long range is the smaller the bullet the faster it slows in its flight meaning heavier bullets from the .22-250 will shoot flatter making it a better long range gun.

As for the .270 I would buy the T3 mainly because I am not a fan of the A-Bolt.

As for the large calibers I would shoot both and if you can cope with the heavier recoil of the 30-378 I would buy it. Make sure you can handle the recoil because if you cant it wont matter which round you use when you flinch you miss.

Answer 2

Your best choice obviously is the 22-250.* The 270 is adequate providing you use the proper bullet, especially for the Caribou.* The same goes for the 300 wsm, type of bullet is critical.* I never heard of or could find any information regarding the 30-378.*....

Answer 3

22-250 is a great varmint gun, though it will turn prairie dogs to mush of course.

For a good all around rifle from deer to bear and moose I'd want a tad more than a .270 (which I love and own 2 of). I think the 7mm rem mag is a great round with enough power to take down about anything in N America though it's even on the small side for a brown bear or even a moose, it is adequate, and it's a very accurate well performing round. You can also load down a tad for deer and use a lighter bullet and still get great accuracy. The 300 H&H or Weatherby mag step up a little, but to me the versatility from deer to bear and moose is better served by the 7mm rem mag.

Answer 4

The .223 has the advantage of availability of military surplus ammunition (from various countries) keeping the price of practice ammunition lower than the others if you do not reload.  The .22-250 has higher velocity with the same bullet weights and therefor a flatter trajectory and better for long range than the .223 (the .223 is excellent to a little over 300 yards).  The .204 has less recoil than the others (noticeable and desirable for volume prairie dog shoots) and shoots a smaller bullet at velocities comparable to the .22-250.  However the lighter bullets are more affected by wind than the heavier .223 diameter bullets.  All of these would be good for coyotes and prairie dogs.  I use the .22-250, but don't do high volume prairie dog shooting.

Both the Tikka T3 Hunter and the Browning A-Bolt Medallion are excellent rifles and the .270 Winchester is a good cartridge for these animals.  Handle both and pick the one that feels best to you.  I've used the .270 Winchester for Whitetail, Mule Deer, and Caribou.

Either the .30-378 Weatherby or the .300 WSM would be adequate for these larger species.  Even the .270 Winchester can be used for elk, moose, and black bear.  The .30-378 is designed for long range shooting - it shoots the same bullets as a .308 Winchester or .30-06, but at a higher velocity.  The .300 WSM is intermediate between the .308 Winchester and the .30-378.  I prefer bigger bullets in cartridges such as the .338 Winchester Magnum, .338 Ultra-magnum, or .340 Weatherby Magnum for animals of this size.  I  haven't shot brown bear, but have used a .340 Weatherby successfully for both elk and moose.  Several gun writers suggest the .338 diameter bullets as minimum for the big bears.

Answer 5

As far as a small calibre is concerned, I would go with a 223. It is not flatter shooting than the 22-250, but how far are you shooting? The 223 in my opinion is econimical to shoot due to the abundance of ammo. Lets face it, the best gun in the world will not help you hit the target if you are a crappy shot. The 223 will cost a ton less to shoot at the range, and range time builds markmanship. Please also keep in mind that if you do go 223, make certain that the gun you purchase has a chamber cut to 5.56X45mm. If you get a gun with the .223 chamber, you should shoot ammo that is .223. If you get a 5.56x45mm, you can shoot .223 or 5.56x45. Putting a 5.56x45 in a chamber cut to .223, can cause high chamber pressure. THEY ARE NOT IDENTICAL!!! I shoot a military style 5.56 built by ARMALITE. My groups at 300 yards are as good as any bolt out there.

The 204, is a speedy round, but it lacks weight. Weight in a bullet helps buck wind.

If cost of ammo is not that big a deal, look into the 243. In its lightest of loads like, 55 grains, it produces speeds that surpass the 223, and ammo is less expensive than the 22-250. The 243, can also go up to 100 grains and is often used as a deer rifle. I think it is a bit small, but it can pull double duty.

As far as deer sized game is concerned, I prefer a 30 calibre like a 308. or a 30-06. If you want one gun to do white tail deer, mule deer,caribu, elk, and black bear, I like the 30-06. In light loads like 150 grains, It produces speeds that make it a great killer out to 300 plus yards. It can also be found in 180 grains and heavier for the bear and moose. The ammo for a 30-06 is almost always available is even the smallest of gun stores.

As far as brown bear is concerned, I have no experience. I would not feel comfortable though with a 30 calibre. The 300 wsm is a beefed up 30-06. It is not the end all! I would want big bore bullets.

I spent a great deal of time working and hanging around a gun/archery shop in my youth. I can tell you that I met some old timers there that used a 30-06 for everything except brown bear. I knew one that swore by a 12 gauge remington 870, loaded with 3 inch brenikie rifled slugs for bear. I also knew one that used a Marlin 45-70. This man was reloading 500 grain bullets up to 1800 fps. This produces a huge amount of energy and penitration.

As far as a 270 is concerned, I dont like it. The 270 has a nitch. It is a great gun for 300 plus yards on deer sized game. It is fast and light. As far as someone shooting elk or caribu with it, well I am willing to bet that it is the hunters talent that kills big game with a light round. The .270 is not as versitile as the 30-06.

If I had to choose between the Tikka and the Browning, I would choose the one that lookes cooler to me. Only because they are both great rifles. I prefer Remington 700. It was my first gun, and it is good enough for me. The high end stuff does rock though.

Hope this was not too much. Good luck!!!

Answer 6

As for the small game the 223 is fine and so are the other rounds the 204 is an excellent rifle they are extremely fast and accurate but any of them will perform great

for medium game like deer you can't go wrong with the 270 WIN in Browning A-Bolt everything that has gone on my wall and freezer have been put there with the same 270 it is also great for the big game I dropped a Bull Elk with one shot and he didn't run 20 yds after the shot as far as hunting elk and caribou those other guns are just overkill I haven't tried the 270 on bear yet but I would be willing to I think it will do just fine

Answer 7

I suggest a Bushmaster varminter

http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_xm15_P...

And i would hesitate on getting the Tikka T3. they r high quality, affordable, and accurate.

For your large game rifle i would suggest a Remington 700 XCR (u can choose from about 10 different large game calibers)

http://www.remington.com/products/firear...

http://www.remington.com/products/firear...

Answer 8

The .204 ( I own one) will shoot at the muzzle with a 32 gr bullet at 4225 fps.  The 40 gr has a muzzle velocity of 3900!

The 40 gr is 100 fps faster at the muzzle than the .223 40 gr (3800 fps.)

The .204 has less wind drift past 350 yards than the 22-250 and a lot less than the .223.

For long distance shooting, the .204 is a better gun for shooting those prairie dogs.

But, the .204 is more expensive to shoot compared to the .223!

I am using the Hornady V-Max as a comparison.

You can't go wrong with the T3 or the Browning A-bolt, but you should check out the Remington model 700.  The .270 is a great calibre for deer and caribou.

For larger game, the 30-378 will take care of anything, even most animals in Africa.  But is expensive to shoot!

Also the 300 WSM will do the job, but ammo isn't as readily available.  Consider the 300 Win Mag as a good calibre.

My brother hunts and lives in Alaska with a 300 Win Mag.

I just sighted a 300 Win Mag in for a guy I work with who is as I write this in Africa hunting all kinds of animals.

Find a gun that fits you and feels comfortable when holding it.

And you will be happy.

Answer 9

This sounds awefull costly

The 223 is fine but the 22-250 (and 220 swift) would have a flatter trajectory. I think it comes down to whether or not you want to shoot over 300 yards. If the answer is yes, I'd go with the faster 22's. Be aware the barrel will get hot faster and you're going to have to take more breaks than the guy shooting a 223.

The 204 is very interesting but as a long range gun it is going to drift more in the wind. I'd stick with a 22 cal personally.

As for the other rifles --- do you reload or know someone who does?

If so you can save a ton of money by buying one rifle. For the large animals I would be picking something larger than a 30 cal.

The 338 mag or the 375 ruger (howa barreled action and put your own stock on --- very very reasonable. complete rifle/stock would be 600 bucks) wouldn't be a half bad choice for the handloader. Load a lighter bullet at lower speeds for meduim game (have it recoil like a 30-06) and a load a heavy bullet and put some umph behind it in an almost full power load for moose and brown bear.  

You could either adjust your zero's if the point of impact isn't close enough or use two scopes on a quick detach system.

If you're going to stick with your original plan though of a 270, I like the traditional looks of the A bolt.