Best gun for varmints

[rittert3]

.22LR cheap and effective and dosn't create a mess. Can pick up a savage .22 rifle and walmart for around $120 little maintanance
and shell are about $1 for 50 and the gun will last a long time. they sound about like a fire cracker so not increadably loud either.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

We have a 100+ year old 250 Savage with a scope. With silver tip bullets (like hollow points). It seems to work on dogs & coyotes.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Cheap, quiet, and easy to maintain. Music to my ears.

Mikeeeeee, the shotgun sounds like a very versatile option. I figured it would be a choice between shotgun and 22.

Nice information about the Marlin 22, Jenlyn9483.

Anybody else have a favorite brand?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

We use the trusty BB gun for snakes and such...but use a .22 for the larger things.

 

[jqs birds]

A .22 will work but is not really going to anchor what you are shooting at unless it is close.
A shotgun also has the same limitations, although you don't need to be as good of a shot to hit something with a shotgun. Some of the high dollar ammo available for 12 guages claim effectiveness on coyotes out to 100 yards, it also requires a special choke to reach that far and hold a pattern. If your wife shoots it she may not appreciate the recoil from a shotgun.
I use a .204 it's one of the fastest bullets at over 4300 fps and not that loud. Ammo runs aroung $16 a box for 20.
A .223 is also a good choice, fast accurate and inexpensive to shoot.
Both of the rifle calibers I mentioned are deadly well beyond 200 yards, so you need to consider neighbors.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Ruger 10-.22, one of the most loved .22 rifles. It is semi auto, relatively accurate and fast, and like all .22s, quiet, easy to shoot (not that thats a problem for you...) and cheap ammo.

For bigger animals, (coyotes, stray dos, etc.) I personally grap one of the ARs. Our version of your gun.

Its biggest problem is that .223 ammo is getting more expensive and harder to find. But it is still hands down the best. There is a reason why you were issued it, the USMC agrees with me.

The shotguns are great, but I never go after varmints with them, for several reasons. Mainly because they are much shorter range. I could never hit a coyote or a fox with one around here. They have too much space to run in.

Now varmints of the human kind..... thats a different story....

 

[peepdaddy]

Buster,
I'm not a gun nut but I've found that rarely is one gun suitable for everyone or every purpose. I have a Titan 25 semi-auto. Shoots very well for a small pistol and easy to slip into a front pocket. Good for small critters.
I hunt and my Marlin 30-30 is good for anything up to deer size and at a decent distance. I wouldn't use it for really small animals.
For medium distance I use a Remmington 12 guage pump. Have the option of several shots if I miss the first (not likely with a shotgun) or if there are several pests at once. Can also choose a smaller shot (e.g. 7 shot) for a bigger spread and smaller pests or a larger shot (e.g. 4 shot) for tighter grouping and bigger pests. Can also use 00 shot for really big critters.
A single shot New England 12 guage or 20 guage is cheap and simple to use. Can use all different size shot as well as slugs.
A Marlin 22 is relatively inexpensive and so cheap to shoot.
My new favorite is the Taurus Judge. A revolver that shoots 45s and 410s. I like using the 000 410 shell.
I have all these and have used each successfully in different situations.

 

[Uppity Peon]

Ruger "ranch rifles" come in 223 and 308 if I remember right. They are great varmint guns. The 223 is what people call a "mini 14".

But a 410 shotgun would also be great if you don't need to shoot any great distance.

 

[The Chicken People]

Are you in the city limits? We use a mossberg 22 rifle with a scope pretty darn accurate all bought at walmart!!

 

[fourwindgsd]

I'm sure not trying to start anything at all, I am a newbie, but in any state deer hunting with a .22 is illegal.
For doing in the varmit I have never found anything more handy than the .20 gauge single shot we have. It's a very versatile gun that can used for varmit hunting, then can be used to hunt deer with with a slug load and powerful enough to get the job done with deer, turkey, varmits and that snake that sneaks in and eats your eggs. We also have a .410 that killed its share of unwelcome snakes and posums around the coup.

Liz