Best gun for varmints

[shawnkfl]

.22 would be a good choice. if you need to dispatch slighly larger game such as fox, woodchuck, etc...you can't go wrong with a .22-250. or a .17 HMR. for just ocasionally dispatching close quarter varmits, i would go with a hand gun. my walther P22 is perfect. some people can't hit a barn door with it. i can drive a nail with it

. just depends on the person and how familiar they are with the weapon. i too shot expert marksman with my M16 right along side with guys who couldn't even qualify. it's all in the person behind the trigger. whatever you buy, use it. go to a range and shoot it every chance you get. you know full well that you must get comfortable with it and learn to shoot it instinctively. getting it out once a year is pointless as far as accuracy goes.

 

[jqs birds]

Liz. >22 are fine but they will seldom drop and animal where it stands. If you want quick and humane go minimum .204, .223, even a .22-250.
Shotguns are great but are you going to have time to decide which shells to use when a predator is feasting on your chcikens?

 

[wohneli]

a loaded one!

 

[jqs birds]

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[FaithAnn]

We use a .22 and it works great. Our main problem is raccoons. We live in the city, so we have to have a very quiet gun. You can get .22 rounds called calibras (I think that is how it is spelled) that are extremely quiet, if I am inside and my husband shoots outside, it doesn't even sound like a gun.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Get a H&R 12 ga single shot gun, have it fitted for a 223 barrel for varmint. I am not sure they are still in business, I have one of their buffalo classics in 45/70 I love mine. You can have as many barrels as you want fitted to the receiver if they are still in business. The only draw back is you have to ship the receiver for fitting. They are also inexpensive enough just to buy one in each caliber. There are a lot of 30/30 levers action used rifles around at reasonable prices. I love the 30/30 cartridge I wish I still had my old marlin in that caliber. If you go to a gun show you should be able to find a nagant 7.62X54 for under $150 that will reach out and touch any sized game you want to pick off. Beware though they are hard on the shoulder.

 

[warmfuzzies]

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Walther p22! DH has worried that it isnt big enough to be effective, so we have spent some time with a 9mm instead, but this last time I got it, and I picked it up, I said i am never getting rid of it! Merry Christmas to me!!

It fits my small hands perfectly, so much better then any of the bigger pistols. (And I hate revolvers) Granted, if there was someone breaking into my house, I would grab the .40 over it, but I still love it so much!

OK, sorry for the interuption about my gun passions...

 

[bryan8]

If price is not an option go with a cz chambered in .223. You should be familiar with this round. Your good out to abot 300yrds and good up to yotes and bobcats. Your going to get dime sized groups at 100yards. You reallyyyyyyy need to go to a local gun store and look around they will help u out. ~ Bryan

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Thanks, and back at ya. It would be a silly thing to lie about to a bunch of strangers. Just didn't want people to think I didn't know how to handle a weapon and recommend something accordingly. Maybe I should have just said, "I know how to shoot a gun okay." Then perhaps then I wouldn't have run the risk of being called a liar.

Give your son my best. He has served during a much more difficult time than I did. Nixon started pulling out of Nam just as I went in, so I served during a time of relative peace.

My wife works in a police station and passed the question around to a bunch of cops. The consensus was .22-250 with hollow point rounds for a minimum gun that has decent power and can do decent damage.

 

[Boyd]

my basic varmit kit is a old marlin .22 and my sidearm is my little old 5 shot .38 revolver. My hands are small also, so thats why i go with a .38, and the .22 is dirt cheap to shoot, does great on the varmints around here and doesn't wake up everyone like my pistol will.