Q: I own three heavy barrel varmint rifles, a .22-250, a .243 and a .25-06. I regard the latter two rifles as being dual-purpose jobs. I know what heavy bullets are best to use in them on game, but what weight bullets would you recommend for varmints in these guns? I’ve just sold off all my old scopes and replaced them, mounting a new Meopta Meopro 6-18×50 on each one. These rifles are all very accurate and I can get .25-.50″ groups from the .22-250 and 1/2-3/4 inch groups from the 6mm and .25 calibres. With the Meopta scopes I am able to see a rabbit sitting up with only his top half visible in 6 inch grass and should be able to hit him out to 400 metres. Can you suggest one good bullet and load for each calibre?
Clive Peterson
A: For long range varmint shooting with any cartridge, I have gained the best accuracy with Hornady V-Max bullets. In the .22- 250, I prefer the Hornady 60gn V-Max which retains its velocity better and lies closer to the wind than lighter bullets over a long haul. A charge of 40gn of W-760 launches it at 3600fps.In the .243 Winchester I’ve always preferred the 75gn V-Max and 46gn of W-760 for over 3400fps. I realize that the 87gn V-Max has the higher B.C of .400 against .330 for the 75 grainer, but the extra 300fps gives the lighter bullet a lot flatter flight path. Much the same situation exists with the .25-06. I used to prefer the 87gn bullets for varmints, but then I tried the 75gn V-Max which can be driven at up to 3700fps and is much more explosive on varmints. Try 55gn of W-760 for over 3600fps. You mentioned heavy bullets in your varminters. An important point to be made is that if you opt for a heavy-barreled gun whether a .22, a 6mm or a .25,it means investing in a rifle that’s not going to be much good for anything except varminting, but I’ll bet your battery includes a sporter or two?
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