If I were going to build a tack driving varmint gun what caliber would you all suggest I build a gun around?

How far out do you intend to shoot?

I Have A Savage 12flvss In 22-250. It Has The Heave Bull 26'' Fluted Barrel And The Accu-trigger. This Gun Will Out Shoot Most Customs With Hand Loads. It Shoots .300 Or Less All Day At 100 And We Shoot Clay Pigions At 440 Meaters With One Shot Per Each.
I Use 55 Gr Ball Tips With 38.3 Gr Of H380 And Do The Full Bit To The Brass. Most Of The Guys At The Range Love It And I Have Had Alot Of Offers For It. Try One And You Will Not Need To Build One...

I have a Savage 12BVSS 22-250 and am very happy with it. If the what should "I" build it around means you want to do the work yourself, get a used Savage and start from there. You can do it all yourself including the barrel. Easier than that would be to buy a new Savage model 12 with the accu-trigger and start shooting. 22-250 would be a good cartridge, the new .204 Ruger looks interesting to me. .223 is never a wrong choice either. A Savage that you put together yourself would cost less than most other custom guns.

How far wll you be shooting?

Do you handload?

What will the rifle be used for?

Drifter

6mm/243, 25/257, 308, 338 Lapua Mag. There are many others.

What is the biggest Varmint you intend on shooting? What is the "Nominal" Range you intend on shooting? What is the Max range you may be able to shoot?

I have:

1. 222 Rem 700 BDL Varmint Special "Cutomized", 20" heavy fluted barrel(factory Rem), Timney trigger. Mainly a bench gun but I have taken a couple Foxes at 100 and 150 yds and chucks at 125yds. I was shooting flies off the target board with this rifle last summer at 100yds at the range. Don't shoot/call coyotes with this rifle. I loadup 52gr Hornady Amax with some BLC-2. Very accurate rig. Plenty of optic on this one, 5.5-16.5X44 Nikon Monarch. I put this rig together back in 1999, It was my first Cutom built rifle.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/Spakarma/My%20Rifles/Custom222/222_2.jpg

2. 22-250 Rem 700 VLS SS, just tuned the trigger on this one. My main varmint gun. I have not shot many things over 400yds with this rifle. Shot plenty of crows and coyotes from 100-400yds. I bought one of those new Leupold VX-III 4.5-14X40 LR(30MM) VHR scopes, what an excellent optic! I mainly load up 55gr Sierra Blitzkings with about 36.5gr of Varget. I may try a different load after I shot up the 500rd econo-box.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/Spakarma/My%20Rifles/VLS22250/22250SS.jpg

3. 44MAG WIN 94AE, just a stock rifle but I only use this around the house and close-up stuff. Its very handy and quick for taking care of skunks and other yard pests.


It just depends on what your target is, paper or hair. My 222Rem shoots nice tiny groups but not much punch after 200yds. My 22-250 has plenty of punch and range but doesn't group quite as tight like the 222REM.


SPAD

I mainly shoot sage rats so I would like something to shoot 1/4 to 1/2 in groups and ranges up to 500 yrds. I do hand load and right now I have a Rem. 700 .223 VLS 26in heavy barrel custom trigger, benchrest style stock and topped with a 6.5-20 nikon monarch scope. Is this enough of a gun or would something else be a better fit.

Sounds like you've pretty well got it covered - your rig will be as good or better than anything else that could be put together.

The most consistent varmint rifle caliber I ever owned, as far as "tack driving accuracy goes" was the .222 Remington. I do have a 6mm Remington but still it didn't do what that .222 did on targets, varmints or predator's.

If I were going to build a tack driving varmint gun what caliber would you all suggest I build a gun around?
I own a custom made varmint rifle in 22-250 based upon a M98 action...but...if I were just starting and simply wanted an out of the box varmint rifle...I would buy the Savage..it is ugly but the shoot like gangbusters...

for smaller varmit killing capacity and accuracy my .222 rem does a number... 700 bdl varmit (70's vintage) with wood stock and bull barrel. not enough scope for the capability of the gun but off bags on a fairly calm midwest summer afternoon i have managed a couple of 1/4 mile shots on woodchucks across the farm... this gun will shoot 1 hole 5 shot groups at 200 yds if i am steady enough...

for instant death it's hard to beat Speer TNT hollowpoints for internal damage.. some 4198 pushing em out at 3400ish through the chrono... they go in.. don't come out and when you pick a woodchuck up it sounds like a bag of water sloshing around... i've taken a few 100 woodchucks around the farm over the years with this little gem and these handloads.

happy building

Jamie