I have been thinking about what the perfect varmint rifle would be, it is a purely subjective thing but I have come to a few conclusions.
1. The perfect factory rifle would have to be one of the savage LE models they have the accu-trigger, bull barrel and a 1:8 or 9 twist.
2. My perfect custom rifle would be on a Winchester 70 action, with Jewell trigger in 220 Swift with a douglas XX or Lilja barrel with a fast twist, Boyd target varmint stock, harris bi-pod and a Leupold long-range scope

JB

You might want to give some thought to what varmits your going to hunt. Coyotes require a different setup than ground squirrels and they may require a different setup than the big rockchucks. Shooting distances and killing power sometimes demand different calibres, barrel dimensions, stock types and scope.

Some varmit hunting is done from a shooting bench setup in the squirrel fields, some is done on foot and in hasty stands for coyotes. These may require a different rifle to be the ultimate varmit rifle.

Do I have you confused yet? I certianly got myself confused. Anyway those two are nice choices.

Already have my "ultimate" varmint rifle...a Ruger MKII M77 Target Grey .243. Hands down, the most accurate rifle i own. The fit and finish are above and beyond what i would ever expect from a ruger...simply flawless. The trigger out of the box was a light 2 pounds and breaks very crisp. I went with the .243 for its incredable versatility...you can launch 55 grain bullets at speeds over 4000 FPS and bullets a little over 100 grains for deer and other weights and speeds for everything else inbetween. Recoil is extremely mild and its a very easy to shoot cartridge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v126/Jeffro426/134_3403_1.jpg

From a pure looks standpoint, I would choose a factory CZ 550 Varmnite Laminate. From a performance standpoint, I would choose a CZ 550 Varmint Laminate in .22-250. If you want to go all out, I would have a custom barrel such as a shilen, douglas, lilja, etc. on it, depending on who I talked to about which is the best. I would put a Nightforce scope on it.. probably an 8-32x56mm w/ a 30mm maintube and target turrets... I would go with either a versa-pod or a snipe-pod bipod system (they seem to be as good or better quality than a Harris, but for less money and with more features)... Of couse, I would have the action trued, scope mounts lapped, have the bolt face trued, have the lugs lapped, the inside of the action polished, and have all the trigger work done (stone and polish the sear, adjust sear engagement, weight of pull, takeup and overtravel, and have the regular pull set on about 2.5lbs, and the set trigger on about 1lb.) I just dont know how you could really expect to do any better than that on any level...

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/251/251556/folders/193949/1459732CZ550VarmintLaminate.jpg

We've got varmits to 300-400 lbs :eek: here in Texas (hogs), and they're moderately-edible.

My .257 Roberts does it all from 'dogs to hogs!!!! :D

I have mine already. It is almost jbstrings factory rifle. It is a savage model 12BVSS in .22-250. It has the accutrigger and a cheap BSA 6-24mil-dot scope. It also has a outers bipod. It shoots great. If I wanted a custom gun I would buy a better barrel and install it myself and upgrade the scope. There are also better trigers than the accu-trigger available. My good factory gun could easily become my better custom gun. I only wish that I had the new lowprofile Savage laminated stock instead of the bigger target style stock. A new stock would be another custom touch though. It is the best shooting gun I have ever shot just like it is.

For prairie dogging I was thinking a Weatherby SVM in a 22-250 with a Leupold VX-III 8.5-25x50scope w/ varmint reticles would be quite nice, along with a Harris Bi-Pod (thanks to Kdub) :)

Already have my "ultimate" varmint rifle...a Ruger MKII M77 Target Grey .243
I have been eyeing the Ruger MKII M77 Target Grey in .204 Ruger ... has anyone gotten any use out of this cartridge?

I know a couple of guys at the gun club swear by the 204, Haven't tried one yet myself

I have been eyeing the Ruger MKII M77 Target Grey in .204 Ruger ... has anyone gotten any use out of this cartridge?

A guy i frequent praire dog trips with has one...his is a savage, but im very impressed with its performance. Offers a bit more range on the ol .223, accuracy is fantastic, extremely flat shooting, does well, even in wyoming wind, and almost zero recoil. As soon as remington comes out with their XR-100s, im going to get one in 204.

i currently own a rem m700 , varmint rifle in the awesome 22-250 , and i love it . It has a 6 - 18 leopold on it , and a 1.9 lb trigger. But i`ll abmit , i would like to have one identical , in the 204. This may shock you , but if i had to pick my favorite of all varmint rifles , it would be my rem .222. It has a 4-12 leopold scope , and it has killed a little bit of everything. Excelent little rifle.

Just a reminder...not all varminting is long range or from a fixed stand...some of use walk and shoot catch-as-catch-can and enjoy it. For this, I like a small lighter weight rifle with a scope more field postion freindly (meaning I will trade some scope power for more field of view).

Like I said, it is a perfectly subjective thread, I like personally like setting up where I can cover some ground, and working off a Bi-pod

I've got my Ultimate Varmint Rifle already...

A Ruger KM77VT MkII in .22PPC topped with a Burris Signature 4x16 Fine Plex scope. Anything inside of 400 yards is in serious trouble. The .22PPC is about halfway between the .223 and 22-250 in performance. Right now I'm using Hornady 50gr V-Max's at 3600fps.

I'm bringing my other varmint rifle up to Ultimate status right now... It's a Savage 12FV in 22-250 topped with a Burris Fullfield 6x-18x Fine Plex scope. Right now I'm looking for a new piece of wood for the girl, either a Low Profile stock from Savage, or a custom piece from Elk Ridge gunstocks. Leaning towards the Elk Ridge, but it's more $$, but it's also Exactly what I want.

I love my varmint rifles!

Brian

My philosophy is that you might as well pay a little more upfront and get what you want instead of paying again later on. I am almost finished making a new stock for my 788 in .223

7mm/06, 120gn sfb. Good dose of H4831 sub moa groups
Rem 722 action, Douglas XX bull bbl
A 3oz swany trigger. (modified factory)
Laminated stock, pillar bedded.
32X Leupold with 1/8th dot.
I does work from gnats to griz.

20 lb weight with either a couple guys to haul it around or wheels and a motor. . .in .22-250 so that I could load whatever I wanted and see it hit!