September 23, 2010
What makes the best varmint rifle? Try an AR.
By Greg Rodriguez
The author swears by ARs for varmint hunting. His two favorite varmint rigs are a DPMS in .204 Ruger (top) and a Rock River A4 Varmint with MagPul stock in .223 Remington (bottom).
Red-Hot Wildcats for Varminting
.17 Mach IV Hornady
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.20 Tactical
.22-250 Ackley Improved
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6x45mm
6mm-284
.257 Ackley Improved
Like many hunters, I grew up shooting bolt guns at everything. There is no denying the turnbolt's accuracy, but today's semiautos have narrowed the accuracy gap. In fact, a quality AR-15 with a good trigger and match-grade barrel is every bit as accurate as any bolt action. That accuracy, combined with the AR's fast follow-up shot and reasonable price, is why I have come to rely almost exclusively on AR-15s for varmint hunting.
When it comes to accuracy, the bolt-action's advantage, at least compared to heavy-barreled, match-grade ARs, is a thing of the past. In fact, I own ARs from several makers that group about as tight as my custom bolt action varmint rifles.
Accuracy may not quite measure up to the best of my bolt guns, but the difference between a .4-inch AR-15 and a .25-inch bolt gun is more theoretical than practical. When you consider that my best bolt guns cost much more than any factory AR-15, any miniscule accuracy advantage is well beyond the point of diminishing returns and pretty much irrelevant in the field.
A fast follow-up shot is a big asset on windy dog towns. With a good call from a spotter, second-round hits on distant targets are almost automatic with an AR. Also, I don't have to change positions in order to manipulate the action or reload my AR-15 to get off that second shot. Being able to stay in position between shots is, in my opinion, a boon to consistency, which is the key to getting the utmost accuracy from any gun. The AR simply is a superior instrument for the task.
I use two AR-15s for the majority of my varmint hunting. The first is Rock River's A4 Varmint in .223 Remington. With a Leupold 3.5-10 LR/T riflescope in Mark 4 mounts and Hornady's 75-grain hollowpoints, it is a quarter-minute gun. It also bucks the wind well and shoots flat enough for me to hit distant dogs as long as I do my part.
My other varmint rig is a DPMS LR-204 in .204 Ruger. This rifle has a 24-inch, fluted, heavy barrel and a 4.5-14X Leupold scope. With Hornady's 32-grain V-Max load it's very accurate, shoots laser-flat and carries authoritative downrange energy. It also bucks the wind surprisingly well.
Despite its peppy performance, the little .204 Ruger's recoil is almost nonexistent. It is easy on barrels and cools quickly. Its mild manners are courtesy of a tiny powder charge; light bullets don't require a canister of powder to generate impressive velocity figures.
Cling to your bolt guns if you like, but you'd better reload fast when you're varminting with me.
