Can the .308 offer me Varmint, Tactical, medium game?

[greywolf2112]

OK, before I invest in two or more bolt action rifles (.308, .223, et. al.) could the .308, loaded by hand with various bullet weights, powders, etc., serve the purpose of a long-range Tactical rifle, a long-range Varmint rifle, and a good medium game rifle?

Would it require me to have different scopes, then, to track properly with the loads for Varmint vs. Tactical vs. Game?

I always have more scopes than rifles, so that wouldn't be a problem if I had to do it that way.

However, if the .308 won't do the trick as a Varmint rifle, should I get the ever-popular and ubiquitous .223, or some other whiz-bang round?

[Ramrod]

The short answer is yes, it could do it all. But if you are going to use more than one scope, you might as well have two rifles.

[beemanbeme]

I ain't so sure.  If you're talking P dogs, you're talking several hundred rounds in a day.  That adds up to a lot of recoil.  Plus I never could get any of the 110gr bullets to shoot worth a flip.  Using Weaver bases, the different scopes would work handily but I still think I'd buy a dedicated varmint rifle.  The battery you suggested, .308 & .223, would be handy.  I know economics don't really factor in but with a .223, you can shoot for a long while on a pound of powder.  And bullets are cheaper, and brass, etc.

[longwinters]

That is the problem with trying to get one caliber to handle all 3 situations.  Can the 308 do the job adequately . . . sure it can.  Can it do the job better than having say 2 different calibers.  In my opinion the answer would be no.  I do not think there is much difference in tactical and hunting.  But there is a difference in tactical/hunting and varmint.  With the 308 you can probably get down to 110 gn bullets.  I don't think I would want to hunt groundhogs or coyotes with a 110 gn bullet.  Seems too big for the job when actually a 55-75 grain bullet is ideal.  I have a 308 but also have a 243 and a 280.  The 308 and 280 are good middle of the road calibers.  But neither is ideal for very light or very heavy bullets. I don't hunt anything that needs a heavy bullet (200 gns or more) but I do hunt things that need a lighter bullets hence the 243.  

Long

[greywolf2112]

Thanks, guys - food for thought.  Was thinking of going with a Tikka Varmint in .223 (unless there is a better suited Varmint round) - I like the flat shooting characteristics of it, the light recoil, and the inexpensive ammo and components.

Any other ideas on what would be an ideal varmint round, when factoring in all the characteristics of accuracy, flat shooting, range, costs, etc.?

[flintlock]

It would help if we knew more about what you plan to hunt, maximum ranges and the area of the country you live in...I live in NC...Have used a .243 for over 25 years...Killed everything from crows,  groundhogs, foxes, coyotes, deer etc with this one gun and one scope...I don't usually shoot over 250 yards, and our deer aren't the biggest in the land...plus we don't have prairie dogs in NC...so I'm not shooting 2-300 rounds in a day...So far as tactical...I figure if I can hit a crow at 250...I'm good to go...

[greywolf2112]

Live in TN, but soon moving to FL.  Will hunt deer, hogs, and probably take some trips out west for mule deer, maybe elk, and groundhogs at long ranges up to 1000 yards.

[Buckfever]

Greywolf, I have the above mentioned weapon which is of the Whitetail Hunter timeframe.  It is a beautiful wood and blued heavy barrel weapon that is a tack driver.  Just me but I never warmed up to the new varmint by Tikka.  If you can find one on the net or auction take a look, I paid $625.  You will want to shoot off a rest it is around 9+ lbs.
I have an Elite 4200 4-16 A O on it and pretty much you see what you hit.  Zachary was dead on about the clarity of this scope and the Zeiss Conquest that I have seen.  This is also a great range weapon.  You notice I didn't say competition rifle.  What a joy to shoot and with Black Hills 52gr. match hollow point or 45 gr. Winchester White Box.  I have had 3 people already offer me more than I have in it.  Buckfever

[greywolf2112]

The rifle is listed as 6 lbs, 10 oz - with a Zeiss scope (nice and lightweight) and rings, I should be looking at just under 9 lbs.

Their Lite is only 7 ounces lighter, but I like a heavier barrel for extended range shooting.

I used to have a Tikka Master Sporter M595 in .308 - WOW I wish I could find one of those in .223.

So, if I do decide to get a dedicated varmint rifle, would .223 best suit my purposes?

[Ramrod]

Live in TN, but soon moving to FL.  Will hunt deer, hogs, and probably take some trips out west for mule deer, maybe elk, and groundhogs at long ranges up to 1000 yards.

I'm thinking that you may have to reduce your range expectations when it comes to the groundhogs.

[greywolf2112]

Live in TN, but soon moving to FL.  Will hunt deer, hogs, and probably take some trips out west for mule deer, maybe elk, and groundhogs at long ranges up to 1000 yards.

I'm thinking that you may have to reduce your range expectations when it comes to the groundhogs.

I'm still new to this sort of thing, so I don't really know the accepted farthest range for groundhogs.  Also considering some other calibers for that, too - like .223, or perhaps for closer in the .17 Mach 2

[Ramrod]

One thing a one gun hunter needs to do is get the caliber that will work for the majority of his hunting. Then he can "make do" for the once in a while stuff. So if you are not going to do much groundhog hunting, I think you can be very well served with the .308, especially if you use your big game loads to practice with on the groundhogs. No better way to learn trajectory than shooting a small stuff at unknown ranges. Makes hitting standing big game quite easy.
If you want to do much varmint hunting, you can always get a dedicated varmint rifle later. I like the .223 for a light carry gun, and the .22-250 for a heavy bi-pod gun.

[Big Paulie]

I appreciate all of your enthusiasm.  It is always great to have a new comer who asks questions. You will not need to worry about shooting anything at 1,000 yards, however, regardless of what it is. Even out west, a 400 yard shot is an extremely long shot on anything.  The vast majority of people are not qualified to even try such a shot, and much less do they have a rifle or shooting technique that is accurate enough to try it.

    Groundhogs are a woods/mixed fields animal.  In all of my years of hunting, I have never seen a shot over 250 yards on a ground hog, and I have never taken one over 150 yards.   You certainly won't see a shot on a ground hog over 150 yards in the state of Florida.  And, to be honest, I am not sure if the ground hog even lives in the great Western states.

    Prarie dogs are about 1/5th the size of  ground hogs.  I know that out west, with extremely tricked up rifles, very high powered scopes, and hand loaded ammo, people probably shoot these at 400+ yards.  But, you won't be doing it with any "all around" hunting rifle.  You will need an extremely specialized varmint rig, and lots and lots of practice.

     I believe that the weight of advice from others here is very very sound.  For varments, get a .223 Remington varmint rifle, learn to shoot it well, and  you will never regret it.  For all game larger than a coyote, and up to and including moose and elk, get a .308 Winchester, learn to shoot it well, and you won't regret it.

 Good luck and good hunting.

Big Paulie

[greywolf2112]

THanks again, guys - I ended up getting a Tikka T-3 Varmint Stainless Synthetic in .308, and a Tikka T-3 Lite blued synthetic in .223 (too good of a deal to pass up, even though I wanted the varmint stainless).

Also picked up a nice Marlin .17HMR today at Wally World for plinking and small game/rodents.

Can't wait to scope em up and try em out!

[brasskeeper]

Sounds like you bought some fine rifles. Good luck.