Basically, Mr. Barrett built a rifle to get around Kalifornia .50 caliber laws. He necked the .50 BMG down to a .416 400 Gr bullet, loaded it with 200 Gr. of powder and modified a model 99 for the new cartridge.

 

.270,90 gr. spitzer,22" bbl @ 3,700 fps 25-06,257 weatherby,243 all good.

if you're goin' 500+ YARDS your wind better be 0 w/ everything below a .243
7mm is best B.C.

 

FRonty Owner, I just got the link to work here at school. That thing is wicked looking, but the price is kinda scary. So it looks like some of the larger calibers will work better for me? I shot my uncles 22-250 last night and that thing is awsome, but I'm still not sure now that I've gotten all of these other calibers to look into

 

Everybody has an opinion on the "best" choice but, really, any high velocity, flat shooting caliber in an accurate rifle is good for basic moderate-range varmint shooting. It's only when you get into extreme ranges or specialized stuff that one rifle/caliber vs another starts to shine. I'd just pick something you like and go with it. If it turns out that you need something else.....the more guns the better in my opinion.

 

it comes down to how much you want to spend.
I reload my 7mm Rem Mag for about $.50/shot. I can go thru 50 rounds easy in one day at the range. It has taken me a while to build up to that level of shooting. What ever you decide to get, look for a bullet with a boat tail design (like a nosler). you get better long range performance.
Something small will be softer on the shoulder, something bigger will give the effect seen on www.dogbegone.com

 

I shoot the .17 Rem., the .204, and the 22-250, (and a bunch of others)------in my opinion they are all great calibers for small critters at reasonable ranges. I have scored two kill on groundhogs at 492 and 527 measured yards witha .17 Rem, it kills them, but at that distance, you have to hit them just right or you just wound. This was using a 25 gr, hp at about 4100 fps. The 22-250 on the other hand, using a 50 gr v-max at 3900, flat out devastates them out to 450 plus. I have not shot the 204 at anything over 200 yds yet, but inside 200 it is amazing. In my experience, anything larger than a groundhog at more than 300 yards needs a bigger bullet----and is more ethical.

 

Thanks Matt, going gun shopping tomorow. Probably going to go with the 22-250.

 

*****,

Let us know what you get. I am looking for a new rifle too. Also leaning towards a .22-250. This thread is full of great info. I am a plinker only.

 

O.K. guys, I just got back from a morning of gun shopping and I'm all . Went to about five different gun shops and just couldn't find what I wanted. A guy at the fifth gun shop told me about a gun shop that was going out of business about about 20 miles away. So we headed over in that direction and that's where I found it. It is a Remington model 700 BDL in 22-250. I asked the gun shop owner what he wanted for it and he said, $300 and it's yours I didn't think there was any way I could beat that deal so Ijumped on it. I also got a new Bushnell elite 6-24 power scope for $150. Now I just have to wate for it to stop raining so I can go try it out. Here's a link to the rifle on Remington's site for anyone who's never seen it.http://www.remington.com/products/fi...el_700_BDL.asp

 

thats a STEAL!!! congrats!! My price for a BDL is over 400 and I'm a dealer