Thread: beginner varmint hunter

Hi Guys

Just joined the forum today to get some info on varmint hunting.
Ive been hunting most my life from the age of 4-5 i would tag along with my Dad and tho I have done alot of bigger game hunting I have relocated to a part of the country where the biggest wild game is feral pigs....No Deer no goats no nothing.

So because of this ive decided that small game varmint shooting is the way to go, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of Cats rabbits possums magpies etc around here.
Ive had a bit of a read thru the varmint forum but have a few questions that id hope you guys could fill me in on.

Caliber: I own a .17hmr that I use for bunnies but I am looking at stepping it up a notch size wise for wind distance etc and am leaning towards the .223 or the .204, the .204 has always sparked an interest from the reading I have done about this round but I hear stories about how wind effected it is and have been told it burns out barrels quickly.
how many rounds would you expect to get thru a barrel with this round before it goes pear shaped?
most of the areas I shoot at the moment I wouldnt expect to get a shot out on a critter past 200m but there would be the odd to push one further. with this in mind and the odd pig would the .223 be a better option with the larger range of pill sizes?


Optics: with both these calibers what scopes would best suit this style of shooting? I currently have mill dot style hold over scopes on my larger game rifles but have been mucking around with a target turret style scope as of late.

other equipment: is there any other equipment you would recommend carrying on a varmint hunt as in binoculars etc.

I am planing on setting up in likely spots to wait for the game to present itself.

im sure ill have a million other questions will post them as they come up

cheers