Thread: just Varminting - how far was your longest shot on your last walk

Just yesterday I was out at our local range practicing with my 308 at 200 and 400 yds targets.It was getting on in the afternoon and the rabbits started to appear on the hill side behind the target area.I ranged a couple of rabbits from our 110yd bench.Around 200 yds they were enjoying the sun slightly up the hill.Scope was already on 100yd zero,so just placed the cross hairs on the top of the rabbits back and squeezed of the trigger quietly,woow the rabbit exploded,hmm this is fun.So thru the binos I found another,same again about 240yds,nailed him.Shot about 4 more rabbits out to 250yds.Using my strelok app on my phone and range finder all was working well.
Gave the tika barrel a cooling down for 20 minuts while watching more rabbits.Found one at 320yds so dialled up4.5moa,all over the hill was bits of rabbits.So the hawks will get a good feed on their evening patrol.
Belmont 150gr ssts worked well on the dialing up stats on strelok app.Must have seen 200 more rabbits as the sun was setting on the mountain top as I was driving the 1.5ks out the paddocks to the road.Rabbits tame as kittens till you fire the 1st shot but they don't run far.Well theres a wee story I do about once a fortnight.308 v rabbits.They got no chance.

Rossi I push my .22 out to 200 yard but I don't attempt any shots further,I don't have dial up or fancy apps just a 4x32 scope.Shooting the same .22 lr rifle for years has its benefit.

Originally Posted by Dundee

Rossi I push my .22 out to 200 yard but I don't attempt any shots further,I don't have dial up or fancy apps just a 4x32 scope.Shooting the same .22 lr rifle for years has its benefit.

we all know your skills @Dundee and your gear ( Legend ) in the thread you started . . . i have posted plenty on it but i do feel true Varminting does need its own thread.

We have a 22 comp at the club every now and then.
Bullseye for 25, 50, 100 and then silhouettes or flasher plates at 200.
I never seem to have trouble on the 200yrd targets, even the small silhouettes with subs. As soon as I try to shoot paper at that range for groups etc, it is a wonder how I managed to hit anything consistently.
The smallest puff of wind plays havoc and 9 times out of 10 I have an obvious horizontal group at 200.
Some new browning and hornady 22 ammo turned up here and a mate that sells it wants to see how it goes over the radar.
I am looking forward to doing some testing and see how it goes.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

So @rossi.45, for this thread is there a preference for rimfire varminting or can we include the full range of centrefires too?

I've always regarded varminting as a .224 max calibre kind of pursuit, just a personal generalisation. But I'm looking more and more into longer range 6mm and even 6.5mm varminting loads, using bullets in the 90-100gr range. But gut feel is we should be looking at the .17s and traditional .22s, whatdaya reckon?

Originally Posted by Flyblown

So @rossi.45, for this thread is there a preference for rimfire varminting or can we include the full range of centrefires too?

I've always regarded varminting as a .224 max calibre kind of pursuit, just a personal generalisation. But I'm looking more and more into longer range 6mm and even 6.5mm varminting loads, using bullets in the 90-100gr range. But gut feel is we should be looking at the .17s and traditional .22s, whatdaya reckon?

i am hoping its anyone, any caliber . . . just dial-up or BDC scopes out to LR . . we already have a thread for traditional style small game shooting

there are some guys on this forum with some very sharp gear that don't post the results sadly . . i would hope to encourage them to post and get Varminting out there.

I use my .223 (69 gr hpbt) on rabbits to 300 metres and .22 subs to 100.

Good thread title, always admired the skills of Rossi.45 and others. I've just got my 17HMR with BDC reticle going, so hope to contribute when I have some factual evidence of long range success.

best so far.
983m according to the laser range finder. hare with a 7mm RM
probably will never be as lucky ever again though

Originally Posted by gonetropo

best so far.
983m according to the laser range finder. hare with a 7mm RM
probably will never be as lucky ever again though

You must have a mt palomar telescope fitted to it.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

You must have a mt palomar telescope fitted to it.

5-25X56 minox
huge scope, heavy rifle and lots of luck

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Hi @mimms. PM sent. I hope you can respect the desire not to spoil this thread with this kind of argument, for the reasons stated.

I don't mind my opinion being public, so my reply to you was:

" It wasn't intended to start an argument. Personally I wouldn't take
a shot that I didn't feel was going to kill the thing quickly. I would
guarantee a humane kill.
Whatever your standards are, you gotta live with them not me."

Feel free to post your "justification" here for taking such shots.
Not intended as a derail. Just a matter/degree of ethics.
And having said my piece I will "go somewhere else"

Good thread, I was just thinking a few days ago that varminting doesn't get much coverage here in NZ.

I enjoy dialling my 22lr, 17 Hornet and 223 rems to shoot small game out beyond the max point blank ranges.

As you will likely have seen from recent posts, I'm having a ball with my new favourite rifle/cartridge. CZ 527 in 17 Hornet.

gonetropo's remark could be the most candid one yet re the element of LUCK ?
Surely the hits/shots fired ratio gets lower and lower the further u go out ? Exponentially perhaps ?
At what point do ya just not bother throwing lead out there, or is there no limit ?
Do u spot your shots and walk them in ?
I'm absolutely not on about ethics here lads, just curious.

I haven't quite worked my way out to your sort of distances but my longest in the last wee while was 120m flat with fiocchi subs out of the 452 with no wind using the half mil reticle holdover(which isn't 100% accurate as the reticle is apparently calibrated for 10x on a 9x scope wtf) but still seemed to hit the right spot and go all the way through him even at that distance!!