Trying to decide on a caliber for varmint rifle for my son and I

[memtb]

My son and I have been looking at getting a rifle for mainly coyote hunting. We have done lots of looking at reviews and are pretty set on the Ruger American Gen II (Standard or Predator). We are hunting coyotes in Iowa. I don't see us doing any big game hunts, so no need to jump way up in caliber.

My son is 11. He has a big interest into shooting. I was leaning towards the .204 ruger after seeing reviews how a speed demon caliber with little recoil. But after seeing/hearing wind issues I've been leaning more towards a 22 ARC which is pretty much non existent at this point. We have an AR in .223, a Marlin .17 HMR. I'm worried the .204 may just be the Marlin with a slight upgrade.

What are your recommendations?
.204 ruger
22-250
22 ARC
22 Creedmoor

Though not on your list…..hit the "easy button" and consider the 223 Rem. It's not romantic…..but darn practical. And, it's not a bad little cartridge!


Tons of factory options…..tons of brass available. Even some of the military brass is pretty darn good. An internet search could give you which ones to look for! JMO memtb

 

[SKanez]

If not reloading, I don't think the 22 Creed is as viable as other options.

.223, .243 or 6 Creedmoor

 

[nwhunter]

When my three boys were 12, I gave them all bolt action rifles, 2 received 308 win., while one got a 30-06. It did not take long before all were proficient and killed anything from varmints to elk.
Those boys blessed us with 3 grandchildren, 3 girls and 1 boy. At the age of 12 I gifted each of them 243 Winchester, and the results were the same. They killed anything from varmints to elk with them.
While I am a great fan of both the 223 and 22-250, I would pick the 243 as the easy answer to a varmint or bigger caliber, low recoil and with the right factory rounds deadly on coyotes or deer.
While I have killed mule deer with rifles in 223WSSM, I think 243 is superior if there is any chance your son will be hunting game bigger than Coyotes.

 

[marksman1941]

Thanks so much for your thoughts. Is the VX3 the same as the VX3HD listed on this site?

Also what kind of a suppressor would you recommend?

I do have this AR I built a while back. Its just rather heavy and LOUD

The AR works, especially if you're packing it and setting it up for the kid. If you want him to carry his own gun, it may be less than ideal. Also be aware that if you suppress it, you'll typically get some gas blowback through the charging handle. Not a big deal, but it can sting your eyes and might be rather unpleasant for a kid.

As far as a suppressor goes, that's a big "it depends". If you want a do everything can, you can get a big .46 caliber multi caliber can for EVERYTHING. Or you can go caliber specific, and get one for each gun. I bought a SilencerCo Omega .300 many years ago, and that runs on every gun I own. Slightly heavier than some, but bullet proof and quiet. That said, there are better and lighter cans for a dedicated .223 hunting rifle (otter creek lithium is one I've been pondering for a bit for this).

Scopes are a rabbit hole beyond all belief, and incredibly subjective. Even "objective" functionality or abuse tests are often biased. I personally have had great luck with higher end Burris and SWFA optics. My leupolds like to wander after a season of sitting in the safe, so I have to verify all leupolds before season. Which sucks, but I haven't replaced them yet. My advice would be to pick a decent magnification range, somewhere between 3-15 (most scopes aren't very usable above 15, and anything above 20 typically just sucks), get a simple drop reticle so you have holdovers. And don't overcomplicate it. My personal pick is a Trijicon Credo (or the older accupower if you find one used) 3-9 or 2-10.

 

[LRNut]

With your circumstances, I'd stick with a 223 Rem. There's so many options for that round now and no flies on it....

My sentiments exactly.

 

[bengineer]

I have a fast twist 22-250AI. Building the same today it would have 22Creed chamber. I love the appearance of AI rounds, but the 30 degree shoulder of the creeds is more practical from a reloader's stance. 22Creed comes in fast twist already, so heavy bullet options are even factory available.
If you want certain extraction, stay with the standard 22-250 chambering, regardless of twist rate.
If you just wanna pop degs out to 3 or 400, a 223 is still totally viable.
A proper bullet selection in a 243 will nearly split a coyote in two, but another proper bullet can make one or two .24 holes. You pick.
In the wind, long bullets have less drift. Long bullets penetrate deeper, increasing likelihood of exits. Two holes can be the bane of a fur seller.
Lots of facets to explore. Set your criteria then make your decision.

 

[LDHunter]

Thanks so much for your thoughts. Is the VX3 the same as the VX3HD listed on this site?

Also what kind of a suppressor would you recommend?

I do have this AR I built a while back. Its just rather heavy and LOUD

The VX3HD has better glass and possibly other features and if you can afford it that will be an EXCELLENT option.

For suggestions on suppressors I suggest you go to the suppressor subforum on here and do some research. There are many options but I strongly suggest an all titanium direct thread one. Titanium is very important for your son because they weight significantly less and since they're way out there on the end of the barrel that weight savings can be very important.

Be aware that your AR might use a different thread than the one for a bolt rifle. You need to decide right up front what rifle you want after you select a cartridge (such as 223). I'd get him a bolt gun. Semi automatic rifles offer too much temptation for a young man to start dumping magazines because it's fun and that's a bad start. Oh... and get a 20" barrel or shorter for the rifle because with the suppressor it can quickly become very cumbersome to handle.

Are you aware that you can use the same suppressor for almost all bolt guns up to 308 caliber if you get a suppressor that accommodates a 308 caliber bullet?

You will find many many different suppressors out there and Dead Air is one of the most popular. I'd stick with a name brand from a big and stable company.

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Also get a mainstream rifle that has cheap and plentiful parts available such as a Remington or Ruger. Even scope bases can be very expensive for some rifles.