H&R Ultra Varmint 223

[Ansel]

I've been reading a lot of post about good coyote guns and just as many post are as many opinions. I went up and looked at the .223's at my local GM and they had a few different ones in and was a bit shocked at how much they cost - Between $400 - 1K with average in the $600 range.

I did a little more research and H&R makes a "Bull Barrel" .231 called the Ultra Varmint, It was a nice looking gun with a Cinnamon laminated American hardwood Monte Carlo pistol grip with checkering, sling swivel studs, ventilated recoil pad. The thing is this is a "single shot". Single shot's don't bother me much but then again, I'm new to the varmint game. They gun retails around $275.

Having three kids under 8 makes the budget pretty tight, I "might" be able to get away with $275 (or under) but anything over $500 and my "*ss is grass".

Does anyone have any experience with this gun; I'm not looking to become a professional varmint hunter, just something to get me started.

Thanks!

[Huntsman27]

Before you shell out that 275 for a single shot, consider the Stevens M-200 bolt action [basically a no frills Savage that shoot very good]. Gander Mtn had them on sale for 269.00 or so recently. I have them in 243, 25-06 and by 4 pm Friday will have another in 30-06! They are great shooters, and all I did to mine was add bipods, and scope/ring mts, scope and a sling.
I have recommended these to other MS members and helped them track them down too. Everyones been happy with them also.
The Savage with the Accu-triggers are good shooters too coming in at 425 and up, maybe more now as I bought a pair of 22-250s for the daughter and I to use on P-dogs hunts 2 yrs ago. They had this one on clearance for 249.00 in 204 Ruger cal---a steal at that price! The Stevens M-200 shoots just as well, just doesnt have the adj. trigger [no big deal to me].
The Heavy barrel bolts can get very expensive but some are reasonable. My 243 HB varmint Rem 700 was around 525 or so. The other HB I got from my brother NIB a Win M-70 22-250 Blued receiver/SS barrel varmint retailed at 690 and got it for a mere 400 [he owed me a deal!] Sometimes youll find a good deal, or sale. Id look hard at the M-200 in 223 I think it might be JUST what your looking for!
Besides, the chucks are out and you can get poking them by this weekend! Supposed to be in the 70s ya know! Good luck with your purchase.
PS--- remember heavy barrels do get heavy carring them, shooting from a bench is nice but if your carrying one it can get to be an anchor. Thats why I have HB and sporters covers the bases. But if its your first, Id think about the sporter.

[pilatusbahn]

These are great single shot guns! I own one that has 30-06 and then sent it in to put a muzzleloader on. Foudn out its too old to have .204 or .223 put on it so went out and bought me another one with .204.
Cant wait to get it out and start putting the hurt on some varmint!

[Cobra]

Agree with Huntsman27. Get a sport barrel for 'yotes, easy to track, and more importantly, hold still on target. HBs are great on 'chucks where you have a bit of set-up time to unleash the beast downrange off a rest of some sort.

[Shop Rat]

I have an H&R .223. I bought it off a friend with a Nikon 3x9 for only $150. It seems to shoot alot of ammo well. It has almost the same point of impact for the cheap fmj, Federal varmint ammo, and Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. For the money you can't really go wrong.

For a coyote/ varmint gun you might get more out of the gun if you get a .243. Then it could shoot deer as well. Being a multipurpose caliber would make it more valuable if you ever decide to sell it.

I believe the only drawback with the H&R .223 is that it is a 1 in 11" twist and not a 1 in 7" which the expensive sniper guns are. What this would mean is that you can't shoot the 70-77 grain match ammo. (correct me if I'm wrong)

[jeffthedj]

Is the ruger 10/22 to light for yotes..my boy wants try it and loves his ruger! my buddy has shot a bunch with them..i just wanted an outside opinion..i know the blood trail would be light if any.

[rzdrmh]

the h&r's 223 are a 1:12 twist, perfectly suited to shoot up to 60 grain bullets. quite honestly, unless you're shooting competition, there's absolutely no reason to get a 223 with a 1:9 or 1:7 twist.

the 243 is a great coyote gun if you don't plan on selling hides often. in the case of selling hides, the smaller the better, but it better be a centerfire. 22 lr/mags are very inferior coyote guns - simply don't have the stopping power. imo, the 204 ruger and the 17 rem (not hmr or machII) are the best coyote guns for fur preservation. of course, any gun has a chance of unzipping them on a difficult angle.

i currently have 3 NEF's, a 223, 204 and a 30-30. unless you like the looks of the ultra varmint, i wouldn't bother with it. simply get a plain jane handi rifle. the bull barrel is nice, and with guns those size, it still isn't too heavy to carry around a lot. i've gotten excellent accuracy with my handi rifles, and surprisingly, they've had very good 3.5-4 lb triggers. you can get a bull-barrelled handi rifle anywhere for around $210.

if you go the route of the handi-rifle, go over to greybeardoutdoors.com, and check out the NEF classifieds. many are sold for less than $200. price is not the only reason to buy used. recently, H&R began putting extractors (instead of ejectors) on their handi-rifles. extractors are nice at the range, but i hate them in the field. last week, i shot 2 out of 3 woodchucks along the edge of a ditch that were about 225 yards away. the ONLY reason i got the second was because my 223 ejects about 6 feet behind me. extractors are a pain when quickly reloading, even more so in the winter with gloves. i got a shot at the third, but he was running, and i missed.

when hunting with a NEF, i wear a hat (either a baseball cap or a stocking hat) and tuck 2 extra shells under the band on the shooting side of my forehead. i do it at the range too, for practice. it becomes automatic to break the gun, move your trigger hand to your head, and quickly reload. lets me get fast follow up shots. every guy does it different, some wear a bullet band on their wrist, some hold them in their hand.

when all is said and done, they are good little guns for what they are. and i don't feel bad in the least if i knick and scratch them - there's little to go wrong. i wouldn't discourage someone from getting them. and the single shot aspect is not a limiting factor. i've gotten quick follow up shots with them when needed, on small game such as chucks. on coyotes - forget about it. i've hunted enough coyote with bolt guns to know that you'd better make the first shot count. never seen a second shot seal the deal on a coyote - they make tracks fast when the first shot rings.

with all that said, i agree with huntsman as well - the stevens 200 are EXCELLENT guns for the price, and i wouldn't hesitate at all to get one. i have a few savages, and they are impressive performers for the price. have plans to get a stevens chambered in a 204 or a 223 at some point.