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Merriam-Webster defines a varmint as “an animal considered a pest” or more specifically “one classed as vermin and unprotected by game law.” Because few critters are completely unprotected in at least some way, varmint hunters consider a wide range of critters as prey, encompassing everything from prairie dogs to coyotes, and even feral swine. With hog hunting being a sport of its own, here we’re interested in animals like ground squirrels, jackrabbits, rock chucks, raccoons, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. Assembled with the help of professional hunters across the globe, here are our picks for the 10 best cartridges for varmint hunting ever made.
1) 22 Long Rifle
If there was ever a cartridge perfectly suited for ground squirrels, it’s the 22 LR. It doesn’t have a lot of reach, and it will not explode ground rodents like higher-velocity centerfire cartridges, but it does provide hours–no, days–of recoil-free, low-noise, inexpensive varmint hunting. And since this cartridge is chambered in just about any firearm you can imagine, you can put the heat on ground-dwelling rodents with everything from a single-action revolver to an AR-style semi-auto rifle. Many serious varminters use their centerfires for the long shots, and while barrels are cooling, they take out the closer targets of opportunity with a 22 LR.
Suggested Load: CCI Velocitor 40-Grain HP
There is an extremely wide ammunition selection for the 22 Long Rifle cartridge. You can choose between bullets as light as 20 grains and as heavy as 60. Similarly, velocities vary widely, from 950 fps to as fast as 1700 fps. Clearly, some applications deserve specific loads, but for a general purpose 22 Long Rifle varmint load, I’ve found nothing better than the CCI Velocitor. It will push a 40-grain bullet to more than 1400 fps and that bullet will upset on impact and penetrate deep. For everything from prairie dogs to coyotes, it’s hard to beat.
2) .17 HMR
Though some thought the .17 HMR would be the death of the 22 Magnum, it didn’t happen. However, it did revitalize the interest in varmint hunting with rimfire rifles. With its unheard-of velocity for a rimfire cartridge, and the explosive nature of its itsy-bitsy bullets, the 17 HMR quickly became the low-cost, mid-distance alternative to the ear-splitting and more-expensive-to-shoot centerfire rifles in prairie dog towns across America. Though it’ll work for vermin as large as bobcats and coyotes, the 17 HMR’s forte is, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, jackrabbits, and groundhogs. It’s a tool every serious varmint slayer should have in their arsenal.
Suggested Load: Hornady Varmint Express 20-gr. JHP XTP
There’s a good variety of 17 HMR ammunition available from a variety of manufacturers, but when it comes to the terminal performance these loads offer, many are very similar. Between the slowest and fastest 17 HMR loads, there is only about 200 fps of difference. For most applications, one of the 17-grain polymer tipped bullets will work great, but as a do it all load, I like the 20-grain JHP XTP from Hornady. It’ll penetrate a little deeper on larger varmints, and at nearly 2400 fps it’s still zippy enough to red mist the little stuff.
3) 22 Magnum
Thought it will not satisfy those who dream of whacking varmints at extreme range, the 22 Magnum might be the ultimate varmint cartridge. It hits significantly harder than the 22 Long Rifle and even harder than the much faster 17 HMR. With bullets that perform similarly, it will also out-penetrate both of those other rimfire cartridges. The 22 Magnum is a bit more expensive to shoot than the 22 Long Rifle, but most 22 Magnum loads cost about 25% less than 17 HMR ammunition. It’s a cartridge that’ll take care of the little stuff as well as the 22 Long Rifle, and is more than sufficient for fox, bobcats, badgers, and coyotes.
Suggested Load: CCI 40-gr. JSP GamePoint
At around 2200 fps, 30-grain 22 Magnum loads are zippy, but those lightweight bullets tend to create wicked but shallow wound cavities. They’re great for the smaller varmints, and will even work on larger critters with heart and lung shots. Most of the professionals I talked to, however, prefer a bullet that will measurably upset and penetrate deeper. CCI’s 40-grain GamePoint load will do anything you need done with a 22 Magnum, and it will do it well.
4) 223 Remington
The 223 Remington will easily take care of any varmint out to around 500 yards, but at extreme distances, it loses its punch. On the plus side, 223 Remington ammunition is the least expensive and easiest to find of all centerfire rifle cartridges, and it comes in many variations. It’s unquestionably one the best AR-15-compatible cartridges for varmints. Though it will never reign as the best all-around varmint cartridge, it will very likely always be the most popular. Professional African guide Mark Mackenzie considers the 223 Remington the best varmint cartridge you can buy.
Suggested Load: Nosler Tip Varmint 55-gr. Ballistic Tip
When it comes to varmint cartridges, you’ll find more loads and versatility with the 223 Remington than any other cartridge. There are lightweight bullets at almost 3800 fps that are near explosive on impact, and there are heavier bullets that offer more weight retention and deeper penetration. I’ve tried just about all of them, either on critters on in ordnance gelatin, and for most applications, I prefer the 50 or 55-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. The 55-grain offering moves at about 3100 fps, and is a solid performer on any varmint.
5) 224 Valkyrie
A new kid on the block, the 224 Valkyrie takes a lot of heat from old-time varmint hunters. As with the 6.5 Creedmoor, some shooters express their lack of basic ballistic knowledge and consider it a soon-to-fade fad. The Creedmoor-inspired 224 Valkyrie uses a 6.8 SPC case necked to 0.224 caliber. However, the cleverness of the design—just like with the Creedmoor—lies in the faster twist rate in 224 Valkyrie rifles, along with a modification to the case that allows longer, higher-BC bullets to be used. For a short time, the 224 Valkyrie was the flattest shooting 0.224 caliber cartridge you can put in an AR-15, and for that platform it’s a great varmint cartridge.
Suggested Load: Federal Varmint & Predator 60-gr. Hornady V-Max
There are only about a dozen 224 Valkyrie loads to choose from, and of those there are only four that have been purpose built for varmints. With a 3300 fps muzzle velocity, the 60-grain Hornady V-Max Federal loads in their Varmint & Predator line will give you explosive upset inside 300 yards but should still penetrate deep enough to deal with a big coyote.
6) 22 ARC
The new 22 ARC cartridge represents Hornady’s modernization of the old 22 PPC benchrest cartridge. A few manufacturers are making bolt-action rifles in 22 ARC, but Hornady primarily intended the 22 ARC to increase the long-range performance of the AR15-patterned rifle. As appealing as the long range performance of the 22 ARC is, you should not consider it a wholesale replacement for the 223 Remington. At practical ranges, it offers little advantage, with less magazine capacity, and higher ammo prices. The forte of the 22 ARC is extreme distance. It is the flattest shooting AR15-compatible cartridge, and if whacking song dogs at beyond a quarter mile with a modern sporting rifle is your thing, get a 22 ARC.
Related: Is Hornady’s 22 ARC the New Long-Range 22-Centerfire King?
Suggested Load: Hornady V-Match 62-gr. ELD-VT
Currently there are only five factory loads for the 22 ARC. Two are for match shooting, two for big game like deer and feral hogs, and only one for varmints. Fortunately, it’s a good option. It’s loaded with Hornady’s 62-gr. ELD-VT bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3300 fps. Zeroed at 200 yards, this bullet will only drop 16 inches below your line of sight at 400 yards.
7) 22-250
One claim to fame of the 22-250, which Remington introduced in 1937, is that it eventually ended the supremacy of the 220 Swift. With a more modern cartridge case, which was based on the 250/3000 Savage, the 22-250 works smoothly in bolt-action rifles, and with the lightest bullets, it will slightly outrun the 220 Swift. Though the recoil in sporting-weight rifles is a bit much to allow you to see bullet impacts inside of 200 yards, for a long time, the 22-250 Remington was the undisputed king of varmint cartridges.
Suggested Load: Remington AccuTip-V 50-gr. AccuTip
Bullet weights for factory 22-250 ammunition ranges from between 38 grains to 64 grains. In most cases you’ll find that the 50- to 55-grain loads offer the flattest trajectories. Handloaders have a lot more options, but most 22-250 rifles have a slow twist rate that limits the use of high BC bullets. Remington’s 50-grain AccuTip load offers a great balance of performance in the 22-250, regardless of twist rate in your barrel and you should consider it a top choice.
8) .220 Swift
Now almost as obscure as its parent cartridge—the 6mm Lee Navy—the 220 Swift was once the darling of the varmint fields. Professional hunter Geoffrey Wayland considers it the preeminent varmint cartridge, and it’ll do anything a varmint hunter needs done—well beyond the distances that most varmint hunters can even hit anything. No varmint can withstand a handloaded 35-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet at more than 4,400 fps. The 220 Swift requires handloading for the best performance, and it’s usually only found in used or custom guns, but it remains one of the finest and most iconic all-around varmint cartridges.
Suggested Load: Winchester Super X 50-gr. JSP
There’s not a lot to choose from when it comes to 220 Swift ammunition. A major on-line retailer only list four factory loads, so to get the most from this cartridge you’ll need to handload. Still, at nearly 3900 fps, Winchester’s 50-grain jacketed soft-point bullet will put down any varmint out there. Zero your rifle dead on at 200 yards and the bullet will only drop about 16 inches at 400.
9) .243 Winchester
As one of the most popular cartridges ever invented, the 243 Winchester is the cartridge that put the 6mm Remington out to pasture, in the same way the 6.5 Creedmoor buried the 260 Remington. Built from the beginning with a faster twist rate, out-of-the-box 243 Winchester rifles are capable of handling fast-stepping varmint bullets and 100-grain big-game bullets. African PH Thys Van Rooyen thinks it’s the ideal varmint cartridge saying, “It’ll put a jackal’s nose in the dirt.” As the world’s most well-known and popular 6mm cartridge, the 243 Winchester can push a handloaded 55-grain bullet faster 4,000 fps and turn ground squirrels into vapor. It’s also one of the best both-ways cartridges suitable for varmints and deer.
Suggested Load: Nosler 55-grain Tipped Varmageddon
One great aspect of the 243 Winchester is that every factory load available for it is coyote capable. However, when it comes to a dedicated varmint load, you’ll want something with a bit more explosive terminal performance, and Nosler’s 55-grain Varmageddon load with a muzzle velocity faster than 3800 fps will deliver. Out to 400 yards it will also shoot flatter than a 220 Swift. Zeroed at 200 yards, it will drop less than 15 inches at 400.
10) 6mm ARC
Like with the 22 ARC, the 6mm ARC is a Hornady’s modernization of the old 6mm PPC cartridge of bench rest fame. Also, like the 22 ARC, Hornady primarily intended the 6mm ARC to boost the long-range performance of the modern sporting rifle/AR-15. At long range, the 22 ARC and 6mm ARC perform very similarly, but the 6mm ARC has the advantage of heavier bullets. This makes it a better dual purpose—varmint and deer—cartridge, much like the 243 Winchester. Handloaders have a lot of options and can push a 58-grain Hornady V-Max to 3500 fps. For just varmints. the 22 ARC is a better choice, but for those wanting one rifle for the little critters and deer, go with the 6mm ARC.
Suggested Load: Hornady V-Match 80-gr. ELD-VT
Similar again to the 22 ARC, there are not a lot of factory ammunition options for the 6mm ARC. Hornady offers two match loads and one big game load, and Federal has a Berger bullet load best suited to paper and steel. For varmints, the only practical choice is Hornady’s 80-grain ELD-VT load at about 3000 fps. With your rifle sighted in at 200 yards, you’re looking at about 20 inches of drop at 400 yards.
Related: Best Coyote Rifles
Honorable Mention
22 Hornet
The 17 HMR probably came closer to killing the 22 Hornet than the 22 Magnum. The Hornet, which Winchester introduced in the 1930s, became an iconic varmint hunting cartridge. And while the 22 Hornet delivers much more energy than the 17 HMR, today’s lack of varied varmint loads and the higher cost of centerfire ammunition led to its decline in popularity. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a centerfire varmint cartridge with minimal recoil and the ability to deal with any varmint out to around 300 yards or so, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better.
Suggested Load: Hornady Varmint Express 35-gr. V-Max
This is a great load for the 22 Hornet for any varmint you might be after. It has a muzzle velocity of 3100 fps and will provide violent upset, but decent enough penetration for coyotes and such. If for some reason you don’t like Hornady, pick up the Remington 35-grain AccuTip load. It is the same thing, just with a different colored tip on the bullet.
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