May 28, 2016 4 min read

When summer arrives and the rains diminish, many of us celebrate the parallel months of varmint hunting. Much of what I write comes from my memory of past experiences.

It’s no wonder I can’t remember names. My mind is too cluttered with worthless hunting and shooting trivia.

From late May to early June, I start seeing the young ground hogs out foraging for themselves, becoming less dependent on mom hog for nourishment. Now’s the time to get the old .22-250 ready or purchase a new one.

Regardless of chambering and design, there are a few things needed for a groundhog rifle to perform as needed when shooting at longer distances.

While I am neither a gunsmith nor an expert, after shooting hogs for more than 60 years, I have learned a lot about what is important and what is trivial.

First, it doesn’t matter what the name is on the receiver, be it Savage, Remington or any of the other manufacturers out there, it’s performance that counts. I think I’ll stick my nose out and say the chambering is really not that important.

We like to say we prefer this or that cartridge but I have known successful varmint hunters who have used the .25-06 and others who have shot the Swift and so on.

Todays’ hog hunters have a vast array of rounds to choose from and most are good. I have made some great long-range shots but also must confess I have missed some awfully easy shots.

Two very long shots stand out in my memory. One was done with a .25-06. The other with a .6mm. But on the other side of the coin, I missed one at 50 feet with a .243. When I’m good, don’t bet against me, when I’m bad, don’t bet on me!

Of course, when I say cartridge is not as important, that means it’s not as important as some other factors and the round must be chosen within reason.

I wouldn’t choose a .30-30 for shooting groundhogs at 400-plus yards.

Whatever round you’re shooting, the rifle needs to be accurate. Many times, only part of the varmint is visible and the target can be small.

A good barrel is a necessity and a long barrel means good velocity and a flatter trajectory. The more you have to hold over the target, the better the chance of missing it.

That is where speed helps. Bullet weight and shape also help affect the bullets flight, but heavier means slower muzzle velocity.

We can’t have both, so a compromise is made. We shoot the heaviest bullet that will give us good velocity.

There also is another advantage to a slightly heavier bullet that is seldom mentioned. When a long-range shot results in a miss, the heavier bullet will throw up more dirt, making it easier for the shooter to correct for a second try.

Nothing is more frustrating when shooting, missing and not knowing if you shot over under, left or right.

Another important thing on a good varmint rifle is the trigger. The rifle might have a good barrel but if the shooter has to cope with a heavy, gritty, mushy trigger, the rifle is very difficult to shoot.

Lawyers have forced gun companies to install terrible triggers with a bit of improvement the last few years. For that same reason, many gunsmiths are afraid to adjust triggers, instead putting in a replacement like a Timney or a Jewel.

While shooters debate the merits of different cartridges, seldom do I hear a debate about triggers, despite the fact a good trigger can mean the difference in a hit or a miss.

There is one last thing that is important, though it is a part of the outfit, not the rifle itself. That is the scope. It is hard to shoot well with a fuzzy scope that doesn’t hold zero.

When power can make a difference, it is very important. If shots are long, you might get by with a quality 12-power but when they get real long I prefer something of good clarity in the plus-5 to 20 class. You can’t hit them if you can’t see them.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.