bered for the 220 Swift, which gives me the reach I need for longer shots but is light enough to carry all day. You can’t go varmint hunting
without a Weatherby, so I have a few in my safe. Occasionally my older Mark XXII goes out with me, com- plete with its original Weatherby 4x50 scope. My all-time varmint gun is the Weatherby Varmintmaster, a gun chambered for the 224 Weatherby, which sadly is not a cataloged item today. This is a neat gun for me and, based on the miniaturized version of the Mark V, is a joy to carry, handload, and shoot. Plus, it has the accuracy (1/2" at 100 yards with a 55-grain bullet) to take 300-yard ’chucks … with room to spare. In the end, the 224 Weath- erby was overshadowed by the newer 22-250 Remington, and even though the company attempted to chamber the Varmintmaster for the Remington brand, it was too little too late and the gun soon faded away. In the 22-250 Remington, I have
a Weatherby Mark V varmint gun that I believe they dubbed the Super Varmintmaster to take the place of the previous 224 WM gun. Equipped with a synthetic stock, this is my all- weather varmint rig that goes with me when I don’t care to take my fancier wood-stocked rifles outdoors. Again, because of modern times and requests, the smallest cartridge the Mark V is being chambered for is the 243 Winchester. With lighter bullets it can have a place in your varmint battery with no reservations. I have a Vanguard in 22-250 that groups so well with Winchester factory ammu- nition that I don’t even handload for the rifle anymore. My custom Cooper is chambered
for the 221 Fireball, and with its fine looks and accuracy is always a plea- sure to take afield. I have a Remington M700 that went through the Custom Shop and is chambered for the 222 Remington, equipped with a target trigger and fancy wood that I had the privilege to pick out in Ilion, New York. (Remember those days!) It’s one of my favorites. When I ordered the rifle, I asked that the stock be made fuller and longer in the fore-end and on the stock in general. The result is a gun which fits my shooting style to a T, is made for prone shooting, and
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with the natural accuracy of the 222 Remington is a pleasure to use afield. Another Remington M700 is
chambered for the 222 Remington Magnum and that too went through the Custom Shop, but only for the chambering. The rest of the gun is a cataloged item right down to the BDL stock with its “RKW” finish. Out of the two heavy-barreled guns I have, a Remington M700 chambered for the 6mm Remington is great with lighter bullets. It goes with me for those lazy days when I don’t want to walk around 40 acres and will be very happy sitting under a shade tree with my lunch and the gun propped up on a Harris bipod. Brownings have a spot in my
rack, especially when it comes to their single-shot versions. My Browning Lo-Wall in 22 Hornet does the hon- ors when the distances are short. The newer Browning B-78 in 223 Reming- ton can deliver small groups (3/4" at 100 yards) when the pastures stretch out in New York state. It’s only on a few occasions that
I’ll use out-of-the-box commercial ammunition, choosing to handload for my varmint shooting. Out of that, commercial cartridges like the 222 or 22-250 Remington are on the list, but it’s the 22 centerfire wildcats that get my attention, especially when most of them can be refitted or rechambered in the Ruger No. 1 with little or no heavy-duty alterations. The 17 Mach IV is not much more than the 221 Fire- ball necked down to 17 caliber, and for those wanting this wildcat in its commercialized form, complete with an off-the-shelf rifle, the new 17 Rem- ington Fireball serves with aplomb. The 20 VarTarg is yet another version based on the 221 Fireball case, termed by me as a “lazy wildcat.” One pass through the 20 VT die is all it takes to form this cartridge. If you purchase a rifle with a bolt face of 0.378" (222 or 223, for instance) all you need to do is replace the barrel and you are now a wildcatter! My variation was done for me by Shaw from a Remington Model 700 thumbhole sporter, leaving the rest of the rifle stock. The 218 Mashburn Bee is a varia-
tion of the 218 Bee, allowing more room for powder. It’s easily formed in the chamber of the 22 Mashburn from
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