Looking for a Fit for Purpose Varmint Rifle

[Prairiewolf]

Hey folks,

Varminting is something I've been interested for a couple of seasons now - I'm looking at doing an Oilman's coyote shoot early next spring. I thought I would poll guys who know about this to get some information. What do you look for when you're selecting a true varmint rifle? What is a solid calibre for this? I don't need a 243 as I don't see requiring a deer crossover rifle, just pure coyote and down.

I've thought about a Browning x-bolt stainless stalker in 223 since I use an x-bolt 7MM RM as my big game rifle and like the fit. Having said that, I'm not sure this is an ideal choice. Some questions I have are:

1. Would a semi-auto be a better choice for coyotes? Particularly when using a predator call setup?

2. I've heard the 22-250 is very loud relative to the 223, any comments for either?

3. Scopes, what are good power choices for this? I've had friends comment on both the short range and long range side of things, one even suggesting going with standard iron sights.

Thanks!

PW