Need Opinions On New Build

[montdoug]

I shoot gophers in large numbers as well as p-doggies, sometimes it's hot and even rounds on the .221 case can heat up some, the .20 VarTarg is a lifelong keeper but there's a lotta others I like as well. I always take a number of rifles but last year I found a new favorite that I believe will stand the test of time, the .20 Ackley Hornet. Here's a re-post of some personal favorites in the Hornet family, and a really nice family it is too ! Left to right: .22 Hornet, .17 Hornady Hornet, .17 Ackley Hornet, my new love the .20 Ackley Hornet and the good ole .22 K-Hornet.



On one of the .20 Ackley's first outings and with pre-kilt gopher littering the field where we were shooting a badger ran out, grabbed one and took off running. I gassed him at about 225 yards and he just bit hard into that gopher and gave up the ghost.



I'll be using this one a lot I'm thinking. I did some pretty fast paced p-dog smackage with it on a real warm to hot day with no heat problems at all. Something to consider. As to the bigger .20's here's some other favorite's.
Left to right: .20 VarTarg, .20 Killer Bee, .20 Tactical, .20 BR, .20 Dasher. Of these the .20 Killer Bee is a good selection for something different that pretty much duplicates the VarTarg ballistically only with a rim.



The first two kinda apply to what you asked about but there's no bad choices picking out a new rat spreader is there?

[df06]

Of those you listed, 20vt, hands down.
I have a couple of them. The one I use for PDs is a Rem XR100 that was a 223, but is rebarreled and chambered to 20vt.
It is extremely accurate and a cartridge that can be used for continuous fire more than most others but you can heat the barrel up. I have a 17FB as well, but the 20VT gets a lot more use.
The kicker is its difficult to find an action to build a repeater in the fireball length of cases. Sako A1 works fine and Rem 700 will only if the action was factory configured to a fireball case. I spent a lot of money learning this.

[montdoug]

df, I've heard others talk about the feeding issue your talking about and at first it surprised me. Probably because my CZ Varmint Kevlar was originally a .223 and not only has all the length I could possibly use and then some in the magazine but I've never had a failure to feed from the day Greg Tannel sent it back to me a number of years ago. It's on that original CZ Varmint using the stock H.S. Precision was making for them back then. Not sure if the other 527 .223s would behave the same when converted but they all use the same magazine so possibly they would (big guess on my part). I know H.S. still makes that stock too and in various colors but they are "real" proud of it $$$.
I share your high opinion of the .20 VT.

[kenbro]

montdoug,
You're a lucky guy, living amongst all those critters to shoot, with all those small cals.
Will you now be trying the 20 Killer Bee on the grizzlys, now they are off the protected list?
Ken.

[coyotezapper]

mdoug,

The 20 AH was one of those on my list and will stay on my future wish list. Thanks for the pictures and the advice. Pictures always seem to add credence to the subject matter. My Model 7 action has a 223 bolt face so there should not be a problem there and a call to Remington they indicated they had plenty of the blocked FB followers available.