Varmint hunters have plenty of cartridge choices

In one sense, woodchuck season already is in progress.

However, many chuck shooters prefer to wait until mid-June before starting the season. This gives the young chuck plenty of time to get on their own.

The big question that faces most hunters is what cartridge to use.

There's a plethora of varmint cartridges, and the list can be confusing. While every cartridge is suitable for chuck shooting, there are some cartridges that are better for certain types of shooting. The average chuck shooter seldom fires at chuck beyond 350 yards. I'm aware there are articles implying that real varmint shooting is long range, which means distances farther than 350 yards.

Well, I don't agree with that. I've been chuck shooting since Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933, and I believe I have gone through all the stages of varmint shooting.

When I started, the 22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge was more of less the king of chuck shooting.

Stalking was the name of the game at that time. The hunter used stalking skills to get within 30 yards or so of his quarry. Open sights ruled in those days, which meant shots beyond 75 yards almost were out of the question.

Looking back, I can recall only a few kills I made with the 22 rimfire that were farther than 65 yards. That was long-range shooting in those days.

The .22 Hornet was available in those days, but the cost of the rifle and the ammo was more than most hunters wanted to spend to hunt woodchucks. That changed suddenly when handloading entered the picture in the late 1940s.

Home reloading made a real impact, but the advent of Remington's 222 cartridge change varmint shooting forever.

The 222 appeared as a new cartridge design. It wasn't a modification of another cartridge.

It may have been sheer luck, but the 222 turned out to be one of the most accurate varmint cartridges produced. It had no peers, and it continues to be an accurate varmint cartridge.

The rifle scope, which had languished in relative obscurity for many years, got new life when varmint hunters entered the world of long-range varmint shooting with a scoped rifle. The days of sneaking along fence rows or wading shallow creeks to get within rimfire range were over. Distance was becoming less of a problem.

Older varmint shooters -- in my age group -- can remember that the 220 Swift, 22 Savage Hi-Power and Savage 250-300 were available at that time. For some strange reason, not one of those cartridges gained a large following.

The Swift, with its 4,000 fps muzzle velocity, was considered a barrel burner, case eater and didn't have much more accuracy than throwing rice at a wedding. This wasn't true, but myths just don't roll over and die.

Now, the Swift is getting the attention it should have gotten back then.

The 250-300 still is popular with deer hunters, but the Savage 22-Hi-power has been relegated to the ranks of the unwanted for many years. It's somewhat of a paradox. But the 22 Hi-Power is a strong single-shot heavy barrel rifle, and it's no slouch when it comes to long-range varmint shooting.

Today's varmint hunter has no shortage of great cartridges in three or four calibers.

The Ruger 204 is faster than the Swift and is incredibly accurate. Both the Remington 223 and 22-250 can work at 450 yards. The 243 Winchester not only is a top-notch long-range varmint cartridge, but it's also excellent for medium-size big game.

It's just a matter of a hunter's personal like and dislikes. Which one you pick will turn in a credible job in the pasture fields.