Varmint rifle

A varmint rifle or varminter is a type of small-caliber, precision-oriented long gun (firearm or high-powered airgun) primarily used for varmint hunting and pest control. Such rifles are typically characterized by sniper rifle-like designs such as heavy free-floating barrel, enhanced bedding, ergonomic gunstock, the use of bipod/beanbag and high-power telescopic sight, and the choice of high-muzzle velocity, high-ballistic coefficient munitions, which are all accurizing features needed for improving repeated shooting, often over long distances.

Both varmint hunting (which eliminates harassing outdoor nuisance animals collectively called varmints) and pest control (which removes infestations of destructive, often indoor pests) typically target animals that are difficult to eradicate by conventional hunting techniques due to their sheer numbers, burrowing or escape behaviors, camouflaging and defilading by the surroundings, or long alert distances that prevent easy approach or detection. These target animals typically come in three groups:

• Small/medium-sized non-game wild animals such as crows, ground squirrels, jackrabbits, nutria, marmots, groundhogs, porcupines, opossums, skunks and weasels, and small predators such as bobcats, coyotes and jackals, which can threat crops, pastures, livestock and pets;
• Non-native feral/invasive species such as starlings, cats, dogs, goats, wild boar/feral pigs and donkeys, which damage the native ecosystems;
• Synanthropic animals considered to be annoying nuisances that may spread diseases, contaminate food storage and buildings, or be destructive to man-made properties and vegetations, such as rats, house mice and house sparrows.

Varmint rifles fill a practical gap between the more powerful big game rifles and the less powerful rimfire firearms. Big-caliber hunting rifles are more suitable for taking down individual large animals such as reindeer, elk and buffalo at medium ranges, but not adequate for frequent repeated firing due to excessive waste heat and recoil. Rimfire (such as the highly popular .22 LR caliber) rifles, while great for shooting small vermin out in the open (such as squirrels and rats) at close distances, are somewhat underpowered for many outdoor rodents (which are often alert enough to spot hunters from beyond the effective ranges of rimfire rifles), small predators (such as coyotes) and larger feral animals such as goats and pigs; while indoor, rimfire rifles are often overpowered with unnecessary risks of collateral damages from overpenetration, ricochetting and stray shots. Varmint centerfire rifles are very suitable for repeated medium/long-range precision shots from a fixed firing position, and varmint air rifles are great for shooting indoor, thus fulfilling the functional demands of both types of varmint hunting applications.