Asking hunters to pick their favorite predator rifles results in a variety of answers on the caliber, and the best thing is that no answer is incorrect.
Why? Because your preference may not be my preference when it comes to a rifle or caliber. Maybe you like an AR-style rifle in .223 and I'm a traditionalist who likes wood stocks, blued finishes and the .22 Mag. Or you're a long-range fan and love the 224 Valkyrie, which can reach out and drop a yote or bobcat hundreds of yards away.
Many of these rifle calibers also work for feral hogs. I've shot everything from the .22 Mag to slugs to .308 for pigs and generally prefer something big, like the .308. We'll dive deeper into the hog caliber debate later, though.
Whatever you prefer, it's always fun to see what others like. These are some responses from our Predator Xtreme Facebook page.
David W. Gray .22-250 with 50-grain for small varmints and 70-grain for 'yotes and deer.
Whatever rifle caliber you choose to shoot for predators, always be sure to do your range work for optimal success with the scope and ammunition. Everything working in concert makes for better days afield.
Bill Rote Absolutely my .22-250. I had a custom-built barrel and have a 6-24 sniper scope mounted. I've taken 'yotes out to 675 yards.
Rod Gaskill .22-250 BT Hollow Point, flat shooting and will flip a prairie dog in the air at 200 yards, a sign of a sure kill.
Chad Quickle .220 Swift, 55-grain moly-coated Hornady VMax. At 4,000 fps, whitetail don't know what hit them.
Mel Elliott .223, it's cheap and available.
Harrison Harshbarger .257 Weatherby Mag. As long as they're dead, who cares! Right?
Jaiden Thomas Olsen .243 with Barnes Varmint grenades.
Jay Curtis .264 Win Mag, more knockdown power and brute force energy.
Randy Thorne I use my .22-250 to critter hunt and I deer hunt with it, too. No problem taking them down with a well-placed shot.
Frank Salazar I use one caliber (and) one grain bullet also for all hunting. Practice, practice, practice — .30-06 150-grain. Also I have a custom-made .30-06 with a heavy barrel made by Hill County Rifle in New Braunfels.
Tommy Smith .204, the fastest caliber made.
George Moss .204 with 32-grain. Click their heels like Mr. Bojangles.
Jerry Bowman .223 with a 55-grain Nosler bullet.
Craig Hoyt I reload a .22-250 in 52-grain and love it. 3800 fps.
Jack Frost Love my Savage .22-250, nite nite lights out.
