9 Best Varmint Rifles (2026): Prairie Dogs to Coyotes, Tested

Last updated May 31st 2026 · By Nick Hall, who has burned out barrels on prairie dog towns and called coyotes across the plains

Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The best varmint rifle for most shooters in 2026 is the Ruger American Predator, a sub-MOA bolt gun that comes in every serious varmint caliber from .223 to .22-250 to 6mm ARC, all for around $549. For long, precise shots on coyotes the Tikka T3x Lite in .22-250 is the surgical choice, and for close pest control and squirrels the CZ 457 American in .22 LR delivers match-grade rimfire accuracy on the cheap.

The Best Varmint Rifles in 2026

Varmint hunting covers a huge spread of game, from a fox squirrel at 40 yards to a coyote at 400, and no single rifle does all of it well. That is the first thing to understand. A precise .22 LR is perfect for backyard pests and squirrels, while a flat-shooting .22-250 is what you want when a song dog hangs up across a cut field.

So I have split this list into centerfire rifles for predators and long-range work, and rimfire rifles for close, high-volume pest control. I have burned out barrels on prairie dog towns and frozen on enough coyote stands to know what actually matters: accuracy, a flat trajectory, low recoil so you can spot your own hits, and a barrel that holds zero when it gets hot.

If predators are your main target, also read our best AR-15 for coyote hunting guide and our best .223 rifles roundup. For the rimfire side, our best .22 LR rifles guide goes deeper. It all ties back to the main best guns for hunting hub.

---

1. Ruger American Predator: BEST OVERALL

• Caliber: .22-250, .223 Rem, .204 Ruger, 6mm ARC
• Barrel: 22 in threaded
• Weight: 6.6 lbs
• Capacity: 4+1 rotary
• Action: bolt-action
• Street Price: around $549

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	5/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	5/5
Value	5/5

If you want one varmint rifle and you do not want to overthink it, buy the Ruger American Predator. It comes in every cartridge that matters for varmints, from the screaming .22-250 to the flat .204 Ruger to the modern 6mm ARC, and it shoots sub-MOA for the price of a night out.

I have run Predators in .223 and .22-250 on prairie dog towns and coyote stands, and the thing just prints. The threaded barrel means you can hang a suppressor for stand hunting, the trigger is genuinely good, and at 6.6 pounds it carries easy when you are walking ridgelines.

It is not a dedicated bench-rest heavy barrel, so the pencil profile warms up if you light up a dog town for an hour straight. For everything else, no rifle here gives you more varmint capability per dollar.

Best For: Anyone who wants one do-it-all varmint rifle in the caliber of their choice.

---

2. Tikka T3x Lite: BEST PRECISION CENTERFIRE

• Caliber: .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem
• Barrel: 22.4 in cold-hammer-forged
• Weight: 6.5 lbs
• Capacity: 3+1
• Action: bolt-action
• Street Price: around $800

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	5/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	4/5
Value	4/5

When you want to reach across a canyon and tag a coyote at 400 yards, the Tikka T3x Lite is the rifle I trust. In .22-250 it throws a 55-grain bullet at 3,600 fps, which means flat trajectory and minimal wind hold even on a breezy prairie afternoon.

The Tikka action is the smoothest you will find at any price near this, and the accuracy guarantee is no marketing fluff. Mine stacks bullets into ragged single holes with match ammo. For precise, deliberate varmint and predator work, it is hard to beat.

It carries the Tikka premium over the Ruger, and the slim barrel is not built for hammering a dog town nonstop. But for the hunter who values that buttery action and surgical accuracy, it is worth every dollar.

Best For: Precision shooters making long, deliberate shots on coyotes and distant varmints.

---

3. Howa 1500 Fenceline: BEST HEAVY-BARREL VALUE

• Caliber: .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem
• Barrel: 20 in heavy contour
• Weight: 8.6 lbs
• Capacity: 4+1
• Action: bolt-action
• Street Price: around $750

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	4/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	3/5
Value	5/5

Prairie dog towns punish skinny barrels. When you plan to send a few hundred rounds in an afternoon, you want mass, and the Howa 1500 Fenceline brings it. The heavy contour barrel soaks up heat and keeps printing tight groups long after a sporter would be walking shots.

Howa barreled actions have a cult following for accuracy, and the Fenceline dresses one up with a predator stock and a tough finish built for fenceline coyote sets and varmint benches. The two-stage trigger breaks clean.

At 8.6 pounds it is no mountain rifle, and that is the point. This is a sit-and-shoot varminter for the hunter who measures success in volume. For the money, the accuracy is genuinely impressive.

Best For: High-volume prairie dog and fenceline shooters who want a heavy barrel on a budget.

---

4. Springfield Saint Victor 5.56: BEST SEMI-AUTO FOR COYOTES

• Caliber: 5.56 NATO / .223 Rem
• Barrel: 16 in CMV
• Weight: 6.9 lbs
• Capacity: 30+1
• Action: semi-auto, AR platform
• Street Price: around $900

Category	Score
Accuracy	4/5
Reach	4/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	5/5
Value	4/5

Call in a coyote and you will often get a second one circling. That is where a semi-auto earns its place, and the Springfield Saint Victor is one of the best factory ARs for the job. When the first dog drops and the second breaks, you stay on the trigger instead of working a bolt.

The AR-15 in .223 is the modern predator standard for a reason. Light recoil keeps you on target through fast strings, ammo is cheap enough to actually practice, and the platform takes optics and suppressors without fuss. The Saint Victor trigger is a cut above the usual mil-spec mush.

For dedicated coyote rigs we go deeper in our best AR-15 for coyote hunting guide. If your varmint work means calling predators after dark, this is the platform you want.

Best For: Predator callers who want fast follow-up shots when coyotes come in pairs.

---

5. CZ 457 American: BEST RIMFIRE OVERALL

• Caliber: .22 LR
• Barrel: 24.8 in
• Weight: 6.2 lbs
• Capacity: 5+1
• Action: bolt-action rimfire
• Street Price: around $480

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	2/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	4/5
Value	5/5

For squirrels, close prairie dogs, and pest control around the property, nothing beats a precise .22 LR, and the CZ 457 American is the best one most hunters can afford. CZ rimfires have a reputation for shooting like guns that cost twice as much, and the 457 lives up to it.

The adjustable trigger, fast 60-degree bolt, and that famous CZ accuracy make headshots on squirrels a non-event. Thread the barrel, run subsonic ammo and a suppressor, and you have a backyard pest gun the neighbors will never hear.

It is a close-range tool by nature, so this is not your coyote rifle. For everything small and close, it is a joy. Feed it the good stuff from our best .22 LR ammo guide.

Best For: Small-varmint and squirrel hunters who want match-grade rimfire accuracy on the cheap.

---

6. Savage B17 FV-SR: BEST 17 HMR

• Caliber: .17 HMR
• Barrel: 16.25 in heavy, threaded
• Weight: 4.6 lbs
• Capacity: 10+1 rotary
• Action: bolt-action rimfire
• Street Price: around $370

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	3/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	4/5
Value	5/5

The .17 HMR splits the difference between a .22 LR and a centerfire, and the Savage B17 FV-SR is the best value way to shoot it. That 17-grain bullet leaves the muzzle around 2,550 fps and shoots flat enough to make 150-yard ground squirrels and rock chucks easy work.

Savage put a heavy threaded barrel, an AccuTrigger, and a 10-round rotary magazine on this thing and somehow kept it under $400. It is suppressor-ready and accurate enough to embarrass guns that cost a lot more.

The .17 HMR drifts in wind and the ammo costs more than .22 LR, so it is a calm-day, mid-range varminter. For that role it is the best bang for the buck in rimfire.

Best For: Mid-range rimfire varmint hunters who want flat trajectory without centerfire cost.

---

7. Bergara BMR: BEST PRECISION RIMFIRE

• Caliber: .17 HMR (also .22 LR, .22 WMR)
• Barrel: 20 in threaded, carbon or steel
• Weight: 5.0 lbs
• Capacity: 5 and 10 round mags
• Action: bolt-action rimfire
• Street Price: around $500

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	3/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	4/5
Value	4/5

Bergara built its name on barrels, and the BMR puts that same accuracy into a rimfire trainer-slash-varminter. The mini bolt action feels like a scaled-down precision centerfire, which makes it a fantastic way to practice your long-range fundamentals on cheap .17 HMR or .22 LR.

For varmints, it is a tack driver. The 20-inch threaded barrel gets the most out of the cartridge, and it ships with both a 5 and 10 round magazine. Run it suppressed and it is whisper quiet on backyard pests.

It costs more than the Savage B17 and it is still bound by rimfire ballistics. But if you want the most accurate rimfire varminter short of a custom, the BMR is the pick.

Best For: Accuracy nuts who want a precision rimfire for varmints and long-range practice.

---

8. Ruger American Rimfire: BEST BUDGET 22 MAG

• Caliber: .22 WMR
• Barrel: 18 in threaded
• Weight: 5.4 lbs
• Capacity: 9+1 rotary
• Action: bolt-action rimfire
• Street Price: around $330

Category	Score
Accuracy	4/5
Reach	3/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	4/5
Value	5/5

The .22 WMR is the rimfire you reach for when .22 LR runs out of gas. It carries more energy and reaches a touch farther, which makes it a better choice for bigger varmints like jackrabbits, raccoons, and the occasional close coyote. The Ruger American Rimfire delivers it for around $330.

The swappable stock modules let you set length of pull and comb height to fit you or a young shooter, and the trigger is the same good Marksman unit found on the centerfire Americans. The threaded barrel takes a suppressor for quiet pest control.

It will not replace a centerfire for coyotes at distance, but for close fur and mid-size pests on a budget, it is a smart, versatile little rifle.

Best For: Budget hunters who want more reach and punch than a .22 LR for bigger small game.

---

9. Volquartsen Summit: BEST PREMIUM RIMFIRE

• Caliber: .17 HMR
• Barrel: 20 in match, threaded
• Weight: 6.5 lbs
• Capacity: 9 round rotary
• Action: straight-pull toggle
• Street Price: around $1,600

Category	Score
Accuracy	5/5
Reach	3/5
Low Recoil	5/5
Versatility	3/5
Value	3/5

If money is no object and you want the finest rimfire varminter on the market, the Volquartsen Summit is it. The straight-pull toggle action lets you cycle without breaking your cheek weld, so you can stay on a prairie dog town and run shots faster than any bolt gun.

Everything about it is match grade, from the air-gauged barrel to the crisp trigger. It prints groups that look like typos, and it does it shot after shot. This is the rifle for the dedicated varmint hunter who shoots a lot and demands the best.

At around $1,600 it is a serious investment for a .17 HMR, and it is more gun than casual shooters need. But for the hunter who lives for high-volume precision rimfire, nothing else feels like this.

Best For: Serious high-volume rimfire shooters who want the best straight-pull varminter made.

---

What to Look For in a Varmint Rifle

Start by being honest about your targets and ranges. If you are shooting squirrels and pests inside 100 yards, a .22 LR or .17 HMR rimfire is cheaper to feed, quieter, and plenty accurate. If you are calling coyotes or shooting prairie dogs out past 200, you need centerfire speed in .223, .22-250, .204 Ruger, or a modern 6mm.

Barrel weight is the next call. A light sporter carries great but walks its shots once it heats up, which is a problem on a busy dog town. A heavy barrel stays cold and accurate through long strings but is a chore to pack. Match it to whether you walk and call or sit and shoot.

Finally, put your money into glass and a threaded muzzle, not a fancy stock. Varmints are small targets, so a clear, high-magnification scope from our best rifle scopes guide does more for your hit rate than anything else. If you hunt coyotes after dark, a unit from our best thermal scopes guide changes the game.

How These Were Evaluated

Every rifle here was judged on what varmint hunting actually demands: accuracy on small targets, flat trajectory and wind performance, low recoil so you can spot your own impacts, barrel quality under sustained fire, and value for the money. I leaned on my own time behind these rifles on dog towns and coyote stands, plus accuracy and reliability data from across the industry. Caliber availability and suppressor readiness factored in too.

Bottom Line

For one rifle to cover the most varmint ground, buy the Ruger American Predator in the caliber that fits your country. It is accurate, affordable, and comes in everything. For surgical long-range predator work, the Tikka T3x Lite in .22-250 is the precision pick, and for high-volume dog towns the heavy-barreled Howa Fenceline keeps printing when sporters quit.

On the rimfire side, the CZ 457 American is the best all-around .22, while the Savage B17 FV-SR gives you flat .17 HMR reach for under $400. Pick the rifle that matches your varmints and your ranges, top it with good glass, and go thin the herd.

---

FAQ: Varmint Rifles