Varmint caliber?

[skb2706]

You are asking a whole lot. First .........forget about 1000 yd. shots....you could shoot prairie dogs the rest of your natural life and never shoot past 400 yds. Much past 400 yds. requires some very dedicated rifles and equipment.
For a stationary prairie dog rig a heavy varmint is fine...helps to view the hits. Mine are 13 lbs. plus.
If your primary goal is to shoot coyotes and such ...where you may shoot only a couple times in a day I would get a walking varmint rifle ...probably not more than 8.5 lbs. full up.

Calibers - .204, .223 great for pds, minimum for long shots at coyotes

22-250, 220 swift ideal for coyotes but not great for high volume shooting

Scopes - pds not more than 16x .....too much mirage. Coyotes - something that will go down to at least 4x ....2x is better

just my opinion