Varmint rifle

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 of 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.

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.

Folding shooting benches and sandbag rests help provide a stable base for the shooter, allowing the maximum accuracy to be extracted from the rifle.

A light, fast bullet gives a flat trajectory, making range estimation less vital for accurate shot placement.

A bullet drop of only a couple of inches (about 5 cm) is enough to cause a miss on smaller varmint animals; so flat trajectories increase hit probability at long ranges.

The .22 Long Rifle will also do, but the low muzzle velocities result in a supersonic to subsonic transition on the way to the target, which can negatively affect accuracy.