The extent to which non-alpha 4 beta 2 versus alpha 4 beta 2* nAChRs contribute to the behavioral effects of varenicline and other nAChR agonists is unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize the discriminative stimulus effects of varenicline and nicotine using various nAChR agonists and antagonists to elucidate possible non-alpha 4 beta 2 nAChR mechanisms. Separate groups of male C57BL/6J mice were trained to discriminate varenicline (3.2 mg/kg) or nicotine (1 mg/kg). Test drugs included mecamylamine; the nAChR agonists epibatidine, nicotine, cytisine, varenicline, and RTI-102; the beta 2-containing nAChR antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DH beta E); the alpha 7 nAChR agonist PNU-282987; the alpha 7 antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA); the alpha 3 beta 4 antagonist 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC); and the non-nAChR drugs midazolam and cocaine. In nicotine-trained mice, maximum nicotine-appropriate responding was 95% nicotine, 94% epibatidine, 63% varenicline, 58% cytisine, and less than 50% for RTI-102, PNU-282987, midazolam, and cocaine. In varenicline-trained mice, maximum varenicline-appropriate responding was 90% varenicline, 86% epibatidine, 74% cytisine, 80% RTI-102, 50% cocaine, and 50% or less for nicotine, PNU-282987, and midazolam. Drugs were studied to doses that abolished operant responding. Mecamylamine antagonized the discriminative stimulus effects, but not the rate-decreasing effects, of nicotine and varenicline. DH beta E antagonized the discriminative stimulus and rate-decreasing effects of nicotine but not varenicline in either the nicotine or varenicline discrimination assays. The discriminative stimulus, but not the rate-decreasing, effects of epibatidine were antagonized by DH beta E regardless of the training drug. These results suggest that alpha 4 beta 2* nAChRs differentially mediate the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine and varenicline, and suggest that varenicline has substantial non-alpha 4 beta 2 nAChR activity.