biggest 5 shot group size for prairie dog shooting.

[Leiboy]

Hey guys, I love shooting Prairie Dogs. It's my favorite thing to do in the summer. What is your maximum acceptable group size for a P dog load? pics welcome!

 

[dkhunt14]

I think that depends on how happy you are with your kill ratio. Also how far you are shooting. Matt

 

[rardoin]

Hey guys, I love shooting Prairie Dogs. It's my favorite thing to do in the summer. What is your maximum acceptable group size for a P dog load? pics welcome!

1 minute of prarie dog head at 300yds.

 

[AckleymanII]

Lots of shooting to 300 yards, 1/2" groups will suffice for that. After that, you need less and higher BC.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I have lots of ammo. I keep shooting til I hit one..

 

[VaRandy]

I have lots of ammo. I keep shooting til I hit one..

Then how do you shoot the next one, etc.

 

[dragman]

I don't usually shoot 5 shot groups for hunting. I think 3 shots will be fine. and I would say it would have to be a 1/2 MOA or better gun or just stay home.

 

[people]

It depends on what you want. Smaller is better. I have a 22 hornet and I only get one inch groups with it. I use that rifle for 100yds and less. A standard rifle I would want 1/2 inch or better.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Then how do you shoot the next one, etc.

Just keep shootin.. Actually I am anal about accuracy.. If a gun won't shoot tight groups then I sell it, or modify it.. For P-dawgs which I shoot a lot of, I use a 22 pistol, a 17 HMR, a 22 Hornet and a 204. All are one hole shooters pretty much. My Hornet needed a tweak, so I sent it to Randy at Connecticut Valley.. Sometimes I take my AR or my 222. I like groups under 1/2" at least for Pdawgs.. But it depends on how far you are shooting..

 

[mr45man]

clover leaf at 200 then all you have to worry about
is wind and mirage

 

[Barrel Nut]

Lots of shooting to 300 yards, 1/2" groups will suffice for that. After that, you need less and higher BC.

Wow....... that's pretty good shooting. A 5-shot group at 300 yards with an MOA of 0.159 is something you must be very proud of. To achieve that level of precision as something you can count on when you go hunting is really really fine marksmanship. It must have taken you many years of practice to get that good.

To give some perspective to how good that actually is, the very best 5 shot group (extrapolated to 300 yards) fired in recent F/TR tryouts by the U.S. Rifle Team was 0.256, considerably worse that what you recommend as merely sufficient. I would guess that F/TR is something not too much unlike the conditions you might see when hunting small critters.

But to compare how the very best bench rest shooters do, I checked the current world record data. Remember, these guys use crazy-expensive rifles, a rock steady bench, and a front rest which costs more than my best car. The latest data I could find shows that the world record 5 shot group at 300 yards is an MOA of 0.1676. By that standard, the precision you say "will suffice" is better than the BR world record. Who wouldn't be impressed by that kind of shooting? Congratulations.

 

[AckleymanII]

Clarification, 1/2" groups at 100 will suffice for shooting to 300 yards. DIPSTICK!

 

[joshb]

That seemed clear to me. 1/2 at 100. He must be new................to reading.
Well, I read thru again. Could be taken that way. I woulda started with a question to clarify.

 

[Eddie Harren]

Just keep shootin.. Actually I am anal about accuracy.. If a gun won't shoot tight groups then I sell it, or modify it.. For P-dawgs which I shoot a lot of, I use a 22 pistol, a 17 HMR, a 22 Hornet and a 204. All are one hole shooters pretty much. My Hornet needed a tweak, so I sent it to Randy at Connecticut Valley.. Sometimes I take my AR or my 222. I like groups under 1/2" at least for Pdawgs.. But it depends on how far you are shooting..

All of mine are "one hole shooters" as well. If I only shoot them once!

 

[hogpatrol]

All of mine are "one hole shooters" as well. If I only shoot them once!

Me too, all day long if I do my part.

 

[Eddie Harren]

Me too, all day long if I do my part.

"If I hadn't have pulled that last shot you could have covered them with a dime!"

 

[dkhunt14]

"If I hadn't have pulled that last shot you could have covered them with a dime!"

What, like the dime I posted in the thread Dime Sized Groups all day long? LOL Matt

 

[DogBuster]

5 shots in a half inch @ 100 is my goal when I set up a rig.......

coyotes are always a bonus when shooting p/dogs......

 

[6MMsteve]

one shot one hole groups is badbutt,

 

[powderbrake]

I generally accept up to 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards for dogs out to 300 or so yards. Past that I use my 6BR which shoots 1/8 to 1/4 groups at 100 yds.
I liked the answer of "Minute of Prairie dog head". That is so true, if you miss, shoot again, you are not being scored.
Of course the real problem is the wind, and it seems that prairie dogs attract wind.