LONG RANGE GROUND HOG GUNS

[284winner]

The OP asked "What do you guys shoot and what rifles and loads do you use" ? You gave a suggestion and an interesting one for sure. I wasn't or didn't try to discredit your fantasy hog rifle only that while it'd be a cool thought to launch them 750 grain AMAX bullets across a pasture, it would hurt me thinking about cost to do it. No offense intended or meant on your suggestion. I love shooting ground hogs at half to three quarter mile ranges and do it annually. It's the trips I look forward to annually. Hell, I may even take my 338 Lapua improved this May on my next trip. It's not as accurate as my 6.5 or 284s but capable of minute of ground hog at 1000.

 

[Ken]

Got my VHA witnessed 1121 yd prairie dog kill with a 22-250 shooting 75 Amax

 

[22turborimfire]

Here's my long range Groundhog rifle.
6 BR .
1x8 twist

 

[Drop Port]

This one has been in service for a while and has since got a face lift. This is how it started life.

 

[Knifeman]

243 with 70 gr Blitz Kings work wonders on long range hogs. Hint!!

 

[284winner]

This one has been in service for a while and has since got a face lift. This is how it started life.View attachment 1167696 View attachment 1167697

Nice ground hog medicine

 

[sandwarrior]

Maddysdad -

Howdy !

After Shooting “Soyheanus Digestus “ for decades, I finally resolved to shoot one @ at least 500yd.

Killed one @ 510 on my first attempt, and was incredulous that I did not try that range; sooner. I resolved that I would try for a 1,000yd kill w/ a
dedicated 1,000yd - capable rifle/ chambering before I even had the chamber emptied of the fired case.

My 510yd kill was made shooting from a 24” Hart SS .224” cal 1-14,
chambered in my .22-35 Remington wildcat. That rifle has a straight
1.325” bull barrel.....same diam as my Wichita WBR1375 action; and Ken Burns converted 2oz trigger. The stock was originally a Bishop walnut/walnut lam. With 6.5 X 20 Leupold, the rifle weighed 17lb +.
The 510 yd shot was taken w/ the rifle after Fred Sinclair had the barrel
re-contoured to a benchrest taper, and placed the barreled action in a McMillan M-70 stock. The rifle still weighed 16lb scoped, if I recall.
The load was 41.6gr VV160 FED Magnum Rilfe Macth and prototype of Hornady’s ( then ) upcoming 55”V-Max”. Vel was an easy cruizin’
3,690fps, not max for the gun....but superbly accurate & deadly.

For my idea of a 1,000yd groundhog rifle, I chambered in my .22-35 Rem wildcat again, but using a 28” K&P SS 1-8 5-groove Palma. I went 28” thinking that was the max length I could go, and still have my 14.75” LOP
Wichita set-up fit in an “ Airglide “. Turns out, 29” woulda fit.
I shot 75”A-Max” in it exclusively, my chosen accuracy/field load being
40.5gr AA3100 FED LR Match; yielding 3,420fps. Again, not a max load;
but still one giving me great accuracy and useful terminal effects.
History repeated itself when I waited too long to try for a 1,000yd kill on a groundhog, and I moved from NE Indiana before ever taking that shot.

Now.... were I to try for that shot these days:
I have moved from using .224” cal for varmint shooting... now having gone to using 6mm. This was mostly driven by it being easier for my eyes to make out 6mm bullet holes on paper, at ranges like 300yd + .

My current go-to varmint/target rifle is the same Wichita single shot benchrest action, now w/ a Jewel 2oz; and sporting a 29” Broughton
SS 6mm 1-8 5C-rifled Palma. I made my own barrel-clamp style stock, using a thick walled extruded aluminum “I” beam... oriented as an “H” section. For end and butt stock are fashioned from composite deck board pieces. Ken Ferrel 20moa base and 4-screw rings along w/ 2X-boosted
T-36 bring gun wt up to 16lb.

The rifle is chambered in my “DEEP 6” wildcat, and would be the rifle I’d use for a 1,000yd + varmint kill; once the opportunity avails itself.
DEEP 6 has 51.2gr H2O capacity. Right now, I’d be going out the door
w/ a load of Sierra 95T-Mk over 43.7gr RL-22 and FED Large Magnum Rifle Match. I’m working on replacing RL-22 w/ either RL -23, -25; or -26.
Range trials to continue, once the range I use opens back up.

All-up, rifle wt is 16lb. Recoil w/ my chosen load is modest. I shoot the “beam” rifle w/o any recoil pad.

IMHO - a 1,000yd varmint rifle will be shot from a fixed position.
A spot likely driven-to, and not excessively hiked-to. In these circumstances.......gun wt can be rather hefty; if desired.

I think it more likely these days that my 1,000yd varmint kill will end up being made on a PD. I hope to retire this year, which would make a PD trip w/ my best friend at last plausible.

Comparing a notional .250 Savage chambered varmint rifle shooting Sierra’s .25 cal ELD-X. to one chambered in DEEP 6 shooting my load using their 95T-MK..... it’d take a rifle wt of around 25lb to keep recoil levels matched to those presented by the DEEP 6 @ 16lb ( when using rifle wt as the principal offset to recoil forces ). That would mean something like a 31” 1.375” straight bull barrel on the Wichita action, and a fairly hefty stock.

The long-ish .25 cal barrel would also be needed to give the .250-3000 chambering & bore enough Expansion Ratio to reach a velocity threshold that would give me 450 ft lb @ 1,000yd. That is an energy threshold level I use as a guide, for a groundhog rifle/ chambering applied @ any distance.

For me, shooting .300win Mag as a varmint rifle holds little appeal.
But hey....that’s just me.

YRMV.


With regards,
357Mag
357Mag

What your "Deep-Six" sounds like is a 6mm Rem Imp. of some sort. I have a 6-284, but with a ten twist. It won't shoot heavies well and getting out to 1k requires a sleek high BC bullet that remains stable. Out in Raton in 2017 I was hitting the buffalo in the head regurlarly with 87 gr. A-max's. I'd love to load that thing up with ELDs, but they haven't come out with any yet that maximize the use of a 1-10" twist. It won't get a loose twisted barrel or an overbore cartridge on it when I change barrels. It's not about power, it's about bullet efficiency and the twist to make those bullets work.

On a fun note, I had a first year production Savage 1899 in .250-3000. I stuck an old Unertl Vulture on there and went to town on p-dogs out to 500 w/87's and 90's. Fun gun, but a pita to load/eject from a bench. .257 Rob, .257 Rob. Ack. Imp., .25 WSSM, .257 Wizzerby, and now back down to the .25-20 WCF.

Forgot to add: The ultimate G-hog/P-dog gun. Semi-tght twisted (1-8") that would stabilize 95 gr. Bergers, or Sierra's. Those bullets are shaped well enough and heavy enough to remain stable through the transonic. Put that barrel on the action of your choice so long as the action is solid. I have my 6-284 on a Mauser action and it's tight when locked up. Not as repeatable as a BAT or Kelbly, even a 70 or 700. But, it's tight enough to nail p-dogs to 1k. Stuck in a stock with a solid bipod and a good rear bag. Make the whole thing mobile. Somewhere around 15 lbs. w/scope. And, bring a good .22 along and shoot standard velocity ammo. No sonic boom to make all them critters go down in their holes.

Remember to check around for rattlesnakes when throwing your shooting mat down. The "bump, bump, bump" coming up from under the mat wasn't a cute little mouse.

 

[357Mag]

Sandwarrior -

Howdy !

Don’t intend to highjack the post.

“ DEEP 6 “ chamber is cut by running a 6mm Remington reamer in “short “,
For a nominal .466” base diam. 7 X 64 Brenneke is utilized as the parent
brass, as it has the required . 466” base diam. 7 X 64 is .308 bolt face compatible rimless, and great brass is available ( I use Norma ).

DEEP 6 has case capacity of 51.2 gr H2O, compared to 6 X 47L and 6 XC in the 49-50gr range, .243Win @ 54gr; and 6mm Rem @ 55gr.
DEEP 6 has useful case capacity w/o being “ over-bore “, and the same long VLD- friendly neck lg the 6mm Rem has.

I agree w/ your assessment of the 6mm 95 VLD. I had my 29” Broughton
6mm 1-8 “5-C “ rifled SS barrel chambered in DEEP 6 set up for the Sierra 95Mk, and now am shooting their 95T MK.

I am also able to shoot 105-108gr 6mm bullets, when desired.


With regards,
357Mag