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20VT Fun w/Ground Squirrels

Rick in Oregon said:
One of my prime reasons for settling on the 20VT vs any 223 based .20 caliber wildcat, was the amount of powder I'm burning just to shoot a squirrel. If I get real world 500 yard performance using 18.5~gr of powder, I just did not see any reason to do the same thing and burn more powder doing it. I shoot a lot during rat season, and economics enters into the picture.

But for sheer performance out there, I can truly see the logic in either the 20P or 20T, as they both nearly equal the 204R with even less powder burnt...more efficient. My CF rat calibers run from .17 with many stops in between to 6mm, but I find myself shooting my 221FB and 20VT more and more each season.
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I'd say you and I are of the same opinion on this because those are the exact same reasons I'm having a smaller case capacity .20 cal built. It would be VERY easy to take the Rem VS SF .223 I'm using as my donor action and turn it into a 20 Prac that zings the 32's out there well over 4000fps but I don't really need all that just to shoot a bunch of sage rats and I have plenty of other varmint guns to shoot larger varmints with. One of them being a beautiful little CZ 527 Varmint 204 that shoots amazingly well that I hardly ever shoot and I'm considering selling because I just don't have a great deal of interest in it anymore. I love my little 17 Hornets and a 20 based off the 221FB case seems like the next step up without going to overbore.

One thing is fore sure though, there is no right or wrong anwer, it's all in what works for you.
 
For the Sage Rat Professional Hunters, in a 223:

12g of Blue dot with 40g = 3000 fps

14g " = 3200 fps * my accuracy load with 1.5" groups at 200 yards, low noise, little recoil, rats go flying

600-900 rounds in between cleanings with indefinite barrel life

221 FB
10g-12g of blue dot with 40g

I had one fire ball that started off with zero freebore. 15g of AA1680 was my close range load with the 50g TNT, and 18.5 was my long range load. I got around 25K rounds on the barrel.

I have wanted to work up a load with Win 296 with a 40g sierra blitz king, but have never got around to it.

I did work up a load for the 17 AH with H110, and it was more accurate than any other powder I had ever shot with the 20g Berger MEF, but not the fastest. Bug holes at 100, and 1/2" at 200 in calm weather before the sun goes down. Zero freebore reamer used, bullets jammed the lands on that rifle.

It is worth a consideration to down load a 20 practical or a 20 tactical using Blue Dot which would put velocity at 20 Vartarg levels with half the powder charge of a normal vartarg charge. Cleaning every 600 rounds should be anticipated, lowered recoil, still giving plenty of flying squirrels.
 
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AckleymanII said:
It is worth a consideration to down load a 20 practical or a 20 tactical using Blue Dot which would put velocity at 20 Vartarg levels with half the powder charge of a normal vartarg charge. Cleaning every 600 rounds should be anticipated, lowered recoil, still giving plenty of flying squirrels.
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It appears the minimalist approach for efficient rat calibers is catching on with more folks than just myself. You just don't need 25+ grs of powder to launch a PD or sage rat at the typical 300 yard range. Of course, for maximum effect of rat-o-batics, well then, bring on the larger cased boomers!

As B23 said, there's no right or wrong answers here. :)
 
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In all honesty, if I had enough money and enough room, I'd be happy with one of everything... ;)

Wouldn't that present a reloading nightmare though.
 
B23 said:
In all honesty, if I had enough money and enough room, I'd be happy with one of everything... ;)Wouldn't that present a reloading nightmare though.
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If you had enough money to have one of everything, you'd have enough money to have someone else do your reloading! :D

But what fun would that be? Half the fun is discovering "that" load, and all the effort getting there is quickly forgotten as it's always worth it.
 
pirate ammo said:
I think thats called FACTORY
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Ha! I think you're right! ;)

Out of a safe full of rifles, not one has ever fired a factory round, and I'm well into geezerhood. Doin' it ourselves is part of the reason we're all here.

Personally, dinking about with this stuff is what keeps us older farts active and alert, plus gives us something to do besides "honey-do's". :D
 
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Rick in Oregon said:
One of my prime reasons for settling on the 20VT vs any 223 based .20 caliber wildcat, was the amount of powder I'm burning just to shoot a squirrel. If I get real world 500 yard performance using 18.5~gr of powder,
n.
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Great post! I would love to know how you came up with RL-7 for powder? I've just received a 20VT from my gunsmith. His load was Accurate 2200 with the 32 grain, but I think it may not work for me. I just sighted in the scope and worked up to 21 grains of the powder and I'm still around 3550 or so, so I've got to work it on up. No primer blistering, or hard to open the bolt at that high of grams. I guess just keep trying the powders and will definitely get RL7.
 
denwhit1 said:
Great post! I would love to know how you came up with RL-7 for powder? I've just received a 20VT from my gunsmith. His load was Accurate 2200 with the 32 grain, but I think it may not work for me. I just sighted in the scope and worked up to 21 grains of the powder and I'm still around 3550 or so, so I've got to work it on up. No primer blistering, or hard to open the bolt at that high of grams. I guess just keep trying the powders and will definitely get RL7.
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How long is your barrel?
 
The M O S T fun l ever had shooting ANYTHING was ground squirrels.. l did it

on the Cali-0r border near Goose Lake 0regon maybe 15 years back.

More amazing too, they were shot with a bit of SNOW on the ground...

Talk about a RED MIST TRAIL :-)... My little Ruger 77/17HMR kept my fingers

sore trying to fill those magazines... Golden Eagles, foxes, white 0wls all joined

in a great Squirrel Feast
 
sw282 said:
The M O S T fun l ever had shooting ANYTHING was ground squirrels..
More amazing too, they were shot with a bit of SNOW on the ground...Talk about a RED MIST TRAIL :)...
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Yessir, as has been said previously, it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on, let alone with a rifle.

A bit of "snow painting" recently:



That art effort was from only my 22LR out the truck window....the effects of a zippy 223 or 204R are much more graphic as would be imagined. ;)
 
Rick I really like your choice of optics for sage rat blasting.What is the lead time to have Leupold add an M1 dial?Are you close enough to drive over and visit with the guys at Leupold and how spendy is it?
PS I bet Scooter is looking down and smiling as you bust rats with the 20VT:)
Matt
 
17VLD said:
Rick I really like your choice of optics for sage rat blasting.What is the lead time to have Leupold add an M1 dial?Are you close enough to drive over and visit with the guys at Leupold and how spendy is it?
PS I bet Scooter is looking down and smiling as you bust rats with the 20VT:)
Matt
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Matt, that scope combination has really worked well now for a number of years. Everyone in my crew that went that route has been more than pleased with how the system works for rats. As for adding the M1 turrets, it's been a few years, but if memory serves it was around $150 for the turret change (each), and lead time was only about a week. I'm pretty close to the factory, but normally shoot with one of their managers, so he just takes my scopes back with him after a shoot and gives them to the custom shop.

But from experience I've found that only the elevation turret 'needs' changing, as dialing for wind usually results in an exercise in frustration over time unless you're doing a lot of shooting in the exact same wind condition (does that ever happen?).

I'm also sure that Mike, aka "Scootertrash" is smiling, as "Scooter" as she's now called, gets plenty of exercise doing exactly what Mike wanted me to do with her. Matter of fact, I just returned from a four day rat shoot in the outback, and will post the trip us as soon as I get unpacked and uploaded. "Yes Mike, there were plenty of flying lessons!" ;)
 
Rick in Oregon said:
Matt, that scope combination has really worked well now for a number of years. Everyone in my crew that went that route has been more than pleased with how the system works for rats. As for adding the M1 turrets, it's been a few years, but if memory serves it was around $150 for the turret change (each), and lead time was only about a week. I'm pretty close to the factory, but normally shoot with one of their managers, so he just takes my scopes back with him after a shoot and gives them to the custom shop.

But from experience I've found that only the elevation turret 'needs' changing, as dialing for wind usually results in an exercise in frustration over time unless you're doing a lot of shooting in the exact same wind condition (does that ever happen?).

I'm also sure that Mike, aka "Scootertrash" is smiling, as "Scooter" as she's now called, gets plenty of exercise doing exactly what Mike wanted me to do with her. Matter of fact, I just returned from a four day rat shoot in the outback, and will post the trip us as soon as I get unpacked and uploaded. "Yes Mike, there were plenty of flying lessons!" ;)
Click to expand...

Look forward to your report.
 
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