.243 Win for Prairie Dogs

[shoot4fun]

I used to shoot a 243 on PD quite a lot. When the barrel went away (factory Remington got a chunk out of the rifling) I just never replaced it with another 243. This is the caliber I would want on the prairie for those super windy days. Also, it can make PDs fly higher and blow up more than any 204 Ruger.

 

[searcher]

It has been a long time since I shot my .243 Varmint, my .20 Practical varmint A/R and my .223 varmint A/R all in the same day. I did so today and still can't get over how impressive that little .20 is, even with tiny 32 V-Maxes or 39 Sierras. Switching back and forth between the rifles kept me wanting for the .20, even though they are all equally accurate.

 

[DogBuster]

For those that have never spent a day in the p/dog fields with an

accurate 20 cal dog gun should some day...you'll become a believer...

I run the 40 V max in my VT..PT...Duece/20......awesome...dogs fly...

 

[centershot]

For those that have never spent a day in the p/dog fields with an

accurate 20 cal dog gun should some day...you'll become a believer...

I run the 40 V max in my VT..PT...Duece/20......awesome...dogs fly...

Is there an issue keeping the .20 clean? I remember when the .17 came out, it seemed that shooters spent more time cleaning them than shooting them. After reading these posts, thank you all, the .223 in a savage looks good to me. I looked at one at Sportsman's Warehouse and it seems like a fine piece. It was a heavy barrel on sale for $565. Seem Fair?

 

[CatShooter]

For those that have never spent a day in the p/dog fields with an

accurate 20 cal dog gun should some day...you'll become a believer...

I run the 40 V max in my VT..PT...Duece/20......awesome...dogs fly...

Is there an issue keeping the .20 clean? I remember when the .17 came out, it seemed that shooters spent more time cleaning them than shooting them. After reading these posts, thank you all, the .223 in a savage looks good to me. I looked at one at Sportsman's Warehouse and it seems like a fine piece. It was a heavy barrel on sale for $565. Seem Fair?

My 20 Tac does not foul, and is easy to clean.

 

[Ackman]

I know this is a question of personal choice. You should take at least two rifles to do dogs. I like the .223 because it is accurate and brass and ammo are available in quantity. It would be a medium distance round. I like the 6 m/m for distance. A lot of doggers are using 6 m/m bench rest or other "prepared" cartridges. You can buy a varmint rifle in .243 and just shoot it. No fire forming, or other case prep needed. And the cases are cheaper that 6 BR. Is the accuracy good for varmints? I would think the barrel life would be good because you do not have to top load it to get 3500 fps out of lighter bullets. I know there are a lot of other personal favorites, but is the .243 overlooked? Brass is plentiful and so are powders and bullets. Is recoil more than other 6 m/m? Remember, I am looking at the mid loads with 70 grain bullets.

Not sure what point you're trying to make. Lots of different cartridges work just fine on pd's. Which is better just depends on the situation and 5 or 6 rifles isn't too many for a one-day shoot. You don't know how it'll be out there.

Don't know what "fire forming" you refer to. With people who actually shoot cartridges that do use fireformed brass, it's a non-issue. People who don't shoot them don't know and make a big deal out of it.

The . 243 works fine but in high volume situations there are better choices. The 6BR does well and isn't stressed shooting light bullets at considerably more than 3500.

Recoil with the .243? Can't see hits or misses? That's what muzzle brakes are for.

 

[centershot]

By fire forming, I mean .223 to .223 AI.

 

[IA_shooter]

By fire forming, I mean .223 to .223 AI.

I just returned from a PD shoot this Mon/Tues and fire formed about 300 pcs of brass from 223 to 223AI and killed a LOT of dogs doing it.

Fire forming is a non-issue.

 

[DogBuster]

By fire forming, I mean .223 to .223 AI.

I just returned from a PD shoot this Mon/Tues and fire formed about 300 pcs of brass from 223 to 223AI and killed a LOT of dogs doing it.

Fire forming is a non-issue.

+1...........the AI just gets there faster...........

 

[AckleymanII]

If the dogs ain't a fly'en

I'm a dy'en!!!

 

[Tommie]

A .243 wouldn't be my first, second or maybe even third PD gun. But it would be a fine candidate as a fourth rifle for the longer shots. Needs to be a heavy gun if you want to see hits/misses though. There are better choices in the 6mm game but none with readily available factory ammo. Keep the round count low or throat erosion may raise its ugly head.

 

[centershot]

In your opinions, can a factory .223 be re chambered to an AI or does the process need to start with a new barrel.

 

[CatShooter]

In your opinions, can a factory .223 be re chambered to an AI or does the process need to start with a new barrel.

It requires a set back of the barrel.

It is easy.

 

[Ackman]

By fire forming, I mean .223 to .223 AI.

Your fireforming load isn't "fireforming," it's shooting. The load will be faster than a std. .223 and just as accurate. Shooting formed cases will be more faster.

We shot groundsquirrels yesterday. My shooting partner used a 17 Ackley Bee, which blows out quite a bit. Great cartridge. He killed the snot out of those things and formed each case perfectly at the same time. It's not "fireforming."

 

[snert]

semantics...it is improving the case...but why take words like this so serious? It is just a varmint rifle and the guy just wants some basic info.

 

[LoganDon]

Sure wish I had read these responses about 40 years ago when I started shooting these little fellows. How was I to know the 243 I purchased was the wrong gun and would not work. Went through 5 barrels and I must still be doing wrong when shooting the 243!

 

[Ironworker]

I'm going PD shooting for first time in a few days.300 rnds of 22 Magnum 700 rounds of 223 500 of 22-250 and 200 of 6/284. Upon reading this thread I'll keep the round count low for 6mm.

 

[Tommie]

I'm going PD shooting for first time in a few days.300 rnds of 22 Magnum 700 rounds of 223 500 of 22-250 and 200 of 6/284. Upon reading this thread I'll keep the round count low for 6mm.

Let that 22-250 cool off as well. They can be tough on the bore too.

 

[CatShooter]

I'm going PD shooting for first time in a few days.300 rnds of 22 Magnum 700 rounds of 223 500 of 22-250 and 200 of 6/284. Upon reading this thread I'll keep the round count low for 6mm.

Let that 22-250 cool off as well. They can be tough on the bore too.

I ate up three 22-250 barrels on South Dakota dog towns. Then I went smaller.

 

[markT]

Just replaced my 22-250 barrel.. So, what is average round count / life for the 22-250 and 243 barrels?