308 For P Dogs?

[Evan]

If all you have is the 308, then take it. Also remember, just cause you can load it up hot doesn't mean you need to or should do so! It's amazing how much recoil and barrel heat is reduced when you turn down the loads - which will be more important on a full PD day than any ballistic advantage you'd get from another 400fps. 110 VMax are a good choice but Hornady also makes a 110gn plain spire point that is a bit cheaper. You can also often find bulk round nose FMJ, typically intended for 30 Carbines, for cheap.

I would probably go pick up a 22LR of some type. Once you get a load figured and a pile of ammo prepped for your 308, you'll probably spend close to what a basic 22LR rifle and a brick of ammo would cost.

EDIT: I haven't been into a gunstore for a while, but a quick look online at Sportsman's Warehouse makes me think perhaps picking up a 22 and a brick of ammo may be kind of difficult right now!

 

[ken158]

Went to Wyoming several times on deer and antelope hunts and when everyone in the camp had tagged out, the outfitter would take us to a prairie dog town to burn up all of our extra ammo... We had a lot of fun making bets on shots and I found out that my 7 STW could kill a prairie dog at an extreme range... Absolutely impractical as any centerfire over 22 caliber but interesting.

 

[dk17hmr]

I shoot pdogs often during the summer because they are close to my house. Often I take whatever I'm planning on big game hunting with that year. Sometimes it's a 6mm sometimes it's a 338 sometimes its a 54 caliber muzzleloader. There is no better offhand shooting practice than sneaking around a pdog town with your hunting rifle.

I shoot alot of game animals every fall and several are usually offhand shots so practicing in the summer on small little explody things is handy.

 

[VaniB]

My advice to anyone spending a lot of time, money, & effort in this kind of a trip is to take the centerfire rifle you intend to shoot to your local range and fire it on a water balloon at the yardage you intend to be using on your trip to see it burst. I think much of the fun in PD shooting is being able to see the actual impact.

My varmint rifles are built heavy with lead weight in the stock and two have a muzzle brake. I can see the impact of my 123gr 6.5CM at 200 yards and further, and the impact of my smaller 22x47L cartridge can be witnessed in as short as 100 yards. My 11lb 20Tac doesn't need a MB to see the impact. With a standard large centerfire hunting rifle, you're just not going to see much by the time your rifle finishes recoiling and you get a sight picture again. Relying on a friend to tell you if you connected isn't nearly as much fun for the both of you as seeing it yourself.

 

[Randfal]

Heck yeah, shot it! While not as BC glamorous, Speer makes a 130gr HP that has a big opening and big open cavity that makes for good impact splats.

 

[Damon555]

Welp, call me strange (or foolish?) but I just bought a Browning X-Bolt Varmint in .308....I've got so much 308 stuff that I'm going to load it for prairie dogs come hell or high water! I have great faith in the Lapua brass and A-max bullets of an unknown weight just yet.....My mourning over the loss of my beloved 6mm 105 A-max has lead me to the .30 caliber version (that and I had lots of them)......hence the .30 caliber "varmint" rifle, right?....ha.....I say go for it.....use what ya got! My reloading supplies are many so I'll have plenty of components to test....terrible problem to have huh?

 

[hunter67]

I shoot 130gr Speer hollow point (cheap) and wow what a mess it makes. Shoots to the same poi as my 130 ttsx and I'm shooting suppressed. Its not my first choice my 20 Vartag is but who cares the question was what 30 bullet.

 

[ba_50]

Take your 308 and give it a try. A terrible choice, but you'll never find out until you actually try it.

After about 6 shots with a 30/06 in the summer, the barrel would red hot. Ok for a little big game practice, but too much recoil meaning no fun.

A 6 creedmore is my shooter now.

 

[Ackman]

After about 6 shots with a 30/06 in the summer, the barrel would red hot. Ok for a little big game practice, but too much recoil meaning no fun.

A 6 creedmore is my shooter now.

The whole point of shooting pd's is watching the show. No fun in shooting those things if there's too much recoil/muzzle jump to see anything.

 

[lb-ft]

A heavy 308 shooting 125 TNTs over H322 or 748 is about as fun as it gets on prairie dogs. Exceptional theatrics, plenty of energy transfer, very good precision, minimal ricochet risk. Recoil really isn’t that bad, with moderate scope power you can still enjoy the show, misses produce huge splashes in the dirt and bullet trace is readily apparent.

Do it. Yes, a completely different experience than a 223 or whatever.

So take one of those, too.

 

[Ackman]

A heavy 308 shooting 125 TNTs over H322 or 748 is about as fun as it gets on prairie dogs. Exceptional theatrics, plenty of energy transfer, very good precision, minimal ricochet risk. Recoil really isn’t that bad, with moderate scope power you can still enjoy the show, misses produce huge splashes in the dirt and bullet trace is readily apparent.

Do it. Yes, a completely different experience than a 223 or whatever.

So take one of those, too.

Well sure, a heavy 308. Do you think that's what the OP has? I knew a guy who built a real heavy barrelled .270 for pd's. In the days before brakes. Unfortunately that trip got rained / mudded out and he never used it. But I agree, the OP should take his 308 and find out what works well and what doesn't.

** I have video of pd's being launched out of the camera's picture, 10' or so in the air, with 69gr Bergers from a 243AI. And the shooter saw it all at 20X. Can't ask for much more than that.

 

[A_Gamehog]

To the OP, I like the way you think, overkill is my middle name. Just remember that you can burn out a brand new barrel on a good day in a Prairie dog town. It’s torture to me to use large cal. Rifles in a good area. Everyone else is shooting and you’re stroking your $3@k. Bullets, primers, ammo is unobtainium today and it’s going to be worse. 125 nosler balistic tips or Speer makes a 130 grain hollow point, both make a red mist. I like to aim low and blow multiple of them off the mound with shrapnel. Kind of like bowling and making a 7-10 split

 

[CJ6]

The nice thing about shooting PD's is you can Run what ya Brung.

 

[CJ6]

You will have to throw the barrel in the trash can when you get home.

I beg to differ on this. It all depends on how you use the rifle (take care of it). It's no different than punching paper at the range.

 

[jasophil1]

Sierra 110 gr hp #2110 bit and pieces could take a few loaded fore long range #2140 165 hp bt. have fun.

 

[Alguapo]

My cuz and I would spend fathers day weekend in Wyoming shooting pdogs many years ago. He would use his (deer rifle) Remington BDL .270 with Speer 90 Grn. HP's. Oh my they hit hard.