Heavy for caliber bullet selection for PD's

[gzig5]

I've got a PD hunt coming up in a couple months and have to get a couple rifles set up. I'll be taking slow twist .222 and 222 Mag and I'm solid with bullet selection on them. Lots of 50-55gr available. Might take an 8"twist .223 AR. Definitely taking my new 8" twist 22BR and my old 240 NMC (think 6XC) match rifle which is also 8" twist. I have shot ground squirrels for years in Northern CA but this will be PDs in Western Nebraska. Had to use light solid copper bullets in CA but now I'm thinking I will set the .223 and 22 BR up with 69-75 grain bullets and the 240 NMC I have the option of 87 or 105gr for the longer shots to better fight the wind. My real questions revolve around the expanding ability of the bullets I have available.

Specifically, I have a bunch of Lapua .224 69gr Match OTM, Hornady 75gr BTHP, and 75 A-Max.
In 6mm I've got a lot of 87gr BTHP, 87 V-max, 105 A-max, and 108 Berger Target.

Any major concern with any of these non-varmint style target bullets having good terminal effect when being started in the 3000fps range?

While I like trying new things, I don't have time to try all the new heavy varmint bullets and get a load worked up in time. I've got data for most of the bullets I have, just no experience how they do out at the impact end. Interested in opinions on the 87 vs 105 6mm class for this application. Heavier bullet better in the wind. I have range finder and BDC scopes.

 

[chuckshooter]

I'm not a big fan of heavier bullets for shooting prairie dogs. I take mostly .20 cal. rifles and maybe just one of these. 223 or 22-250 or 22br. I used to take 6mm rifles, but they just don't seem to find their way out of the truck much, so why take them. If the town is good and shooting is fast, bigger guns mean, more powder, more recoil, more heat, more wear and tear on your body.

 

[wattsdk]

Harder to see hits with most 6mm calibers. Have to go heavier rifles. As far as 22 cal. I shoot LOTS of 50 gr Vmax's, also have new barrels in 22BR, 22-250 AI, 223AI, with 1-7.5 and or 1.7 twist barrels working with the new Hornady 62 gr VT bullets. As far as 6mm hard to beat the 87 gr vmax's or 70 and or 75 Nosler's. Easier to get the 87's though. I also have new barrels in 6x45 and 6GT in 1-7.5 twist to try the new 80 Gr VT. Yes I have two Ruckus actions with 4 bolts. Takes 10" to swap out barrels.

 

[pdog06]

For the 240 I would try the 87gr Vmax and then sell me the 105 amax.
The 87’s do surprisingly well in the wind. Much better than the 75’s and still as explosive in my experiences. The 105amax is close but not quite as explosive at longer ranges but works very well in the wind. I use both and haven’t had a 105 ricochet yet.
The one guarantee for prarie dog shooting is you will have to deal with wind. So for the larger caliber for longer ranges I prefer the heavier bullet.

 

[gzig5]

Good feedback. One of the reasons I'm interested in the heavier bullets for the 22BR is that they shot quite a bit more accurately than the light ones. I am concerned about ricochets as well. So I'll go with the 87 Vmax in the 6mm and try the 70gr Ballistic Tips I have on hand. That rifle is burning enough powder that seeing hits is going to be tough no matter which bullet I'm using. For the 22 BR I'll make a gametime decision depending on how the loads shoot. I built it as a dual purpose F-class and varmint gun. I've only been able to shoot the solid copper bullets in the lighter weights and they didn't perform nearly as well as the heavies did in initial load workup. Maybe it will like the 50gr class lead core bullets better.

 

[boltfluter]

Good feedback. One of the reasons I'm interested in the heavier bullets for the 22BR is that they shot quite a bit more accurately than the light ones. I am concerned about ricochets as well. So I'll go with the 87 Vmax in the 6mm and try the 70gr Ballistic Tips I have on hand. That rifle is burning enough powder that seeing hits is going to be tough no matter which bullet I'm using. For the 22 BR I'll make a gametime decision depending on how the loads shoot. I built it as a dual purpose F-class and varmint gun. I've only been able to shoot the solid copper bullets in the lighter weights and they didn't perform nearly as well as the heavies did in initial load workup. Maybe it will like the 50gr class lead core bullets better.

The 75 A-max is a great bullet in the .22BR. From prairie dogs to coyotes, it is a bullet that never fails to expand at any distance you can place the shot.
Paul

 

[Mark W]

I’m not that much into the whole heavy for caliber thing, especially for varmint shooting. My rule of thumb is 50 grain bullets for 22 calibers in the 222-223 range, 75 grain for more potent 22s, 55-70 grain for 6 BR and it’s derivatives, and nothing over 87 for .243ish 6MMs.

I’ve used this to shoot prairie dogs out to 655 yards, with lots in the 300-400 range.

I simply place more value on maximizing MPBR and maintaining bullet performance, rather than lobbing high BC bullets and giving up bullet terminal performance in exchange for some BC.

 

[powderbrake]

For Prairie Dogs, I tried to make the 87 gr Vmax work in my 6BR but could never get the accuracy I wanted. I went to the Berger 88gr Varmint, and haven't looked back. They explode the PD's at close range, and put them down out at 700 yards.
When the wind is blowing (that seems to be always), the big bullets do the job.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I usually end up loading 53 gr vmax for 223/556 AR's and bolt guns 12tw and faster when I go prairie dogging. Keep it simple.

 

[searcher]

If you don't have a brake on your 6mm's, you will probably have difficulty seeing hits. Truth is, when the shooting is hot and heavy - no one really enjoys spotting for you as much as shooting. I have a 6BR that I wanted to do some double duty on ground squirrels and, even though it is a heavy sucker, not being able to clearly see hits (and maybe just as important - misses), I did two things. I had one target barrel with a small enough barrel diameter to order a Whitt clamp-on muzzle brake, which is machined to fit the barrel. My rifle didn't shoot 87 V-Maxes at all, so I settled on 75 V-Max, which is incredibly accurate for my rifle. If those 87 V-Maxes work in your rifle - that would be great. The brake and lighter bullets really make a difference. Those 80 Berger Varmint bullets might be a good choice to try as well. I'd personally want brakes on everything.

You mentioned you had been using "solid copper" bullets in California. I'm not sure if you meant to say "solid" or were just referring to copper bullets in general. Big difference! The best copper bullets for a hunt as you are going on (.224), are the 50 grain Varmint Grenades and the 50 grain Lead Free Ballistic Tips, both of which are very accurate (when mated with right powder - mine like TAC) and can be a great load for when you return from your trip. Those will absolutely destroy and good out to several hundred yards and, while they don't have the great BC, you don't need it out to a 250 +/- yards. They are not solid copper, but rather, have sintered metal cores. For best wind drift (.224), try the 62 ELDVT. Great wind-bucking and devastating performance. Maybe try the larger version in your 6mm.

I'd be sure to load up on your smaller cartridges - and rather than load up 69+ grain .223's as your lightest bullets, I'd probably go with more in the 50-55 grain range as my light bullets, especially if you don't have brakes.

 

[gzig5]

By copper bullets, I meant lead-free. Had a couple different ones and none of them shot as well as lead core bullets in my rifles. The available bullet selection was not optimal during the Covid timeframe so I just dealt with it. Ground squirrels didn't seem to mind.

I've been meaning to thread my varmint rifle barrels for tuners of breaks, but I just haven't gotten to it yet. I've got a 30 cal suppressor I want to try too, but that thing will get HOT quickly. Be fine for a slow rate of fire though.

 

[Lefty2506]

I'm with most of the others. I've got loads from 40gr to 65gr that shoot well from my 223 rifles, but for prairie dog, I stick with the 53gr vmax, and wouldn't feel cheated if I had to go with a 50gr vmax. I have the last 200 rounds of 75gr Amax that I loaded for my first trip in 2021. That ammo has made 4 trips out west, but I've yet to shoot any of it. For larger 22cal cartridges, I'd go with the 62gr ELD-VT and call it done.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I've got a PD hunt coming up in a couple months and have to get a couple rifles set up. I'll be taking slow twist .222 and 222 Mag and I'm solid with bullet selection on them. Lots of 50-55gr available. Might take an 8"twist .223 AR. Definitely taking my new 8" twist 22BR and my old 240 NMC (think 6XC) match rifle which is also 8" twist. I have shot ground squirrels for years in Northern CA but this will be PDs in Western Nebraska. Had to use light solid copper bullets in CA but now I'm thinking I will set the .223 and 22 BR up with 69-75 grain bullets and the 240 NMC I have the option of 87 or 105gr for the longer shots to better fight the wind. My real questions revolve around the expanding ability of the bullets I have available.

Specifically, I have a bunch of Lapua .224 69gr Match OTM, Hornady 75gr BTHP, and 75 A-Max.
In 6mm I've got a lot of 87gr BTHP, 87 V-max, 105 A-max, and 108 Berger Target.

Any major concern with any of these non-varmint style target bullets having good terminal effect when being started in the 3000fps range?

While I like trying new things, I don't have time to try all the new heavy varmint bullets and get a load worked up in time. I've got data for most of the bullets I have, just no experience how they do out at the impact end. Interested in opinions on the 87 vs 105 6mm class for this application. Heavier bullet better in the wind. I have range finder and BDC scopes.

75 amax will be awesome on pdogs. The Bc is actually higher than an 87 vmax I'm pretty sure.