David Milisock you asked: "In your opinion at what range does your one shot clean kill drop off?"
To me that depends on a lot of variables. First, what do you consider long range on Prairie Dogs? I shoot with a couple of guys every year that you get razzed terribly if you shoot at one less than 700 yds. To do that and hit something regularly, one must be willing to spend some money on the rifle. Mine are the absoulute best I can build them. My 22-243 Imp is a Panda RBLP, 31" Kreiger 7.7 twist, Jewell trigger, and most important it has a Shehane T-1000 tracker stock. It sets in a full Benchrest front rest. The whole rig weighs a ton, but it will flat shoot! It does really well on 700-800 yds shots on PD's with quite a few first shot kills. It also pulerizes them. Some fly completely out of the scopes field of view. After that it gets tough. I went back and looked at my notes and best distance first shot kill with that rifle has been 948 yds. I've shot a number of dogs over a 1000 yds + with it, but never on the first shot. If I get one in 3-4 shots I'm happy. Sometimes it takes a lot more shots. Kills at those distances for aerial displays are not impressive, but the 75gr ELD-M still does better than anything I've tried. This type of shooting has to be something that the average shooter is not interested in. I am. As one of Ground Squirrel shooting buddies has said many times about me...I'd rather shoot one at a 1000 yds...he'd rather shoot a 1000 at a 100yds...LOL! Just my opinion. 7315br
Ok I get your game, I'm assuming plenty of free space around the dog town and severly changing wind through the day. That's what I experienced my shoots. Population control on a dog town keeps them healthy. Not just my opinion.
I mentioned plenty of free space around the dog town because over the last 20 years we got 3 women hit by varmint shooters in my area. However free space in South Central PA is getting scarce. I only stick to dedicated varmint projectiles so any impact on the smallest thing shuts it down. The terraced farm fields really produce eddy currents big time.
IMO you're getting good performance so my only advice would be, since you're pipe dreaming about new varmint projectiles is practicing reading the wind. By practicing I mean burning lots of barrels and powder. I load my 223 to 63,000 PSI, my 6MM Remington to 65,000 PSI and my 358 Norma Magnum to 64,000 PSI, barrel life is something I consider to be the cost of business.
The 40 grain VMAX in my 223 at 3,900 FPS vaporizes crows into yuck at 300 yards, mushes up chuck heads out to 350 on light gusty days. But out past 350 wind sensitivity has you body shooting. Heavier projectiles don't fair well due to trajectory issues in range estimates and time of flight with wind. Just not enough case capacity.
The 75 grain in my 6mm Remington at 3,900 FPS, has me making 80% one shot hits in much more varied wind than the 233 can handle on crows out to 400 yards, just makes mush of them. Check heads shots out to 400 are about the same with devastating results. Body shots out to 700 have been done but at 5000 plus the ratio drops to 50/50 maybe less.
Rifles are field grade, a Howa 1500 for the 223 and a Remington 700 BDL for the 6MM.
I mention this because of the weight, at 66 years old I feel your pain. The 358 Norma is a McGowan built rifle on an 03 Remington action, a 250 grain at 3,200 FPS, she's about 18 pounds, no taper barrel, I've taken 2 elk, one at a bit over 400 and another at a tad over 600. The 600 yards hit the near shoulder breaking it and exited the far rear side. It's a bear to get into the field produces 900 foot pounds more then a 338 WM with 225's and is 6" flatter at 600 yards. You'd like her!
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