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Hornady varmint bullet comparison

You sir are on a whole other level. Impressive & Interesting read about your experiences and findings. Did you happen to ever capture any footage of your escapades? Would love to see what those 55sx bullets actually do in the real world!
Mike -

Howdy, again !

No…. I never have shot any video of my groundhog hits. Sorry ‘bout that.

I shoot groundhog w/ 17lb+ varmint rifles, from a fixed position. I utilize the rifle’s weight for recoil mitigation, with nothing added to the barrel’s muzzle end. When shooting, I try my best not to put undue pressure on the “ stock “, either via my cheek or from my shooting hand. My shots are pretty close to “ free recoil “…if even only a short distance backwards towards my shoulder….

As a result, I have not seen a whole bunch of 55SX impacts on groundhog. All is not lost, as they are usually found dead… when I re-acquire them in the scope. My point:
I have not seen a whole bunch of “ red mist “. Sometimes, I’ve seen a grey haze or even dust blown off the carcass by the bullet impact forces.

A lot of the carcasses show one entrance hole. Sometimes, the dead animal’s carcass was opened up by the energy dump that took place inside. The 55SX ( for me ) usually
drops the groundhog on-the-spot. And as mentioned before… I don’t get any crawlers
when shooting the 55SX, and I really like that. A center-chest hit is my aim point of preference.

Proven, known bullet/cartridge performance, and consistently making well-placed shots;
go a long ways towards building & maintaining confidence in the field.


With regards,
357Mag
 
Mike -

Howdy, again !

No…. I never have shot any video of my groundhog hits. Sorry ‘bout that.

I shoot groundhog w/ 17lb+ varmint rifles, from a fixed position. I utilize the rifle’s weight for recoil mitigation, with nothing added to the barrel’s muzzle end. When shooting, I try my best not to put undue pressure on the “ stock “, either via my cheek or from my shooting hand. My shots are pretty close to “ free recoil “…if even only a short distance backwards towards my shoulder….

As a result, I have not seen a whole bunch of 55SX impacts on groundhog. All is not lost, as they are usually found dead… when I re-acquire them in the scope. My point:
I have not seen a whole bunch of “ red mist “. Sometimes, I’ve seen a grey haze or even dust blown off the carcass by the bullet impact forces.

A lot of the carcasses show one entrance hole. Sometimes, the dead animal’s carcass was opened up by the energy dump that took place inside. The 55SX ( for me ) usually
drops the groundhog on-the-spot. And as mentioned before… I don’t get any crawlers
when shooting the 55SX, and I really like that. A center-chest hit is my aim point of preference.

Proven, known bullet/cartridge performance, and consistently making well-placed shots;
go a long ways towards building & maintaining confidence in the field.


With regards,
357Mag
You had me curious so I went looking at groundhog videos. Looks like they are 2-3x the size of prairie dogs, so makes sense you would need larger bullets/heavier calibers. I saw one video where a guy was shooting groundhogs with a 204 ruger using 24gr bullets @ 4,440 fps. Barely moved them at all. I think the 87 vmax's would work wonders on those things.
 
You had me curious so I went looking at groundhog videos. Looks like they are 2-3x the size of prairie dogs, so makes sense you would need larger bullets/heavier calibers. I saw one video where a guy was shooting groundhogs with a 204 ruger using 24gr bullets @ 4,440 fps. Barely moved them at all. I think the 87 vmax's would work wonders on those things.
Mike -

Howdy !

Midwest “ Soybeanus Digestus “ are robust, burrowing marmots; with prodigious appetites. Stories abound about groundhog toughness. Groundhogs have been shot clean in-two… w/ the smarter half making it back to the hole ! For many groundhoggers,
It only counts as a “ kill “ when/if you can produce the carcas for proper validation.
I much prefer groundhog to be terminated cleanly, with no drama. This especially means ( for me )… no crawlers. This is where the 55SX really excels !!

There are 5 ways to get into trouble when shooting groundhog, and the first 3 are….
“ don’t use enough energy “.

I use 450ft lb as the minimum threshold for deliverable kinetic energy I want to put on a groundhog @ any distance. Yes, they can be killed using less KE ; but…. I have never found myself short on delivered energy when adhering to my guideline. And of course,
let’s deliver that energy via use of a properly designed & constructed varmint bullet !
In this parts, cash grain “ Super Farmers “ with millions of dollars in equipment and thousands of acres owned…. just want to see the ‘ bean eaters terminates. These farmers won’t be hangin’ around, expecting to see any groundhog ariel antics.


With regards,
357Mag
 
interesting...first I've head about Win 45jhp. Probably because I reload everything and haven't bought factory ammo in forever. Wish they were available to us reloaders to try out...
Thanks for your interest Mike. ln the 90s during my post-retirement career l had a Union job working 4-tens, A 3 day weekend left plenty of time for 2-day mini-shoots on prairie dogs! l'd find an outfitter in the 0ld Varmint Hunters Magazine. Call him up and schedule 2 days of Shooting Heaven. l'd fly out of Augusta on Friday. Shoot Sat&Sun. Home on Monday. TSA airline rules allowed flying with a rifle in checked baggage with a 5kg or 11lb FACTORY ammo limit. That's around 300rds of 223Rem ammo. l chose the Winchester 45gr White Box because of the speed @3600fps and compact 50rd boxes. lf l were to run out, 223Rem would be the easiest to find. l prefer my own handloads too, Mike. But l follow the law. Fortunately l never ran out of 223s. l would try and locate more 223s before meeting my guide/outfitter. After the shoot was over l would leave my excess 223s with the guide. Most guides have stories of clients running out of ammo or their guns being lost by the airline. A guide would usually have a spare varmint gun and 223 ammo to help out
 
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Greetings,

So I'm a prairie dog shooting junkie, look forward to my Wyoming trips every year. Like probably most of you, I enjoy the carnage and watching the gymnastics when they are hit. I tend to stick to 6mms over the scorching fast 22s, solely based on barrel life. I also enjoy strapping two rifles to a cart and walk to fields that are unreachable by car, which I find gives me many more targets than if I were to just set up a bench in the usual spots. I shoot off of a RRS tripod when doing that.
My current favorite combo is the 6 Creedmoor w/ the 58 VMAX. Here are couple 'doubles' using that load:
Hi Mike, I enjoyed those video's, thanks. on my trips, I hardly take anything but a .20 cal. anymore and I prefer the 32 vmax over any of the other vmax's in any caliber. the difference in the amount of powder, recoil, heat and most importantly wear and tear on the shooter adds up. I feel bad for my .22's and 6's, they haven't left the safe in soo long, so I have vowed to take at least one of those neglected rifles on every trip. The problem is, every time I start shooting the bigger calibers, after about 20 to 40 rounds, I say "why am I doing this", and then get out a .20 cal. This last year, I shot 9400 rounds at sage rats and prairie dogs, and of those 9400, only 273 were not .20 caliber. So I guess I'm a 20 caliber junkie.
 
Thanks for your interest Mike. ln the 90s during my post-retirement career l had a Union job working 4-tens, A 3 day weekend left plenty of time for 2-day mini-shoots on prairie dogs! l'd find an outfitter in the 0ld Varmint Hunters Magazine. Call him up and schedule 2 days of Shooting Heaven. l'd fly out of Augusta on Friday. Shoot Sat&Sun. Home on Monday. TSA airline rules allowed flying with a rifle in checked baggage with a 5kg or 11lb FACTORY ammo limit. That's around 300rds of 223Rem ammo. l chose the Winchester 45gr White Box because of the speed @3600fps and compact 50rd boxes. lf l were to run out, 223Rem would be the easiest to find. l prefer my own handloads too, Mike. But l follow the law. Fortunately l never ran out of 223s. l would try and locate more 223s before meeting my guide/outfitter. After the shoot was over l would leave my excess 223s with the guide. Most guides have stories of clients running out of ammo or their guns being lost by the airline. A guide would usually have a spare varmint gun and 223 ammo to help out
You know I do like the simplicity of your approach. Reminds me of the old adage 'work smarter not harder'

I go once a year and its definitely a production. 9 days total, 6 days of driving and 3 days of shooting. Although I do take the wife and we do other things along the way like camping out one night, hiking in Utah, etc. The amount of gear I use for this hobby can be a bit much. Here is a picture of my setup. If I have the time in an open field, I'll roll out the canopy and get some shade while shooting. You can see the cart as well with two rifles in tow. The outfit I use I have been going for over 15 years and they let me just be out on my own. We use radios to stay in touch in case of an emergency since there is no cell signal. I love the solitude and its my 'zen'

setup.jpeg

This is a spot that goes out to about 900 yards. I'll shoot off the tripod for 360 degree coverage, and anything 150 yards and under to at least make it a little challenging. Then off the bench for the longer shots.

bench.jpeg
 
Hi Mike, I enjoyed those video's, thanks. on my trips, I hardly take anything but a .20 cal. anymore and I prefer the 32 vmax over any of the other vmax's in any caliber. the difference in the amount of powder, recoil, heat and most importantly wear and tear on the shooter adds up. I feel bad for my .22's and 6's, they haven't left the safe in soo long, so I have vowed to take at least one of those neglected rifles on every trip. The problem is, every time I start shooting the bigger calibers, after about 20 to 40 rounds, I say "why am I doing this", and then get out a .20 cal. This last year, I shot 9400 rounds at sage rats and prairie dogs, and of those 9400, only 273 were not .20 caliber. So I guess I'm a 20 caliber junkie.

Holy shit...9,400 rounds. Don't come anywhere close to that in a year. Where do you shoot sage rats?
 
Belding Ground squirrels ️ commonly called Sage rats are in No. Komifornia, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and some other states. I've been fortunate in finding fields that ranchers allow us to shoot. It is getting thinner as more ranchers are going hard on poison.
 
Belding Ground squirrels ️ commonly called Sage rats are in No. Komifornia, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and some other states. I've been fortunate in finding fields that ranchers allow us to shoot. It is getting thinner as more ranchers are going hard on poison.
Gotcha thank you...
 
I love the 20 Practical for shots out to about 300 yards, it's brutally efficient and the 40gr VMAX flips them often enough to be fun, even for my 12 yr old son.

I shoot a ton of the 22s. My 223AI was built for the 53gr VMAX, it is an excellent performer. In a gas gun my 22ARC shoots the 62gr ELD-VT, it is simply the best 22 caliber varmint bullet on the market. If I burn my 223AI barrel out it will be rebuilt for the 62.

6mm bullet are just a step above. I've shot a 6X45 with the 75gr VMAX, it simply hits the dogs harder than the 223 or 223AI within 400 yards. Shot the 80gr ELD-VT from the 6ARC, hit dogs out to 600 yards, performed very well. My 243AI with 105gr AMAX (big back-stock of them) simply hits with a whole other level of energy and authority, hits out to 800+ yards get good air. Closer range shots are devastating.

I've actually not been so impressed with 100gr VMAX out of 300WM at 3700+ FPS. I've blamed the slower twist rate.
 
I love the 20 Practical for shots out to about 300 yards, it's brutally efficient and the 40gr VMAX flips them often enough to be fun, even for my 12 yr old son.

I shoot a ton of the 22s. My 223AI was built for the 53gr VMAX, it is an excellent performer. In a gas gun my 22ARC shoots the 62gr ELD-VT, it is simply the best 22 caliber varmint bullet on the market. If I burn my 223AI barrel out it will be rebuilt for the 62.

6mm bullet are just a step above. I've shot a 6X45 with the 75gr VMAX, it simply hits the dogs harder than the 223 or 223AI within 400 yards. Shot the 80gr ELD-VT from the 6ARC, hit dogs out to 600 yards, performed very well. My 243AI with 105gr AMAX (big back-stock of them) simply hits with a whole other level of energy and authority, hits out to 800+ yards get good air. Closer range shots are devastating.

I've actually not been so impressed with 100gr VMAX out of 300WM at 3700+ FPS. I've blamed the slower twist rate.

Good stuff my man. That 243AI must have been smoking fast. Can only imagine what it would have slung the 58 vmax's at...
 
Mike -

Howdy !

Midwest “ Soybeanus Digestus “ are robust, burrowing marmots; with prodigious appetites. Stories abound about groundhog toughness. Groundhogs have been shot clean in-two… w/ the smarter half making it back to the hole ! For many groundhoggers,
It only counts as a “ kill “ when/if you can produce the carcas for proper validation.
I much prefer groundhog to be terminated cleanly, with no drama. This especially means ( for me )… no crawlers. This is where the 55SX really excels !!

There are 5 ways to get into trouble when shooting groundhog, and the first 3 are….
“ don’t use enough energy “.

I use 450ft lb as the minimum threshold for deliverable kinetic energy I want to put on a groundhog @ any distance. Yes, they can be killed using less KE ; but…. I have never found myself short on delivered energy when adhering to my guideline. And of course,
let’s deliver that energy via use of a properly designed & constructed varmint bullet !
In this parts, cash grain “ Super Farmers “ with millions of dollars in equipment and thousands of acres owned…. just want to see the ‘ bean eaters terminates. These farmers won’t be hangin’ around, expecting to see any groundhog ariel antics.


With regards,
357Mag
I shoot over 200 gh's a year this year over that and going strong,204 32 V-max ,and 40 grain V-max will smoke them out to 412 yards my farthest shot, the 17 hornet will do the same out to 250,and a little more.All the rounds mentioned produce a dust cyclone when hit,shooting suppressed I hear the bullet impact before the bullets muffled crack.Not one crawl off,that wasn't recovered within ten feet of being shot.
 
That aint nothin

Watch what the 204 does
204 vs Squirrels
Apples and oranges my friend. I’ve shot enough prairie dogs with the 204 to know that it doesn’t have the kinetic energy to launch bigger prairie dogs like that. That being said that was cool to watch. I would love to have access to shoot ground squirrels like that.
 

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