King of the Prairie Dog Cartridges!!!

[2dogs]

That is alot of information for 2 cents. ;D

 

[Rick in Oregon]

That is alot of information for 2 cents. ;D

And worth exactly what you paid for it!

Seriously though, you can't tell I'm enamored with the 20VT, can you?

 

[2dogs]

Actually, it has me very curious. I tried to order a Remington 700 in 204 Ruger this morning but none of my distributors show one available. Probably due to the Recall....

 

[roadkill61]

2 dogs---you might want to consider a CZ527 in 204R. They are very accuarate and fairly affordable. I am about to rebarrel one into 20SCC (20 VT AI )

 

[tuck2]

Rick In Oregon : What bullets are you using in your 20 VT ? What bullet velocity near the muzzle ? How about telling about the reloads your rifle likes.. Thanks Them Coopers are fine rifles ...

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick In Oregon : What bullets are you using in your 20 VT ? What bullet velocity near the muzzle ? How about telling about the reloads your rifle likes.. Thanks Them Coopers are fine rifles ...

Here you go, right off the box label on my bench in the field (OAL is a comparator measurement to ogive):



This not a screaming load, but very, very accurate. No need to hotrod this caliber, it does just fine with mid-range loads all the way out to 500 yds.

Only problem with Cooper rifles is that when left alone in the safe, they seem to breed by themselves!

 

[spclark]

Only problem with Cooper rifles is that when left alone in the safe, they seem to breed by themselves!

I'd wager I'm not the only one who'd gladly help you out with a fix if you really consider that phenomenon to be a problem!

 

[thekriebles]

Rick in Oregon has a ton of first-hand experience. He's a great member, and many of us sure appreciate his feedback on another forum. Rick wrote a great article on the 20VT that was published this year in Varmint Hunter magazine. If you're contemplating this cartridge or which 20 caliber cartridge to choose for varmint hunting, then this article should be worth your time.

Thanks for your contributions Rick!


Don

 

[drop_point]

When my suppressor gets hot, it turns my 2000 dollar glass into a Walmart special from the heat waves coming off the thing!

That's why you call up TAB gear and get a suppressor cover! Works well for me.

 

[mikegaiz]

I have been shooting Prairie Dogs for 30 years and I guess where I shoot is different. I take one 223 for plinking, one 22/250 or Swift 4 to 500 yds, and the rest are 6 mm and 6.5mm. and up to 30x378 for the 1200 - 1800 yds. shots. There is so much wind you can't hit past 400 yds. with small stuff. If I could only take one It would be a 260 shooting 107 to 120 gr. It is not how many for me but good hits at distance. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

 

[waterfwlr]

I have been shooting Prairie Dogs for 30 years and I guess where I shoot is different. I take one 223 for plinking, one 22/250 or Swift 4 to 500 yds, and the rest are 6 mm and 6.5mm. and up to 30x378 for the 1200 - 1800 yds. shots. There is so much wind you can't hit past 400 yds. with small stuff. If I could only take one It would be a 260 shooting 107 to 120 gr. It is not how many for me but good hits at distance. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

I haven't been shooting them quite as long as you, but I agree.

 

[tuck2]

30- 378 is a long range elk cartridge . The bullet must not open up on a prairie dog at the range you are shooting them. I doubt that my old body would hold up shooting a 30-378 very often so I ll keep shooting my little 17 caliber rifles. Some years ago I shot a few prairie dogs with a 308 Norma Mag to see how it was shooting before going elk hunting. Never used my 340 W M elk rifle for p dog shooting, to much recoil .

 

[jerrschmitt]

Back when I started shooting, there were tons of Gun Smiths that built varmint rifles on surplus Mauser actions but few commercial made varmint rifles. Around 1957 I bought my first true purpose Varmint gun and it was a dream come true. A 98 Mauser with a Douglas heavy barrel in .22-250 and topped with a Weaver K6 scope. There wasn't a ground squirrel that was safe from Bakersfield to San Diego when I was afield. A few years later the .243 came my way and I was really hooked. I added a .22 K Hornet, a .222 a 219 Donaldson and a few other over the years but kept coming back to the .243 and 222. Around 1967 - 1968 I was in New Mexico and began shooting Prairie Dogs. I bought my first 700 Remington Varmint rifle in .222 and equipped it with a Redfield 3X9 scope. I thought I had the perfect Prairie Dog rifle.

When I moved to Wisconsin I got rid of my Prairie dog rifles and spent most of my shooting time with Deer rifles and pistols but an old friend suggested we meet in North Dakota for some Prairie Dog shooting. I picked up a pair of 700 Remington Varmint rifles, one in .234 and one in .223 along with a pair of Leupold 6.5X20 scopes. He showed up with a 6mm PPC and a 6X47 in Benchrest configuration with Nightforce scopes. I was hooked all over again. On my return to Wisconsin, I found this site and began reading about the small 6 MM rifles. I had my local Smith build an 8 twist 6 BR Norma and while I was waiting I found a 12 twist 6 BR Remington. My first trip to the Dog town with these rifles convinced me that the 6 BR is the true KING of the Dog rifles.

The Dog numbers are way down from what they were years ago and longer shots are becoming the norm. The Town we shoot has opportunities for 1000 yard plus shots so we bring a WW2 issue Optical Range Finder and comfortable benches. 700 yard shots are routine and 950 is my longest. I'm still hoping for that magical 1000 yard hit. BC and accuracy trump velocity every time.

 

[Grimstod]

Does anyone have any video of the 20VT whacking Pdogs?

 

[waterfwlr]

Does anyone have any video of the 20VT whacking Pdogs?

I recall watching some on youtube recently with the .20 Vartag

 

[Grimstod]

Found a good one when I searched for Vartag. 20VT wasn't showing much. Looks like a stiff wind can make it tuff with the lighter bullets. Still it really hits them hard. They spin just the way mine do when I send them a 150gr 30cal bullets.