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Prairie Dog Caliber for 1,000 yards and beyond

The dilemma is using one of the better rounds for long range (like 300PRC?) over recoil/barrel heating and possibly being able to spot your own rounds. I think one of those big guns with a 1" or better tube and a very effective brake would be wonderful. I haven't gone that far yet as I (so far) have kept my goals to hitting as far as I can with what I have and the guys I shoot with (myself included) don't want to stop shooting to spot for others. We will spot for each other if going for a personal record but in general - spotting requests are kept to a minimum. I use mostly a 6BR with 105 Scenars and am able to spot my own hits as I use a braked rig. If you want to go out well past 1,000 - I'd go with a bigger cartridge.
 
bobcat1506 said:
The last few trips I had a 223 running 55 SBK which was good out to 500 and a 6br running 80 gr Nosler BT's. I didn't have much luck past about 850 yards and am really trying to decide on what caliber/bullet combo is going to give me better results in the brutal prairie winds. Been looking at the 6.5x47 Lapua, but wondering if that's going to be enough gun to get out past 1300 yards in the wind on such little targets. I really would like to stay away from overbore cartridges if possible and would like something I can stretch out to maybe 1500 one of these days.

This year I'm taking a 20 Practical and trying to decide on the other 2 guns. Perhaps the 6br and ????
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I personally shoot the 6.5x47 and love it. I have shot a lot at 1000 but not beyond. We have one of those electronic target that will give you your velocity where ever it is set up. and I am at 1596 fps average on a 5 shot string at 1000 yrds. That is shooting a 140 elite hunter Berger on 40 grns of RL17 and a CCI 450 primer. My muzzle velocity is 2850. This load is touching the lands and is holding a 5" group at 1000.
So with that being said I assume beyond 1000 id doable. And Just for your info, I am at 8.1 mils of correction at 1000 and have a lot of scope left.
 
this......6.5x55....Pac Nor 28" tube

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my builder has been playing with the 338 snipetech with great results out past 2000. but i'm mot sure you can make that fun in a p-dog town.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. So after a lot of careful consideration I've come to the following conclusion: with little range time lately the idea of shooting past 1,000 yards in the wind is probably more of a dream than a reality. I appreciate the insight on needing a spotter with the larger calibers, having not been PDogging in a few years that detail slipped my mind. So I've decided to develop a 6BR load which i hope to shoot out to 1,000 with the Berger 105 Hybrid or the 95 GR SMK. The 20 cal's will be the "workhorses". When I have the time to practice and really put a lot of time into load dev I will most likely use the 6.5x47.
 
bobcat1506 said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. So after a lot of careful consideration I've come to the following conclusion: with little range time lately the idea of shooting past 1,000 yards in the wind is probably more of a dream than a reality. I appreciate the insight on needing a spotter with the larger calibers, having not been PDogging in a few years that detail slipped my mind. So I've decided to develop a 6BR load which i hope to shoot out to 1,000 with the Berger 105 Hybrid or the 95 GR SMK. The 20 cal's will be the "workhorses". When I have the time to practice and really put a lot of time into load dev I will most likely use the 6.5x47.
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Sensible approach.
 
Prairie dog country and wind go hand in hand. It's very satisfying connecting on a prairie dog in wind at 1000 yards let alone beyond. I think the key is BC. High BC and high velocity are your friend. Get both and your half way there. Then there's reading wind rather than just walking the bullet to the dog. That will take alot of time behind the rifle in conditions that mimic prairie dog country. Put together both, and you'll do great. As far as burning up a barrel doing that kind of shooting. I can't think of a better way to spend 500.00. It's a small price to pay for such experience and sheer fun. Good luck with your quest for that ideal PD cartridge.
 
bobcat1506 said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. So after a lot of careful consideration I've come to the following conclusion: with little range time lately the idea of shooting past 1,000 yards in the wind is probably more of a dream than a reality. I appreciate the insight on needing a spotter with the larger calibers, having not been PDogging in a few years that detail slipped my mind. So I've decided to develop a 6BR load which i hope to shoot out to 1,000 with the Berger 105 Hybrid or the 95 GR SMK. The 20 cal's will be the "workhorses". When I have the time to practice and really put a lot of time into load dev I will most likely use the 6.5x47.
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Bingo!
 
Albany Mountain said:
You piss hard enough and long enough, you’re bound to hit the toilet.
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When someone says they got a confirmed kill at 1,000 yds or farther I say, sure, and how many did you miss or cripple before you finally killed one?

Look, I love to shoot pdogs, but even they deserve a quick and painless death. If you aren't cleanly killing them most of the time, and certainly by the followup shot, you're shooting beyond your capability. If you're shooting at them with only a small chance of even hitting them, much less cleanly killing them, you're being the kind of heartless pig that gets the peta morons motivated to make pd shooting illegal.

We of course have "longest kill" contests when shooting pdogs, but if you don't get a clean kill on the first shot it does not count. Anyone can hit a golf ball at 1,500 yards if they shoot at it enough times.
 
bobcat1506 said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. So after a lot of careful consideration I've come to the following conclusion: with little range time lately the idea of shooting past 1,000 yards in the wind is probably more of a dream than a reality. I appreciate the insight on needing a spotter with the larger calibers, having not been PDogging in a few years that detail slipped my mind. So I've decided to develop a 6BR load which i hope to shoot out to 1,000 with the Berger 105 Hybrid or the 95 GR SMK. The 20 cal's will be the "workhorses". When I have the time to practice and really put a lot of time into load dev I will most likely use the 6.5x47.
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We’re done here, folks.
 
6 Creedmoor shooting 115 vld’s @ 3100 fps will be my caliber of choice this summer for the ones that are way out there. Lot more
Energy than the 105s past 1200 yards and mild recoil. 7 saum for backup !
 
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