Prairie Dog Hunters
- Thread starter Terry
- Start date
All too often, questions like this turn into keyboard pissing matches. Hopefully not this time...
As a PD shooter I've had first timers ask me "What caliber should I use?" a few times. For non-reloaders who will only be bringing one gun I always recommend the 204 Ruger. It's a great one size fits most prairie dog round.
As a PD shooter I've had first timers ask me "What caliber should I use?" a few times. For non-reloaders who will only be bringing one gun I always recommend the 204 Ruger. It's a great one size fits most prairie dog round.
I vote for the 204R. I've been shooting prairie dogs for almost 60 years. At least 200,000 rounds fired maybe closer to 300,000. I've used about every 17, 20, 22, 24 and 25 you can imagine, and I still own a variety of those. If I could only have 2 prairie dog rifles, it would be my 204R and a backup 204R.
The 204 is a barrel burner. I have a friend that burned out a barrel in one prairie dog shoot. He shot about 700 rounds in three days and never let the barrel cool! I've been shooting prairie dogs for almost 40 years and the one caliber that seems to get the job done without a lot of heat and low recoil is the 221 Fireball. Although the 222 is right on it's heels. The only problem is windy and muddy days where I just can't see the impact at the long yardages. Also 12 twist barrels are best for todays long plastic tip bullets. Even with 50 grain plastic tipped bullets the 12 twist seems to consistently turn out better groups. For the windy, muddy days I take along a 6BR. It a much heavier rifle but I can see my impact and extend my range to 700 or 800 yards. The 6BR stays cool too, I've got well over 2000 rounds down one of my 6BR barrels and it still shoots minute of prairie dog at 600 yards!
Terry said:
Had plans to shoot a 17 Remington but it washed out. Bought a brand new 700 Classic when it was chambered for 17 Rem (1999 model I think). The idea was to own one centerfire I could shoot factory loads in while blasting poodles. Turned out he gun wouldn't shoot minute of barn door so I sold it.
One 17 caliber I will always take to the dog towns is a 17 HMR. Deadly at 200 yards and can stretch further sometimes. My longest 17 HMR kill was a laser measured 283 yards.
204 is good but 20vt will let you shoot more with less barrel heat. You need more than one gun so why not both, or 2 of each.
rickiesrevenge
Silver $$ Contributor
I've used a few 17's for PD's. Mostly 17 Ackley Hornets. Shot a lot of dogs with them. You can shoot a lot with 12gr of powder before the barrel even gets warm.
Aaron
Aaron
TheOtherZilla
Pull my finger
I killed over a thousand this year.. Main firearms were a 22 Hornet, 17 HMR, , 222 Rem and a 204. I also use a 22 mag when I can find ammo. My 204 rarely came out of the case. For the most part the 22 Hornet and 17 HMR got the nod because they handle so well.. The 204 is hard to beat at longer ranges once you find the right bullet and load. The majority of my shots were under 300 yds and many under 200/100..
The 20 VarTarg beats the 204R in two of those three criteria - recoil and low heat. And comes close in flat shooting, but the 204R beats it overall. 3,800 vs 4,100 fps could be considered a draw I suppose.
Criteria not mentioned that I consider a factor is economy. VT wins that battle by using less power (brass, bullets, primers are about equal) and in barrel life.
Convenience is another factor and the 204R wins that one. You run out of ammo and you can drive into town and get more. Not so with the wildcat 20VT.
Criteria not mentioned that I consider a factor is economy. VT wins that battle by using less power (brass, bullets, primers are about equal) and in barrel life.
Convenience is another factor and the 204R wins that one. You run out of ammo and you can drive into town and get more. Not so with the wildcat 20VT.
redrockranger
Silver $$ Contributor
20 Practical. Mine chronos 3800 with 40 NBT's. Needs trimmed every 2-3 firings.. L.C. brass works well for high volume dog shooting. Redding 223 type s bushing dies with the 204 inerds will due the job. 204 Ruger dies might do the job.
redrockranger said:
I won't go as far as saying the 20 Practical is better than a 204R, but it is certainly it's equal and you can better, cheaper brass. No need for anything other than a 223 bushing die with the appropriate bushing. I like the 20 Vartarg as well, but my experience has been that it is maybe not the best for shots over 300 yards.
YMMV,
Rick
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
I like to see the p. dog blow 10 yards minimum, so none of these do it for me.
Put muzzle beaks on your barrels, puts you into another league in recoil, and seeing my hits is a must.
Shooting past 250 in a 10 mph wind takes some doing.
I lost interest in all calibers were the dogs just fall over, life is just too short to watch that.
Put muzzle beaks on your barrels, puts you into another league in recoil, and seeing my hits is a must.
Shooting past 250 in a 10 mph wind takes some doing.
I lost interest in all calibers were the dogs just fall over, life is just too short to watch that.
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