prairie dog rifle, what would you go with?
- Thread starter Buzzsaw
- Start date
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
Honestly, I'm not sure I really see much future in, both, the Valkyrie or 22 nosler. Factory ammo is quite a bit more expensive than it is for a 223 and brass quality is just kinda marginal at best.
Granted, they both shoot a little faster than a 223 but with the 223 being so popular, not to mention abundant, I just don't see either the Valkyrie or 22 Nosler gaining much of the market share. With the 22 cal world having sooooo many choices, even in factory chamberings, and there only being one available in the .20 cal world, I sometimes wonder if a 20 Valkyrie and 20 Nosler would have been a more popular choice.
For me, my 223AI pretty much will do everything the Valkyrie will do so I'll just stick with that, but the Valkyrie definitely has a much cooler name than any of my current 22 cal rifles so at least it's got that going for it. Just wait till I get my 224 Terminator build done, then I'll have a 22 cal with a cool name.
One gun on a prairie dog shoot is no fun. The meat and potatoes prairie dog gun for me is a 223 40xbbr in a custom stock. I shoot fiochi 50 grain v max ammo that comes in boxes of 50 for about 22 dollars a box. I get five shot groups under 1/2” with this ammo. Pretty nice to buy this cheap ammo and get that kind of performance. Shot some prairie dogs a few months ago while antelope hunting with a 223AI 1-9 twist brux shooting 69 tmk’s I get these going 3275 using benchmark powder with good case life. That is what I would choose for a one gun prairie dog rifle.
centershot
Silver $$ Contributor
I have a .223 AI for the "shorter" stuff and just built a 6mm TCU for mid to longer shots. Have not used it yet, but it shoots 69 grin Berger VLD varmint bullets very well. I also will shoot 80 Vmax in it for wind. It will propel those at 3,000 fps with very little powder. Formed with easy to find .223 brass.
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.204 if not windy, 22 BR out to 400, past 450 - go 6mm - 6 X 47 Lapua w 105's.... and its always breezy on the plains.
Hard to beat a .223 of any description if you know it well. just a great cartridge. even better if you handload. edited: my fav. PD round is the 22-250. just take a few rifles to let em cool if you use the 22-250. (22BR bit faster & more accurate). fwiw.
Hard to beat a .223 of any description if you know it well. just a great cartridge. even better if you handload. edited: my fav. PD round is the 22-250. just take a few rifles to let em cool if you use the 22-250. (22BR bit faster & more accurate). fwiw.
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searcher
Gold $$ Contributor
I'd go .22 Nosler. Can tend to shoot heavier bullets than .204, faster than either .223, though still have the "mid-weight" bullets like a 73 or 75 grain still closer to the lands than some of the competitors which are better suited to heavier bullets. Good factory ammo available in mid-weight bullet selection as well. Will also easily accommodate the longer lead-free bullets while maintaining ample room for powder. Easy way to get that extra few hundred FPS without the fire-forming or necking steps. I like mine a lot, though tend to use it only on the longer fields as I wear out a lot of brass due to high-volume shooting and the .223 brass is less expensive - which I use in my .223 or .20 for shorter work (under 350-400 yards with light bullets). Between a straight .223 and an ackley .223, I'd take the straight .223 unless you don't shoot a lot.
My son shot a .223 bolt action but I went with my .308 M1A
powderbrake
Gold $$ Contributor
I went from a 243 to a 223 to a 22-250 to a 6BR (single shot) for prairie dogs.
A 6BR shooting a 88 gr Berger Flat base Varmint @ 3100 fps is my primary load.
The 22-250 with a Berger 69 gr Varmint is my second gun.
I shoot from a rotary bench, checking wind, distance and the ballistics solution for each shot. That is why I use the highest BC bullet with the highest safe velocity and accuracy. I shoot at a relaxed rate, and enjoy the long shots, red mist is not my objective, so I love the 6br with it's easy loading and great accuracy.
If I were shooting from the ground or a truck hood, and moving around a lot, I'd stick with my 223 or get a 204R, and forget about the longer shots.
A 6BR shooting a 88 gr Berger Flat base Varmint @ 3100 fps is my primary load.
The 22-250 with a Berger 69 gr Varmint is my second gun.
I shoot from a rotary bench, checking wind, distance and the ballistics solution for each shot. That is why I use the highest BC bullet with the highest safe velocity and accuracy. I shoot at a relaxed rate, and enjoy the long shots, red mist is not my objective, so I love the 6br with it's easy loading and great accuracy.
If I were shooting from the ground or a truck hood, and moving around a lot, I'd stick with my 223 or get a 204R, and forget about the longer shots.
My 2 PD rifles are one .223 built by Gre-Tan rifles using a Shepherd scope and 50gr BTs. The other is a .19 Calhoon built on a 527 action good for 300yds. You don't have to worry about the barrel heating up on the .19 Calhoon.
Billy
Billy
centershot
Silver $$ Contributor
^^^^^^
That's what I said. A 6mm TCU.
That's what I said. A 6mm TCU.
Prose
Silver $$ Contributor
Been Pd’ing for close to 25 years and the 223 will make almost all reasonable shots, but the 20VT is my personal favorite followed closely by the 17FB. If I were to start all over it would be a 20TAC or 20P. You can go light with em and see your shots w/o a brake and both will reach out a long ways and give you a great splat factor.
redrockranger
Silver $$ Contributor
My son shot a .223 bolt action but I went with my .308 M1A
That looks like fun!!!
I shoot a .223 with a heavy barrel AR. A 220 Swift Remington BDL. 6x45 AR Shillen barre. 6BR whith a Chanlyn barrel. If I have to a 6.5 Creedmoor. All the rifles are braked with suppressors. My favorite is the 6x45 70gr ballistic tip.
@redrockranger
It was a blast. Constant action from 8:30am to 4:30pm. We were lucky enough to hunt a pasture that hadn’t been shot on. Me, my son and a friend burned through 1,200 rounds
redrockranger
Silver $$ Contributor
The 20 Practical has really impressed me.11 twist 39-40 gr. bullets.See all the action, no recoil limited muzzle blast. Fast and accurate,inexpensive to load.
I've got a 17 Hmr, a 22-250, a 223 and a 6mmAI but from reading all the posts it seams that I'm missing out by not having a 20 caliber. Either the 20 Practical or the 20 Vermont sound appealing. I'd like a rifle that reaches out 300-400 yards without the recoil. The million dollar question is which one do you chose???
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