204 or 223 for Prairie Dogs

[alnpar]

Can Anyone give me information where I can shoot Prairie Dogs starting in Aug. and or through Sept. I live in Arizona and willing to travel up to about ,1,200 miles or so. I want to be able to shoot at least three days continuous for the long drive. Might bring a buddy. If he gets back from Alaska. Or I'm willing to hook up with some local shooter/s. I'm 72, Non smoker, non Drinker. I have two RCBS R.A.S.S. shooting benches to share. Thanks in advance.

 

[sw282]

l saw an ad posted by ''10 Gauge Outfitters'' offering prairie dog/dove combo hunts for August & September.
Sounds tempting but ''l ONLY'' shoot prairie dogs. A couple of my IHMSA silhouette buddies do elk/prairie dog hunts or mule deer/prairie dog hunts. Both hunts are strictly HANDGUNS

 

[waspocrew]

I've never shot a .204, but I see way more .224 components on the shelves compared to the 20 cal. There's .223 ammo everywhere. Sometimes I just like going with the easy button.

I was out in Wyoming with my .223 Tikka CTR last week and the 60 gr Vmax was too much fun on the prairie dog towns.

 

[7Footer]

I bought my first PD rifle in 2005. I went to the store looking for a 22-250, but the salesman talked me into the new 204R. His big selling point was the minimal recoil, allowing the shooter to watch the "show." I went out shooting with my friend, who was shooting his trusty 22-250, and my hit rate was at least 50% better, due to my ability to spot the impacts- my friend was just guessing based on the puff of dust that was all he could see after his rifle settled. Also, he was shooting 40gr 224 bullets due to his 1:14 twist. his shots were devastating up close, but out past 350 or so, not much left in that little pill. The 40gr 204 Vmax's I was shooting did better in my opinion.
Then I built a target AR with a Shilen barrel in 223 with a good brake, because, as many have already mentioned, a dense PD colony requires more than one rifle. That gun has a 1:8 twist that I shoot 55gr Hornady soft points or 69gr RMR bullets. I generally don't like the heavy 224 bullets for PDs because the lower velocity sometimes results in richocets which are not acceptable where I sometimes shoot due to cattle. The soft points do well inside of 350 or so, past that they will sometime go singing off into the pasture on a miss.
Since then, we have all gone through at least 2 droughts on 204 components. I stocked up on 204 Win brass last time it was available, but I haven't seen much in years. That lead me to 20 Practical.
Another AR with a 1:10 Shilen barrel from D-Tech out of Minnesota. That gun shoots bug holes with the 40gr VMax, CFE-223 and mixed 223 range brass I process into 20P with very little prep. I shoot the 40s at 3710 fps, which is about 100 fps slower than my XR-100 in 204R. Components are easy - my brass is free. I can see myself leaving the 223 AR at home on the next trip and just taking the 204R and the 20P.
Of course, when all of the PDs that are close have learned to keep their heads down - I go to my 22-243 with 88gr ELDMs going 3350 fps. That is hands down my favorite PD gun, but I do use it sparingly.

 

[Wendet]

I have a jp rifle in .204 have gone out to 480 yards after that the 40 grain max kinda Peters out the 32 grainers are faster but do not buck the wind as well and not as consistent at distance I do not reload but the Hornady ammo has been great if you look on ammo seek it is not horrible but prices are coming down slowly have shot .223 with another jp ar and gone out to about 360 and actually hit something but the .204 is king as far as I have seen

 

[rewiltshire]

Been shooting 'dogs' for years. I have a 17 Mach IV, 17 Remington, 204, 221 Fireball, 223 and a 22-250. The ones that 'bucks' the wind the best is probably the 223 and 22-250 with 50gr V-max's, but that said I like all six centerfire cartridges. A lot of us have started using 17 WSM rimfires - if you can find ammo. I have plenty of brass for all centerfire cartridges, but the abundance of 223 brass, bullets and a Dillion reloading machine kind of makes it my 'go to' round. It's also a lot easier on barrels than the 22-250.
Remember you can never have enough rifles in a 'hot' PD town. One gets a little to hot, switch to another. Not unless you have real deep pockets and a good gunsmith to keep replacing barrels.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

I have a jp rifle in .204 have gone out to 480 yards after that the 40 grain max kinda Peters out the 32 grainers are faster but do not buck the wind as well and not as consistent at distance I do not reload but the Hornady ammo has been great if you look on ammo seek it is not horrible but prices are coming down slowly have shot .223 with another jp ar and gone out to about 360 and actually hit something but the .204 is king as far as I have seen

The 40 grain Hornady v-max has great wing bucking capabilities, .275 bc I believe,it will drop stuff at 400 yards easily just point and shoot.
Enough steam left at 400 to 500 yds to drop a coyote on the spot easily if one can hit them.

 

[HunterMann]

The 40 grain Hornady v-max has great wing bucking capabilities, .275 bc I believe,it will drop stuff at 400 yards easily just point and shoot.
Enough steam left at 400 to 500 yds to drop a coyote on the spot easily if one can hit them.

I can shoot P-dogs out to 450 yards with my "slightly" above average AR and good ammo, but I don't think it is the best platform. But it is really fun especially with can on it to moderate the noise. Just starting out, I would recommend getting an accurate, modestly priced rifle from Savage or Tikka in 223. Then get a really decent scope. The PD fun begins beyond 250 yards and that is about where cheap scopes start to fade away. Spend as much or even more than you spent for the rifle on good glass. It will really improve your accuracy. Test a bunch of ammo and stock up on what you feel is the most accurate in your rig. You are going need a shooting table, seat, spotting scope, rifle rest, and enough shooting bags to support you and the rifle. You can't shoot well if you are not stable and comfortable. Go on your PD safari with at least one buddy so you can spot for each other every 25 shots or so. That's the fastest way for both of you to learn about shooting P-dogs. From this basic start you can grow in any direction.

 

[VarmintBob]

26" 223 with 40gr NBT; MV 3800 fps with G7 BC of 0.111; 2500fps at 370 yds
26" 223AI with 40gr NBT; MV 3975 fps with G7 BC of 0.111; 2500 fps at 410 yds
26" 204 Ruger with 40gr Vmax; 3850 fps with G7 BC of 0.116; 2500 fps at 410 yds
29" 22-250 Rem with 53gr Vmax; 4000 fps with G7 BC of 0.130; 2500 fps at 500 yds

Brass for the first two is free. I pick it up off the ground every time I make a range trip. I have never bought one piece of .223 brass and I have thousands of cases in 5 gal buckets here. I think I once saw one piece of 204 ruger brass. You be the judge. The answer is obvious.

 

[HunterMann]

Also, if we can set up fairly close to a large PD town, we like to get warmed up with rimfire rifles for the near targets. 22LR and 22 mag work, but the 17's are real good at this. The rimfire report doesn't bother the PD's like the larger cartridges. After we put them away, out come the centerfire rifles and we work on the farther targets. Sometimes there will be multiple PD digs, some in closer and others farther out. Spotting & Popping is the name of the game and it is loads of fun.

 

[JSHKS]

Never got prairie dog accuracy with a mix of brass.
I use a variety of cartridges for the task at hand, 17, 20,22 and 6mm, all of various size cases small to large. Kind of like wrenches, some adjustable wrench's will work for numerous task, but not always the best tool for the job.

A 223 with a 40 Vmax or 53 Vmax as one gun is hard to argue with.

 

[Quackshot]

Let's pour a little gasoline on this fire. I think VB has skewed the numbers like a politician making a campaign speech. First thing kick out the 29 inch 22-250. You can't buy that off the shelf and it wasn't even part of the original question. Let's kick the 223AI for the same reasons and by the way I'll never believe that .9 grain of powder increase will give you 200fps with a safe pressure.
Back to 204R vs. 223. I couldn't find a load in my manuals that produced 3800 fps from a 223 with 40's. But assuming you can, then you need to compare the 204 with 32 grain bullets as both would be in the same light for caliber class. The 204 then would be 400 fps faster with a higher bc.
I have to admit if cheap brass is your motivation then the 223 has an advantage. But once you own the brass there is virtually no difference in cost to reload. No offense meant to anybody I just want to set the record straight as I see it.
If anybody wants to see some incredibly impressive numbers try running some charts on the 20-250.

 

[sw282]

Accuracy comes FIRST. Speed is LAST.
Range brass is good for blasting ammo. Nothing more. l'm not going to spend BIG buck$ booking a
prairie dog shoot. Travel 1500 miles one way, then shoot at random targets at unknown distances
with brass l picked up off the ground

 

[comfisherman]

There's some really good advice up here. My guilty pleasure is ground squire shooting each spring with old friends.

More guns is better, the cool down issue can rear its ugly head even in a cool spring day. I've got 17 hm2 through hot 6mms and everything in between. The 204 a fast twist 223 a 22-250 being re barreled to a 20-250 currently. Most of it is splitting hairs difference. Some days I'd prefer the 204, but when the wind kicks up the fast twist 250 ai wind. But the rimfires are awesome on smaller fields and near ranches.

On the availability section it's a tough one, early pandemic 223 was gone but due to the 204s waning popularity there was ammo until early 21. Then it took longer for stuff to pop up. There is no doubt the 223 replenishes faster than all but 9mm. But let's be fair since 2008 it's been feast or famine, maybe it's my age but it seems we should be accustomed to and prepared for it.

I'd be more apt to pick a gun that caught my fancy with features in 223 204 or 22-250. The venn diagram of all 3 is splitting hairs in real world use.