Caliber combination for prairie dog hunting?

[KS2506]

You are one the right track with the 223. Get you a nice bolt gun Varmint rifle in 223 and if the gun shoots them well use Hornady 40 grain VMAX bullets and you can be effective out to 500 yards. We used to hunt dogs around Holly, Co. and my friends that lived there made a believer out of me about the 40 grainers. Sadly, a few years ago a long drought and the plague wiped them out. I would also buy a nice 204 varminter to take along on the hunts. It is a really great cartridge with 32 grainers. One of my favorites is the 220 Swift, but 5 shots and you better let it cool off, so I use the 223, generally take two, and let them cool after 10 shots.

 

[Wendet]

I have a .204 shoot the 40 grain v-max then .223 with a 62 grain max out to 400 pr so better reaction less holdover for .204 and out to about 500 .17hmr for small areas and when inconvenient to set up tables for out to 150 to 200 not a lot of reaction but dead just the same then any rifle with larger caliber for long range just not as much volume do to cost of rounds and sore shoulder. These have worked as good or better than anything else and .223 .204 both ar uppers the .17hmr on volquartsen 10/22 clone all under an inch at 100yds

 

[TonyRumore]

I would suggest something semi-auto and heavy enough that you don't lose the sight picture when you touch it off. That way, if you miss, you can see the bullet strike and immediately make a correction and send another right behind it.

Another technique you can use, is to send a 2 or 3 shot volley prior to the first bullet making impact, each with a slightly different windage correction. Or even a combination......wait for the first one to strike, then send a volley with windage corrections.

You'll hammer way more dogs than your bolt gun buddy, trust me.

Tony

 

[ARlife4me]

p-dogs on a run, changing directions, stop and go on a dime, along with coyotes zig zagging thru sagebrush while shooting them from a helicopter is a lifetime of learning experience! i used to go thru lots of ammo for 1 kill and got to where it was rare for shot per kill was more than once w/iron sites. shooting p-dogs from a hilo is something on its own.

 

[Varmiter71]

I hear you, but we never heat barrels to the point of not touching them. Hence, one of the reasons we always take 3 or more on those multi-day shoots to swap out if getting too "warm". Which takes a while with heavy varmint barrels in 222/223. Even when I am shooting more local, which I have spent some time in Western CO doing, I have no issues reaching way out with heavy VLD 22 cals or 6mm varieties. My longest P-dog kill is 1,008 yds with a 25-06 using 85gr NBT. Same load on a yote at 1,031yds.

The op is planning a multi-day trip to SD, so it seems he is planning for a serious dog shoot that may entail many hundreds of rounds for the hunt, if not each day. That is, if he finds some good towns.

Again, I understand your situ and locale, and it sounds like you have things covered well for what it entails. As always, enjoy those "pops".

Junglebird, congrats on your upcoming pd hunt. I'm sure you'll enjoy. I've been pd hunting a while. Through the years, my choice has evolved some. I hunt w/ specialty handguns. I started w/ a TC Contender in 223 Rem and a Remington XP in 22 BR. I later added an XP 6 BR and the Contender platform went into retirement. I've since evolved into using suppressors. I now use a 20 VarTarg (16" McGowen barrel in Howa Mini-Action), an XP in 223 Rem Ackley (15" barrel) and a Nosler Custom Handgun in 22 Nosler. I hunt in OK and it gets pretty windy usually. I start w/ the VarTarg in 32 gr bullets and move to the 223 AI (50 bullets) and 22 Nosler (55 gr bullets) as the wind picks up. I'm looking at adding a bolt action 17 Remington Fireball for next year. I like to hunt from a rotating table in the bed of my truck, but sometimes I'll go on a "walkabout" w/ a supposed 22LR. To some degree, what you use depends on how you hunt. On last month's hunt, the guys that hunted w/ me walked the pastures a LOT, burning through untold amounts of 17 HMR and 22 Magnum ammo.Re: the AR platform, I've hunted w/ a guide who didn't allow AR's on his. hunt because they could be so efficient. The 53 gr VM is a fine choice. Depending on the climate where you hunt, you might think of a heavy bullet gun (22-250, 220 Swift, 6mm, etc). If you're looking for a gun to compliment the 223, the 204 Ruger/20 Practical would be a good choice. If you want to go even lighter, the 221 Fireball is a great pd gun, The 204, Practical and Fireball all allow one to spot their own shots. I have Savage rifles in 20 P and 221 FB and really like both. I built them for guests hunting to use if they don't have a pd gun.
20 VarTarg
View attachment 580242

You will love the 17 fireball suppressed. It is very quiet.
I see that there is a lot of 17 fireball on gunbroker right now. Did Remington do another run of them.
There are several companies making AR barrels for both the 17 Remington and the 17 Remington fireball. Anymore that is about the cheapest way to get into either of those two 17's.
The sound is the enemy. The louder it is the less shots you get.
I also have a 17 Remington on an AR that I will try on PD at some point.
When the 17 HMR came out I figured that I could reload the 17 AH cheaper and get 1000 fps extra.
So don't forget about the 22 hornet or 17 hornet.

 

[logjam]

17 HMR - .221 Fireball - .204 ruger -.223 - 22/250.

 

[JSHKS]

AR allows me to miss faster is about the best way I can put it. Mine stays at home.
Where I hunt, an average day, by 10-11:00 there will be enough mirage you will play heck having more than a fuzzy blob past about 500 yards, there are exceptions but few and far between. Even then conditions can change quickly.

It doesn't take a heavy high BC bullet to shoot prairie dogs. It does take knowledge of your load and your rig.
40 grain Vmax can stand a lot of rpm in a 223. Mine is 7.7 twist, found the 40 vmax to shoot much by accident. I buy by the thousand now.
Swapping around on bullets and loads can be confusing, especially if you have no spotter.
I won't go into range finders, I will say the only reliable one I ever used was a Leica.

Ammo…….. bring as much as you want. You do the math on numbers of rounds a day many describe. 8 hour day, 500 rounds, that is roughly 1 shot a minute for 8 hours. Those days are few and far between any more.
Yes you can roast a barrel in short order if you have no restraint, don't ask how I know. Buddy had a new barrel on a 22-250, we joke it was a three day barrel, lost track of rounds. Three days and it was toast, barrel was clean but so bad, bullets did t make it maybe 75 yards and poof.

 

[Stugots]

AR allows me to miss faster is about the best way I can put it. Mine stays at home.

I have had a much different experience than you. All I shoot out west for P. Dogs are 4 - AR15's, each with heavy varmint 26" + 2" barrels. (3 - AR15's and one chambered in .204 Ruger). I have used my Lab Radar to chrono my reloads and have some pretty good dope shooting each out to 450 yards. I constantly range my targets with my Revic BLR10b range finding binoculars. Glass a target, get on the AR and shoot. It has been a marriage made in heaven for me!

 

[jweigel]

I have had a much different experience than you. All I shoot out west for P. Dogs are 4 - AR15's, each with heavy varmint 26" + 2" barrels. (3 - AR15's and one chambered in .204 Ruger). I have used my Lab Radar to chrono my reloads and have some pretty good dope shooting each out to 450 yards. I constantly range my targets with my Revic BLR10b range finding binoculars. Glass a target, get on the AR and shoot. It has been a marriage made in heaven for me!

I just sold my trusty Rem788 in a 222 that was very accurate to move to a AR15 in a 204. Need a semi auto with zero recoil to do more damage when lots of shots. I ordered a White Oak Armory 24" heavy barrel upper.

Cusious on your take of a 223 vs the 204.

jjw
ND

 

[Stugots]

Cusious on your take of a 223 vs the 204.

jjw
ND

Hands Down the .204 Ruger, But I will add you don't want to be doing mag dumps with this caliber (even in a heavy varmint barrel). This thing heats up a lot faster than my .223's. My next replacement barrel for one on my AR platforms will definitely be a .204 Ruger.

I guess I'm fortunate to be able to have 4 complete AR-15 platforms. I will rotate between the 4 so as not to 'cook' the barrel...

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

Hands Down the .204 Ruger, But I will add you don't want to be doing mag dumps with this caliber (even in a heavy varmint barrel). This thing heats up a lot faster than my .223's. My next replacement barrel for one on my AR platforms will definitely be a .204 Ruger.

I guess I'm fortunate to be able to have 4 complete AR-15 platforms. I will rotate between the 4 so as not to 'cook' the barrel...

A number of my pdog shooting group and myself have moved on to the 20 practical. Easy and lower cost to load with the same performance as the 204. Great in AR's.

 

[robo57]

I have never been prairie dog hunting, but am looking to start doing it in 2025. I have my first build almost done, which is an AR15 in 223 with a 1:8 twist 24" WOA varmint barrel. I am hoping to shoot the 53g V-max with this upper. Everything I read on the topic says to take several guns/calibers along. It would be convenient to have the other caliber(s) be AR compatible so I can just swap uppers. Realistically, how many guns do I need to take? I assume I want a gun for close range, medium range, and long range. Where does my 223 fall in line and what cartridges do you recommend for the other ranges? I plan to reload for this on a progressive. Am I missing anything else important?
Thank you in advance for the insight.

.22 WMR Is all that I've used for years
Cheap to shoot
Cheap my favorite word

 

[flyguy1]

We take 2 Bolt .223s , 2 AR .223 Wyldes, 2 Bolt .204s, and .22LR (you never know).

 

[sw282]

A word on rangefinders: l started out with a 6x Leica, but graduated to an 8x40 Swarovski. Sadly, no longer made. lt is my spotter too. Works great for me because l have but one eye.
My long range gun is now a Cooper 21 in TAC20. It predates a 204 Ruger with virtually the same ballistics, 32gr VMAX @ 4000fps. TAC20s are formed from cheap 223 brass. 10% less powder without $1apiece 204Ruger cases. TAC20 put my 22-250 in the unemployment line TOO!!