Prairie Dog Rifle Question…

[orkan]

Thanks for this!

I'd caution you to think very critically about all of this.

"Accuracy and precision" can be very vague terms. Some are very happy with 3/4 MOA. Criterion makes a lot of barrels for AR platforms.

AR manufacturers and their customers, tend to have a very different definition of accuracy and precision than a precision bolt gun person would have.

Keep that in mind when reading articles or absorbing information.

-----------
Follow on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Amazon Affiliate

 

[del2les]

My nephew tried to fire 1000 rounds a day with an AR as a kid, didn't hit much though. Claims like that are always, I'll believe it when I see it. I've been shooting dogs for 20 years, I call BS.

Back in the good days of Rosebud Reservation shooting and using bolt guns, we often broke 500+ rds per all day long and on 3-5 day shoots with our highest being a 535rd/day average. There were P-dogs everywhere back then, and we often found ourselves on towns that were 2-3 sq/miles with hundreds of dogs always up, especially in the spring. 1,000 rds/day seems awfully high for any type of serious precision fire, but I wasn't there.

 

[quigley257]

Back in the good days of Rosebud Reservation shooting and using bolt guns, we often broke 500+ rds per all day long and on 3-5 day shoots with our highest being a 535rd/day average. There were P-dogs everywhere back then, and we often found ourselves on towns that were 2-3 sq/miles with hundreds of dogs always up, especially in the spring. 1,000 rds/day seems awfully high for any type of serious precision fire, but I wasn't there.

Yep. That's where I got my start back in the early 90s. It was possible to set up and shoot ALL DAY from a single spot. Even with bolt guns we would have to rotate through to prevent overheating. It was the textbook definition of a target rich environment. And then they got greedy and stupid with the licensing and guide requirements. We had been shooting the Rosebud for so many years that we knew WAY more about the dog towns than our "guide" knew. We stopped going there once that nonsense started.

 

[Xjetmech]

I got into varmint shooting, back in the early 70s, with a couple of friends from work. We hunted northern CA, western NV, and north central MT, for ground squirrels, jack rabbits, cayotes, and p dogs. My rifles were, and still are, a single shot .222 Rem., and a 6mm Rem. bolt action. They had .22-250 Ruger #1s, .221 Rem. Fireball, .243 Win. on Rem. XB actions, and a couple of handguns. The close shots, to 100yds, were usually with the handguns, and then the ,22s out to about 250yds, depending on the wind, then the bigger cals. We would bring about 300 rounds pre gun, for each trip, and would take turns spotting for each other.

 

[Hugnot]

The 22 CM using small primers would be a good replacement for the .22-.250 for slow frequency, long range rodent shooting. I have not seen many large rifle primers at my LGS's lately.

My thinking is a combo of powder & gas volume & heat combined with high pressure & relative bore area would determine bore life. A .243W loaded at 65K PSI with 38 grains of powder would wear faster than a .308W loaded at 65K PSI with 38 grains of some faster burning powder. Pressure would not be the primary factor.

 

[del2les]

Yep. That's where I got my start back in the early 90s. It was possible to set up and shoot ALL DAY from a single spot. Even with bolt guns we would have to rotate through to prevent overheating. It was the textbook definition of a target rich environment. And then they got greedy and stupid with the licensing and guide requirements. We had been shooting the Rosebud for so many years that we knew WAY more about the dog towns than our "guide" knew. We stopped going there once that nonsense started.

Very similar to why we stopped our shoots there. Having to pay $100/day/person for a "guide" who took us to shot-out small towns and who would not listen to where we asked to go just killed all the fun. For years, we had mapped out some great areas and made Sioux ranching friends whose lands always had lots of dogs and were glad to see us. Really miss those days.

 

[Xjetmech]

Getting back to the barrel life question:
using single-shot firearms, instead of magazine fed, either factory made, or custom built, installing a single-shot floor plate, or just single round fed. These methods provide the shooter some options usually not found in a mag fed gun. Your rate of fire is reduced=more cool down time. Bullets don't need a tight crimp= pressures may be reduced, fps may be increased. Overall cartridge length may be increased=more powder capacity, longer bullets may be used, {depending on chamber/ throat dimensions}. A barrel/cartridge specific combination of these, may lead to greater accuracy, or even less recoil.
I for one, have a Distinct dislike for recoil. I look at cartridges first, action type next, barrel contour, sight system, stock, [I prefer wood], and total weight. as I said, I Dislike recoil.
Meld some of these, and you should find something to suit you.

 

[VarmintBob]

.17 hornet to 250 yds. 17 fireball to 350 yds. .223 to 400 yds. 223 AI to 450 yds. 22-250 to 600 yds. 6mm creedmoore past that. Those cover it for me with 90% being the 17s.

 

[myshootinstinks]

Early in the spring there will be lots of close shots and you can pop them with a good revolver. Later in the summer, towns that see hunters will have spooked dogs and longer shots. I shoot them on public land, BLM mostly.
I've shot them most all my life and have never shot more than 200-300 rounds a day including rimfire.
I'll typically take a 22 and either a 222 or 22-250. 95% of the shooting can be done with the 22 and 222.
Barrel life has not been an issue for me.

 

[Mike Matteson]

Interesting.. Okay, well thats the lightest caliber I have... Beyond that, the rounds just get bigger... Im sure 338 Lapua wouldnt be the most desired for this application but it would be interesting to see what happens to the PD upon impact... lol

I think you a bigger caliber, that's to small. That way you'llnever know if you hit them or not. Nothing to be found.

 

[alnpar]

I think you a bigger caliber, that's to small. That way you'llnever know if you hit them or not. Nothing to be found.

I use my .17 HMR VNT or Game loads. Smoke them out to 235 Yards. You can tell when you hit them. They jump as high as 2 & 3 feet in the air a lot of times!

 

[MaxRager]

Interesting.. Okay, well thats the lightest caliber I have... Beyond that, the rounds just get bigger... Im sure 338 Lapua wouldnt be the most desired for this application but it would be interesting to see what happens to the PD upon impact... lol

Here ya go..

 

[Bud H]

Yep, we used multiple guns, out to 100, 22lr,then 22 hornet out to 300, then 22-250AI out to 800 or so. We also used our big game rifles, 300 win, 300 ultra, 30 rem, 240 Weatherby 300 savage...you get the idea. It's a great way to learn how to read wind and mirage in your big game guns also...besides. it's just plain fun.

 

[Bud H]

I dont see how its possible to shoot that many rounds in one day unless your using large magazines in semi autos and blazing away at running prairie dogs.
I guess it all depends upon what is considered to be fun.
For me, single feeding the gun, shooting from a bench, and not shooting at running dogs, 150 rounds is a pretty busy day.

That had to be a group of guys to get that round count, or like you said, just dumping ammo at running dogs.