My range testing on the 32 gr. V-Max factory loads was not making me real happy with the groups (maybe I should call them patterns) I was getting on paper. My son and I decided to get out of town on Monday, July 5 and try some prairie dog shooting together. My son, Jeff, had not been out hunting with me since he was 12 years old. He is 36 years old now!

Jeff and I left town around 8:15 a.m. and it was very cloudy and the weatherman had predicted chances of rain showers all day long. We did get a little rain on us at the big dog town on private land. We couldn't even make it down the two-track because it was so muddy. However, we were able to drive to another prairie dog town about 25 miles north of that and got out of the rain. The prairie dogs were not super active, but we got some fairly decent shooting.

We took turns shooting and would spot for one another. He shot 60 shots with my .17 Remington topped with a Burris Signature scope in 6-24x power and I shot 55 shots with my new Savage in .204 Ruger with the new Leupold VX-III 6.5-20x40mm long range scope with the wide reticle and my first side focus scope to boot. I don't think I'll purchase another scope without the side focus!!!

The .17 Remington shot super good as usual. He was very impressed with the accuracy of the .17 Remington. I was pleasantly surprised with the accuracy I was getting out of the factory loads with the .204 Ruger!! I hit quite a few shots out in the 250 to 315 yard range today. I was kind of bummed out because the factory ammo didn't seem to group real well at the range, but it did just fine today!!!

Pic of my son and three very satisfied prairie dogs shot at distances of from about 100 to 150 yards:



Four small prairie dogs who succumbed to the .204 Ruger and 32 gr. V-Max factory ammo with shots from about 100 to 150 yards. It really makes red mist out of them. Parts were spread out from the mound all the way back about 25 feet behind the mound.



I may have to keep this Savage rifle after all. With carefully crafted handloads I think this rifle will shoot itty bitty groups!

Nice shooting. You and your son should get out more often.

SilverFox: Wow! That bullet really makes for some target seperation!
Great pictures of your son and your Rifles! What an amazingly beautiful valley that is! A dreamlike Prairie Dog pasture compared to some of the desolate, sagey, sparse grass areas I frequent.
Yes Billings got 1.52" of rain in 24 hours day before yesterday and many places in eastern Montana got .50"+ in 24 hours. Late spring I guess. Can you say "Gumbo"? I have cancelled two Prairie Dog Safaris so far this year and just waiting for pleasant conditions to get over after them myself!
They are predicting snow down to 7,000' tonight here in SW Montana with wind and rain to boot at lower elevations. I live at 5,400' and have about had it with the rain finally coming during my PD shooting time!
That Remington sure looks tricked out with that fancy stock, scope and paint job (even on the Bi-Pod!).
More particulars on that Rifle please. What brand stock is that - and who's barrel is on it etc?
I have a Ruger M-77 V (made in 1976) in caliber 220 swift. I have owned the gun twice now and it shoots consistently between .600" and .700" 5 shot groups at 100 yards with Varmint bullets. Nothing outstanding and I wish it would shoot under .500" - but it doesn't! Yet that Rifle in the field is like a whole nother amazing gun! It kills Varmints at ranges way beyond and in excess of what it should do for the accuracy it shows at the Rifle range! I will say this those groups it shoots are nice round groups and it holds its zero even into the warm barrel times! I have killed many a Prairie Dog in excess of 400 yards with that Rifle! Its like it has a nose for the Varmint targets! I have a good peppy load for it and the flat trajectory sure helps in its hit ratio I am sure. That and it has a nice trigger. Coyotes literally turn themselves in to the taxidermist when I have that Rifle along! LOL.
Thanks again for the great pictures and the particulars on your Hunt and Rifles!
It does my heart good that you and your son had such a pleasant Hunt and I hope you two get at it more often!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

But before I get into those, would you please post a photo of the tripod you mentioned in one of your posts? I'd like to see how that was made.

On to the .17 caliber Remington. The rifle started out as a Remington 700 BDL with a sporter weight barrel. I bought if off of a fellow who needed some cash (had to check the serial # to make sure it wasn't stolen I shot it with the pencil barrel for a couple years and then sent it in to Dick Saunders to have him install a Shilen #5 countour SS barrel and make sure the HS Precision aluminum pillar bedded thumbhole stock had a nice fit to the action. I shot somewhere around 5,000 rounds through that barrel. Accuracy was starting to wane a bit, so I did some research on .17 Remington barrels and most of the votes went to Dan Lilja as the maker of one of the finest .17 caliber barrels. I asked him to recommend a gunsmith within 500 miles of me and he pointed me to a fellow just across the eastern North Dakota border in Minnesota. I ordered a Lilja 4 groove barrel with a 1 in 9" twist since I wanted to shoot the 30 gr. bullets for coyotes. The barrel is fluted and is stainless steel. The finished length is 26" and it shoots like a laser with hand crafted loads.

The HS Precision stock was camo painted by me. I wrote an illustrated article for the Predator Master's board that is in their Technical Section. I even camoed the bipod. I used Krylon camo paint and touch it up with Krylon Khaki camo paint once in awhile. I also did some major recrafting of the grip area and trigger guard on the stock so it fits me better.

I don't know if it is the Lilja barrel, my handloads or what, but with the loads I presently shoot, I usually don't have to do much adjusting on the scope to change from 20 gr. V-Max, to 25 gr. Hornady, or 30 gr. Starke RPV bullets. On my prairie dog trip into Montana third week of May, I think I shot 78 shots without cleaning the barrel and it was shooting just as good on shot 78 as it was on the first dozen bullets out of the barrel that day. The barrel does pick up some copper and I do spend field time cleaning it on prairie dog hunts. It cleans up pretty good if I get to it while it is still on the warm side.