For those that Prairie Dog shoot;

What percentage of the Pdogs that you usually shoot, are within 200 yds or less?

Basing a scope power and reloading data for the input I get from others if there experience is the same as mine.

I shoot them in Montana, ( around Billings) so would be interesting to see if people in other areas, have the same experiences or not.

We are talking PDogs, not ground squirrels!
Thanks Guys

Personally I would hope darn few!!! Unless one is shooting off hand or from sitting what would be the point?

Heck I ever hear of people that shoot em off of tables-what the heck is up with that?

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

The point is that not everyone shoots at every prairie dog with a 6mm/284 28" HB mounted with an 8-32X scope.

I like to start out in a relatively undisturbed town shooting a .22 WMR mounted with a 6X scope, which is good to about 125 yards or so. As the "targets of opportunity" are either thinned out or "get smart", I progress to a .22 K-Hornet, which is stretched at 200 (in terms of reliable hits that are still fairly sporting). At about 200, I start using a .222 or .223 with a 9X scope, which is good to near 300, then apply a .22-250 or .243 HB with 12 or 18 magnification for the 300+ shots. But just because a dog pops up at 150, I don't toss down the .22-250 and pick up the Hornet.

My point is that sub-200 yard dogs are appropriatly challenging targets for the smaller/slower guns.

I guess my thoughts are the rest is the point to 200 not the round-at least for me that is.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Where I hunt in WY, you could shoot them out of the truck window with a .22 pistol if you wanted. But that wouldn't be much fun. I use a 22-250 and don't take shots under 200 yards. No table, no laser range finder, no wind flags, just me on my belly (yup, right amonst the sand spurs and sheep shit) with a sack of ammo and my rifle.

I would say the avg shot for us is 150 to 250 some closer some lots farther. The ranchers like them shot. I shoot them from 5 feet with pistols to way out there. It is all fun.

Since I was out today shooting those little rascals, I'll wade in. Stonecreek and I see eye to eye for the most part. My .22WMR (and my buddy's) have 4-12x scopes on them. We then jump to .223s. We ARE thinking of trying either Hornets or something similar. After the .223s, out come the .22-250s, or .243s if the wind picks up.
My buddy uses mostly scopes with a maximum of 16x. Me? I've got variables clear up to 8-32x; the higher power being used mainly at the bench when working up loads. My 2 cents.

I am going again tomorrow for the weekend and I will keep track. I can say that we, in Colorado have to be "agents" of the farm to legally shoot pds. With that said, in order for me and my son to get permission we are instructed to shoot all pds that are within our range. This would mean that we shoot them at ranges from 50 feet to 500 yards with any number of different guns, belly down in the dirt and cowshit. Last time, in two days we shot a couple hundred before it got too hot. I would estimate that the average distance would be about 200 yards. These are pds that have not been shot at on a regular basis and tend to be less skidish. When we move to different fields its not hard to tell if they have been shot at more because of the "cushion" distance they will keep before they bolt.

Thanks for the responses. My thoughts in asking is not to limit the range, but for working up handloads for 223s.

I have found, from an article on Calhoon bullets about using Blue Dot shotgun powder. The article was entitled " 218 Bee or Not to 218 Bee?". Using the Blue Dot for slightly slower velocities.

An interesting side effect I found is that the Blue Dot burns so efficiently, that it does not heat up a barrel anywhere near the amount of just normal factory rounds. Not heating it up enough, it will cool a lot quicker also.

Chronographying loads at 2600 fps, trajectory charts indicate that a zero of 2.5 to 3 inches high at 100 yds, will be pretty much minute of Prairie Dog out to 200 yds. I shoot in Montana and that is what we find about 85 % are taken.

Just wondered if that experience was seen elsewhere by others.

The load is 12.5 grains of Blue Dot. With a 45 to 55 grain bullet velocity is 2600 fps, from a 22 to 26 inch barrel.

With that also, one can get almost 600 rounds out of a pound of powder! Accuracy is on par with the best of any powders tried in those rifles and velocity spread over the chrony is usually only about 15 to 20 fps tops.

We basically do the same thing. When we go out to shoot pds it is always in the same general fields and the maximum distance is about 500 yards with most shots be far lessthan that. I don't load the 22-250 way down but I do load to MO prairie dog out to about 250 or about like your .223.
The dogs don't seem to know they aren't getting the whole enchilada and the gun stays cooler much longer.

Seafire: Your load of Bluedot in a .218 Bee is interesting. Do you have any statistics for a similar load in a Hornet or K-Hornet? If the Bee will do 2600, I would think the K-Hornet would have no problem making 2400?

Stoney:

For info on the Hornet etc, check out the James Calhoon Bullets web site. Your search engines should be able to locate it and that article.

Good luck!!

I duplicated Calhoon's data in a 223 and found only so-so accuracy. I didn't pursue it very far, such as changing primers etc....

Maybe it'll work for you but I found that the faster I move 223 bullets they more accurate they are. Of course... Barrels get hot... <sigh>

Keep your barrels and ammo as cool at possible with shade and time. Leave your bolts open and don't leave ammo in a hot chamber or your accuracy will go to hell.

I use Varget and AA2200 but there are plenty of good powders.

$bob$

LD:

I also found most of the loads on the Calhoon site only gave me so/so accuracy. However not with the Blue Dot. Have had several other friends try it and same results. We have all had good luck. Not so with the 700x and 800 X and Unique powders that were suggested.

thanks for the update tho!!