Going on my first pdog shoot this summer and a little short on guns. I thought about using my 10/22 with stingers, but figured performance is fair at best to 100 yds.

I have access to a ruger 22 mag and was thinking about using some of the new vmax offerings. I was hoping to use this to fend off the close ones (<150yds) while my other rifles cool off. Anybody got any experience with this setup on pdogs out to 150?

I can also get a 17 HMR but I've never been a fan of them. Had one and sold it.

So, is it even worth it to bring the rimfires along? If so, which one under my circumstances?

It's a shame the magnum rimfire ammo is so expensive now. It's cheaper to reload my 223.

I've used all three that you mentioned.
-The .22LR is probably the least used, but still is effective if the towns haven't been shot recently.
-The .22WMR with any of the new stuff is an excellent close range round out to about 125yds.
-I'm quite a fan of the .17HMR as are several of my friends. Depending on the wind, we've made hits at up to 200yds (this seems to be the maximum for killing hits).

Back when .22WMR was cheaper, it made a lot of sense to use it. Now, its attributes are lower noise and recoil than the centerfires. And the time saved in not having to reload should not be scoffed at.

I'd say it depends on the type of hunting environemnt, if they are gun shy then a rimfire may or may not be out of the question due to noise..

I love my 22lr but also know its limitations too

We use a scoped 22 LR in the early part of summer when they are not so well shot over and wised up. Sometimes you can get standard velocity rounds, not supersonic, and they are really useful. Dogs won't run unless dirt spashes on them.
Shotgun

one can always bring a rimfire.. I do...

but the bang flop gets boring...

that is a bad thing about redmist addiction..

Sometimes when you hit them with a Rimfire they will go back down their holes.

Once you hit a Pdog and it goes flying in the air or internal particles spray the mound, that is the only thing you will accept.


I personally prefer the flying dog method

On a good town I will usualy take my 77/22 with me as well. Last town I shot it on I used about 400 rounds of CCI Mini Mags, on top of about a hundred between my .223 and 22-250. Was generaly pretty successful out to about 150 with the 22. It doesn't blow them up but the y would usually turn over and start kicking. The farthest one I connected on and killed with the 22 was at a lazered 207 yards, but I also mess around with that rifle quite a bit out a 200 yards just to see if I can do it. So far my best offhand with that rifle is 19 for 20 on an 14/12 gong at 200, and 3/10 on same size at 300.

jb,

Good advice above - like prof; I always take a .22lr & 17hrm along. They're great to take a break or start off the mornings with when the Dogs & Pups are up close up or before driving the Chip-Shots underground with the heavy Boomers!

They also make nice Walk-About rifles for off-hand practice while taking a stroll after those heavy 3 Cheeseburger lunches!

Don't have any experience with the 22 Mag. though.

I like the low muzzle blast of the rimfire rifles. I use them out to a range where the bullet still has about 100 ft/lb of energy. I want clean kills when the p dogs are hit at any angle. That is about 80 Yds for the 17 HM2, 150 Yds for the 17 HMR, 75 Yds for the 22 LR HP, and 160 Yds for the 30 Gr 22 WMR but because of the bullet drop I limit the 22 WMR to about 130 Yds. The rimfires rifles are used most in the spring when the prairie dog pups come out or later in the year if the town has not ben shot over. For shots past 150 Yds I switch to the centerfire varmint rifles. If I were to use only one rimfire it would be with my 17 HMR rifle w/a 4-14 X AO scope. By mid summer most of the dumb dogs have ben shot so I start using the centerfire rifles. A few years ago when I kept a talley sheet I shot about 1500 p dogs with the 17 HM2 and 17 HMR rimfire rifles. To save a few bucks I order the 17 rimfire ammo by the case , I live in prairie dog country so I ll use it up. By late fall and winter the 220 Swift and 243 Win w/ 6.5-20 X scopes are used but when it heats up a bit and we get some smow melt I ll be trying out a lower muzzle blast 204 Ruger w/ a 6-18 X scope.

Going in June so hopefully they won't be too shot up. Guess I should pack a rimfire just in case.

quote:

Posted 21 January 2008 08:22 Hide Post
Sometimes when you hit them with a Rimfire they will go back down their holes.

Once you hit a Pdog and it goes flying in the air or internal particles spray the mound, that is the only thing you will accept.

Yup!!!! never enjoyed shooting a dog with a 22 and watching him crawl away to die a slow death. 17HMR work fine

I used to hunt P Dogs with a 22-250 and the red mist is something else. My .223 does about the same. Shooting centerfire .22 and .17 rounds at a rate of over 100 rounds a day is expensive. I have recently been converted to the .17 HRM. It is in my opinio great, not loud and easy to afford to shoot.

Ron,

evidently you don't handload...

I can shoot a 223, cheaper than a 17 HMR....that is why my 17 HMRs just collect dust.. as I can't recover what I paid for them...

Even at today's prices.. a 17 HMR costs me 20 to 22 cents per round..

I handload 223s, ( which I enjoy the handloading so I don't consider that a problem).. their cost in today's prices for components is still in the 14 to 15 cent per round range...

before prices went up, I was shooting 223s in the 6 to 7 cent a round range...

Same reason I sold my 17hmr. Fun to shoot, but cost more than my 223. My 223 shoots farther and harder but no need to start that debate.

The only reason I was considering taking one was to fill time while my 223 cools down and for up-close shots.

Prefer the 22 long rifle for trophy prairie dogs that I intend to send to the taxidermist. Less hide damage to fix.

quote:

Originally posted by jb177:
Going on my first pdog shoot this summer and a little short on guns. I thought about using my 10/22 with stingers, but figured performance is fair at best to 100 yds.

I have access to a ruger 22 mag and was thinking about using some of the new vmax offerings. I was hoping to use this to fend off the close ones (<150yds) while my other rifles cool off. Anybody got any experience with this setup on pdogs out to 150?

I can also get a 17 HMR but I've never been a fan of them. Had one and sold it.

So, is it even worth it to bring the rimfires along? If so, which one under my circumstances?

It's a shame the magnum rimfire ammo is so expensive now. It's cheaper to reload my 223.

I did what you are going to do this past fall and did not have much success. Prairie dogs did not go down with .22LR or .22mags or .17 HMR's. They were wounded and crawled back into their holes. I ended up using a .300 WM (all I had) and shot a bunch of them. Needless to say, they were Prairie Dog Spaghetti on reception of the shot. The ammo was bit expensive however. I used Federal 180 gr. MRX's.

I taking a .223 on my next trip.

Yes, take rimfires if you have them. I don't have a 17 HMR but have watched friends use them (in no or low wind conditions) on shots of 200 yards. I use a High Standard Sportmatic with a 10" bbl and 2x scope as my "walk around" gun.

After we shoot an area we walk through it and to areas we cannot drive to. Often we get shots as close as 10 to 15 yards. Very easy to get kills at that range by head shooting them.

You won't get the red mist or splat factor with a rimfire but they are a lot of fun. Some may crawl off if not anchored well but I have seen the crawl off after being hit by a 223 also.

Guess I'll take the 22 MAG b/c I have easier access to it.