Ok, let me give you some background on what we are doing. My son and 3 of his buddies and dads are taking our kids on a Dakota prairie dog shoot next spring for their HS senior trip.
This will be everyone's 1st trip to shooting dogs
I'm a waterfowl hunter and and a deer hunter but I do have a few rifles I can use for this trip but am looking at buying 2 more rifles dedicated for this hunt.
Here is what I have already
1. Ruger Min 14 in 223 with a 6-24-50 mid level scope. Figure its good for short range dogs
2. Ruger AR15 in 223 with a vortex strikeforce 5-25x56 MRAD scope for medium range
3. Ruger 77 VT laminate stock, heavy barrel 223, wide forend with a 8.5-32x50 Pentax light seeker II for medium to long range. Its a tack driver
I'm looking to buy is this rifle for sure
1. Savage B Mag with laminate stock (model 96970) heavy fluted barrel in 17 WSM with same strikeforce 5-25x56 MRAD scope.
This is where it gets tricky and I so am out of my league. with these calibers Here are my choices in a AR platform (Scopes are TBD on these guns)
1. Savage MSR RECON LRP in 224 Valkyrie, 18" barrel, 1/7 twist
2. Savage MSR Long Range in 224 Valkyrie, 22' barrel, 1/7 twist
Here are my choices in a Bolt action rifle (right hand bolt, left hand load). So its a single shot. Scopes on these guns are TBD
1. Savage 12 LRVP in 22-250, 26" barrel, 1/9 twist
2. Savage 12 LRVP in 204 Ruger, 26" barrel, 1/12 twist
Lastly, if it still exits
1. Mossberg MMR in 224 Valyrie with 1/7 twist. But I can't find it on anybodys website anymore
As I stated, I plan on taking a couple 223 that I already own and buying 2 new rifles with me. The B Mag is pretty much a done deal in 17 WSM.
Where I'm struggling is, do I buy one of new 224 Valkyrie in the Savage or other Brand AR platform or buy a Savage model 12 in either 22-250 or 204 Ruger?
This is probably a once in a lifetime hunt. Do I worry about blowing a barrel out of the 22-250? Some say you'll get 1000 -2000 rounds out before the barrel is toast.
Do I step up to the 224 Valkyrie and hope i can find ammo? They claim its supersonic out to 1300 yards. I obviously want to start shooting ASAP and figure out what each of these guns like from a ammo standpoint.
NOTE: I will be shooting factory ammo. One of the other dads is a big reloader, but not sure I'll have the time do deal with all that complexity.
In summary, I'm taking 3 .223 that I already have. And I'm pretty much sold on the 17 WSM savage BMAG, I just need something that will fill the long range gap of the 17 and 223. That will be a .224 Valkyrie, 22-250, or the 204 ruger.
Thanks for your help and understanding
If there are other guns / calibers you recommend, that's great and I'll entertain any of them, but the guns i listed above are all in stock near me and available for immediate purchase (except the Mossberg MMR PRO).
Ammo on the other hand, I'll have to buy off the net as most of the VMAX rounds are not in stock at my local stores
Thanks
Todd
3