Long-ish range prairie dog caliber?

[SavageHunter11]

Planning to build/buy my dad a rifle for prairie dog hunting. He's expressed interest in a .22-250 but the buddy he will be hunting with shoots anywhere from 400 yards to 600 yards and in our state of South Dakota the wind always blows at least 10mph - 25mph it seems. I have wondered if a .22 bullet will be buffeted around by our wind too much to be an effective cartridge. Any suggestions for a better prairie dog cartridge or will a .22-250 suffice? Also, I feel I should note my dad has never owned a rifle before, only shotguns, and will be using factory ammunition. As tempting as a tighter-than-factory twist barrel and 75gr hand-loaded 22-250 sounds, I don't think that will be an option for factory loaded ammo that is readily found at Cabelas.

 

[YZ-80]

I guess the only thing that comes to mind to me is a .243. At present, the next acquisition on my list is a Sako Varmint Laminate in that fine cartridge.

 

[SavageHunter11]

I guess the only thing that comes to mind to me is a .243. At present, the next acquisition on my list is a Sako Varmint Laminate in that fine cartridge.

That was my next thought as well thinking if he ever got the itch to hunt whitetail that he could use it for that as well.

 

[Canhunter35]

for factory ammo and rifle a 6creed is probably the best bet

 

[sable tireur]

I think the consideration for factory ammunition can curtail some selections but you can consider the plain Jane .243 Win. or even step up a little more to the 6.5 Creedmoor which will offer probably the best solution for distance to target and factory ammunition.

 

[Calvin45]

too bad about the limitations to factory ammo...with a more aggressive twist the big 22s are exactly right for this application. You sure you guys don't have a friend who handloads? The 6 and 6.5 will of course do much better in the wind than a standard twist 22-anything, but then if you're using the high bc bullets in these calibers they often don't provide the gratifying "splat - red mist" effect that so many seek. If he's a traditional, nostalgic type I'd say in the interest of paying homage to the varminters of days gone by to get THE original long range varmint rifle and get a .220 Swift, but again, the factory options are little to be desired.

 

[BEEMAN]

Before I seen factory ammo I was going to suggest a 6 Dasher. Maybe the 6 Creed is your best option.

 

[BoomFlop]

The 6 Creed doesn't offer near the factory options as the 243 Win does. Also, there are far more rifles chambered in 243 than the 6 Creedmoor.

My vote for factory ammo would be 243 Win.

 

[Calvin45]

The 6 Creed doesn't offer near the factory options as the 243 Win does. Also, there are far more rifles chambered in 243 than the 6 Creedmoor.

My vote for factory ammo would be 243 Win.

given the limitations outlines I'd have to agree with this. But again, are you guys absolutely certain you don't know anybody who handloads?

 

[SavageHunter11]

given the limitations outlines I'd have to agree with this. But again, are you guys absolutely certain you don't know anybody who handloads?

In a town of 1200 where everyone knows what you did before you even do it... Yeah I don't know anyone in our town who handloads or even target shoots. Everyone I know has had the same box of 20 rifle shells for the past 15 deer season.

 

[benchracer]

Planning to build/buy my dad a rifle for prairie dog hunting. He's expressed interest in a .22-250 but the buddy he will be hunting with shoots anywhere from 400 yards to 600 yards and in our state of South Dakota the wind always blows at least 10mph - 25mph it seems. I have wondered if a .22 bullet will be buffeted around by our wind too much to be an effective cartridge. Any suggestions for a better prairie dog cartridge or will a .22-250 suffice? Also, I feel I should note my dad has never owned a rifle before, only shotguns, and will be using factory ammunition. As tempting as a tighter-than-factory twist barrel and 75gr hand-loaded 22-250 sounds, I don't think that will be an option for factory loaded ammo that is readily found at Cabelas.

400-600 yards isn't so far that it takes even a .223/5.56 out of the running for prairie dogs. I shoot quite a bit in windy conditions over prairie dog fields and have used both 5.56 and 22-250 to good effect at those distances and beyond. While the .223/5.56 works just fine, the 22-250 is easier to shoot in the wind. A scope reticle with wind holds or, at a minimum, mil/moa hash marks and matching turrets is very useful for spotting and adjusting for misses.

I would be looking at a factory rifle of your choice in .223/5.56, 22-250, or .243, shooting Hornady Superformance Varmint as my first choice of ammo. This will buy you 53 VMAX @ 3465 in .223, 50 VMAX @ 4000 in 22-250, and 58 VMAX @ 3925 or 75 VMAX @ 3580 in .243 Win. If the chosen rifle doesn't like Superformance, the standard Varmint Express typically does very well.

The .204 Ruger may also deserve consideration, but I don't have any personal experience with it.

 

[Calvin45]

In a town of 1200 where everyone knows what you did before you even do it... Yeah I don't know anyone in our town who handloads or even target shoots. Everyone I know has had the same box of 20 rifle shells for the past 15 deer season.

All right, makes sense. I know lots of people who go through ammunition at that pace as well, and to be honest I have one friend who handloads along with myself and that's about it for people I know.

 

[aushunter1]

.243 if you want it to be multipurpose, ammo will be abundantly available in a wide range of weights & should also be pretty cheap

 

[Frog4aday]

I still think you are on the right track with the .22-250 choice. Lot's of factory ammo. Minimal recoil. Great power (for prairie dogs.) Heck, everything is going to get pushed around by the wind, so won't matter much between a .243 and .22-250 as your Dad is going to have to learn to 'kentucky windage' his shots either way.

But if you are seriously thinking he MIGHT want to shoot Bambi someday, the .243 Win makes more sense. Just know that a long day on the prairie dogs with a .243 Win will be more punishing (recoil-wise) than the .22-250 would be. As we get older, we like recoil less and less. Since the primary goal was prairie dogs, go with your first instinct (it was a good one.)

I was going to suggest the .224 Valkyrie as an option since it will be twisted to shoot heavier for caliber bullets, but I'm not sure it is going to survive long term. Still...it's an option if you are looking to 'fight the wind' without the recoil of a .243/6mm gun.

EDITED ADDITION: Re-read the original post and...since this is for your Dad and HE expressed an interest in the .22-250 Rem, that's what you should get him. He'll be happy. It's what he 'knows' and that means a lot.