204 or 223 for Prairie Dogs

[Etson]

Hi. I am looking at getting a prairie dog gun and am looking at a 204 or a 223 for caliber. I am leaning towards the 204 but am curious how the 204 does in the wind and it's effective range. Thanks

 

[just_jon]

I'm a 204 fan but would have to go with the 223 on the basis of brass availability.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Hi. I am looking at getting a prairie dog gun and am looking at a 204 or a 223 for caliber. I am leaning towards the 204 but am curious how the 204 does in the wind it effective range. Thanks

We got a Ruger 77 Mark II TARGET GREY 26" barrel in 2004 when the .204 Ruger came out. Been shooting Wood Chucks and PD since then. Shooting SBK 39gr with H-4895. Best load. Shoot out to 500 yds. Also shoot with several friends that have 22-250 and the .204 SHINES.
Also have a .223, but in a RRA 20" AR platform. Love the RRA .223 for Coyote Hog because of compact size and range of bullets - 55gr to 77gr. for PD to Hogs.
The .204 we only shoot one load 39 SBK and get 0.156 MOA.
.204 shoots good in the wind and will always have one. Think better than the 22-250.

 

[wyowinchester]

204.

 

[Quackshot]

I've been shooting prairie dogs since I was 7 years old. I live in prairie dog country so I shoot a lot. Most people can't believe or comprehend how many pds I've shot. I'm 72 years old and many years I've fired over 10,000 rounds at the little rascals.
Believe me when I tell you get the 204R.

 

[MachV]

It depends.......run both for many years.
The 204 shooting 32 grainers is very flat but lacks the mass needed for good video with full size dogs(does great with pups) if the 204 will shoot 39/40 grainers they will outrun most 223s, most days.
Hard to go wrong with a 223 for your first prarie dog gun. Much cheaper to feed

 

[Etson]

Thanks for all the info. I'll be looking at 204s to buy. Anyone now a good place to start looking for ammo? Doesn't look like there is much out there.

 

[Hugnot]

I am an enthusiastic user of both. Consider loading your own.

My .204R has a 11 twist 26" #4 barrel and shoots 40 Vmax's at just under 3700 with IMR8208 or CFE223, good for up to 400 & able to spot hits.

My .223 has a 9 twist 24" #4 barrel and shoots 53 Vmax's at about 3200 with IMR8208 or CFE223, range about same but not as easy to spot hits.

Pros & cons:

.204R - brass kind of scarce, should have 11 twist or faster to shoot 40 Vmax's or longer, 30 deg. shoulder reduces frequency of case trimming; .204 bullets have higher BC's than comparable weight .224 bullets. 4000 fps may be reached with 32 grain bullets (speedy). Nice flat trajectory with 32 & 40 grain loads, increases frequency of hits. Able to spot hits.

.223 - easy cheap brass, 9 twist does great with 53 Vmax's to 73 ELDM's. 20 or so degree shoulder requires more case trimming, greater variety of .224 bullets. Small powder charges. Long barrel life. Large selection of suitable powders.

If I had to shoot prairie dogs or rodents for a living it would be a .223 AI - cheap buckets of available brass, long barrel life, long brass life, more available small rifle primers, wide selection of bullets, small powder charges, huge variety of suitable powders & the sharp shoulder reduces case trimming frequency. A 9 twist provides adequate stability for most .224 bullets under 70 grains.

Most .223 rifles have 12 or faster twists that will stabilize the 53 Vmax or others of same length.

Should your interest grow, consider a used .223 or .204R and getting it re-barreled to .223 or .204R. Loading your own is a necessity for shooting hordes of destructive rodents. Favorite bullets .204 40 Vmax, .224 53 Vmax. Recover costs of re-load equipment with 800 or less rounds.

 

[ken158]

Thanks for all the info. I'll be looking at 204s to buy. Anyone now a good place to start looking for ammo? Doesn't look like there is much out there.

Nobody mentioned it yet but if you go to a PD town, you should take 2 rifles. A 204 and a 223 are a great compromise. Your comment about looking for ammo gives the idea that you are not a reloader since shooting factory ammo in PD towns will get very costly.

 

[Cemetery21]

you should take 2 rifles

or four. After over 40 years and many calibers, I built a couple of 20 Practicals. You get the advantage of brass availability (223 brass) and the 4,000+ flat shooting of the 20s (with 32 gr bullets). Wish I had done that many years ago. I still shoot 223AI and 223, but not near as much.

 

[Ken61]

223
Cheap and good ammo or components
accurate
does the job real good

 

[Ramem7mm]

I dont own a 204 but I just had a 223AI built that I am still working on load development for but it shoots pretty good so far. I also have an older Savage 1 in 9 twist 223 that shoots 50 grain Vmaxs pretty well and an AR 15 223 Rem Heavy Barrel that is also a blast to shoot. When I go I have several guns on bench and use a 22 mag for the close critters and then use the 223's for farther out and rotate rifles as the barrels warm up. 223 components are also available as others have stated.

 

[Etson]

I do reload but am not set up for components for these small calibers.

Doing a little reading on the 20 Practical. I do like the idea of the 20 Practical. I also like the idea of a couple rifles. Always need a good excuse to add the gun safe.

I feel like a faster twist 223 and a 20 Practical would complement themselves nicely.

I am also looking at the more casual prairie dog shoot when I am hunting antelope/deer in Wyoming or Montana. Although I can see my self getting into shooting prairie dogs as that is some of the funnest times.

 

[Hydra6]

I shot PDs in South Dakota last August for first time. Very windy. Asked buddy from SD what 223 projectiles to load and he said "heavies" to buck the wind. I had 80SMKs loaded long for my 223 trainer and they worked great. If I go again will be 223 with 75 ELDMs.