Favorite Varmint Cartridge
- Thread starter Jud96
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Man you've had a lot of experience prarie dog hunting! I have never hunted P-Dogs but would love to, there isn't any back East so stuck hunting groundhogs on local farms. Those groundhogs are TOUGH and sometimes can take a solid body hit as close as 300yds with a .308 WIN. loaded with 168gr SMKs and crawl off into the hole. So headshots are the normal with match bullets or standard hunting slugs, we also make headshots with explosive bullets to gurantee kills. Small .17 caliber rifles often are only good for shots under 100yds and .20s out to 300yd with no wind. Most shots here are 250+ so our smallest rig is .222 REM. for short shots on those little tanks. I can see though how a light caliber setup would excel on prarie dogs though, you do lots of shooting and they're smaller than groundhogs so require less horsepower to take them down haha!
This guy that has the .243SLR has everything from .20s to 408 CheyTac. he likes the .243SLR and the .257WSM about as well as anything. He has done some spectacular shooting with the .20s also. He has kills out to 650yds. with them. He says they perform in the wind a lot better than you would expect. His glass are mostly Nightforce with a few Leupolds and Huskemaw thrown in. He is doing some testing for Bill at the Hunting Shack in 375 CheyTac now. Likes what he sees.
Hunter2678
Well-Known Member
+1 on that, I've seen them nearly blown in half with the guts/rear feet dragging on the ground, crawl right back into their holes., Granted the holes were a yard or 2 away but a determined GH will surprise you on how much they can take.
That's exactly what I have seen too! I remember when I was little I use to shoot groundhogs with my Dad's custom Interarms Short action Mauser or "mini Mauser" ,which we called it, chambered in .30x39. We were shooting a 125gr HP at 2500fps, making for a good little varmint rifle with light recoil and good knock down power. Now I was only 10-11 so making headshots at 300yds wasn't my specialty, especially trying to shoot off the cab of the truck while standing in the bed resting on a flimsy rest we use to have. I hit two one day square in the body, guts flew and I was tickled to death that I got one. Both were only feet from their holes and crawled off after having their middles blown apart! I found a new respect for these little warriors and soon began popping them with my .270 Winchester, they no longer crawled off after either being cut in two!
varmintH8R
Well-Known Member
We must have sissy groundhogs here. Every one I have popped with anything bigger than a 22LR flops like a popped balloon. And there have been a bunch
Most are 17hmr or 22-250, with a few "terminal ballistic experiments " in 280AI, 7-08, and 300WSM...
A few of the 22-250 victims had no exit (50gr Blitzking, 3850MV). Liquified inside, but no pelt damage - good additions for my wife's groundhog coat. Can't wait to surprise her with it.
Most are 17hmr or 22-250, with a few "terminal ballistic experiments " in 280AI, 7-08, and 300WSM...
A few of the 22-250 victims had no exit (50gr Blitzking, 3850MV). Liquified inside, but no pelt damage - good additions for my wife's groundhog coat. Can't wait to surprise her with it.
Hunter2678
Well-Known Member
varmintH8R;910490[B said:]We must have sissy groundhogs here.[/B] Every one I have popped with anything bigger than a 22LR flops like a popped balloon. And there have been a bunch
Most are 17hmr or 22-250, with a few "terminal ballistic experiments " in 280AI, 7-08, and 300WSM...
A few of the 22-250 victims had no exit (50gr Blitzking, 3850MV). Liquified inside, but no pelt damage - good additions for my wife's groundhog coat. Can't wait to surprise her with it.
Well yeah,..its Michigan ...
Haha well I've seen my fair share of hogs killed with .22LRs and .17s but some some just keep going after being blown up literally! I'm surprized you dont have explosive demage with those Blitzkings. I know when a hog gets smacked with a 50 V-MAX out of the ol' .222 REM. going 3200 his head is peeled open or it looks like a golfball drove through him!We must have sissy groundhogs here. Every one I have popped with anything bigger than a 22LR flops like a popped balloon. And there have been a bunch
Most are 17hmr or 22-250, with a few "terminal ballistic experiments " in 280AI, 7-08, and 300WSM...
A few of the 22-250 victims had no exit (50gr Blitzking, 3850MV). Liquified inside, but no pelt damage - good additions for my wife's groundhog coat. Can't wait to surprise her with it.
Haha these farm hogs in PA and WV are tough son of a guns!Well yeah,..its Michigan ...
varmintH8R
Well-Known Member
Well yeah,..its Michigan ...
Ahhhhh, leave it to Ohio.....
Maybe our groundhogs are weak because we aren't chasing them around trying to "love" them around here
I would normally tell you I am a Spartan so you Buckeyes don't have to hate me, but after we ruined your perfect season in both major men's sports maybe that isn't so true. At least both teams recovered from their beatings......er......er.....anyway....
All in fun, hijack over, back to varmint killin' talk
Brandon
blacknzr1
Well-Known Member
im really liking my factory tikka in .223
its the lite barrel, with a 8 twist and has a 6.5-20x50 sightron.
iv been shooting from 50gr up to 80gr.
iv shot small fallow deer and goats in the bush at close range
iv shot rabbits and varmints long range
and often shoot at the nra range (just fun and drop checks/practice at this stage, but it holds its own)
I don't mind that the 80gr amax isn't a fast flat shooting round, (2800) I want wind bucking for rabbits and targets at distance, im going to have to dial anyway.
its the lite barrel, with a 8 twist and has a 6.5-20x50 sightron.
iv been shooting from 50gr up to 80gr.
iv shot small fallow deer and goats in the bush at close range
iv shot rabbits and varmints long range
and often shoot at the nra range (just fun and drop checks/practice at this stage, but it holds its own)
I don't mind that the 80gr amax isn't a fast flat shooting round, (2800) I want wind bucking for rabbits and targets at distance, im going to have to dial anyway.
Hard to beat a .223 for short ranges! I'm considering building a short range varminter and if I don't go with a little 6mm it's going to be a .224 cal rifle and thinking of a .223 Ackley, a standard .22-.250, or .22-.250 Ackley.
tuck2
Well-Known Member
A big prairie dog is around three pounds, no wonder you all need them big guns for ground hogs which weigh What ?? . When the eight Oz prairie dog pups first come out of their holes and there are a lot of shots within 150 yards I use the 17 HM2 and 17 HMR rifles. But come spring I ll also be shooting the pups at longer ranges with the 17 Hornet.. I ll be trying some long rang shooting with the Hornet say like 300 yards. I m retired so I go out shooting any time when its not so windy.
HogginKing
Active Member
My choice would be my old Savage 112 from the late 70's, caliber is 220 Swift.
A Burris Sig. series 6x24 target scope w/1/8" clicks, harris S bipod.
Several years ago factory barrel was replaced with a Douglas 26".
The factory trigger wore out and was replaced with a rifle basic.
Handloads I use IMR 4064, CCI primers, Winchester brass, nosler 50 gr. bt.
Brass is neck turned, neck sized, powder charged weighted, bulled seated.
The farthest Groundhog so far is 715 yds., checked with a Leica 1200 rangefinder.
Hogginking
"Groundhogs"," the other white meat"
A Burris Sig. series 6x24 target scope w/1/8" clicks, harris S bipod.
Several years ago factory barrel was replaced with a Douglas 26".
The factory trigger wore out and was replaced with a rifle basic.
Handloads I use IMR 4064, CCI primers, Winchester brass, nosler 50 gr. bt.
Brass is neck turned, neck sized, powder charged weighted, bulled seated.
The farthest Groundhog so far is 715 yds., checked with a Leica 1200 rangefinder.
Hogginking
"Groundhogs"," the other white meat"
