Sod Poodle caliber and cartridge

[ntsqd]

200 rounds per day I think gets rid of all the hot shots, like .220 swift, 22-250, 22 br and 22 creed. 222 rem is a tack driver, but doesn't have the steam for 700 yards, and I think any of the .204 and .17 variants will be the same.

.223 ai with a fast twist and 70-90g bullets would foot the bill, and there are plenty of .223 actions available, as would the 6 ARC or a 6 fat rat. I don't know a lot of bolt guns that have a grendel bolt face, but it's easily done in an ar. 700 yards in Montana plains may be interesting, but they will do it. There are guys that will bush a bolt face, but I only know of people who have had it done.

Then is the 6br (br, brx, bra) based cases, those will play 700+ all day. 200 rounds is a lot to ask from any rifle, but with a good barrel I don't think there is an issue if you take breaks. Components are hard for anything, but lots of guys shooting them and plenty of data available. Low recoil, lots of bullet choices and good brass. 2850-2900 FPS on 108-110 g bullets I believe is the top end on these. I think this is the sweet spot for what you have listed.

You can use bigger cases to go faster, but 200 rounds on a .243 or 6 creed is a tall order. A 6.5 bullet wants more powder and I can't poo poo a .260 or a 6.5 creed, but for vermin I don't see any reason to try and hot rod them. If you don't hot rod them, the 6br cases win inside 700 yards.

RE: Grendel bolt face, that case is based on the 7.62x39 and Howa makes their 1500 Mini in that chambering as does CZ.

 

[Varmintnv]

I shoot a .17 Hornet, .223, .223AI, and a .22-250 for PD's. I used my .243AI a few years ago, but the recoil wasn't fun after about 40 rnds. Out to 500yds a .223 and 50gr varmint bullets will get it done. I made the 500yd club in the old Varmint Hunters Assoc. with a heavy barrel .223 with a 1-15 twist Hart barrel pushing 50gr. NBT's at 3500fps.

 

[JC in Calif]

Looking for ideas to build prairie dog rifle , caliber and cartridge only , I can handle the rifle build but need suggestions with long barrel life please. Had thought about single shot 243 throated , but only experience with that cartridge was buying them and loading for grand children factory rifles .

Thanks , Floyd

I tend to shoot lots of different calibers when PD hunting. Based on some of the specifics listed elsewhere in this thread, I would suggest a 6BR. I shoot one in a Cooper Varmint Extreme. It can handle a variety of bullet weights. Currently, I'm shooting 80gr FB Varmint Berger's with VV135. Very accurate, with good terminal effects.

 

[davidu]

There's lots of good advice here. There's no one good answer to your question except "it depends".
IMHO,
Are the PD towns shot at a lot? If so then forget the 17 HMR because you will be shooting past 200 yds and ANY wind kills that caliber

Are you planning on spotting for each other? If not then the 6.5 CM with a brake and a chassis with your scope turned down to below 20x is the largest caliber where you see your misses if the ground is dry.

How many rounds are you planning on shooting in a day? The 204Ruger and 22-250 will heat up in a big hurry. The 223Rem, 6CM and 6.5CM stay cooler a little longer. Assuming all your rifles have heavy varmint or M24 contour barrels, which is a good idea.



If you are going to a place where there's plenty of shooting then I would highly recommend a 223cal and a 6mm or 6.5mm caliber of your liking.

I take a 17HMR, 204Ruger, 223Rem, 22-250, 6CM, and a 6.5CM because you never know what the conditions are going to dictate. It's a 17-20 hour drive to PD Land!

 

[Mustang72]

I like to take 2-3 different guns when I go. A 22lr,a 223 or 223ai,and whatever else I feel like shooting,anywhere from a 22-250 to a 300wm. The 223 gets shot the most. The bigger gun is great for those way out there when it's a bit windy while letting the other barrel cool. Nothing builds confidence better for me than whacking pd and Jack's way out there with my regular hunting rifle.

 

[freddiej]

Floyd Kittrell, my three caliber/cartridge suggestions.
22-250: 1:10" or 1:9" twist
6MM Rem: 1:10" twist
22 middlestead (22-08 AI): 1:10" or 1:9" twist
As an after thought.. 204 Ruger or a 224 Weatherby Mag

 

[Tidus56]

I built a 243 AI to shoot the dogs that are far, 204 Ruger for closer and a 6.5 creed when the 243 AI gets warm. I think I would do 223 AI or a 6 BR if I add another to my PD rotation.

 

[ntsqd]

or a 224 Weatherby Mag

Long liked that case for the bore size. Didn't care so much for the oddball case itself. Really hoping that the .224 Valkyrie can fill in for it. Built a Valkyrie on a Howa 1500 Mini with the 7.62x39 bolt face in an MDT chassis to try it out.

 

[sturner]

22-250 fast twist

 

[Sending156s]

Floyd----lots of particulars to this question that should be filled in before getting much into it.

Rounds per day?
Rifle weight?
Braked or not?
Shot off a table or off the deck?
Ranges of the majority of your shots?

I've done my share of PD shooting, and for me I just can't get behind the idea of a 243 for a pd rifle, too much recoil, it'll be hard on barrels and even tougher on the shooter.

The easy button would be a 223 AI, note I'd do the AI because you're a loader and it'll keep case trimming to a minimum and this will keep you shooting and not trimming. 8 twist

Plus with a 223 you can spot your own shots and this is a huge help!

A lot of my days are 400 round or more days and I want not part of a 243 for those days....now for 20 or 30 rounds here and there I get it.

Fill us in a bit on what your days in the pd fields look like and we'll try to help out.

What's your thoughts on a 6 dasher if he's shooting 50-200 rds per outing at 300-600 yds?

 

[Rhino55]

What's your thoughts on a 6 dasher if he's shooting 50-200 rds per outing at 300-600 yds?

I shoot the 6MM Norma Dasher. Speed is 2880 fps so it reduces throat erosion. Very accurate!

 

[wonderman4]

Most of the calibers mentioned (including the 243 Win) will get you 6-8 days in the field before you get the barrel shot out. So, be prepared to spend some money on barrels as well as ammo costs.

Maybe look at something larger. Most 308 Win rifles will get 3000-5000 rounds before the barrel is shot out.

 

[Quintus]

I always bring all the guns I have room for from .22LR to 300Wby. Excellent practice with wind and variable distances. Barrels get hot at some point regardless of cartridge so shoot one while 5 cool. If I must choose only one and I mean to spend some time at it, I would go .223Rem with a 9 twist. 700 yard p-dogs is fun to poke and gratifying to hit if you can, but the fun is the red mist from 400 yards and in. The .223 is just cheap and easy and lots of shots before cool down. You can watch em pop and you have enough speed left to 4 to make em pop, at least a little. I usually bring about 3000 rounds on a p-dog trip of which 2K is .223Rem. The other rifles may come home with ammo left, but the .223s never do.

 

[del2les]

Your criteria for long barrel life and 200 rounds per shoot/day will eliminate a lot of rounds. Especially your desire for 243win, for I have toasted 243W throats on P-dog towns in about 1,000rds and less. The 243 AI throat holds a little better, but again, life will not be long with much shooting. Unless you are talking about only 2-3 days per year.

I've used 223 long throats and 223AI's both with 9 and 8" twists with 50-55gr (100-500yds) and 75-80gr for longer shots (600-800yds), and they have worked well, and depending on wind, I have pushed 222's to 500+yds or so. All those have seen several days of 3-500+rounds/day with one 3 day shoot average of 535/day.

If you still desire a 6mm, I would go with a 6BR or 6BRA or "similar" with an 8 twist.