Want to buy a prairie dog rifle.?

Question

Which cal. rifle is the best for long range accuracy. (150-500yrds or more)

Answer 1

My family owns a ranch in SD that has about 50 acres of prairie dog town. We've had hundreds of people out there over the years.. and I've seen just about every caliber used. The best shot I've ever witnessed was last october when a friend of mine shot a medium sized prairie dog at 840 yards with a 30 mph crosswind. He used a .308 caliber. I mostly use .223 myself because it's cheap and you can easily go through 500 rounds in a few days of dog shooting. I can't reliably hit prairie dogs with it beyond 400 yards however. Oddly enough, the 223 is also a bit underpowered for prairie dogs. It will kill them without trouble.. but they often make it down their hole before they die.. which leaves you without confirmation. I've seen them scramble down holes with their guts dragging behind them.. and while some think this is amusing.. i prefer it to be quick and painless. They're very tough for their size... so there's really no such thing as being overpowered when hunting them. You're not going to eat the meat anyway... so destruction isn't a problem. I've killed them with everything from 22 rifles.. 45pistols... to 30-06 and 7mm. My favorite was the .308.. so that's what I have to recommend. It's the most flat shooting accurate round out there and very reasonably priced as it's a common military round.

Answer 2

Two things - already assuming a good rest

1. It's not the caliber so much as it's the rifle and ammo used. If the combo won't group at 100 yards, it's not going to be anywhere close at further distances when you're shooting a prairie dog.

2. The bigger calibers and heavier bullets buck wind better than the smaller calibers. Certain calibers and cartridges have a tradjectory disadvantage though.

A 243 is a good choice for long range --- over 400 yards
But remember, you may not see the prarie dog get hit. As my buddy says "that's no ******* fun"

If the shots are less than 300, a 223 should be given consideration because they ammo is cheapest. I'd give the nod to the 22-250 or 220 swift depending if you reolad or not.
If you hunt big game like small whitetails or antalope --- might want to look at the 243 or 25-06 (but you won't see the prarie dogs get hit)

Answer 3

For prairie dogs you need something that is accurate and good for up to a couple of hundred yards. The .223 comes to mind but at shorter range a .22 Magnum or .17 HMR will do just fine. If you're serious about those 500 yard shots then get something along the order of a .22-250 with a 4x12 scope although the .223 is still effective on prairie dog at 500 yards.

Best.

H

Answer 4

Prairie Dog Hunting Guns

Answer 5

I live in Colorado so we have our own prairie dog towns. I use up to 4 different rifles and a couple of pistols. The rifles are from smallest to largest.
.223 Savage Mdl 110
22-250 on a Mauser action
.257 Roberts on a Mauser action
25-06 on a Model 1917 action.
221 Fireball Remington XP-100 (pistol)
.30 cal Carbine in a Ruger Super Blackhawk.(pistol)
All will do the job it depends on the distance, the back stop, and how close you can get to the dog town.

Answer 6

a neighbor had prairie dogs in their pasture, it was pretty hilly ground with a nice draw to sneak into and get within about 50 yards of the town. As a kid a buddy and I would spend hours on end creeping through the cow pies, horse needles, and cockle burrs to get to a cattle loading shoot.

I shot open sight with a Winchester model 150 rifle. best days of my life were spent in that loading shoot in April with the new spring litter of pups on the playing field.

That said my eye sight and stalking skill's ain't as they were at 16 or 17.. Now I use a home built AR 223 with a 3-7x40 scope from about 200 yards.

JB, ever get to SoDak I'd enjoy a shoot or two. My favorite dog town got vacuumed a couple years ago. I'd enjoy popping a few again just to see if I can.

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Want to buy a prairie dog rifle.?
Which cal. rifle is the best for long range accuracy. (150-500yrds or more)

Answer 8

My uncle hunts coyotes and goes out west to praire dog hunt every Summer and fall. He uses a 22-250 because it a very fast and flat shooting caliber and could kill them at upt o 600 yards if the shooter could hit them at theat distance. The farthest shot he made was around 590, and he shot twice. Hit it the second time around. A .220 swift is also a good caliber for praire dogs, as is the .204 Ruger. A .223 and a .243 wouldnt be my first choice because they cant shoot as far as any of the others, but they will get the job done.

Answer 9

If I were going to buy or build a dedicated varmint gun, I'd probably go with one in .250-3000 Savage, or ,22-250.

However it seems that these days, various .223's are more common than any other caliber. And I must say the .223 is a damned sight better varmint cartridge than it is a battle cartridge.

Doc

Answer 10

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