What Would be Better For Prairie Dogs???
03-30-2008, 10:12 AM
#11
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 240
RE: What Would be Better For Prairie Dogs???
220 Swift. If your planning on making reapeted kills at 300 Plus yards you'll probably be reloading anyhow just for an accuacy standpoint. Like Dan said I love mine too. I have a 22-250 also but It's hard to leave the house without the 220. Flat shooting and hard hitting. I like either the 52 grain Sierra Match King or the 50 grain Sierra Blitz King
03-31-2008, 06:38 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: WY
Posts: 2,054
RE: What Would be Better For Prairie Dogs???
Actually, Gophers are NOT Prairie Dogs...
Both belong to Family Sciuridae, but do not belong to the same Genus. Prairie Dogs belong to Genus Cynomys, while "Gophers" belong to Genus Spermophilus.
The term "Gopher" is actually a bit misleading, too. Most people refer to any burrowing rodent (Richardson Ground Squirrel, "flickertails", etc.) as a "gopher", though true gophers belong to Genus Geomydae.
300 meter shots on gophers fairly well excludes all of the rimfires. Since ground squirrels (I don't call them gophers) are smaller than prairie dogs, they're a bit more difficult to hit at longer ranges. I'd probably look at one of the .22 centerfires, you might include the .204 Ruger or .17 Fireball, though I know little about either of those new cartridges. I use a .22-250, a .243, and a .308 on prairie dogs out to and beyond 300 yards. Glass!Scopes get to be important when you're looking over 300 meters of windblown prairieobscured byheat waves. I tend to spend as much or more on the scope for these little critters as I do on the rifle.
As a kid, I used to pop ground squirrels with a .22 LR and open sights, and they're witless enough to afford you multiple chances to terminate them if you miss at first. Unless you're cursed with an exceptionally intelligent colony of ground squirrels/gophers that won't let you get any closer than 100 yards (though we used to try stalking to within feet of their burrows), you might be tempted to stick with a good .22 or .17 rimfire. Heckuva lot cheaper, and quite a bit of fun.
Both belong to Family Sciuridae, but do not belong to the same Genus. Prairie Dogs belong to Genus Cynomys, while "Gophers" belong to Genus Spermophilus.
The term "Gopher" is actually a bit misleading, too. Most people refer to any burrowing rodent (Richardson Ground Squirrel, "flickertails", etc.) as a "gopher", though true gophers belong to Genus Geomydae.
300 meter shots on gophers fairly well excludes all of the rimfires. Since ground squirrels (I don't call them gophers) are smaller than prairie dogs, they're a bit more difficult to hit at longer ranges. I'd probably look at one of the .22 centerfires, you might include the .204 Ruger or .17 Fireball, though I know little about either of those new cartridges. I use a .22-250, a .243, and a .308 on prairie dogs out to and beyond 300 yards. Glass!Scopes get to be important when you're looking over 300 meters of windblown prairieobscured byheat waves. I tend to spend as much or more on the scope for these little critters as I do on the rifle.
As a kid, I used to pop ground squirrels with a .22 LR and open sights, and they're witless enough to afford you multiple chances to terminate them if you miss at first. Unless you're cursed with an exceptionally intelligent colony of ground squirrels/gophers that won't let you get any closer than 100 yards (though we used to try stalking to within feet of their burrows), you might be tempted to stick with a good .22 or .17 rimfire. Heckuva lot cheaper, and quite a bit of fun.
03-31-2008, 10:27 PM
#17
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 581
RE: What Would be Better For Prairie Dogs???
220 Swift is one of my favorite rounds, but if I'm looking at a gun strictly for prairie dogs, I'd go with one of the new Mini-14 Target models with the laminate thumbhole stock. Seems pretty much perfect for prairie dogs:
[ul][*]accurate (necessary for small targets)[*]semi-automatic (there will often be multiple targets and it's good to have quick follow-up shots)[*].223 is capable of shooting 200 yards or more (wouldn'trely muchon rimfires for that)[*].223 = cheap ammo (if you get into a good 'dog town, there could be MANY rounds fired)[/ul]
[ul][*]accurate (necessary for small targets)[*]semi-automatic (there will often be multiple targets and it's good to have quick follow-up shots)[*].223 is capable of shooting 200 yards or more (wouldn'trely muchon rimfires for that)[*].223 = cheap ammo (if you get into a good 'dog town, there could be MANY rounds fired)[/ul]
04-01-2008, 06:10 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,320
RE: What Would be Better For Prairie Dogs???
Around here we shoot pds all the time. Rimfires don't cut it at all............unless you are proficient at 300 yds. with it. .204 Ruger will do that nicely.
prairie dogs are not the same as gophers...........
prairie dogs are not the same as gophers...........
