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Next step up in prairie dog cartridges???

7K views 22 replies 20 participants last post by  2Bits 
#1 ·
Quick back ground...

I prairie dog hunt a few times a year. My arsenal now is a 22-250, 17hmr, and 22lr. I am not looking to replace any of these but this winter I would like to build another one that is a step up from the 22-250. My furthest kill to date is 620 yards and I want to go further. A dream would be to shoot one over 1000 yards!!!

I will build this rifle off of a Savage action with a heavy laminate stock. I do reload so the sky is the limit on picking the cartridge. I want flat and FAST! Leaning towards a 6mm rem mag AI or a .243AI

Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
The .240 Weatherby is the fastest factory loaded 6mm, but it's drawbacks are that its unique case cannot be formed from any other, and ammunition isn't common. 6mm-'06 or 6mm-284 are fairly common, as far as wildcats go, and you can form cases from more common brass.

I'm sure that you've seen from your experience with prairie dogs, no cartridge is going to shoot flat at extremely long range. Gravity never takes breaks.
 
#3 ·
You might consider a Liner out of some very high strength high temperature flame resistant alloy to extend your barrel Life somewhat if you intend to load for Maximum Velocity to reach your long range objective.

Something like is used in Military turbines 'buckets' might be usable.

Also consider Barrel length carefully.

Best Regards,
Chev. William
 
#4 ·
Now if we are talking wildcats here and long range, then why not do what Roy Weatherby did but put in a more normal shoulder on the 300H&H case and neck it for 257. With a 1-9 or 1-10 twist barrel it would lob 120 grain bullets out there and I mean lob because has as been said Mr.Gravity takes no prisoners. Some rounds lob shallower than others but at the end of the day there is not going to be a great difference and you are still going to have to do your bit. I don't know if it has been done, but a quarter incher on a 300H&H case could be quite exciting.
 
#6 ·
Another 6mm cartridge which I have knowledge of over here and which I have seen perform extremely well is the
6x62R. OK it was being shot from a single shot break open Blaser with more gold inlay than my dentist has teeth but it did shoot extremely well and would make a very interesting talking point.
 
#7 ·
I shoot point-blank, 600 yard, and 1000 yard Benchrest. Contrary to the popular Internet myths, you do not need a cartridge with warp velocity to shoot the longer distances. What it takes is the right bullet out of a barrel with the correct twist. Two cartridges that have proven themselves over the years are the 243W and 244R (or their Ackley versions) in an 8 or 9 twist barrel, with a high BC bullet at a reasonable velocity. Accuracy is excellent and barrel life is reasonable. BC of the bullet will never let you ignore the wind but, if it's high enough, it can be managed.

No matter which cartridge you choose, you cannot expect to shoot short, mid, and long range without a good scope that can be dialed in to whatever distance you want to shoot at the time. This will require you to have a ballistic table that has been verified by actual shooting. No cartridge, no matter how high the velocity, is going to shoot flat enough to cover all the distances. As an experienced live varmint hunter you probably already know that.

Another option would be one of the 6.5mm short cartridges that are popular with long-range Benchrest shooters today.

Good luck.

Ray
 
#9 ·
I have shot the 6-284 it is a very good round but a little hard on barrels,but a great cartridge for those very long shots.I had a 243 AI which is very close to a 6mm Rem that I never could understand why it never caught on,I know the bad press it got for a slow twist rate.My favorite was the 240 super varminter,which is 270 win necked down to 6mm,this was Jerry Gebbys design.It is fast and flat but again can be tough on barrels but worth the effort.One of the best groups I ever shot was with this round.Any of these rounds are good for those 600yd plus shots as long as you pick a calm day and not too much coffee.
 
#11 ·
I think the .22 Hornet would be an excellent prairie dog eliminator, great speed and hard energy but I never had one but have heard great things about the cartridge, If I buy another rifle I think I will get the Hornet, at the moment my prairie dog weapon is my AR15 but I never had the pleasure to go prairie dog hunting.:)
 
#12 · (Edited)
Well if you want to go VERY long, I know a bench rest guy who wildcats .243 Win and .257 Roberts down to .224 and uses the longest VLD bullets made. The stories of some of the ultra long shots on prairie dogs he and some of his clients have made are impressive to say the least. PM me if you want his number.
 
#14 ·
Buddy of mine was a serious hunter of woodchucks in upstate New York. When it got too far or too windy for a 223, he had a Ruger #1 in 25-'06, loaded with 87gr bullets and a whole lotta H4831SC.

Along the same lines, a 25 Gibbs might be nice, in a rifle meant to shoot one at a time. To my way of thinking, the 6.5's are more than you need for even the longest shots on varmints...a very accurate 24 or 25, along with the skills/equipment to adjust for long-range shooting would be the right next step for your arsenal.
 
#15 ·
If you want to push the range, you have to go to heavier bullets. Consider the 7mm Rem Mag. To get better long-range performance you have to go with massive bullets in .30-.50 calibre. Use target-shooters' BTHP match bullets. Nothing else matches the accuracy. It's not likely you will get any expansion at very long ranges except with the lightest varmint bullets but they are too wind-sensitive and slow down too fast. Handload so you can tune the load to the barrel perfectly. Fuss over the brass. Find the optimal case, bullet, seating depth, powder-charge and primer. Record temperature, wind, humidity for every group fired. Everything has to be perfect to do the job. Even if you can shoot 0.1 MOA on paper that's an inch at 1000 yards and possible a miss on a gopher. With wind, mirage, temperature, health, etc. No one can do that well. Expect to miss frequently. An old gopher-hunter told me to aim for the rocks they stand on and kill them with shrapnel...
 
#17 ·
I had an243AI built for me a few years ago. Couldn't be happier with it's perforformance so far. I needed something that could reach out too 800 yrds for wood chucks, yotes and long range paper punching. I use 105gr. A-max bullets and H-1000 powder to get 3200 fps. My only concern at the time with that round was barrel life but I'm over 2000 rounds fired now and it still shoots bug holes. How long a 243AI barrel would hold up blasting round after round at PDs might be another story though.
 
#18 ·
My vote would be a 6X47 Lapua, yes the initial costs are higher, and you're going to have to do some neck work up front but I believe it'll run cooler than a .243. For all out horsepower, a 6mm Creedmore really rocks the stage, but there's been a lot of brass complaints.

I've just never been a fan of the 243 case, and the 6x47 will run just under it's performance with 8-10 grains less powder.
 
#21 ·
Next Step for Prairie Dogs



I like your idea of the 6mm Rem AI. The 6mm Rem has a lot of taper and should benefit greatly from the AI. You may want to build it on a long action to seat the bullet out farther, increasing useable case capacity. Run some computer simulations to determine optimum barrel length. Sounds like a great project!:)
 
#22 ·
I shoot a heavy barreled 22-250 stainless and a medium weight 220 Swift,both have big scopes and shooting off of a bench I have killed Ground Squirrels at a little over 450 yds,lazered.But the 50 gr is running out of gas at that distance so not the explosive hits at 250 or 300yds.I have the scope cranked up 28 1/4 minute clicks for 22-250 and a little less for the Swift.The Swift shoots 1/2 minute groups and the 22-250 will shoot .200 inch groups sometimes a little less.Wind is a factor,where a 10mph from the side will push it off target.A 6x284 or a 243AI and one of my favorites is the old 240 Super Varminter handle the wind better.Lay off the coffee take a deep breath close off any distractions.You will need someone to spot for you because the recoil always takes me off target.
 
#23 ·
Now if your speaking of taking critters out to a 1000 yards.....Umm OK!:eek:

I would lean towards the rifle I just got finished with this past summer. It is a model 70 Winchester Classic in the 6.5/06 caliber. In other words the .264/06 and it does a daddy job of reaching out way down youndar way for critters.;)
 
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