Bipods, ammo and prairie dogs

A

AZ_Win52

New member
I have a Savage 12 LRPV. This summer I am planning my first PD shoot. Will be traveling to SD for a week. What would you recommend for a rest while shooting? Bipod? If so what do you like and what works with the LRPV?

We are debating how much ammo to bring. One source said that each shooter will go thru 2000 rds in 4 days. These will all be handloads.

Just looking for info and maybe starting a lively thread :)
 
If you have a shooting bench and a chair a Harris short swivel bipod will be
fine. If you intend just using a chair and a bipod use a one that can extend
to about 25 to 30 inches that swivels. Then you can sit or kneel.
As for ammo it depends on what kind of shooter you are and what kind of PD town you are shooting on. If you are going for a whole week take
2000 rounds. You can always bring back the ammo you dont use.
This will be my 14th trip. We shoot for 3-4 days and we usually take
1000-1500 rounds per person. Usually we go two times a season.

Tbear :)
 
PD Hunt

After shooting 3-4 days like that is your barrel shot out! craig
 
Hi Craig,

Actually, I am not a machine gun shooter. I take that amount of ammo
along just in case we decide to stay an extra day or we get a dog town
that has a population that is incredibly dense. The most rounds I have shot
in one day was about 150-175 rounds. I never let the barrel get more than
slightly warm then take a short break. Like you, I just received a Savage
LRPV single shot 22-250. I chose the right bolt-left port. I also have three more Savage 12 BVSS in 223, 22-250 and 308 that have been on PD shoots at one time or another.
In the past I was an All-Around machinist and so I love to do precision
benchrest style reloading. I usually load at 150-200 feet per second under book maximum. I dont
think you will shoot out a barrel at those specs. Even with a 22-250 you would get thousands
of rounds before replacing a barrel.


Tbear :D
 
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I usually take about 500 .17 HMRs, 500 .17 Ackley Hornet, 800-1000 .204 Rugers, 200 6mmAI and 200 6.5-284s.

I shoot from a table (in a trailer actually) with a BR style rest and a rear sand bag.

I work my way out from small to bigger. I usually shoot about 50 rounds between cleanings with the big guns, and 100-150 with the .17s. I let barrels get warm to the touch, run a snake through 'em and pick up the next one. I'll usually go through all the rifles and about 100-200 rounds for the .17s and .20s, then 50 or so through the 6 and 6.5 by lunch.

At lunch we take about an hour break, eat, relax, talk, then the close dogs are back out again by this point and we start the process over again.
 
A quick search of the net is showing a depressing lack of bulck compomemts, bulltes and brass. Locally I am having trouble finding powder and primers. Will be hard to reload if I can't get the components :p

Cabela's has bulk ammo from Ultramax. It is remanufactured using Hornaday 55gr V-Max bullets. Has any one used this ammo? Is it any good?
 
Bring more rifles. A good shooting 223 will work for 90% of what you would shoot with a 22-250 and be a lot kinder to the barrel in a target rich environment. Taking just one varmint rifle on a week long SD trip would have me ordering the new barrel to replace the burned out one before I even left on the trip. Trust me, no matter what you resolve in the planning stage, you will shoot faster, get the barrel hotter and do less cleaning than you planned.

I always take at least two rifles of the 223, 223 AI, 22 PPC, 22 BR flavor and another of 22-250 AI or 6mm Rem for when the wind comes up. One shootin', one soakin' with Boreshine and after 50 rounds switch rifles. Easy on the equipment and you can really put the dogs away.
 
ammo

I take about 1000 rounds, two rifles and an XP 100 for five or six days of shooting prairie poodles. You can never have too much ammunition.
 
Planning on about 1200 once I find a few good loads. Right now 26.8g BL-C(2), 55g Sierra SPBT, BR-4 primers is showing promise...as is 27.1g BL-C(2), Nosler 55g SPBT and BR-4 primers.

I plan on trying H335, H4895 and Viht N133...I have heard they are good in the .223 as well...just having a hard time locating any locally.

Questions on bullets...flat base or boat tail? 40g or 55g or even 65g? Has anybody used Barnes Varmint Grenade bullets?

Sounds like we will be using a whole gamut of rifles and calibers. I'd like to try my TC in 357 Max. It is a nice silhouette pistol...Just wondering about handgun laws between AZ and SD
 
AZ_Win52--How much ammo you need or use depends on your style of shooting. If you are taking turns spotting and shooting with a buddy, you won't go through nearly as many rounds as if you are off by yourself doing the shooting. If you are sitting in one spot shooting from a bench in a target rich environment, you might go through more rounds than if you are walking around the prairie dog town and then stopping and shooting from the prone position for 3 to 10 shots and then moving on.

The way I hunt prairie dogs, I can't imagine shooting 500 rounds in one day. I usually have at least three rifles along, but I seldom shoot more than 75 to 100 rounds in 5 to 6 hours of prairie dog shooting. I would think you'd have a tough time shooting 500 rounds in an 8 to 10 hour day, especially if you are using only one rifle and stopping to let the barrel cool and also stopping to clean it every 50 to 75 shots. To go through that many rounds in 8 to 10 hour day of shooting, you would probably need some barrel-cooling device if you are using only one rifle, or many, many rifles.

I don't like to let the barrels on my rifles get hot. When I go shooting prairie dogs, I walk around the dog town. Stopping, setting up on a prairie dog mound with my Harris swivel notched leg 9-13" bipod and maybe shooting 3 to 10 shots, depending on whether the dogs stay up or not. I use a mirage shield on my barrel and that helps keep the hot sun off of it, but you still have to pace your shots so you don't overheat your barrel. I have attached a photo my Savage 12VLP setup. It is a .204 Ruger and sports a Leupold VX-III 6.5-20x40mm long range side focus scope.

I agree that it is better to take too many loaded rounds along than to run out of ammo. If you had something like a 17 HMR as well as a couple of centerfire rifles, I think I could go through 250 to 350 rounds in a day. Especially if I went heavy on the 17 HMR ammo.
 

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a guy definately needs more than 1 rifle. figure on 500 rnds a day, you may shoot more, or less. as stated before, you can always bring home ammo you dont use, running out while there is a bad thing..
 
well, when i can get to the VHA shoot in july,

i usually take 4 rifles and about 3000 rounds of ammo. sometimes things get a bit wild and crazy.

anyone having problems getting certain powders or primers, please check with

www.powdervalleyinc.com

they be good folks, and i lost a few customers to them. ah well !!

regards, tbob
 
BBrient

I started my prairie dog and jack rabbit shooting career right there at Boss Ranch near Marathon. We spent a couple of nights running to Fort Stockton and shooting jack rabbits at a large center pivot irrigation system there. Had nights where 4 of us killed 50 jacks each with 17 hmr's and spotlights - had an awesome time. Been a few years, but when I saw Fort Stockton, took me back. Plenty beautiful country there, never saw so many mule deer as there were at those irrigated fields.

I shoot PD's in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle now. I plan for 200 rounds centerfire a day. Usually will bring 1000 for 4 days shooting to have a margin. 200 rounds a day is plenty shooting. I can't imagine 500 rounds per day. For where I shoot, centerfire only - rimfire does not have the range - close dogs go down quick and you don't get flying pieces with rimfires anyway. Of course, we plant and don't move and just kill anything within 800 yards of us. Probably would shoot more if we weren't so lazy, but we go for the long shooting. We generally shoot one place, go eat lunch and shoot 2 places in the long afternoon - we quit at 7pm. We don't start until around 9am - the trophies don't come out till around ten.
 
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prairie dog shooting equipment

I like to use the revolving shooting table by BJ Enterprises (918-333-5276) in the back of my pick-up. Then I put the outers varminteer rest on top of the table and go to shooting. I like the 223 with Benchmark and the V-Max 40 and 50 gr. bullets. About the best I can do here in West Texas is 300 shots per day and that can turn into work!! The 223 can take up to about 18 to 20 rapid fire shots before the barrel gets too hot. I like to hunt with two rifles and clean after 50 or so rounds.
Have just built a 220 Beggs and it is working very well on the PD in this area....have made several 300 yrs plus shots and it is doing a fine job with the V-Max 50 gr. bullets. This rifle seems to take alot of shooting with out heating the barrel up!:)
 
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