Long range prairie dogs with the 204

[Hotshot]

Any of you who have done much prairie dog shooting will probably agree that hitting the varmints at 400 yards and beyond is very challenging. If you buy or build a "typical varmint rifle" that is about 9-13 pounds with a 24-27 inch medium heavey barrel that has a 12-14 inch twist or there abouts, and shoot the "typical varmint bullet" that is plastic tipped or hollow point designed for rapid expansion at high velocities, you generally shoot very high percentages at 200 to 400 yards and performance beyond the magic 400 mark begins to fall off dramatically. I know many of you have made shots at 450 and 500 and even farther with these "typical rifles", but what is your honest percentage at those ranges? Low!

Since I've limited this to "typical varmint rifles", we are not considering 15-25 pound fast twist 30 inch wildcat calibers that shoot high BC target bullets. I've had them and I've got one now, but these expensive specialty shooting machines are a completely different aspect of the hobby.

In my experience with the "typical varmint rifle" the 22-250 loses it's effective range(good percentage of hits) somewhere around 400-450 yards and the 220 Swift might extend that range to near 500 and for decades those were the benchmarks of performance in off the rack varmint calibers. 243 Win and 6mm Rem didn't do much better much better with a similar trajectory in 70-85 grain varmint bullets although wind deflection was less in 24 cal. All of these calibers are pretty much out of business over 400 yards with any significant ammount of wind.

Enter the 204 to the world of "typical varmint rifles". Last year I was weathered out on three different prairie dog shoots, I didn't get much long range shooting because of wind or wet conditions that didn't allow for good 400 plus set-ups. But I did manage to fall in love with the cartridge for other than long range capabilities. This year I had four almost perfect days with my 204's and I absolutely saw superior performance. During these four days I shot only one other cartridge and that was a 220 Swift. This is basically a side-by-side comparison and testimonial to the superiority of the 204.

My 220 Swift is very accurate and in these good conditions I had many hits at 400 yards, some hits at 450, and a few in the 475 range. I did make one hit at 503 yards. The 55 vmax delivered good energy and tore the dogs up at over 400 yards.

I had several set-ups where there were dogs to shoot at out to and beyond 800 yards. We had a Lieca Geovid on a tripod and it gave us good readings to 650 range. This is honest to God. When I put away the 220 because of poor percentages and started shooting with the 204 at 500 yards with very slight winds, I was hitting well over 50 percent. The wind variations got me more often than the elevation. I was using a VariXIII with the varmint hunter reticle. My spotter found a bunch at 560-570 and I didn't connect untill the fourth shot, but then I got 4 with 5 shots. We decide to try 600 next and he soon found two dogs at 608 about 10 feet apart. I fired and missed my first shot just slightly right of it's head and killed him dead with my second after the slight adjustment needed. The second dog was hit right of center and he dragged himself back to his hole in very bad shape.

I've shot varmints this far and some a little farther in my life, but never with a "typical varmint rifle" shooting "typical varmint bullets" as in this case. My bullet of choice is the 39 Sierra and my rifles are off the rack Savages, but the real story here is the cartridge 204 RUGER!

[acloco]

Hotshot - could not agree more. But..... ..... Are you using a bench? With bags or a rest? My "stock" 204 was assembled by me - stainless single shot short action with light trigger from Jim Briggs, BVSS s/a laminated stock, factory Savage stainless fluted barrel, & topped with a 12x40 Leupold. With the bench, the hit ratio is in the high 80's or low 90's. My biggest obstacle, estimating range. I have an laser range finder, but I will not always have it with, so....I keep practicing estimating.

[Hotshot]

I've got a collection of benches, but currently use an MTM because it is so easy to load, carry, and set up. The nice thing about it is it's very light weight--the bad thing about it is it's very light weight. This thing is so nice to handle, but it rocks if slightly unlevel or at any gust of wind. I want a BR Pivot real bad, and it is getting real close to the top of the list.

Wouldn't it be nice to set up 200-300-400-500-600 signs like a golf course driving range and better yet have the little varmints line up at exactly those ranges. The biggest advantage a prairie dog has is that many shooters don't know the exact range and can't match up their trajectory when they do. I study those trajectories and bring notes to the field. I have a Lieca CRF 1200 that will work out past 500 yards in any weather conditions and much farther under ideal conditions.
The Lieca Geovid is an excellent bino with built in range finder and that works really well on a camera tripod out to 800 plus ranges. A good spotter is as important as the rifle in long range shooting.
My new favorite scope has the Leopold Varmint Hunter reticle and with a 100 yard zero I calculated the first line to be 370, the second 460, and the third 550 with my load. I was real close. The 10 mph wind dot is about perfect at 14 with my 204.
All this stuff makes long range shooting more fun.

[Varmint Laser]

Hotshot,
I was going to ask you if you have figured out that reticle yet! Mine is still mostly un-proven and I have not had a chance to use it at the range other than 200 yards.
Unfortuneatly it is currently back at Leupold for service so I will not have it to play with for several weeks.

Scott

[Hotshot]

Laser,

I ran a balistic chart of my specific load, then used Leupold's literature to find the distance in moa between the lines of the reticle. With a little calculating and extrapulating and a couple of guesses I figured my distances. It came out real close.

[Ray P]

Guys...Suggestion!!!
When my bunch of guys headed to Chugwater, Wy for our p.dog shooting. We asked the rancher if had any dog downs we could shot out to a 1000 yrds. He showes us a couple of options.
Once we had our shooting benches set up. I was the humper..........5 traffic cones, 5 36" driveway markers, a roll of bright red survey ribbon, two way radio and my 77/22 mag.
I went for walk right down the center of the dog town. My buddy ranged me from our benches. The 1st cone at 500yds, 2nd at 600 yrds and so on on out 1000 yrds. Drive way marker in the center of the cone and tyied some survey ribbon on for our wind flag. The cones were heavy enough that the wind didn't tip them over.
We were able to do this because we stay on the dog town for 4 days. Most of our shooting was done between 550yrs and 925 yrds. I had a hit 700 yrds. and my buddy had to out do me and find a p.dog at 925 yrds for the longest shot!
Any dogs closer than 500 yrds were what we used for rimfire pratice.
This worked and it was fun.
Later
Ray P

[huntsman22]

Guys...Suggestion!!!

Any dogs closer than 500 yrds were what we used for rimfire pratice.

Later
Ray P

and that's all it was, past 350.........

[Ray P]

huntsman22........... Not to get carried away here. Rimfire shot were usually held inside of 200 yrds. When we got dial in for longer yardage and started shooting the closer p.dogs would go in their holes and won't come out till we stopped to clean are rifles and let them cool down. But it was not uncommon to to walk a rimfire on to p.dog at 200 yrds.
Later
Ray P

[Ray P]

huntsman22 ............I don't want to get off topic here. " Long range prairie dogs with the 204" When we were doing our trips west. 1995 thru 1999. The 204 Ruger was I guess in a dream state, and wasn't thought of. A quality day for us was about 60 rounds spread between our rifles. We had fun! When anyone can take p.dogs or g.squrrles out past 500 yards, that smile says it all.
Thanks sharing. I'm tring to help with ranging for up and coming trips for the members.
Later
Ray P

[Hotshot]

Ray P,

What cartridge and bullet did you use on those 700 and 925 shots?

I go through Chugwater quite often and it is usually windy there if it isn't anywhere else. I've not tried to shoot there.

[Ray P]

Hotshot!!!!!!!!!
What cartridge and bullet did you use on those 700 and 925 shots?
I was using a Rem 700 Sendero in my 300 wby imp, shooting 210 bergers and buddy was using a custom 25/06 off a Rem 700 action, shooting 115 bergers. This is why i made the above comment about 60 quality rounds. Your right about the wind out there in Wyoming. This why the calibers and bullet choices were used.
Later
Ray P

[Bergcrane2]

We would use those little flags that the phone and power company use to mark undergound lines. (My buddy works for Miss Dig). We'd walk out with a rangefinder and place them every 100 yards or so. Give a bit for the dogs to settle, and start the carnage.

[Hotshot]

I like the traffic cones and flags idea for some kind of idea on ranging those long shots, but take note on Ray P's success at long range. The best tools are high velocity and bullets with high b.c. In theory you could hold enough wind and trajectory to make thousand yard hits with a 22 long rifle, but those hits would be few and far between. Cartridges that are proven to be accurate at known long range target shooting situations are not all bad for long range varmint shooting, but the more wind and trajectory that you fight the harder it's going to be when you have a target at 717, then 836, then 943, then you get the picture. The less effect wind has on your long range attempt, and the less trajectory you have to hold or adjust for in the scope, the more success you will have at long range shooting.

My long range shooting attempts have been with 24 and smaller calibers because I don't want to have recoil limit me to 60 shots per day. Best results so far have been with 6mm-06 built by Dennis Stuber with a blue printed Remington action and a 1 in 12 twist Shilen 28 inch barrel shooting 75 grain Sierra and 87 grain V-max bullets, very deadly past 800 with low wind conditions, 600-700 okay in moderate wind, I don't fire it at closer ranges. This is definately not a typical off the shelf varmint rifle. I've also fired heavy target bullets from fast twist 22 cal. rifles with excellent results to the 700 yard area in low to moderate wind conditions. I'm happy to see that Savage and others are offering faster twist options in some off the shelf production rifles. I was never happy with the bullet performance from target bullets in the 22's once they hit the varmint. No expansion and very little energy left= no splatter.

This is why I get so excited about 600 yards with an off the shelf 204 shooting typical 39 grain varmint bullets. Now I just have to figure out 700 yards-then maybe 800.........

[Ray P]

Hotshot.........about 60 quality rounds!! With quality rifles and good barrels, we did push the rifles when they got hot! We switched to another rifle or worked with the rimfires. We could have shot more p.dogs as it was a target rich area. We were mainly after some long range quality shooting. I wish I had a little Ruger 204 when I was out west last. But I didn't so we used what worked for us.
Good benchs, good rifle rest and bags, quality optics, and a good caliber of choice make it all fun.
Later
Ray P

[Hotshot]

Ray P,

There are so many ways to enjoy the shooting sports, and I sure don't knock any of them.
I'm still searching for answers in the way I enjoy prairie dog shooting. We generally break into pairs-one shooter, one spotter with solid benches, accurate rifles, and good optics. We take on all targets 100 yards to 700 with appropriate equipment and usually shoot 125 to 175 rounds each per day. To me that's FUN! The 204 has added to my enjoyment and I like to keep pushing it's performance because it keeps on surprising me with good results.