Best caliber for prairie dogs inside of 400 yds.

[Jeddak]

My friends and I went after Arctic ground squirrles long time ago. Had 2 of 22-250 and 1 of 243, model 700, Varminter, heavy barrels. 22-250 was cheaper to shoot and had less recoil than 243. Made a difference after a day of shootinng.
Longest shot was at 550 yards and we spotted each other. Used Noslers and our handloads.
243 is a dual purpose caliber, for deer, but not for moose, so I never cared for it.

 

[RamRoddoc]

Try a windy day and see which caliber can outperform the 22-250.

220 Swift can and might have a tiny edge but it wasn't a choice listed.

 

[jpm2953]

I went prairie dog hunting in Wyoming in 2014. what an amazing trip!! We all used .223
You are going to struggle past 80-100 yards out west with the .17HMR just due to the wind. A buddy brought his and really only used it for the close ones.
if you can splurge for some varmint or ballistic tip projectiles on the 22-250 or .223, it makes an impressive explosion of dog guts

 

[codygarcia]

haven't hunted them in years, but when i was a kid, my rifle was a .222 savage. my cousin used a 22-250, both seemed to perform well. i don't remember him having an advantage.

 

[Old_School]

go.

Best? Hard to pin that one down. I've used a .222 Rem in the past and my cousin swears by his .20 VarTarg, but wind can be a bear out west, pushing those little pills a foot or more off target even at closer ranges (250 yds). The 22-250 & 220 Swift are excellent out to 400 yds, but if it's a windy day, the heavier 243 bullets are the way to go. However, when your shooting 200+ rounds in a day, I don't find it very enjoyable shooting the heavier calibers. For all-around shooting, I'd probably vote for the 22-250, with a fast enough twist to stabilize heavier bullets on those windy days.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

 

[mfoster]

223–expect to shoot 600-800 rds day

 

[greg vess]

The 22-250 runs about 3760 fps... The 220 swift rips through the air at a blistering 4110 fps. A prairie dog hunter said one time " shooting a prairie dog with a 220 swift is something to behold ". That should give you an idea of what the 220 swift cartridge is capable of. The 22-250 is a necked down 30-30. The swift has a little more case behind it. You can get the ammo you just have to order it.

 

[Jeddak]

I went prairie dog hunting in Wyoming in 2014. what an amazing trip!! We all used .223
You are going to struggle past 80-100 yards out west with the .17HMR just due to the wind. A buddy brought his and really only used it for the close ones.
if you can splurge for some varmint or ballistic tip projectiles on the 22-250 or .223, it makes an impressive explosion of dog guts

Ballistic tips is what we used in 22-250s. Even at 400+ yards they turned targets in red mist.

 

[greg vess]

The 22-250 also drops 25 inches at 400 yards. The 220 swift only drops 15 inches at 400 yards. So between the two the 220 swift hands down beats even the 204 which drop almost 19 inches at 400.

 

[Shovelhead]

I'm headed West soon. I'm packing all three plus then some. 22-250, 220 Swift 6mm RP, and look out... 338 Lapua Mag.
My niece's husband is taking me to his favorite dog town in NE...