Prairie dog rifle

I have a Ruger Hawkeye in 223 that would be a good choice for prairie dogs. I also have a Ruger M77 in 220 Swift that would work great, but the barrel does tend to heat up quickly. Probably I'd use the 223 and 40 gr Nosler BT's. It heats up slow and cools pretty fast.
 
America rifles only?
Winchesters are not made here anymore. It's almost amusing that the M-70 needs to be excluded.
 
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I think the 17 HMR unlike most other new calibers has reached critical mass.
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I think so too. People that want one, have one already. Still not a bad choice for prairie dogs. If I were looking, I'd be looking for a Thompson Center single shot in .204 Ruger for P-dogs.
 
Old school here… and limit is 250 to 300 yards for my 1951 Winchester #43 in .22 Hornet, but it has gotten the "Job" done comfortably and enjoyably.
 
Hi all, thinking of getting a new bolt action rifle for prairie dog hunting. I like the .223 and the 22-250 caliber. I have been researching and am shocked to see the vast difference in quality lately. I would like your input on some rifle, they have to be American made. I like Savage, Ruger and Thompson center has now come into the mix, but never shot one. I don't just want a lower line, but mid level rifle. Thoughts?
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The 'problem' here is all the mid level guns are imports and the USA MADE reasonable options all low end, not bad but low end. Savage, Ruger Remington are eccono guns built for reasonable performance. You can get the Ruger American at this level or the Ruger 77 for a nicer stock, but I hear the Americans shoot as well or better. I think it really really does not matter. Savage, Ruger or the current TC. The TC had a great reputation with the Ikon but that was replaced and you dont hear much any more. Take this forum, no comment on latest S&W made TC. I would have suggested TC based on my friends inputs with Ikons. Now I dont know. I hate Remington for what they have become and what happens to every brand they acquire. The savage guns dont look like much and the 223 is a tiny round in a magnum length savage action. Getting past that, it does have a good reputation as a value product. If I was forced to buy American, I would look at TC or Ruger.

Then you got high end USA made like Kimber and Cooper. A big markup for nice wood and good metal finish in guns that perform. Kimber prices seem a more reasonable, but there is one or two guys got a bad gun in the recent decade and they are pooping all over the net. Maybe here too. But these do not fit the description on pricing. Or maybe the Kimber. The Ruger 77 is middle priced and looks better than the American. if looks matter and the requirement is middle level, that should include M77.

So what is in the middle? Kimber maybe on the high end of middle. And CZ dead nuts on center looks and accuracy, middle pricing. Tikka in the happy center. The new Winchester M70s looks very good, traditional design and happy medium pricing but some assembly in Portugal. There you go, shot in the foot again. Browning, hi middle, import. I remain a big Winchester fan, but my 223's are both CZ. The CZ is a true mini Mauser that FITS the 223 correctly. I still have one nice older Remington and it almost makes me cry to see the current lineup. My worse CZ will out shoot my Rugers, Browning, Winchesters and Remington (a tie). Just luck, maybe? My best shooting rifle is the cz varmint.
 
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One warning, be sure and get the appropriate rate of twist for a 223. They run the gamut from 1:8 to 1:12 and it does matter.

I went out of my way to find a CZ varmint in 1:12 to shoot varmint bullets. Tikka and Sako offer a choice in 223 fast or slow twist. I notice some Savage are faster an others slower. No idea about Ruger or TC.

Prarie dog sounds like varmint weight bullets and the slower twist should be better for you.

This matters.
 
I've been thinKing about a cheap-ammo varMint Es-ploder lately.

I've been thinking about getting a Remington 783 in .223, chucking the barrel and stock, getting a heavy-sporter Criterion in .223AI from Jim Briggs, and bedding that into a Boyd's Coyote Laminate Pro-Varmint stock. Should be a jackrabbit/prairie dog popping nightmare. Depending on the finished weight I could carry it for coyotes even though I have a great light weight coyote rifle in .243 already.
 
I have a Savage Model 12 Single Shot, in 223. A single shot bolt rifle is inherently more accurate, due to a more solid receiver --- Mine shoots 1/4" m.o.a. @ 100 yards, 3 shot group, with remanufactured Blue Box Black Hills, 69 grain HP Sierra MatchKings.
 
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Erno86 said:
I have a Savage Model 12 Single Shot, in 223. A single shot bolt rifle is inherently more accurate, due to a more solid receiver --- Mine shoots 1/4" m.o.a. @ 100 yards, 3 shot group, with remanufactured Blue Box Black Hills, 69 grain HP Sierra MatchKings.
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I love those Savage target actions. Especially the right bolt, left eject model. My neighbor is an old Canadian bench-gun shooter and he has a bunch of those for "fun matches" they do like shooting fly targets or whatever.

Definitely not smooth like a BAT or other top-tier BR actions but they are awesome. You can get a whole rifle for the cost of a custom-action.
 
thanks

thanks all, for the input. To clear some of the air, I only want American made because I believe in it. I use to love Remington, but in the last 10 years the quality has went to Sh**. I have a few Savage's in .22 and nice shooters. I only want one for prairie dog hunting, because only thing can use a caliber bigger than .22 in Illinois is coyotes. I am liking what I am seeing in the Ruger M77 and Mossberg MVP, wish Mossberg patriot was .223. Haven't handled a Marlin x7 yet but looking. I know CZ makes a good rifle and have shot a few but they did not impress me that much. Thompson Center is one company as one poster said made their name with the ICON, but have discontinued it and cann't find how good the new ones are. Thanks again God bless America!
 
I love bolt guns, but don't rule out the AR15 platform. I took my Colt 6700 flat top to Montana a few years back and made some converts.

"That dog is over 200 yards, you will never...(BANG..THOP).....I'll be damned...."
 
Todd--Savage and Ruger varmint/target rifles are good shootin irons. I have a 22-250 Savage 12 that was a great shooter with the original barrel, but eventually it got shot out, and was re-barreled. Criterion barrel is even better than the original factory tube. For anything out to 400 yards, the 22-250 is king IMO. If you get high end glass that allows for knob twisting with accurate return to zero, you could probably shoot to 600 yards.

I also have a Ruger Predator in .204 Ruger. It is absolutely a fun rifle for dawging. Nice factory trigger, accurate, beautiful laminate stock. And Brian Pflueger on this forum has a Ruger Standard in 204 that he raves about.

223 is a great caliber, and you would never regret getting that either. ;)
 
I have a RRA AR with a 1 in 9 twist thats got a great trigger and is accurate enough to enjoy a day of popping p-dogs with lighter loads or upping the weight and it makes for a great coyote rifle. My two favorites are CZ's. one is a 1 in 12 .223 527 American and the other is a .17HMR 452 Varmint with a Timney trigger. Out to 150 yards or so it's a hoot and really turns a p-dog to mush with the ballistic tip. I own American made rifles and pistols, but there are too many great manufacturers out there to ignore. CZ has been building Mauser style actions for decades and they make a fine product. The newer rifles are made in the US if I recall correctly. I prefer the Czech models myself. JMHO
 
I have a 222 Rem CZ American. It is a great rifle. Has a lot of rounds through it, but still good for 200+ yards on dawgs. It has a couple of things that make me scratch my head---the bolt handle hit the scope. Forcryingoutloud. Can't they manufacture a bolt handle with a shape that accommodates scope sights? And the magazine is a kind of a downer for me. Currently am using a magazine follower by James Calhoun, but the little doodad that holds the magazine has worn to the point that it loses the mag-follower, so had to shim that up to make it work. But the shooting part is sweet.

For American manufacture, Ruger and Savage are as good or better IMO. And don't break the bank.
 
Haunt the pawn shops and gun shows and find you an older Rem 700 Varmit in .223 Rem. Good scope, good ammo, if you don't like the trigger look up "Remington crisp" or just replace it. If you want a new one a savage heavy barreled in .223 would be tough to beat. Ammo and reloading supplies are easy to find, they will do anything you need done. I used to shoot them with my sorter weight .22-250 and it is a PD killer. But I have had to take many breaks to let it cool. And if conditions allow it, sure is fun to spend a little time in a prairie dog town with your big game rifle. Take only cold.barrel shots like you would on a deer. Have done it with a .25-06 and a 7 Mag. You definitely don't want to spend a day with just it though, you will get better on estimating range and using holdover etc. Deer and antelope look huge after that.
 
I would only get a Remington 700.
If you are figuring on using a spotting scope to find the varmints. Then you will also want to reach out beyond 300 Yds. A 243 would be a good choice in my book to buck the wind and give you some thing to take larger game with. I would go with a barrel with some extra weight to help steady in the wind. The Rem.700 can give you a lot of choices to make changes... With a little luck you should be able to find a used one just to get more for your money. A 12X should work good for a scope or even a variable up to 14x.
 
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