Whistle Pig Down / .223 round recommendations

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flyboy015

New member
Got another woodchuck this afternoon, little rat has been ravaging the kale and spinach plants in our garden. This is the second I've taken this year with the Savage MKII chambered in .22lr. I just recently purchased an AR-15 in 5.56, what are some rounds you all have used on your varmint hunts? I ordered some plain Jane .223 Wolf Gold FMJs, $6 on Brownells and with free shipping too!

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how I can make a better scope hood, or even one that doesn't look as ridiculous, let me know please! Sun was shining on me this morning and up until about 1pm, I was worried the 'chucks would see the glare!

By the way this old girl had to be close to 13lbs...wish I had a scale! Not too shabby, but I've heard of larger specimens in North Central Penna

http://imgur.com/6Uv13Zi
 
I use American Eagle 50gr varmint tips for coyotes, my AR shoots them well. Depending on the bell diameter I used a hand towels roller and wrapped it with camo tape. I was surprised it lasted all season but didn't look beat up at all, cheap and efficient LoL

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
 
"I use American Eagle 50gr varmint tips for coyotes"
That's a good choice. Another option is the Fiocchi 40 or 50 grain V-Max ammo. All three are excellent for use in areas where there are houses not far away.
 
How much bacon you gittin off em whislers?
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Admittedly, I don't eat them! More of a pest control endeavor, but I do actually enjoy hunting them, or at least staking out and taking 25 yard shots over the kitchen sink. CCI Velocitors are the best .22lr hunting round I've ever used or heard about; a well placed headshot and they (the chucks anyway) are down for good. When I get some soft tip .223 rounds, I'll have to try some more sporting shots, maybe 150, 200 yards out. I feel partially guilty with the current shots, and though my Savage is very accurate, I wouldn't want to test the lethality of .22lr much beyond 50 yards. It's nice when they can return to their holes to die, but killing them quickly and shoving them back down their hole gives me a little more peace of mind.
 
Depends on how many pieces you want them in, and how many hands will be required to pick them up.

35-40gr can be pretty dramatic, but I'm unfamiliar with woodchuck but I would guess most .223 will be gory, might need to rinse the kale, especially if it's close range.
 
"...close to 13lbs..." Ground hogs don't go to 13 pounds. Eight isn't unusual though.
"...don't eat them..." You can if you want. They eat exactly the same thing cows do. And they're cleaner.
"...worried the 'chucks would see the glare..." Highly unlikely. Isn't something that sets off the ground hog alarms anyway. Movement does that.
"...hand towels roller..." TP tube taped on the form ocular with masking tape works too. But it's not really necessary. Something is for coyotes. Wiley pays more attention to what's going on around him.
Anyway, any ammo that your rifle shoot well will do for ground hogs. Shot 'em with everything from .22 LR to 220 grain Silvertips(semi-jacketed with an Al cap on the exposed lead. Not made any more. sniff.) .30-06. Not one of complained about what bullet killed 'em. Accuracy is what's important. Not the bullet weight.
 
For whistle pigs if you hit them squarely with a good 223 load, it will do the trick regardless of bullet mfg. Having said that, I do like the Hornady V-Max.
 
I like 50-55 grain varmint-type bullets. Sierra Blitzking, Hornady V-Max and other varmint bullets are designed to minimize ricochets. I can testify to their relative safety, compared with bullets designed for larger animals or FMJ bullets.

FMJs should never be used if there are people/homes within a mile or so, especially with larger, heavier bullets.
 
article

Big name gun writer John Barsness just did an article in "Rifle" magazine on the .223 ctg for prairie dogs and general varmint use. I believe he liked the 50 grain Nosler Ballistic tip and was very big on the sleek BT design and how flat it shot and the low recoil.

My own .223 varmint loads use the 52 gr Sierra Match King bullets at a rather modest velocity, more like .22 Hornet +P. I don't shoot enough to mind the cost of the more expensive competition slug. Groundhogs are scarce here, and crows are my main target.
 
I'm real fond of the 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip on coyote sized critters and smaller. For such a little bullet, it'll do a big job on a coyote. Very accurate in my 9 twist Ruger Hawkeye, and you can push it well over 3500 fps.
 
Geezerbiker
Senior Member

Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 807

I'm not sure if you're in the market for another rifle but a .22 Hornet would be about perfect...

Tony
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You sir are an agitator and instigator! Trying to get him to buy another gun! What will his wife say? "Stay off that internet! No more guns!"

But, good call on the Hornet. I grew up using a 22 Hornet on rock chucks. Very good medicine!
 
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