Prairie Dogs and Cast Bullets

[brstevns]

Has anyone been using cast for Prairie Dogs. Talking 100 to 150 yards . Cartridge would be a 6x45

[MT Chambers]

We hunt gophers, they are similar to p.dogs but smaller, the trouble with using cast on them at the longer ranges is the amount of bullet drop and wind.

[skeettx]

If you can get the accuracy needed for 150 Yards, and a good backstop as the bullets zip right through the dogs they would be marginal.
I used 311465 and 20 grains of 4227 in a 308 Win or 30-06 for gophers when I lived in Montana.
Mike

[runfiverun]

most will recommend a harder alloy.
I found the opposite to be true.
use a soft alloy as soft as you can get away with and a flat point.
the rcbs 30-165 rnfp in the 0-6 will flat out slap down ground squirrels and p-dog sized varmints out to 150 yds or so.
I'm using ww's cut with soft lead [probably need more soft lead] 3-1 and water dropping,
it just vaporizes birds and such at velocity's over 2-k within 50-60 yds

in the 223, lino-type was what I thought [figuring it would break up on contact] I needed on them but I got too many pass through's that acted like FMJ's.
backing down the hardness a lot allowed the boolit to mush up and do it's job.

[M-Tecs]

Most land that has prairie dogs also has cattle. Cast bullets tend to ricochet severely.

[brstevns]

Well cross off the idea of cast for Prairie Dogs, do not want any cattle or farm equipment taking a ricochet.

[country gent]

We used cast for the big game rifles to hunt wood chucks. normally 30 calibers We did this for the of season practice and to stay sharp. You do need to pick your shots maybe a little stalk to change the ange or get a tree hill behind the target, good practice for deer season too. While not gophers or Prarrie dogs we did this on the lovely fat wood chucks eating Dads soy beans and digging up his fields. We normally used a lighter cast bullet also. Stalking skills can be greatly improved on these small nervos varmints LOL.

[Jeff Michel]

I've shot a lot of prairie dogs with cast bullets on the Cheyenne River Reservation for twenty years, I doubt I've seen 100 head of cattle but you still have to watch what your doing regardless of where or what you are shooting.

[jhalcott]

I don't think lead or jackets should be shot without caring about the environment beyond the target. I have used both on ground hogs and prairie dogs. Super hard alloys zip thru and the critters get back in the hole. I used wheel weight/pure(50/50)alloy for 7tcu& 7-08, some times softer alloys were tried. A flat nose worked very well in 7 mm & 30 caliber.

[M-Tecs]

I don't think lead or jackets should be shot without caring about the environment beyond the target.

Very true, however, your bullet selection will determine how large the danger zone behind the target is. When using very explosive varmint bullets this danger zone is very small. With bullets that don't fully fragment this danger zone is very large.

[ammohead]

Another reason that I like having an elevated platform as in the back of my flatbed truck. It gives you a better view and a steeper angle when the varmint bullet hits the dirt for better fragmentation. In Nevada we have ground squirrels for varmints and they are normally in cultivated fields with almost always something at some distance downrange. Cast is pretty much out of the question unless the field backs up to a mountain or blm land.

[shoot-n-lead]

Very true, however, your bullet selection will determine how large the danger zone behind the target is. When using very explosive varmint bullets this danger zone is very small. With bullets that don't fully fragment this danger zone is very large.

bingo!

[Screwbolts]

If your 6x45 has a 14 twist like most 6mm bench guns then Cast would be my first choice for dogs. with a 14" twist you would be able to drive the 75 gr NOE FP at 2500+ very easily and that would give you IMHO very good results out to as far as you care to shoot. I have often desired to have a 6x45 built using a 14" twist barrel just for shooting the 245-75 fn from NOE. I say go for it!! A group of 4 friends are headed to a ranch in Wy to do exactly what you ask. Have fun, Long live the cast boolit.

What is you rifle's barrel twist? My choice of rifles for dogs on the trip would be 22 K-hornet, 222, and my 6mm rem all shooting cast. Know your area, know your back stop, Know your land owner and where his cattle are and have at it. Just asking common sense questions of the Rancher, NOT FORUM MEMBERS, as to where he would like you to be shooting and what towns he wants thinned will probably gain you life time access for dogs.

Ken

[Messy bear]

Cast are what my friends and I use cause that's all we shoot out of our wheel guns which are about the only guns we shoot.

[dale2242]

I can`t help you with the 6X45, but have shot Sage Rats with cast in my 218 Bee.
Boolits were cast of straight lino because the rifle has a 1-14 twist and the boolits had to be pushed hard to stabilize.
The 225415 boolits were very effective with instant kills.
Bear in mind I had nothing beyond my shooting area to worry about over travel or bouncing boolits....dale

[brstevns]

My rifle has a 1-9 twist and I was going to use the lyman 85 gr Loverin design bullet.

[Screwbolts]

IMHO, Bummer on the 1x9, if it were the 1x14 used in BR barrels you could easily approach all Jacketed data, with your 1x9 you may find your accuracy starts to wonder at as low as 1750, same as a 223 1x9 barrel does. I still recommend the NOE 245-75 FN . good luck with the Loverin, keep us posted as to how they shoot. I have the 100 gr version, of the loverin and it is less than steller in my 6mm, but the NOE is easy to get to shoot.

Ken