Anyone use cast bullets for prairie dogs?

[Lex]

I'm thinking of using my 6.5 grendel and a couple of other rifles this year.
I would love to use my 45/70 but was worried about how far they go after hitting flat ground.

[M-Tecs]

The area's I shoot prairie dog in all have cattle on it. Even a 22 LR ricochets more than I want. I use V-Max or Ballistic Tips to limit the amount and lethality of ricochets

[MUSTANG]

Interested in your results with the 6.5 Grendel. My Barber currently has an infatuation with that round, and as I have started/Tutored him on reloading over the last year. He has been reloading for a .300 Norma Magnum; and is gathering loading equipment and materials for the 6.5 Grendel. Given the limitations on 6.5 Jacketed Bullets that still exist; he might be interested in casting if it should prove out.

[memtb]

I’ve shot a few.... .375AI. It was pretty effective, but no different than a 375 Win or a 38-55 would have done! memtb

[Texas by God]

Only in the spring when the pups are dumb and you get close shots. You will have ricochets so be careful. If Sierra still makes the .264 85 gr hp- if findable- it is a good prairie dog bullet. Long ago and 7 hours away I used it in my 6.5 Remington magnum.

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[dk17hmr]

I have shot allot of them with cast bullets. Gotta be careful what you are shooting around since they generally don't explode like a varmint bullet

[remy3424]

I intend to someday, but haven't yet. I have to imagine they ricochet like 22LRs but only waaaay worse.

[M-Tecs]

In the past if have been granted access to lots of land closed to shooting prairie dogs after much work convincing the landowner that I truly am using very explosive bullets that pose almost zero risk of ricochets. The risk to cattle, horse and equipment from ricochets tends to be the number one reason gates get locked. The worst offenders tend to be the FMJ shooters but if you hear bullets zinging you should be using a more frangible bullet.

I don't mind the locked gates since with some work and convincing I generally can get access. Problem is it's common that shortly after the gates get locked the poisoning starts. I have been mapping PD towns that I shoot for 40 years. In the last ten years close to 50% of them have be poisoned out. TV programs have greatly increased the amount of people shooting PD's. Lots of people shooting ammo that is ricochet prone, gates left open and tearing pastures up when its muddy results in the landowners poisoning out the dog towns.

[megasupermagnum]

I'm no prairie dog hunter, so take this with a grain of salt. The only places I've found that I want to actually sit down with a rifle and shoot for a few hours, it would not matter. You could use a 50 BMG and be fine. If you are trying to find every possible access you can, then you will have to work with that. I even found a decent group on public land, and while there was train tracks a mile down range, you could walk up to these prairie dogs sometimes into shotgun range. So like anything, your mileage may vary.

[Rapier]

Unfortunately, cast and small projectiles at the accuracy / velocity required for small targets do not generally go together. I prefer the the J word bullets designed for detonation or denigration in a soda can full of water at 2-300 yards.

[dverna]

Like real estate...location, location, location.

Good advice above about the risk of ricochets. In some areas that could be a real problem.

No PD's here but I used to do a bit of groundhog hunting on small acreage farms (under 200 acres). I used the SX or Blitz bullets that were very unlikely to cause an issue.

I cannot get cast bullets to be accurate enough to consider them as decent bullets for something the size of a PD but some folks claim 1 MOA. PD are not very big but then again, a miss is not catastrophic.

[Larry Gibson]

A few years back I made a sojourn to Montana for a PD shoot. Mostly used a couple 223s and a 22-250 but also took along my 30x60 XCB rifle. With the NOE 30 XCB being pushed along at 2900+ fps I shot numerous PDs from 300 to 500+ yards. The place I chose to shoot PDs with cast bullets was a small valley and I was on one side shooting at the up sloping other side. Still there were lots of ricochets were heard but I was in wide open spaces with nothing but other PBs in range. The 30 cal bullet certainly didn't expand but killed them quite well. I shot about 120 rounds and batted a little over 70% with most of the kills in the 300 to 450 yard range. As dverna mentions, pick your location with ricochets in mind for safety.

I've also shot a lot of ground squirrels that act pretty much like PDs except they are about 1/3 the size of a PD. When i lived in NE Oregon Ishot probably thousands of them with cast bullets in all sorts of cartridges in rifles from 22 Hornet through 45-70 and 22 Hornet to 45 Colt in handguns.

[elk hunter]

I'm thinking of using my 6.5 grendel and a couple of other rifles this year.
I would love to use my 45/70 but was worried about how far they go after hitting flat ground.

I've never shot any but Prairie Dogs must be tough to require that much rifle. I've shot thousands of ground squirrels with 22 rimfire hollow points but if there was any danger from ricochets I used a 223 loaded with Hornady SX bullets or bullets I swaged using 22 LR casings for jackets.

[remy3424]

Larry shoots cast lead better than I can shoot jacketed. Pretty amazing, 500 yards with a cast boolit, you would need that rig shooting .5" or less at 100 yards (targets not much bigger than a beer can). Nice work Larry! I am kind of hoping for 1.5" groups at 100 yard once I start trying cast in a 222 Rem and anticipate shoot at distances less than 200 yards to hope for a +50% connection rate. I guess I am not too confident in my ability to do this as I have owned several 22 cal molds for several years and still haven't warmed them up.

I shoot 17, 20 and 22 calibler at them, all small primer cartridges. I have been leaving anything with large primers and over a 22 caliber at home in the past 5 years or so. I don't shoot much over 350 yards, prefer inside 250 yards to insure few misses. Wind (which is a normal thing in SD prairies) really pushes these little 50 grain and under bullets around.

[Texas by God]

A prairie dog was forty one'd by me at 60 paces with a 220gr Lee swc. Being young, I ran up to check the kill. There it was, dead. But something shiny beside it- the bullet! Damn, that thing was still hot when I picked it up!
Muleshoe, Texas long ago.

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[dverna]

A prairie dog was forty one'd by me at 60 paces with a 220gr Lee swc. Being young, I ran up to check the kill. There it was, dead. But something shiny beside it- the bullet! Damn, that thing was still hot when I picked it up!
Muleshoe, Texas long ago.

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OK...I am a dumb old Yankee....what is "forty-one'd"?

[MUSTANG]

296774

[M-Tecs]

OK...I am a dumb old Yankee....what is "forty-one'd"?

41 Mag is how I took it.

[Larry Gibson]

Larry shoots cast lead better than I can shoot jacketed. Pretty amazing, 500 yards with a cast boolit, you would need that rig shooting .5" or less at 100 yards (targets not much bigger than a beer can). Nice work Larry! I am kind of hoping for 1.5" groups at 100 yard once I start trying cast in a 222 Rem and anticipate shoot at distances less than 200 yards to hope for a +50% connection rate. I guess I am not too confident in my ability to do this as I have owned several 22 cal molds for several years and still haven't warmed them up.

I shoot 17, 20 and 22 calibler at them, all small primer cartridges. I have been leaving anything with large primers and over a 22 caliber at home in the past 5 years or so. I don't shoot much over 350 yards, prefer inside 250 yards to insure few misses. Wind (which is a normal thing in SD prairies) really pushes these little 50 grain and under bullets around.

The 30x60 XCP cartridge and rifle were special built for accuracy at HV with cast bullets. I have posted a lot of the development and shooting results on this forum. The rifle is capable of 10 shot sub moa accuracy to 600 yards with the 30 XCB bullet at 2900 fps. As I said, most of the PD shooting was in the 300 [I don't shoot PDs at less than 300 yards unless I'm using the 22 Hornet] to 450 yards range. The day I used the 30 XCB was a very pleasant day with little to no wind.

Here's an example of the accuracy level capability;

296776

The rifle, shooting position at location.
296777

[dale2242]

I have used my 218 Bee with cast to shoot sage rats .
Unlike Larry, I kept most of my shot around 100 yards.
Yes, ricochets are a factor to consider.

[remy3424]

Amazing rig Larry! I am not sure I could handle the laying on the ground for too long, I would have to get back up. I made some swiveling benches with tops that articulate for elevation. I would go p-dawg shooting without them. If the pic shows-up, it is my father at the wheel, still going with us, 85 now!
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[Larry Gibson]

remy3424

That's exactly what I'm thinking of getting for the next trip......coming up on 75 and I do understand the "getting up" part......:drinks:

[dverna]

Larry (and other old men like us),

Here is what I use:

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/1015046882?pid=522717&utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=Shooting+-+Rests%2C+Bi-Pods+%26+Benches&utm_content=522717&cm_mmc=pf_ci_bing-_-Shooting+-+Rests%2C+Bi-Pods+%26+Benches-_-Caldwell-_-522717&msclkid=3351055621fc10c3a1d4674c66c5d76a&utm_term=4584894776053436

Currently on sale for $200. It is not "rock steady" like a massive bench but it comes in a carry bag and is easy to carry and set up. Seat height is adjustable and the unit swings/pivots. Mine is semi-permanently set up on my back porch but store it if I have a group of people over for a barbeque or party. I have no trouble getting sub MOA groups with it.

[M-Tecs]

These are discounted but it you can find a used one these are the cat meow for shooting PD's https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015285633


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFBaANEcWgY

[dverna]

These are discounted but it you can find a used one these are the cat meow for shooting PD's https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015285633


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFBaANEcWgY

Now that is slick!!!

[M-Tecs]

Now that is slick!!!

Yes they are. I have two. The only issue is they are on the heavy side. They are best when you are shooting close to the truck.

My 98 year old father still shoots very well out of these.

I wished I would have purchased the umbrella.

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/newproducts_st_rcbsrass_200809/100242

[Messy bear]

My hunting buddy and i shoot mostly 45’s but some other calibers as well on our annual pd safari.
All cast bullets. I think he posted a thread on it one time. Can’t remember what he called it

[dverna]

Yes they are. I have two. The only issue is they are on the heavy side. They are best when you are shooting close to the truck.

My 98 year old father still shoots very well out of these.

I wished I would have purchased the umbrella.

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/newproducts_st_rcbsrass_200809/100242

M-Tecs, it is really awesome your 98 YO dad is still shooting and having fun. Good for him and good for you for helping him.

BTW, I bought a small patio umbrella and made up a mount to put it on my CAS cart as I do not take heat well. Easy to do and not very expensive. Makes a world of difference on sunny days.

[wmitty]

I tried the 55 grain Bator design in a 788 .222 REM and it was somewhat effective on the closer dawgs with its blunt meplat. The current Lee design was noticeably less effective with its more streamlined ogive. I believe the two loads tried were 12.5 gr 2400 and 14.0 gr 4227. I did not have access to the chronograph when I loaded these up. The wind in southeastern Colorado makes for tough shooting conditions, so accurate shooting off of cross sticks is difficult. Also tried cast in a 788 .30-30 last fall and had a blast using it on the longer shots. Of course, hits were very few and far between. But to hold ten or fifteen feet high and hit within a few feet of an unsuspecting PD is fun; at least to me…

[MostlyLeverGuns]

When you live in prairie rat country you shoot whatever entertains you, taking safety into consideration, 32 Special, 35 Remington, 348, 358, 308, 38 Special, 357, 45 ACP, 44 Spcl, 45 Colt, 380 ACP, 9mm, all with cast only jacketed with the 223 and 243. Depending on where the cows/pivots/ guys driving tractors are you shoot however. Most of the ranchers or farmers do not reload so ammo cost is their concern, a lot of 17 HMR's among them, some of the more gun types have 17 Rem, 223 and such. On many places you are shooting into hills or downhill, sometimes 40 yards, sometimes as far as you can see. My best shot is 180 yards with a Browning model of 1971 in .380 ACP, walked up the shots and hit in the forehead in true Elmer Keith fashion with the Lee 358-105-SWC over HP38, the base of the bullet was visible in its head. Shooting prairie dogs is like shooting pop bottles but the coyotes, hawks and eagles clean up. The sage rats will eat their own when dead or badly wounded. Very long ago I tried eating them, good flavor but very tough, the plague is more widespread now so leaving them lay is advised.

[Markwell]

The only cast bullets we've ever used for PDs and gophers has been out of handguns. .45, .38 Super, 9mm, .357 &.44 Mag and this year, if the gun is done. .32 H&R Mag out of a Ruger Single Six. Out of rifles we've always used lightly constructed bullets for the reasons stated above.

We've shot dogs since the early '70s and the wife always wanted to know why we've never got one of those portable "benchy things". She used to see them in Varmint Hunter Magazine. Have told her I'd get one when I could no longer get up and down shooting prone. At 75 we are getting closer. Hope the gas situation doesn't get much worse as this summer's trip could get REAL expensive.

[BJK]

I have never shot PDs, PDs being very hard to find in Maine. But isn't part of the enjoyment getting air time? Wouldn't that require an explosive bullet? But I can certainly understand the enjoyment of using a .45/70 with a handcast bullet for such a small target. Am I at all on track?