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OP
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I know that this will initiate quite a few opinions, but I was hoping to get some suggestions. I am looking for an additional prairie dog gun for shooting out to 400 yards. I have reloading equip for 222, 223 and 22-250. I currently was thinking of a Tikka varmint yet was considering saving funds for a Cooper. I also like nice Ruger 1s... Any thoughts (pros or cons) between guns is appreciated. MTSmith
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Joined: Jun 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
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40 grain V-Max bullets made a 22-250 out of a 223 and it should to fine to 400 with those bullets at almost 4000 fps and a heavy barrel...
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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40 grain V-Max bullets made a 22-250 out of a 223 and it should to fine to 400 with those bullets at almost 4000 fps and a heavy barrel... This is the answer. drover
223 Rem, my favorite cartridge - you can't argue with truckloads of dead PD's and gophers.
24hourcampfire.com - The site where there is a problem for every solution.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Stiff charge of RL 7, will get ya there...
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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I assume you already have 222,223
I'd spice it up with a 204
a 17 Hornet , fireball , or 17 remington would be nice too
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
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Simple.
.204 shooting 40 grain bullets.
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Joined: Jun 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
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Simple.
.204 shooting 40 grain bullets. Forget the 204, you said you already have dies for the 223, besides that you can get higher velocities with the 40 grain bullet with a 22 caliber in the same sized case. If you are looking for another cartridge, get a 222 mag and never look back... And I should add, get a Sako in whatever chambering you decide.
Last edited by shrapnel; 03/23/16.
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Joined: Dec 2008
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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You CAN make a .223 sing and dance with good 40 grainers.....but that negates the rationale for getting a new gun. And to the OP, FWIW Im not a fan of Ruger #1s for high volume varmint shooting....high volume is the operative phrase....
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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The 223 will get the job done. I used to carry a 22-250 for long shots. when I always went home and had never uncased the 22-250 I decided it was not needed. Some of us are slow learners.
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Campfire Tracker
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I re-read your post and realized that you were asking about guns, not calibers. I am an ubabashed Cooper fan; I currently have three in 223, and others in various calibers. There has never been an issue with any of them, they have all shoot 1/2" or less with minimal load development.
I have also owned three Tikkas in 223, One was an honest 1/2" gun and the other two were nearer 3/4", for gophers and PD's those groups are more than good enough. The poorest shooting Tikka was one with the 1-8 twist using 40 gr bullets, I never tried it with anything heavier so it may have performed better with a heavier bullet.
A new Tikka Varmint seems to sell for just slightly less than $1000 while it will take some careful shopping to find a new Cooper Varmint for less than $1800 although good clean used ones can be found for $1300 - $1500.
The things in favor of Cooper are good factory support, the factory is in Montana, the value of used Coopers just keeps increasing, the rifles are made in the USA by American workers and the company is American owned.
My thoughts on caliber - 223 with 40 gr @ 3800 fps is all you need.
drover
Last edited by drover; 03/24/16. Reason: clarity
223 Rem, my favorite cartridge - you can't argue with truckloads of dead PD's and gophers.
24hourcampfire.com - The site where there is a problem for every solution.
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Campfire Regular
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CZ 527 221 FB will get you 3500-3600 with 40's and AA 1680. The guns are accurate out of the box. May want to tweak the trigger to your liking or use the SST trigger. Whittaker's has the gun for $615 right now.
That speed is right up there with a 223 and 40's.
Lapua brass is available for a touch more than Rem brass.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I'm with Shrapnel on this one, Sako Vixen 222 Mag 8 round 200 yard group from today with swirling and breezy winds.
If you put Taco Bell sauce in your ramen noodles it tastes just like poverty
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
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Who told you to get that awesome machine?
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Joined: Jan 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2010
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Shrap you were right!
After spending the last two days shooting a Cooper M54 in 22-250, a Cooper M21 in 204 Ruger, an AR upper in 204 Ruger and the Sako 222 Mag. The vintage Sako 222 Mag is hands down my favorite. The trigger on this one is fantastic.
If you put Taco Bell sauce in your ramen noodles it tastes just like poverty
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Joined: Sep 2012
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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CZ 527 221 FB will get you 3500-3600 with 40's and AA 1680. The guns are accurate out of the box. May want to tweak the trigger to your liking or use the SST trigger. Whittaker's has the gun for $615 right now.
That speed is right up there with a 223 and 40's.
Lapua brass is available for a touch more than Rem brass. ^^^^^^^ +1 Or the same gun in 222 if you can find one....
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Campfire Regular
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several PD hunters that I know have gone to 204 Ruger and rave about it, All have some model of Savage.
For me it would depend on how much time I was going to spend in the varmint shooting. I like to have 2 guns so I can trade off when is warmed up. I had a cooper in 223 and it shot in the 1/3 inch range but it was heavy and I did not care for the hard bolt lift. Since I was moving from Montana I sold it. I still have Hearters and a Savage in 223 but I only go to the dog towns 1 or 2 times a year.
The Ideal to me would be to re-barrel the old Hearters to 20 Practical. Neck size 223 down to 20 cal. and have 204 ballistics.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
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The easy, cheap, and accurate solution is to buy an RAR-Predator in either 204 or 223 and spend the rest of your build budget on glass and ammo.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 546
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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If you're going to go .20 cal, skip the .204R and get a .20 VarTarg.
Other than that, all the advice you need is in this thread.
kingston excellent shooting and I love those Sakos. Question for you, what kind of spotting scope mount is that? I've been looking for something like that. Thanks
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Joined: Jan 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 32,130 Likes: 1 |
If you're going to go .20 cal, skip the .204R and get a .20 VarTarg.
Other than that, all the advice you need is in this thread.
kingston excellent shooting and I love those Sakos. Question for you, what kind of spotting scope mount is that? I've been looking for something like that. Thanks It's a Manfrotto 410 geared head on a Manfrotto 649 Quick-Release C-Clamp.
If you put Taco Bell sauce in your ramen noodles it tastes just like poverty
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I may have been lucky, but I bought a used Ruger #1 .223 and personally shot over 5000 rounds through it and then had it made into a .223 AI and shot another 5000+ rounds through it before accuracy slipped. It then had a Lilja 7 twist barrel chambered in .223 AI put on it and is still going strong.
My shooting partners cannot believe how fast I can fire that rifle off a bench in the dog towns. I use a 6.5x20 Leupold scope on that rifle.
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