I have shot quite a few Hornady .224 40-grain V-Maxs and Varmaggedon Tips at ground squirrels and prairie dogs in several cartridges from the .22 Hornet to .223 Remington. Both work very well, but the finest accuracy often depends on the specific rifle.
Is the 40 gr weight the one you most prefer for PD's?
From smaller .22 centerfires, yes I prefer the 40-grainers, especially in .22 Hornet up through .222 Remington.
Have also used both V-Maxes and Varmaggedons considerably in various .17s and the .204 Ruger. In the .204 I tend to prefer the 40-grain V-Max, because it has the highest BC of any commonly available boattailed .204 bullet. But so far as can determine there are no commonly available boattailed .17s, so I use the .17 Varmageddons a lot, though much prefer the plastic-tipped version, both due to a little higher BC and more violent expansion.
