Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Long range varmints

I have a friend who is a Sgt 1st Class in the WA Army National Guard. Three combat tours, airborne, sniper, every badge except Ranger it seems.

He and some friends head to western Montana every year to shoot ground squirrels and rock chucks(?).

He takes a 17 HMR, a 223 AR, and wants something for 450 yards plus.

224 Valkyrie? Or a bolt gun by who in what? 22-250/22-250AI/22 Creed, 1 in 8 twist?

Or, get a used Remington 700 action, screw on a Remage in 22-250 fast twist, and drop it in something with an AICS magwell and go forth and conquer?

.25/06 or 6mm!!

The remage setup with a an 8 twist 22-250 would work, I have several PD rifles with criterion barrels. For 450 plus I prefer a fast twist 6mm though. I have an 8 twist 6BR and a 7 twist 6mm Creedmoor along with a stash of 105 Amax's that I prefer to the 22-250 when the wind is up and ranges get long.

This upcoming trip is probably going to burn through my stash of amaxs so I'm gonna have to find something else. I haven't heard good things about the 108 eldm that replaced them.

22 Creed, 7” twist, 88 ELD

What have you heard about the 108 ELD?

Those ranges and over a 25-06, 25-284, 243, or 6mm would be a kick and you can really stretch them out even a bit further than that.

Just a couple of buddies that haven't been able to get them to shoot as well as they have the 105 amax. One of them gave up on them in his very accurate 243 and raided half my stash of 105 amaxs for our upcoming prairie dog hunt. The amaxs are good for tiny groups out of his rifle, the 108 eldm shot poorly. It's an 8 twist Krieger done by a good smith and shoots the 105 bergers into one hole & 105 amax into an oblong hole. The 108 eldm shot like "crap" in his exact words.

Interesting. My experience with them is that they shoot exactly the same as the 105 HPBT and AM in my .243AI and 6mm Creedmoor, which is fairly superb. Very easy to get to shoot, IME, just like every other AM and ELD I’ve worked with.

I haven't tried them in my 6BR or 6 Creedmoor. I'm hoping they'll shoot in mine, otherwise I'm on a hunt for another long range PD bullet too.

I use a 22CM with 75gr Amax or a 6CM with 87gr Vmax... the far shots are more challenging but the closer ones are always more fun...

What barrel and build?

Easy, I`ve killed rock chucks to 600 using a 69gn. TMK in my 9 twist 223 Savage. His AR is probably fast twisted, single load some 75gn. Hornadys, use a good glass, and shoot stuff.

223 twisted to shoot heavies. No sense in putting up with more muzzle blast and recoil than necessary.

The 22cm is a Defiance Deviant with a Bartlein gain twist 7.5-6.5 at 26”...

The 6cm is a Defiance Deviant with a Bartlein 7.5 twist at 22”...

Believe it or not, velocity will still work to 450 yards. 40-50 grain bullets from a Swift or 22-250 will still work fine. 450 yards is farther than most people realize, but still within the realm of a stock barrel and light bullets...

This has been my experience as well. A quality rangefinder that will pick up these small targets at 400 plus yards, should be considered.

How fast are you pushing 88's in yours?

I can't seem to get them running over 3,150 where as the 75's are cooking at 3,470 fps.

At those speeds the 75's run neck and neck with the 88's to 1,100 yards and for varmints, I'd take the added velocity myself.

My experience has been that on small targets, a 223 reaches as far as I can effectively lay down fire, and that's around 400 yards.

He's a much better shot than me, regularly participating in Precision Rifle events, etc.

I'm only taking a 17 HMR and a 223 AR.

Valk would work, but the splat factor happens with speed, and that isn't what the valk does.

You could have a .22 Creed screwed together in three weeks.

FYI Alpha is out of brass (next week?) and RL 26 is a bit tough to find, but you could always run H4350 and Lapua or ADG 6 Creed and neck down.

If he shoots competitions, why not bring the match rifle? When I specifically target long range rock chucks I take whatever setup I've been competing with that year.