duplicated on Long Range Hunting..

was looking for input for a long range set up to take shots at say Rock Chucks at 500 to 700 yds type of rig..

Currently have available 22.250 ( and with a fast 1 in 7 twist), 243s (with one in 9 twist)... 6 mm Rem ( with one in 7 twist) and a new 25/06 heavy barrel for my Savages...

was looking to top this with a 8 x 32 or 10 x 40 scope..

of the available rifles, which one do you guys with experience think would give me the best flattest shooting set up? and what bullet weights should I be considering??? ( do want something that will be explosive.. )

I can also consider punching one of the 22.250s out to an Ackley or to a 220 Swift...

this will not be a high volume shooter, so not necessarily concerned about barrel wear potential...

thanks for your input in advance..
cheers
seafire

Sea-4 what it's worth I'd be looking at one of the 6's or the 25 as I'm not a fan of the 22's on chucks especially @ long range.

If the 6's would shoot the 95 NBT and or the 105 Amax I'd say you're sitting well. I've used that bullet quite a bit for chucks @ long range out of my 6/06.

The 25/06 is superb at long range as well, especially with the 115 NBT or perhaps the 115 Berger though I never used that one.

I got to the point with my long range chuck shooting where I liked the 6/06, 270, 25/06 and my big 7's. I also used my 300 Wby and 340 quite a bit as well.

Long range chuck shooting is about as good as it gets for practice far as I'm concerned.

Dober

Just a note that the 115 Berger doesn't open up very well on small varmints. It doesn't even start to open until it gets around 2" inside, unlike "normal" bullets. It will do OK on coyotes but not anything smaller, unless you shoot them end-to-end.

My vote would be for the .25-06. Like Mark, I have shot long-range rockchcuks with a variety of rifles and it's hard to beat a .25 with heavier bullets as a combination of enough gun--and tolerable recoil if you really get into them. And I have occasionally shot rockchucks were they were almost as abundant as prairie dogs.

Chuckin is something I truly enjoy, my best summer I took out 457 of the buggers. Pretty much all with my 7.

Dober

Rockchuck hunting is obviously one of my favorite things. for the ranges you are talking (500-700 yards)my hands down favorite rig is a 6BR 1-8" twist barrel shooting the 95gr VLD Berger. your 243 1-9" would also shoot this bullet well.for your 6mm Rem the 105gr AMax is a great bullet if it does not blow-up,the 1-7" is a really fast twist, or the 105grVLD Berger it has a better B.C. and does not blow-up quite as easy.
For your 25/06 the 115gr VLD Berger is flat out awesome on Chuck's.
RC

Not to hijack here but where can a guy from Missouri go to shoot rock chucks for little to no fee with abundant public access? Kinda have the same question for lotsa coyotes as well.Thanks Hijack over, Les

Good luck with this Tanker, the serious chuck shooters I know keep their spots to themselves for chucks/pd's etc even closer to them than their trophy elk areas...

Not something many are gonna give up let alone over the i-net.

Dober

I agree with Dober on this, I have spent countless hours over many, many year's scouting and searching for good rockchuck hunting area's. I tell nobody of where I go unless they go with me and are sworn to secrecy upon return.
If I give up the location of one of my "honey holes" you can bet it's a LIE.
B

Seafire,
For these ranges I love the 6 mm's and Berger bullet's for a couple reasons, The 95 grain and 105 grain VLD bullet's are very accurate and very explosive and have a great BC.
Another great reason to love the 6 mm's at these ranges is the low recoil so you have the possibility of spotting your shot's through your scope.
IMO you dont need a,.257, 6.5mm,7mm,30cal or .338 cal unless you want to hit 1000 yards and beyond then the bigger caliber's start to shine. with that said I have shot hundreds of chuck's past 1000 yard's with a 6mm-284 using 105grain Berger's or 107 grain SMK's.
B

AI the 6mm and then stoke it with the AMAX bullets.

My choice would be the .25-06, it will do everything you are asking. I've used one for 32 years for groundhogs in OH. The heavier bullets will just do better at long range then the smaller calibers. I'd stick with the 87 gr bullets to prevent richoches.

Tankerjockey: Let me expound on Mssr. Mark R. Dobrenski's "hints" regarding Rock Chuck "intel".
My favorite all time Varmint Hunting endeavor has always been and will ALWAYS be Rock Chuck Hunting!
I will tell folks or give them hints where I Hunt Prairie Dogs, Ground Squirrels, Coyotes, Fox, Crows, Badgers, Porcupines and even all manner of Big Game - BUT - I would sooner give you the key to my daughters chastity belt than give you one of my Rock Chuck Hunting areas!
I don't even post about my Hunts for Chucks in VAGUE terms, as I don't want folks to even know WHEN I Hunt Chucks LET ALONE WHERE, I HUNT THEM!
I am NOT a selfish person - I share my Hunts, my experiences, my ammunition, my home, my vehicles and my time with friends, acquaintances, like minded folks and on many occassions complete strangers - but giving up a Rock Chuck Hunting spot simply "ain't gonna happen"!
Period.
I have CLOSE friends that I used to Hunt Chucks with in decades past - but I no longer share with them my Chuck "haunts" and haven't for the last 15+ years.
I have one high mountain Chuck lair that is memorialized in a picture on the wall of my "gun room"!
The picture is simply stunning and along with that it tells a story.
The picture consists of my Remington 40XB-KS in 220 Swift on its custom tri-pod right in front of my Keb-Lab camo colored shooting mat, my B&L Zephyr binoculars, an MTM 100 round cartridge box, and an enormous dead Rock Chuck - and the Rifle is pointed out at a level vista with Chuck dens starting at 100 yards and extending in a full half circle for 800 yards beyond the first dens!
Several dozen (maybe 100!) people have asked me over the years "where" this beautiful (spectacular) spot is - I have never answered even ONE of these inquiries!
My suggestion to you is to get in your vehicle one fine June day and take a drive west and take a right turn at the Rocky Mountains!
Begin your search there and the efforts you spend seeking out the Rock Chuck Colonies will add to the amazing rewards and satisfaction you will recoup once you find them and successfully Hunt them!
Mark these places on a map and keep them to yourself - you see unlike other Colony Varmints (Prairie Dogs and Ground Squirrels!) a small group of Varminters or a single Varminter CAN wipe out a Colony of Chucks!
Then its many years til the Colony re-populates.
Best of luck to ya!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: "Search, is the ultimate mystery".
Plato (427 B.C. - 347 B.C.)

Guys, Guys, Guys! Relax, I don't want your secrect hidy holes, Well I'm not asking for them anyway. I just need to know the rules and regs and permits required for the various western states for hunting them. Thinking Co. Wy. Mt. Maybe Az. or NM. I will gladly put in the leg work hiking up hill to some nice spot to attempt the find. I've just never had the opportunity and wondered the best locale to try to get started. I am a complete nooby at predators and varmints but would sure like to try. Thanks guys, I really don't want to intrude, just participate. Les

Guessing I kind of missed the spot where you weren't asking us where to go but just needed to know the rules/regs and permits required etc...

Dober

Rock chuck hunting sounds as secretive as spring gobbler hunting for us east coast guys!

Agreed ...2 weeks and closing where are you hunting Larry?

Well Dober, I guess I was not too articulate nor did I spell out exactly what I was asking for. After re-reading my original post, I think you could take it a few ways. And hey, even if I was asking for your secret spots and you don't want to tell, Don't tell! Take care now. Les

We spent the last weekend hunting rock chucks here in Idaho. Saturday was a magical 100 shot day which I've only had one other time. My best year was 333 chucks but I'm no longer making the 4 hour round trip drive after work. I'm also no longer keeping an accurate count.

The three of us are shooting Remmington's VSSF, two in 22-250 and mine is a 220 Swift. On lightly winded days, less than 10 mph, we are pretty consistent out to 300 yards shooting from improvized rock rests and 2 lb rice bags. Swirling winds on cross canyon shots are tough.

We also use the 6mm in a the VLS and 40X. My 40X is the bomb but it is heavy and it doesn't buy me that much more range than my Swift. Plus the recoil generally prevents me from seeing the impact. And speaking of impact, we have all moved to the Vmax. Ballistic tips don't provide the explosive damage.

My best friend doesn't know where I chuck hunt. He has never gone with me and I have never told him where even though he has asked numerous times. I've told him exactly where I hunt deer, elk, antelope, bears, and sheep and he has never gone on any of the hunts.

To the OP, I too am now on the hunt for my 1000 yard 'chuck rifle after my fifteen year old son took his first at 1044 this spring. It has gotten to where he wants to set-up where my rifle is already running out of steam! So...I'm waiting on what was my last .22-250 to come back from Dan Dowling with a new .243AI eight twist Kreiger on it! It's going to be throated for 105 A-maxes which seem to work well in my son's rifle of the same caliber and twist. I can see that the A-max might come apart at a faster twist or higher velocities--it is a fragile bullet. But, if I read your poost correctly, that's what you're looking for and that's precisely why I had my new barrel set-up for it. High BC and destructive terminal performance.

The long range 'chuck shooting is one of the greatest challenges and one of the greatest ways a guy can spend a day in the field IMO. It is also a lot easier on the limited resource a smaller 'chuck colony provides. I hope you reach your goals!

Boatanchor: I hope some day I can say I've "shot hundreds of 'chucks over 1000 yards". It is quite a feat to kill a handfull at that range! Love to chat with you about it sometime.

tt

TT-next time you talk to Dr Dan tell him hello from me. Far as I'm concerned he's the best going.

Dober

Good to know, Mark. This my first build from Dan. I've got a good friend who has several rifles Dan built. He feels the same way you do. I'm itching to get my hands on it!

Seafire, I too use a 22-250 for long range work on rock chucks. I load 50gr BT with IMR4350. These perform remarkably well in my Rem. 700 22-250. I also have spots to hunt these vermin that I share with no one. Their populations are good but lots of shooting will diminish them quickly. I truly enjoy hiking to lofty meadows to pursue them. My old 22-250 has a factory SS bbl. that I picked up on the internet. This is a fluted heavy contour Rem. bbl. that has taken more than its' share of mtn. chucks. A 22-250 or 22-250AI is more than adequate if the wind is not blowing too much. Otherwise I would recommend a .243 shooting perhaps a 65gr Vmax or 70gr. BT. Good luck with your long range quest.

guys

just yall talking about shooting chucks makes me green with envy! i'm pretty sure I don't even know what a chuck is!
but being here in oklahoma we don't have much of anything in numerous enough numbers to build a rifle around anyways.
also just from this thread I am looking into building my first rifle in a cartridge I have never shot, only done research, the 6mm Rem. I've already counted up how many hrs of overtime I need to put in so that I can start my build.lol. I know i'm sick, but aren't we all?
i'm so jealous of all of you all, just so ya know...

I'm trying to think of a way that I can bait crows just to get some satisfaction that you guys receive from shooting these chucks!

cheers to you guys!

I only hope one day I can go on a prairie dog and chuck hunt

now only the parts to start my build.............

Brett (Mac)

Id go with the 25-06 and 115 grain ballistic tips. The only other thing I can tell you that these guys havent commented on is your choice of scopes. You dont need to go 8x32 or 10x40. In june on a mountain top at 700 yard youll have so many heat waves in that scope that anything about 14 to 18 power zoom is a waste. At 700 to 1000 yards you can still see chucks on 14x. Turn em inside out or make em do back flips. Just remember to bring the video camera. Slow motion playback is awesome when you can see the bullet come into the screen and destroy a chuck.

The 22-250AI with 75 or 80 gr. A-maxs works very well and has good terminal performance in the 500-750 yard range.

I think the 243AI would be better and likely my next build. The 105 gr. A-max has a great BC and is fragile enough to be a good chuck bullet. A standard 243 will work with that bullet too.

The 25 06 with 75 gr. V-max's and 85 gr. NBT's works well too though getting pass the 500 yards range the higher BC A-max's in 243 and 22-250AI arrive noticeably faster /less drift.
I talked to Hornady about making a 25 caliber A-max but they said no target shooters use the .25. I related that a lot of the A-max's get shot at vermin and steel. Didn't seem to swing them my way though.

A 25-06 would fit your needs perfectly. A word of warning though...once you try a 25, you might find yourself taking it on your next deer hunt as well.

Well brett they are basically a Prairie dog on steroids. they live in higher elevations than PD's. As you can tell the folks who hunt them are very territorial. Never caught the bug much. You generally can get more shooting done in a PD town.

Good thoughts, I mainly use a 4-14 Leo and a 6-20 Leo for my long range work. The 20 can work but many days it's just too much of a good thing. And I totally concur about the mtn heat waves. Lastly your words about them doing back flips etc tells me that you're a true chucker as well and the vid idea works well also. The gymnastics is exactly one reason why I don't/won't use any of the 22's (slow or fast twist) 4 long range chucks. They just don't have the gas to toss them around like the bigger cals do...

Dober

6.5x47Lapua. 123 A-Max at 3050fps. 5.5x22 Nightforce with a MLR inside.
6.5 is in the foreground.

That is NICE Jim!

Seafire,
You say 500-700 yards but you know once you reach 700 you'll want to go 800+
I'd go with the 25 or something like Jim's 6.5. I've shot them out to 460 yards with a 22-250 and had mixed results, from flipping them up in the air to crawl offs. The 22-250 was really hard to shoot in the eastern Oregon wind if it wasn�t at your back or in your face. When I scratch together enough funds I�m leaning toward a Remington VLS in 260, they can be found used for $800ish.

I've got a VLS in 260 already.. was one of the first ones to hit the shelves locally.

I've also got a 25/06 take off barrel for a Savage.. it is a heavy barrel.. I just need to take both out and play with them at those distances...

looking at the 25/06 specs, wonder how a 270 with a 110 grain V Max would be looking like at that distance also?

Must admit that I don't think of anything over 6mm as a real 'varmint' cartridge.. with that in mind, I probably have a good half dozen or more solutions to the problem sitting in the safe right now.....

But I don't think I'll ever accomplish the mission with the "cool-ness" that Jim the Plumber does.. what a coooool set up...

as soon as I hit the lottery, going to have to duplicate those rigs...

Lots of things will work fine. Anything with a heavy enough bullet going fast enough to cause some excitement when it gets there. You don't want to just knock them over or drill a hole. My flattest shooting chuck gun was a .240 Gibbs with 70's@4100, it made a good mess. Now there's a 257Wby with 100's @4000, which blows the crap out of a chuck. And a 6mmAI with 70's @4100 replacing the Gibbs.