Prarie Dog and 204 advice!!

Hello Fellas,
I just booked my 1st Prarie Dog shoot with 10 gauge outfitters Kansas for May '12. Very excited!

Here's my question...

I am going to take several rifles, but my primary rifle will be a M12 VLP in 204 Ruger (I am thinking Federal 39gr Blitz Kings) so I am wondering how much ammo to bring for it. I am told that I can expect to shoot all day long, so I am wondering how long can I shoot this rifle until it becomes too hot and needs to cool down. I will then switch guns, but I am trying to figure how long I can expect to shoot the 204 with constant aimed fire. This will give me an idea what to expect and how much ammo to bring for it.

I will also bring a scoped AR-15 which I have tons of ammo for, my 7mm Rem Mag, and a 17HMR.

Any advice/tips you can give a 1st time PD shooter would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Frank

The 204 Ruger is my favorite prairie dog gun (I take an AR-15 223, one 204, two 22-250's, and a 243 for long stuff). I used to think the 250's were the best but after a couple of days the small recoil difference between the 204 and the 250 becomes noticeable. The time to heat up a barrel is directly related to outside temperature and how fast you rack the shells through it. I shoot til the barrel gets hot enough that it's slightly uncomfortable to grip the barrel in front of the action. This is anywhere from 15 to 25 rounds depending on the factors influencing the heat up. The main thing about prairie dog shoots is have enough guns that you're not sitting for long periods of time waiting for the guns to cool off.

Chap,
I am going mid May sso it shouldn't be too hot. So I should figure on firing 20 shots and 1/2 hour cool down...sound right to you?

I'm figuring for my 3 day shoot of the following:

204 Ruger 600 rounds
Ar-15 600 rounds
7mm Rem 160 rounds
17HMR 500 rounds

Outfitter is telling me that the 17 will be near useless with wind there.

How does this bullet count sound to you?

The round count per gun looks good. I shot 600 rounds through my 204 in three days the first time out..........You might wish you had a 22 250 along to get a little more distance over the 223 and 204 but for a first trip you're in good shape. It takes three heavy barreled guns to keep you shooting fairly steady. 1/2 hour cool down is plenty, if you lean the guns against a vehicle tire or lay them in the shade on top of a gun case, they will cool quicker. Keep the action open and that helps also. I'll bet 15 minutes will be enough. Hopefully the temps will stay down, first trip this year was 52 degrees, second trip two weeks later was 80 degrees.........big difference in heat up and cool down. May is a good time to go. You will love it.

Thanks Chap!

Since it's my 1st PD shoot I just don't know what to expect.

Time to start buying ammo!

Normally when you first encounter a dogtown the dumb ones (young and old) will accomidate you with 20-40 fast shots before they retreat to their homes. If the area has not been shot you might get them to stay up for over an hour or two before they get gun shy. Then it slows down and barrel cooling is a non issue.

Things to aid your shoot:

1). Barrels with flutes as they promote rapid cooling, you increase your number of shots by 30-50% before you stop to cool the barrel. The wind helps these cool faster. The wind is your friend.

2). Low power loads, those loaded close to the starting load as recommended by load books. This enables more shots before heating is an issue. Speed is irrevelant, accuracy is everything.

3) Have small bullet loads and heavy bullet loads, by this I mean light fast loads for when the wind is not blowing, and heavier loads with higher BC's when the winds blow.

4). The .223 is a great gun in a dogtown, I use the 34's in the morning and non windy days, and 60's when the wind blows. Normally with my savage model 16 fluted 223 I can shoot 40 shots before I pause to change guns. If the barrel is hot to the touch and you can't keep your hand on it for 2-3 seconds let it cool. The 53 V-Max is the new bullet of choice for many and it's high 290 BC is a real help when the winds blow.

5) The 204 is even better with it's high BC for it's smaller bullets. Shoot the 32's in the am when the winds are calm and 39 Sierra's when the winds blow. Point of impact for both should be close in your loads.

6). Binoculars are a must, trying to spot dogs thru your scope is tiring. 10 X is fine.

7) Leave the 7mm @ home, don't overheat/ruin a good deer rifle for p-dogs, and forget the 17hmr as it's too weak a gun for football sized game, they crawl back to thier holes and you will miss the kill. With 2 guns you lack nothing.

Ingwe,
I used to shoot a 204 going after the same fodder. One REAL issue with the 204(less so with the larger calibers) is a problem known as "Hard Carbon". Once the build-up gets started, it is a REAL bugger to get out. Took alot of bore paste to finally rid myself of it. Ball powders(win 748) seem much less prone to this condition... In any case, I would seriously considers taking some WD-40(cheap, loves to eat carbon fouling) and a bore snake, and don't be afraid to use it constantly.