zeroing my .243 for prairie dogs

joncatfishman · Rookie Member Joined: Feb 07, 2006 Posts: 1

Ive bought the 58gr v-max bullet from hornady to handload with varget powder the hornandy handbook say my feet per second should be around 3700 I dont have much rifle knowledge wondering what other people set there rifles for zeroing

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

PD shooting has another name its called "pest control" Razz

Plus I hear some people eat PD's like eating squrrels.

Anyways as for the original post I have no idea sorry I'm not too good at balistics but I'm certian if you plug in all the numbers on Point blank it will be able to calculate it right Smile

Dimitri

1895ss

I generally zero my varmint rifles at 250 yrds.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

joncatfishman wrote:

Ive bought the 58gr v-max bullet from hornady to handload with varget powder the hornandy handbook say my feet per second should be around 3700 I dont have much rifle knowledge wondering what other people set there rifles for zeroing

I would plug the numbers into PointBlank (either download the PC version or use the online version here) and play with it, setting a zero where the top most part of your trajectory arc is only a couple inches high (pc version has a PBR calculator that does all of this for you :)).

Also, I've never been able to hit published velocities from reloading manuals so I'd subtract 50-100fps off of the published numbers if you dont have access to a cronograph.

-DallanC

popgun

I would also recomend placing 4" in the PBR Calculator in Point Blank. Prarie dogs are small critters and any bigger spread in elevation in PBR would give you allot of misses.

Quote::

Plus I hear some people eat PD's like eating squrrels.

Prarie Dogs are found to be infected with a plague more often these days so eating a PD is not recomended. Most would recomend that you not even handle them at all. Leave them as food for coyoties and other carrion eaters.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

popgun wrote:

Prarie Dogs are found to be infected with a plague more often these days so eating a PD is not recomended. Most would recomend that you not even handle them at all. Leave them as food for coyoties and other carrion eaters.

They are moderately disgusting critters. You shoot one and sometimes the others will come out and start eating the dead one.

My dads favorite thing is to shoot his .22-250 right into the ground at its feet and the exploding bullet launches them 10ft into the air. They hit the ground dazed and amble back to their mound LOL

Sadly the bunny huggers are trying to get PDogs listed under protected species act... not because there is a shortage of them but rather that they are the food source of the endangered black footed ferret.

Utah actually has a season on PDogs now when you can and cant shoot them.

-DallanC

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

Quote::

Prarie Dogs are found to be infected with a plague more often these days so eating a PD is not recomended. Most would recomend that you not even handle them at all. Leave them as food for coyoties and other carrion eaters.

Oh well thanks for the tip! Very Happy

Didnt matter for me too much as killing PD's would mainly have been for the 'pest' control part. Little Varmint (yes inculding squarrels) have always been in my head "eat only when nothing else is avalible" Smile

Need to try squarrel though sounds tasty from what I've read/heard Shocked

Dimitri

kbis

Squarrel is not to bad, but I think I would just as soon have a Big-Mac. Very Happy

Ken

coyotehunter_1

joncatfishman,
Welcome to Hunting Nut Smile

You should get a major "splat factor" with those 58's. Shocked

Chet

moose2

On zeroing a Prairie Dog rifle, I keep my zero at 300 yds. Somewhat your zero would depend alittle on what maximum range you plan on shooting. As a minimum I would recommend 250 yards for a zero. And I'll echo the thoughts of others. Your .243 should make a very large splat on PD's.
Have fun--tr

Dawgdad

I use the 58 gr. V-max in two .243 handloads. I run 3450fps using 48.0 gr. H414 and 3650 using 53.3gr. IMR 4064 (Federal 210M primers,WW brass.)

I am set up for coyotes and the zero is at 250 yards. This gives me a 4.5" point blank zero out to 290 yards which is where most of the coyotes I kill are taken at.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Welcome to the site Dawgdad, sounds like you have a good load going there. I'll have to give it a try in my .243

-DallanC

popgun

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