Cast for Prairie Dogs

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  • Last Post 07 September 2025
shastaboat posted this 24 August 2025

I've been using Lee Cast 55 gr bullets for shooting Prairie Dogs in Wyoming and previously for shooting Belding Ground Squirrels in Nevada.  I size/lube at .225 with Sage aluminum gas checks.  I've used two loads.  #1.  10 gr of 2400;  #2 10 gr of Accurate #7.  Both loads give good consistent accuracy out to 200 yards with velocities between 2200 and 2300 fps.  My average cost per round is about 10 cents.  I still have approximately 10K MAGTECH small rifle primers that should last me for a few more years.  I use 1 in 12" twist barrels and now have a 1 in 14" twist barrel that is working out well.  Is anyone else doing something similar?

Because I said so!

anyone-else-doing-this?

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Glenn R. Latham posted this 24 August 2025

I have done so in years past. Performance left nothing to be desired with both round nose (225462) and flat nose (22-055-FN). I wasn't pushing them that fast, I was shooting for a 22 WMRF type load. You need a good long open background because they do ricochet!

Glenn

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Lance Boyle posted this 24 August 2025

What chambering?   pardon me if I missed it, I am only two sips in to my first cup of coffee.

 

My honest answer is no.  .30 calibers have been my smallest molds that I have used.  I got (in a lot buy ) a .280 or .277 mold, not even sure which. 

 

I thought about it mildly for the hornet but dismissed as I fear, as Glenn says, it’s a hard row to hoe.   I see a lot of barely used .224 molds that are for sale.   It would be economical in the hornet though.

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Glenn R. Latham posted this 25 August 2025

My 22 CB dog shooting has been with both the 222 and 223, 14" twists.  Checking my records, I see some of my loads were a bit faster than a 22 WMRF.

222 Rem, 56 gr FN, 13.0 H4227, 2250 fps

222 Rem, 59 gr RN, 8.5 Blue Dot, 2000 fps

223 Rem, 56 gr FN, 13.0 H4227, 2075 fps

223 Rem, 59 gr RN, 10.0 Blue Dot, 2200 fps

Bullets were cast of WWs, air cooled and tapered.  Harder bullets did not shoot better, usually a good bit worse.

Glenn

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shastaboat posted this 25 August 2025

My .22 cal cast shooting has been with .223/5.56 in 4 bolt guns and a designated cast build in AR15.  Bolt guns are Rem 788, Browning Medallion both in 1 in 12" twist barrels and a Ruger American that I bought new 2 years ago and re-barreled with a 1 in 14" twist barrel.  I barreled my cast AR15 with a pistol ported 20", 1 in 12" custom barrel.  This is matted to a lower with a rifle stock and tube using a carbine spring and an un-weighted carbine buffer.  This combination functions 100% with full ejection and action lockup on an empty mag.  Accuracy is on par with my bolt guns.  I now prefer the Ruger American with 20 round mags for my P dog shooting as I don't have to continually load 4-5 round mags or fool with brass catchers.  Also, with the AR I find myself shooting more rounds as follow-up shots.  I'm looking for others in South Central Wyoming to shoot with.

 

Because I said so!

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shootcast posted this 27 August 2025

No parities dogs on the east coast. Use to shoot some groundhogs with cast. All at or under 100 yards. Never could get accurate high velocity loads. Also as Glen said they will ricochet. Even softer alloy didn’t do as well as 22 rim fire HP. I tried to HP a Lyman mold to basically duplicate these rounds. The frontal portion would break away. Which for this use was good. Stopped ricochet and if hit groundhog did more damage. Problem was it wasn’t accurate enough for constant hits. The RCBS 55 is my most accurate Bullet. But again not good as a hunting Bullet. 

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shastaboat posted this 01 September 2025

My question to you is what twist was the rifle you were shooting that accuracy was poor?  Also experienced cast bullet shooters know that velocity is limited with cast bullets.  Cast bullets do not = high velocity.  In Wyoming we don't have to worry about ricochet.  You were doomed to fail.

 

Because I said so!

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MP1886 posted this 01 September 2025

Interesting. When I lived out west I was shooting praire dogs with a 7mm Remington magnum using the Lyman 150 grain Loverin style bullet and doing quite well. I was able to reach out to between 100 to 200 yards. I wasn't blistering the bullets either as Loverins don't like to be pushed hard. 

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linoww posted this 01 September 2025

Erik Ohlen's site has pictures of my 225438 water jug results .He did for me when he first started up.Run at about 2300 in my 22-250 it was deadly on varmints.

Shot in a one gallon milk jug full of water ,the exit holes were just little slices and most of the pieces stayed in the jug. The bullet just came completely apart. It looks like he deleted some of my other pictures.And there is only the one right now.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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shastaboat posted this 02 September 2025

7mm Rem Mag for Prairie Dogs?  I'd say a bit heavy, but whatever floats your boat...lol

Because I said so!

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shootcast posted this 02 September 2025

Shastaboat

I started out with a 22-250 bolt. Then went to a 222 bolt. I love shooting my TC Contender Carbine in 22 Hornet. The bolts I believe are 14 twist standard factory barrels. The TC also factory is listed at 10 Twist. On average I probably shoot the TC about as well. Have shot a few sub moa groups with bolt guns. Few and far between. I did an article for FS some years back shooting the Hornet. Four, five shot groups at 100 yards averaged around 1.750 if I remember correctly. That’s about the best I can do. The bullet mold I altered to HP also shortened to PB. My velocities even with GC bullets not more than 1750 FPS. Been quite awhile since I have shot any cast 22 caliber.

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shastaboat posted this 02 September 2025

I'm looking for a shooting friend to go shooting P-dogs on a regular basis.  Sweetwater County, Wyoming.

Because I said so!

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Tom Acheson posted this 02 September 2025

In my first few trips to South Dakota to help put a small dent in their sod poodle population, I used an XP100 chambered in 221 Fireball. After those trips I switched to an XP100 chambered in 6 BR, using cast bullets. It worked great but I had to use a higher holdoff than my rifle buddies.

Tom

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shastaboat posted this 02 September 2025

Were you scoped?

 

Because I said so!

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Tom Acheson posted this 02 September 2025

Scope? Yes, a Weaver T-36. A limited field of view as you must employ a generous amount of “eye relief”. That scope was real helpful shooting half size handgun silhouette matches @ 50, 100, 150 and 200- meters!

Tom

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shastaboat posted this 03 September 2025

I don't understand why you would have to use a hold off sight picture?  Do you mean because of wind deflection or distance?  

Because I said so!

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Tom Acheson posted this 03 September 2025

It’s an XP-100 by Remington. A single shot, bolt action “handgun”. The CBA match rules require a max. weight of 7-pounds and barrel length of 15”. When I had mine in 30 PPC the LBT bullet weight was about 180-185 grains and mv of 1950-2100 fps. (Today it is a 22 BR.)

That translates into recoil. If you don’t back off, you will “wear” the scope. The T-36 is a rifle scope, with a short eye relief.

Tom

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shastaboat posted this 04 September 2025

What do you mean by higher hold off?

 

Because I said so!

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Tom Acheson posted this 04 September 2025

The cast bullets leave the launch pad at a slower velocity than jacketed bullets of a similar weight. So to accommodate the greater bullet drop, I aimed higher.

It is ALWAYS windy in SD. You can drive yourself crazy trying to constantly rotate scope knobs to correct for an ESTIMATED distance and varying wind influence. Know one hits them all, that’s the fun, guessing how much to correct your shots. Tom

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shastaboat posted this 05 September 2025

Why didn't you just sight in for cast bullets?  Then you could just aim low for your jacketed loads.

 

Because I said so!

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Tom Acheson posted this 05 September 2025

The cast bullets I use are usually sighted in for 200-yards. We are lucky when a dog is @ 100-yards. Often it is quite a bit further than 200. Somehow the close dogs know that when a pick-up pulls up and stops, it’s time to go down the hole. The distant dogs don’t react the same. I don’t mix jacketed with cast in the same gun. So regardless of the initial sign-in yardage, the hold over/under will always vary. There are very few “constants” when doing this.

Some people call it prairie dog hunting. Not so, there is no hunting involved, you know where they are. Tom

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