Range Report Prairie dogs @600yds debate

[knutson24]

not real sure wich topic this should go under so mods feel free to move if needed.

I've been following an ongoing depate on another form where a gentlemen claims that it is impossible to hit a prairie dog sized target more than 12% of the time at 600 yds. I for one have no knowledge of shooting prairie dogs let alone at that distance and was wondering if anyone would weigh in on this point of view with some statistical evidence that may or may not prove him wrong. So roughly a target 12-16" high x 3-4" wide I guess.

 

[kurt]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Now that i am not on nodak i can say what i want. That guy is full of fucking shit. His 12 percent is just some made up bullshit that he came up with and is pissed he cant shoot his 22 past 100 yds. He did a study but his wife and his buddy cant find it or threw it away. Pure bull shit.

 

[xdeano]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Kurt it is funny as hell. Dumb shit doesn't think we can't smell the bullshit.

Here is the link to read a bunch of crap. actually it isn't worth your time.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=70846

xdeano

 

[Bronco]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Have hit 3 in a row at 618 yd. even counting the two sighters that is 60%. Of course it depends on the conditions, and they were very good when above shots were taken. You get someone that knows what they are doing with the right equipment I would think 50% would be very doable. The 50% arrived at by swag method (scientific wild ass guess).

 

[dareposte]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

I hit at 10" steel about 90% of the time at 600yds. Compared to many shooters on here that's not very impressive, but I can personally attest to it.

If you assume an even distribution of hits across the steel, and say a prarie dog is 3.5"x6" target, I'd hit a prarie dog about 20% of the time at that range. But in fact I usually group in about a 5" space on the steel and most misses are when the wind picks up and I don't notice or miss the call. So on a good calm day I would likely do a bit better than that on p-dogs, maybe as high as 40%.

I'd say there are shooters and rifles on here who could hit a prarie dog every single shot if the conditions were agreeable at that range.

 

[knutson24]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

xdeano you kurt and savage had me cracking up I couldn't resist bringing it over here. Like the saying goes "you can't fix stupid" Did you guys read his post where it took him 24 rds of 223 to connect with a dog at 238 yrds? Maybe thats where hes getting this 12% from

 

[bohem]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Sounds like this guy is a piss poor shot or an internet moron... or both.

I know it' ain't a p-dog but I've dialed through numerous birds at 400-600yd with a factory barreled 223 Savage. In terms of target size they're a little smaller or a lot smaller. Crows are about the same size, robins are much smaller. Several shooters have witnessed it, one is a member here.

 

[Prairie Dog Dundee]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Prairie Dogs can be elusive critters. They are not always standing in the classic pose. On a windy day with a 223 I'd be lucky to get 12% at 600 yards. On a calm day with my 22-250 with a good prone position and waiting for the PD to be standing or feeding sitting on his butt I may get 40%. I was once spotting for a gent who got three off the same mound at 586 yards,(LRF measured), with three shots, then came down to 420 yards got one then back to 525 and got the fifth one. PD shooting is just like any other shooting. Wind, equipment, skill set and opportunity all apply. I have shot literally thousands of the little fuzz butts. Maybe this guy would do better with a bipod on his calculator.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

P-dognut is just a nut.

First he says that if you misjudge the distance by 1 yard you will miss the p-dog by his body height. The data presented later on by another from a ballistic program shos that the drop from 500 yrads to 600 yards is only 40 inches (or 3.3 p-dog heights over 100 yards) So the ranging needs ONLY to be accurate to 33 yards. And you only have (basically) all afternoon to perform all the math.

The data about windage is equally bogus.

Multiple different people claiming 3:3, 4:5, 6:7 at similar distances does not persuade him that it is even possible.

Its like arguing with a brick. No strike the "like"! It is arguing with a brick.

 

[memilanuk]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

I will agree the guy (p-dognut) appears to be seriously off his meds...

Once upon a time, I grew up in prairie-dog country (western Nebraska), and have shot a fair number of them. Not once in a while on a summer hunting trip, either

I have a pretty fair appreciation for what the wind can be like in those areas, and how bad the mirage can be.

Up until fairly recently, heavy bullets and fast twist barrels in the smaller calibers weren't all that common.

With a 'run-of-the-mill' varmint caliber like .223 Rem, .220 Swift, .22-250, etc. with a slow (12-14") twist and light-weight varmint bullets under real-world conditions I'd say the likelihood of hitting could very possibly be as abysmally low as he claims. Moving up to a .243 Win, 6mm Rem or .25-06 ups the odds a good bit, but generally speaking a 6mm 70-75gr varmint bullet still flies like a friggin' whiffle-ball in the wind (at distance) compared to a 105-107gr bullet out of a long 8" twist barrel.

I'm guessing this guy doesn't really have an appreciation for what modern purpose-built long-range target rifles are capable of, and what the optics used are really like - then again a lot of people don't. They have to be seen or experienced to be believed, and your *average* varmint hunter and his buddies probably haven't. The more serious 'enthusiasts' may have, but Joe Average... probably not. Given the gear they likely have, 10-15% hit probability may be a tad generous.

In all honesty, I've never been a big fan of the school of hucking .224 cal pills, regardless of weight, at prairie-dogs at 600+ yds. Being able to hit the target isn't the sole criteria for me - I prefer a little more terminal energy combined with a more frangible bullet to minimize ricochet potential, but thats my personal standard - I don't necessarily expect others to agree

 

[xdeano]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Knutson24,

I'm glad you did bring it over here, i can actually vent about how stupid the guy is.

24 rounds at 238 rounds is comical. I'd be damn assumed to even say that.

Mitch your math is right on.

I like to see the pink mist and super dogs too, but I also like to push the limits just for the hell of it.

Deano

 

[kurt]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Thought that i should give hime the chance to come and explain his studies him self so i put the link up to here on nodak. I do hope he gives us some more wisdom on the subject.
I missed the 24 rounds at 238 comment for a second there i was trying to be nice and give him a little credit. Maybe he is shooting open sights on his m16 a1.

 

[knutson24]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Sorry had to reread his post to make sure I was correct it was actually a 17 hmr that took him 24rds to connect.

Kurt it wasn't in the " new p-dog gun" postit was in the "hit me with your best shot" post. The one you wrote about not putting a BSA scope on a redrider BB gun. Which your comment about made me bust a nut laughing.

After he started spouting of all of his wonderful wisdom I took it upon myself to go through his other post to see what other kind of "knowledge" he had posted and found that doosy.

 

[xdeano]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

still with a 17HMR, 238 is not that far. I plug flicker tails at much further than that without much effort.

xdeano

 

[ker2222]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

bullshit bullshit bullshit


p-dogs are horrible critters to hit but its the wind that gets you, not much else. LRF the distance and elevation is good. Use a biggger caliber (243 is my fav) and once you get the wind, your golden...might take 2-3 shots, but not 12%.

 

[vman]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Ok so lemme get this right, was he shooting a 17hmr at 600 yards because if so then he is just a dick head for even trying... a hit 600 yards, by a 17gr pill is not going to kill a p-dog.

Besides that, clearly this dude lacks understanding of the shooting community out there... As already specified, 600 and 1000 yard BR... LOL

Can a 600 yard BR shooter please put up a Birchwood Casey P-Dog target up at 600 yards and nail the shit out of it and post up the picture so this dude can stfu?

 

[kurt]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: knutson24</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Sorry had to reread his post to make sure I was correct it was actually a 17 hmr that took him 24rds to connect.

Kurt it wasn't in the " new p-dog gun" postit was in the "hit me with your best shot" post. The one you wrote about not putting a BSA scope on a redrider BB gun. Which your comment about made me bust a nut laughing.

After he started spouting of all of his wonderful wisdom I took it upon myself to go through his other post to see what other kind of "knowledge" he had posted and found that doosy. </div></div>

Thats why it took that fucker 24 rounds his bsa sweet 17 probally tracked a little bit off. Just a guy with no clue who thinks he fucking knows it all.

 

[Rhys]

Re: Prairie dogs @600yds debate

Well lets see, from my last 600BR match, at the end of July I fired 40 rounds including all record shots and sighters. Of my 20 record shots all but 1 fit in a box 3x6. In my sighters I had 1 that was to one side about 10" prior to making the correction for wind. That means 38 out of 40 rounds were within an area the size of a prariedog body. 38/40x100= 95%