A Varmint Hunters Odyssey, Part I: Preparation

[esheato]

Last year, my brothers and I decided to plan a varmint hunt on a whim. It started small, like a grain of sand in a clam. Hopefully, it'll turn into a pearl and be an adventure to talk about for years to come. I decided to share it because some of you might enjoy it...besides, I just bought a new camera and what would be cooler than a pictorial illustrating conception through execution.

The three of us.

We live in northern California and our plan takes us to eastern Idaho or western Montana. We're figuring on a marvelous road trip that includes a week of camping and varmint shooting. We have a general idea of where we want to go, but nothing more concrete than that. The timeline for the trip is April or May 2006 as that is when the hunting is best (or so I was told). Some preliminary research advised to bring 300 rounds for every day that you are hunting.

And the preparation begins...

Gun...check. I have a gun (Cooper .223 AI with Leupold 6.5-20 with varmint hunters reticle) and can reliably hit to 400-500 yards. One brother has a Weatherby and the other has a Savage, both chambered in .223 Rem. Differing twist rates force us to use different loads and bullet weights, but we're all confident in shooting the loads we create.

Ammo...working on it. I am bringing 2,000 rounds for the week we're there. Both of my siblings are also assembling at least 1,500 rounds each.

Rangefinder...check. Leica LRF 1200.

Shooting bench...undecided on whether it's necessary or not.

Binoculars...need to pick up a good pair. Recommendations?

Food, clothes, tent, sleeping bag, etc...mere creature comforts which I can work out later.

Getting back to the essentials, I think about ammunition...and lots of it. What load? What bullet? What brand of brass? Cost?

I've got a load currently developed which pushes a little 40 grain Sierra BlitzKing at 3600 fps which would work just fine. I've used them on squirrels before and the hits are devastating. I'll probably end up using this load, but another month or two of load development and I'll have a better idea of what powder I want to use. I'd prefer to use one of the Hodgdon Extreme propellants to minimize temperature problems, but the average is 70 so that shouldn't present too large of a problem.

Squirrel hunting last year. Small bullets at high velocity do interesting things.

Starting at the beginning, I need brass. I really like Lapua, but I won't pay $820 for 2,000 pieces. Remington brass will suffice and MidwayUSA mailed them out along with 20 100-round ammunition boxes for a mere $120. One day of motivated tumbling and they'll all be clean and ready for the dies.

Brass and ammo boxes to be filled.

Due to the awesome performance and unwavering accuracy I've selected Sierra 40 grain BlitzKings to sit atop all those shiny cases. Two thousand bullets is $230.

I'm loading 27.2 grains of propellant, and assuming that I use the same powder, that nearly equals eight pounds. Powder runs another $110.

120 Brass and ammo boxes
230 Bullets
110 Propellant
460 Total

You're probably thinking that I have forgotten about primers. Not quite. See, I want to fireform these cases before I take them with me. What's the point in having a .223 AI if I shoot .223 Rem on the trip? The big question is whether I will put undue wear on my barrel and throat fireforming that many cases. The answer is a resounding "probably." I spoke with my 'smith yesterday and his solution was to procure a spare action and thread it with a .223 AI chamber only. He's working on that while I'm busy tumbling and preparing brass.

At the minimum I will have to tumble, load to fireform, fireform, then tumble and load again. Also, I'll have to prime 4,000 cases because I have to prime everything twice (once for fireform and once for the final load). Add another $75 to the above total and that puts me right at $535.

It's a good thing I've got eight months to get all this stuff done. I've still got dove, deer and duck seasons to get through also. Too much hunting and not enough time.

Am I totally nuts or what?

Ed

 

[dakotasin]

seems nobody wants to touch this one, eh?? here's a couple pennies for ya:

are you nuts? no. you will probably turn this into an annual outing that will also start to serve as a mini-family reunion.

300 rounds per day is adviseable for short trips, like 2-3 days. but you are talking about a week... you won't go thru that much ammo (2000 rounds). oh, there will be opportunity, but stuff happens: you and/or your brothers will burn out a little, sunburn will be too severe, way too windy for a day or two, rained out, chiggers too intolerable, truck catches on fire, truck engine siezes up, truck gets stuck, brothers want to go fishing, you're too exhausted to get out of bed before noon... all this stuff is stuff that has happened to me on my own varmint outings (i do varmint hunting by the ton... and it takes a lot of prairie dogs to make even 1 ton). so, what i'm trying to say, is you probably will do fine w/ around 200-250 rounds per day that you plan to be shooting. day 1 will probably see you blaze thru 350 rounds, but by day 6, 50 is all you'll even want to do.

rangefinder: mandatory. bring extra batteries. leica 1200 is good stuff.

binoculars: not necessary or even desireable for a prairie dog shoot. if you must have them, look at my post in this forum that will direct you to an article by john barseness and direct q&a w/ barseness. if you ever wanted to know anything about binoculars, there are the two greatest resources i've ever had. and they're free. if you want dialogue w/ the man, you have to register, but you can probably get more info than you need the way it is right now.

shooting bench: oh, its necessary, alright. the 'buck bench' (sold thru cabela's) is as small and inexpensive as you can get away w/. bigger is better, but portability becomes an issue. the buck bench will serve you well.

ammo: don't know about the ack, but an accurate, economical load would be h-322 in bha or win cases, cci br-4 primers and 52 sierra mk's or 40-50 v-max. the v-max will make more dramatic hits (explosions), the mk's are easier to get ahold of in bulk.

i'm still trying to re-stock my supplies after this year's varminting escapades. fortunately, i was able to keep up w/ demand, but just barely. right now, i am down to my 100 223 loads, and last 60 308's... so, i have some time in front me at the bench, too... i start the year w/ 2000 pieces of 223, and load another 100 or 150 per week during the active varminting periods... usually start w/ 500 308's, and load whenever i drop below 100.

oh, timeframe...april is a bad, bad time. weather will be too unpredictable. as likely to run into snow as rain, the prairie pups won't really be up, and if it is still cold (a definite maybe), the dogs won't be up, either. i suggest you look more along the lines of late may thru mid-june.

good luck. hope you have a ball!

ps: if you insist on trying your hand in april, make sure your 4wd truck has good tires on it. you can make it thru most of the roads...

 

[esheato]

dakotasin, you've come to my rescue once again.

I had intentionally overestimated the round count because I'd rather come home with extra than run out while in the field.

I have already read the binocular article you referenced. It was very informative.

I'll add a shooting bench to the list of required items and start doing some research.

I'm 80% sure I'm using H-322 and Sierra BlitzKings but I'm still experimenting with some different propellants. I tried BL-C(2) and WW 748 yesterday and didn't like either of them. I'm also going to try Benchmark again as I keep having dreams about it.

Thanks a ton for the seasonal information...I plan on calling Idaho and Montana F&G and getting maps and info from them too.

Ed

 

[dakotasin]

i think you are all set for a helluva time, and hope your adventure lives up to its billing!

i haven't had a chance to try benchmark, yet, but from what i hear, it is the powder for 223.

h-322 works well, but doesn't yield max velocity. but, it is an extremely well-behaved powder. very predictable and reliable, plus it meters as well as ball powders.

aa2230 is about equivalent to h-322, except it is a ball powder, unpredictable, and temperamental. i'd steer clear of it. varget will work well if you decide to run 60's or heavier.

if you forego the shooting bench, bring a couple beach towels and a harris bipod. will work well, be more accurate, but a man can only lay on the ground w/ chiggers and dog poop so long before he has enough.

good call on the round count... better to have and not need, right?

 

[esheato]

I've tinkered with Benchmark and some 50's and while it performed well, I think I can do better with the lighter bullet weights. Specifically the 40's which I want to take on my trip.

H-322 is my normal powder and allows me to reach 3600 fps. I have some moly bullets and bore paste to try and reach 3800 fps but I haven't got around to it yet.

I just got off the phone with Idaho Outdoor Recreation Dept. and they were extremely helpful. They said most of the areas that I want to go to are BLM land and are easily accessible. Lots of hunting and camping opportunities. Mountain Home AFB is nearby for the obligatory weekly shower and dinner in town. I'm going to call F&G tomorrow and get some maps and I'll be good to go.

I also spoke with my brother and he is a welder so the benches shouldn't be a problem. He's designing some things now that should work well.

I guess I should go and stand in front of the press...I've got lots of brass prep to keep me busy.

Ed

 

[dakotasin]

I guess I should go and stand in front of the press...I've got lots of brass prep to keep me busy.

well, it helps if ya move your arms around, too...

 

[got_the_bug]

esheato...

One opinion from someone who has made several prairie dog shooting trips recently...

Perhaps it depends on where/how you hunt, but binoculars were absolutely essential to my prairie dog hunts. I research every piece of equipment I buy to the point of ridiculousness, and the binos I ended up are excellent. What's more, they are relatively cheap (around $300)...I can recommend them completely.

Nikon Monarch ATB's...either the 8x42s (which is what I have), or the 10x42s...bright, amazingly sharp, armored, waterproof, fully-multicoated lenses.

Here is a link to one online retailer with whom I have had a good history purchasing things from:

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/7430/nikon_8x42_monarch_atb_binocular.htm

Hope that helps...

Ben

 

[Ankeny]

I hunt a lot of prairie dogs. I find good binoculars a must. Binos are required for locating the critters and for serving as spotter for the shooter. I shoot at a lot of dawgs well beyond the 500 yard mark.

 

[got_the_bug]

Had to give some more input...

The last few years, my annual prairie dog hunts have also served as a kind of family reunion, with a couple uncles and a cousin who I don't often see, along with my brother. The family aspect of it makes it even better, I think...

Here are some more recommendations...

If you can, take at least two guns. Your Cooper is a perfect rifle for what you want to do, but having another rifle along is good for a couple reasons. First, if the shooting is hot and heavy, you'll want to give your primary rifle a chance to cool down. While a .223 is a great choice for precisely the reason that it heats up comparitively slowly, the barrel will still get pretty toasty. Second, you'll find that (from my experience in the Dakotas anyway) the longer shots (300-400 yards) coupled with the constant prairie wind will warrant the use of a larger caliber/heavier bullet.

.22-250s and .220 Swifts are great, but if they aren't in your arsenal already, perhaps the expense of another gun is not part of the plan. However, one thing you might have is a .243...with the right load, this is long distance PD launching medicine! I use H4350 and 75 grain V-Maxes, and the results are...shall we say..orbital. It doesn't HAVE to be a heavy barreled varmint gun, either...my .243 (a Savage 12BVSS) is, but my cousin brought a sporter barreled Savage in .243 with him, and it was extremely accurate and effective. Just something to think about...I usually bring 4-6 firearms with me, from .221 Fireball to .243, but that is more because I want to try them all out, rather than out of absolute necessity. I really think you'd be well served to bring another, slightly larger .22 or .243/6mm with you.

Also, you'll want to have a good hat/sunscreen and probably long/lightweight clothing...of course, this is from a pasty white guy who lives in NH, so consider that...

Perhaps offensive to some, but since you have already posted some pictures of slain beasties, here is one of mine that educates on the ballistic capability of a 50 grain V-Max out of a fast .22 at around 200 yards...