Best P-Dog bullet for the price....204 and 223

S

shelton573

Active member
I am planning on going on a prairie dog hunt the first week of june. My brother's group had a guy back out a couple days ago and they asked me to go. Between my brother and I, we plan to bring my 6 creedmoor (to try some at longer ranges), 22-250, (2) 17 HMRs, my 204 and my AR in 223. I pretty well have all loads worked out except for the 204 and might tweak the AR.

My question is, what bullet do you all prefer out of the 204 for PD hunting? I am planning on trying 32 vmaxes but I am open to suggestions.

For my AR, me and my coyote hunting buddies have a real good community load worked up using 50 gr noslers over 25.5 gr of benchmark. I will likely use that but was wondering if there was a more economical bullet option that works well to try out. Might have to try the vmax and see if it shoots as good as the nosler.

Any input is much appreciated!
 
The Z-max bullets are usually cheaper than V-max, in box of 500. The Varmint Nightmares are probably cheaper, and a sample pack would be a very good idea.
 
The 32g zmax is a good bullet for the 204 as is the 32g Nosler FB tipped, both shoot about equal in my Savage FV12 204R. The Dogtown bullets are a bit cheaper but are HP's. They shoot well in my 204 as well, but I encountered inconsistent seating depths with these while I haven't with the other two brands.
 
34 grain Dog towns are on sale now for about 11 cents per round. This is for Ruger 204. I ordered 500 and will try them out this summer. For 11 cents I couldn't pass them up. Looks like a big Hollow Point and they seem to have good reviews. Rudy
 
Those 34 grain Dog Towns really will blow up a prairie dog. But they dont have a very high BC most likely due to that big hollow point. If you keep your shots less than 300 yards they will serve you well.

Personally, out to 400 yards or so I would rather have a 32 grain Ballistic Tip. You can buy the Ballistic Tips as factory seconds quite often. I think they were $15 a 100 last time I bought them. Beyond 400 yards the 39 grain Blitzking. They are worth the few extra cents to me. Hit them anywhere near right and you will not have to shoot them again.
 
I didn't go and price compare before posting but Nosler Varmeggeddon bullets are unreal for their price. Bought on sale or in bulk packs or both they can be had for dirt cheap. In my experience the best of the "cheap" bullets.
 
I use Zmax, Speer TNT, Hornady 55 SP for most of my P-dog shooting and have good luck with all of them. At .10 cents a piece or less for the 55 SP they are awesome. With 24-25 grains of Benchmark or BLC-2 they can be loaded for about 24-27 cents per round in .223.
 
I use a 50 grain V Max for .223 and a 40 grain V Max for .204. .223 cost me $10.00 a box or $560.00 per 6000 and .204 cost me 8.00 per box.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokin BarrelIf you like those 50gr Noslers, give the Varmint Nightmares a go from Midsouth Shooters Supply. They shoot great and are pretty cheap. I think you can even get a sample pack now.

I've had real good luck with the Varmint Nightmares on dogs. Will keep on using them for sure
 
Some .204 barrels are picky about bullet weight...Both of mine love the 39gr SBK with the right powder & primer charge, but I haven't found the ideal recipe for the 32gr and long distance accuracy.. 35gr and 40gr shoot well enough for 200 yard accuracy but tend to loose consistency at longer distances..

It might behoove you to do some experimentation before getting to dependent on one formula..
 
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