Author Topic: HOW DID THE HANDI RIFLES DO ON THE PRARRIE DOG HUNT? (Read 1179 times)

jeff223 · « **on:** June 07, 2005, 01:27:35 PM »

i was wondering how they did on the dogs?the 204s and the 223s should of done pretty good in the hands of you guys :toast:

i would like to know just how far away you guys shot the prarrie dogs with the HANDI RIFLES?im sure there were some bolt guns that did better than the handis but tell us how they did.

mitchell · « **Reply #1 on:** June 07, 2005, 02:11:55 PM »

my longest and i believe the longest shot with a handi was 452 yards. those handi's held there own out there

jeff223 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 07, 2005, 02:36:33 PM »

thats good to hear.i would like to go again my self.i went on a 3 day shoot a few years back and its lots of fun.you get to burn up some ammo if the dogs are up :mrgreen:

Nuttinbutchunks · « **Reply #3 on:** June 07, 2005, 03:44:46 PM »

I would bet the Handi's would do as well as any bolt gun in the riight hands. :lol:

hellacatcher · « **Reply #4 on:** June 07, 2005, 05:27:34 PM »

223 ultra,243ultra, and the 22 hornet all did me proud. Too busy shooting to keep score of what did what. Counted my empty hulls had 643 total didn't break em down any more than that.

:-D :-)

jeff223 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:07:07 AM »

643 rounds fired

not bad at all

did any of you start off shooting with rimfires and then move into the centerfires?when i went i shot a bunch with a 22lr and then worked into the 223s.i didnt have anything bigger than the 223 for dogs at that point.

Mac11700 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 08, 2005, 07:06:14 AM »

I'm with you jeff223....I'm more interested in hearing about our Handi's then the other guns...even though many of the others got used...

Mac

Moonlitin · « **Reply #7 on:** June 08, 2005, 07:18:38 AM »

How about those Sportsters? Did anybody bring their 17HMR or 22WMR NEF Sportsters along for the prairie dog shoot?

I would have loved to pack up my 22WMR, 17HMR, .223, and my favorite 13 year old shooting partner (that's my son) and headed to OK for the prairie dog shoot, but I couldn't swing the time off from work and he was still in school...maybe next year.

How about some pictures of this year's shoot for those of us who must live life vicariously through the adventures of others!

Moonlitin

Longcruise · « **Reply #8 on:** June 08, 2005, 08:53:09 AM »

Quote

even though many of the others got used

I thought it was NEF guns only for this shoot. :shock: Heck, had I known otherwise, I'da showed up with a K31 or MN 91/30.

mt3030 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 08, 2005, 08:55:29 AM »

I'm curious how the 30-30 carried by Gray Beard did as a p-dog tool.

Wally

Ditchdigger · « **Reply #10 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:17:21 AM »

On one bunch,we started off with rimfires and got lots of kills,but when the centerfires started shooting they quickly went down in there holes and stayed there. It was 200 to 500 yd. shooting after that. Its amazing how many you can kill with the 17's and the 22 mags. after you range them. Wes was shooting my 17 and if they were within 125 yds. they were dead,everytime. My Ultra's scope was way off so I shot my Ruger 77 in 220 Swift mostly. Mitchell can make rabbits completly explode with the 220 and 40 gr. B.T.'s at 4100 fps. Sure was fun watching these guys shoot. Digger

Wlscott · « **Reply #11 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:41:00 AM »

Quote from: Longcruise

Quote
even though many of the others got used

I thought it was NEF guns only for this shoot. :shock: Heck, had I known otherwise, I'da showed up with a K31 or MN 91/30.

Everyone brought at least one NEF/H&R, and most brought more than one. Nobody ever said it was a "Handi Rifle" only event :grin:

Quote

How about some pictures of this year's shoot for those of us who must live life vicariously through the adventures of others!

I have a bunch that I just got transfered over to Hunt101. I couldn't get Graybeards site to host them for some reason. Said that they were corrupted.

I'll be posting them soon.

jeff223 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:41:24 AM »

its kind of a learned skill shooting the dogs out there at long ranges.a person can take a 22lr and shoot the dogs out there a long ways.you need a scope with target turrets and its nice if you have a spotter to watch where the boolits are hitting.you then can dial that little 22 rimfire in and hit those p dogs that are out there at 150yds or so.you wont get them everytime but 1 out of 3 or 4 shots aint bad at all consitering the fact that most of the rimfire ammo out there is junk.the nice thing about the rimfires is you can shoot and shoot without putting the dogs down in their holes.once you clean out the close ones then you pull out the centerfires.

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** June 09, 2005, 06:52:05 AM »

Quote

I'm curious how the 30-30 carried by Gray Beard did as a p-dog tool.

I broke it out on Sunday after I'd done a bunch of shooting with the Remingtons. It is an older H&R in .30-30 with the full length fore end and has only iron sights on it. I fired all shots free hand as I walked around looking for them. None from a bench with it.

We didn't range the longest kill but I'd guess it at well over 100 yards. Dunno if 150 or not but well over 100 for sure. I also killed a few closer ones out to maybe 50 yards with it including one that just kinda disappeared in a red mist at about 20 yards.

I probably fired the fewest shots of any of the folks who traveled out. Had a short but good morning on Friday but I quit when the wind came up to over 30 mph and took a nap while Dennis used my bench. On Saturday it was a total bust. I think I might have killed 2-3 as there just weren't many where we ended up. Had a real good day of shooting on both Sunday and Monday but I shot mornings only as I can't deal with the sun very well and the shade thing I bought didn't get the job done. So I was usually done and back in the truck well before noon and didn't shoot the afternoons.

I've not really counted the empties but would guess I fired around 300 rounds at most. Maybe less.

Wlscott · « **Reply #14 on:** June 09, 2005, 06:52:22 AM »

Quote

you then can dial that little 22 rimfire in and hit those p dogs that are out there at 150yds or so.

Mitchell watched me shoot one with his 22 Mag that ranged 231 yards. It was windy, and it took me several shots to get on him, but when I did, I hit him center mass.

Dan hit one with the 17HMR at something like 175 yards after I plugged one at around 150.

The rimfires will do it if you know what you're doing.

jeff223 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 09, 2005, 11:50:18 AM »

maybe next time i will go on the hunt for a couple of days.it sure would be fun to shoot a couple of hundred rounds at the p dogs with the 22 rimfires and then drag out the 223s.maybe next time

MSP Ret · « **Reply #16 on:** June 09, 2005, 03:17:31 PM »

Wes, "center mass?", makes me feel like I'm still "on the job" :-D :-D ....<><.... :grin:

Moonlitin · « **Reply #17 on:** June 09, 2005, 04:51:28 PM »

Quote from: jeff223

maybe next time

Hey Jeff223...I'm from Michigan too...let me know if you're serious about getting out there next year...maybe we could get a few guys from Michigan to carpool out there together and share some of the driving time.

Wlscott · « **Reply #18 on:** June 10, 2005, 04:16:31 AM »

Quote from: MSP Ret

Wes, "center mass?", makes me feel like I'm still "on the job" :-D :-D ....<><.... :grin:

It's been over ten years, and some things just die hard I guess. Still can't get the lingo out of my vocabulary.

Mitchell was even commenting on how I still talk "military" most of the time.

Quote

maybe next time i will go on the hunt for a couple of days.it sure would be fun to shoot a couple of hundred rounds at the p dogs with the 22 rimfires and then drag out the 223s.maybe next time

I don't think anyone has officially said it yet, so I will. Just so you know, there WILL be another Handi-Holic/Graybeard Outdoors Prairie Dog Shoot and BS Session next year. It's too soon to nail down a date yet, but myself and all of the guys who helped me are already talking about how to make it better next year. So start planning now.

Datil · « **Reply #19 on:** June 10, 2005, 05:36:44 AM »

I think it should be held around 1 st of June 06, I don't you and the
Hooker Gang do to much better than this year. It was great! But no matter when you have it will try to be there! :-D
Maybe have Zipper shooting better, by then. Marv.

Varminter · « **Reply #20 on:** June 10, 2005, 06:43:39 AM »

Count me in on the next trip maybe if a bunch of guys from TN are going we could meet up sumwhere and drive it together. Heck, maybe if i start saving and stocking up on ammo i might have enough by the time the date is set. Since this is my last year of school, this might make one great "senior trip" and keep me out of alot of trouble. :lol:

MSP Ret · « **Reply #21 on:** June 10, 2005, 07:53:07 AM »

By the way, who won the "longest ride" award? Where did they come from and how far? What is the closest ariport to Hooker? It might be easier and cheaper for me to fly if I can make it next year. With a truck that strains to get 15 mpg and gas at about $2.25 a gallon a round trip from Cape Cod could get pricey. By my estimates it's pretty close to 2,000 miles each way, that's about $600.00 for gas alone, so I would think a round trip plane could be cost efficient...<><.... :grin:

Bad River Guns · « **Reply #22 on:** June 10, 2005, 08:05:23 AM »

Moonlightin and Jeff, I'm in Michigan as well. I got to shoot p-dogs a few years ago in Wyoming with rimfire .22s and it was a hoot. I'd love to make a trip out there again.

Mike

hellacatcher · « **Reply #23 on:** June 10, 2005, 08:17:46 AM »

I would love to do it agin next year.I may have already said it but here it is agin this shoot was in top five best things that have happen to me in my life time and I can't remember the other four.

Graybeard · « **Reply #24 on:** June 10, 2005, 11:38:17 AM »

Mike and DJ traveled the longest distance from Virginia. I think it was about 1400 one way for them. Several of us seemed to be in the just over 1000 miles range. I think the Ohio boys (Fuzzy and Mitch) had about 1200 miles. I put right at 2600 miles on my truck start to finish. It only had 3780 on it when I left home so I almost doubled it's mileage.

Deadeye47 · « **Reply #25 on:** June 10, 2005, 02:49:55 PM »

Wes's Quote: I don't think anyone has officially said it yet, so I will. Just so you know, there WILL be another Handi-Holic/Graybeard Outdoors Prairie Dog Shoot and BS Session next year. It's too soon to nail down a date yet, but myself and all of the guys who helped me are already talking about how to make it better next year. So start planning now.

Well.... I for one will be there next year...what a blast!! I just may take my son next time too after his comment to me " I can't see what the big deal is about hitting a PD just sittin there and using a scoped rifle" We'll see what the big guy has to say when I take him along to the next one!! :twisted:

And MSP Ret...if ya want to fly in I'd be glad to make arrangements to pick ya up!! :wink: What a hoot that would be!!!

MSP Ret · « **Reply #26 on:** June 10, 2005, 04:23:48 PM »

Thanks Deadeye!!!, I may take you up on that!!! I do really want to get out to one of these, this one seems to have been more than anyone could have asked for and then some. I am glad everyone had such a great time and all made to trip both ways in an uneventful and safe manner....<><.... :grin:

Markus · « **Reply #27 on:** June 10, 2005, 04:25:29 PM »

I gotta make this trip next year. Of course I don't have an appropriate gun so I guess I'l have to do some shopping.