gopher cartridges

which bullet for gophers

  • .17 rem 20 grn vmax @ 4460 fps

    Votes: 11 14.1%
  • .17 rem 25 grn vmax @ 4170 fps

    Votes: 12 15.4%
  • .204 ruger 32 grn vmax @ 4175 fps

    Votes: 32 41.0%
  • .204 ruger 40 grn vmax @ 3880 fps

    Votes: 23 29.5%

  • Total voters
    78
Woah, I didn't think that people would try to shoot gophers at 1000yds! I don't think that a .204 would even do that. 6.5-284 might do it, that might be my next project. A 1000yd shot on a gopher would be pretty impressive to me. Just a plain old .243/6mm should do the trick too I think. I guess I'll have to start getting out of the truck to shoot those little bastards. I've got a rem 700 vssf in .308, thats the one with the sand hs stock and a 26" fluted barrel, I was going to try it on gophers up to 400-500yds, but maybe I'll have to try to stretch that out a bit now.
dude you got to get out more and get a copy of the varmint hunter
I dont plan on the .204 for 500+ yards thats what the .338 LMAI is for
Why don't you try a 220 Swift?
its too in the middle of what I have
I need a close range gun
 
The 6mm-284 is an extremely popular 1000+ yard varmint gun. The 338LMAI should certainly work - there's no such thing as overkill - but it's definitely more than you need for LR work
 
In the wind, I would prefer my 220 Swift with a 52 grainer at 4050 or my 6mm Remington with an 87 grainer at 3450, or possibly a 70 Ballistic Tip @ 3600, but the 204 will have to do, since there are no other choices. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Though it is not a cool new caliber my 223 with 50 gr Speer TNT bullets will blow gophers to pieces out to 200 yards and lift them about 3 feet in the air, remember altitude is everything. I also have a 17 Rem and a 22-250 but it is hard to beat the 223 for it's cheap cost of brass versus the other two I own and if you get into a big gopher patch you will want a large amount of ammo loaded. Though I can't imagine not bringing all 3 rifles anytime I go out either.
 
so how many rounds can you shoot till a 204 barrel is done


more than enough. It's similar to a 223, thanks to a lower SAAMI pressure rating (~58ksi, as opposed to ~65ksi for a 22-250, and many other modern high performance cartridges).

This means ~3,000 rounds for competition accuracy, and 10,000 for 'varmint' accurate to 400 yards. Benchresters replace barrels when they start opening up by less than .2"; a difference that would go completely unnoticed in an non-tuned non-competiton gun
 
my vote 204 but with the 39 sierras.

Hornet is good, as stated before it does make for a good walk around varminter

17 and 22 mag are good
The lowly 22lr is good (every one needs to experince a loaded field and a good semi, nothin like a 2000 round day)

223, 17, 22-250 and alike are all good
 
Gopher Getter's

I am using a 6br with a 13 twist and a 300 wsm on a 15 twist. But if factory was the choice, a 204 with 32 grnrs would be the ticket.
 
Has anybody had the chance to shoot the .204 and .22-250 on gophers in the sameday? is there really any acrobatic difference? Imight need to buy a .204 jus to find out. hmmmm.....
 
Back
Top Bottom