shooting gophers

[BobbyinBC]

What's your go to cartridge for gophers? The 17 HMR seems to be a good choice.

 

[dan belisle]

22 RF, 22 Hornet, 222/223. Depending on which field I'm working. - dan

 

[PSE]

CCIs 22 velocitor does a great job.

 

[nosman]

450 Bushmaster… I like to send a message to all those little bastards.

 

[FLHTCUI]

What's your go to cartridge for gophers? The 17 HMR seems to be a good choice.

The .17 HM2 is loads of fun if you have an unlimited supply of ammo.
Nordic Sportsman had several bricks last week
Good Hunting.
Rob

 

[I Dont Care About You]

450 Bushmaster… I like to send a message to all those little bastards.

Phhhttt ..... I've used 54 cal roundball on gophers. Talk about making a mess.

 

[Donny Fenn1]

Whatever is in the truck. My favorite rimfire is the 17 HM2, by far, center fire 222 Rem.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

I have shot way more gophers with 22 rimfire than anything else. It is the most cost efficient round.

I have a 17 Fireball that is super fun on gophers as well. Then anything from 222 to 243 or so is also good fun on gophers. It all comes down to cost, range, terminal effects and shooting volume.

I'd say the 17 Fireball and 6BR are my favourites, but the old 22 rimfire is still prob the king of varmint shooting.

 

[vmax204]

I like the 22 Hornet

 

[crooked barrel jed]

I grew up and lived in farming country most of my life, the most gophers I've shot has been with .22LR. But I've used .223, .22-250, 17HMR, 250-3000 Savage, .22 Hornet, 12ga, .50 patched round ball, bow and arrows. Snared and trapped a few as well. (TIME WELL WASTED, LOL)

 

[mad max78]

Used to be the 17hmr, but at 34.00/box, i will go back to the 22

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

I most often shot gophers with .22LR but have also used .17 Rem on 'em for the explosive effects.

 

[DOUGLAS D]

In a thick gopher patch 22 LR hollow points.
Started the morning with 2 of us shooting and a full 500 brick.
Broke for lunch at noon and drove into town for another brick.

 

[Grizzlypeg]

22LR. It's cheap and quiet.

 

[mikeelliot]

Biggest splat was 26" barrel 243 Ackley haha...but yeah plain old 22 does the job.

 

[powerbaitron]

A lot of my spots there are farms a few miles in the distance. I choose the 17 hmr as ricochets are far less than .22rimfire. I cant stand hearing those zing sounds even if a farm is 2 miles away.

 

[J_K_S]

7.62x39 Barnaul HP

 

[sdizzyday]

My Savage 17 HMR Heavy Barrel with Hornady V-Max 17-Grain Bullets is the perfect cure for those pesky little Varmints!

 

[unlisted.handle]

I used to work for a Property Management company that serviced 8 commercial buildings. The gophers were doing tremendous sod damage right up against the walls. Of course all the women thought they were cute, so I couldn't shoot them with my pellet rifle, so I started snaring them, and letting them go out the back 40. The ones released didn't come back very often. They were sooooo easy to snare. I'd set the snare, the wire buried just around the hole, and walk by every so often. If a gopher saw me come close, down it went in the hole. I'd go behind the hole, and when the gopher poked its head out the hole, pulled on the snare wire and lifted it right out of the ground. Then let it go out back. It actually was a lot of fun. My boss thought it was incredible I could get rid of so many gophers so easily.

 

[Falconflyer]

I’ve used the 17 hmr but I always go back to the 22 rimfire due to the expense of the shear volume I shoot. For longer ranges I’ve used the 22 hornet but the heavy barrel 223 is my first choice.