Which Cartridge for Gopher's???

I found the 222 rem was a good gopher cartridge. It really makes them "jump" with a 50 gr v-max. Fairly cheap to reload and it has fairly long case life. My model 70 would shoot sub-moa out to 200 yds but a 20kph wind would change the POI by 2-3 inches.
 
Camp Cook:

Tod Bartell has done extensive testing wiht the BlueDot loads in the 223.


***I woudl like to take credit for this range report, however I must give credit to my arch nemisis, Mr. Tod Bartell. It is his reasearch. I give it a A+ :p ******
 
Yeah I'd actually have to agree with some of the posters that are suggesting the .22 Hornet.

Even after all these years it is still a sweet little cartridge. Very mild noise and decent velocity/accuracy. Low powder consumption and tons of rifles out there chambered for it.

The one I shoot is a frankenstienish 40-50 year old Lakefield that I got for free. For some reason it is bizzarely accurate with the 40gr Sierra softpoints that I got with it.

A very superior little round on gophers and totally acceptable on coyotes.
 
I've got 2 223s a 22-250 a 6mm Rem, but the last while been having the most fun with a little 22k-hornet.....great accuracy, super case life, very little case trimming, and a small amount of powder per load...like from about 10 to 13 gr. using bullets between 35 to 50 gr.
With most loads velocity is between 2800 to 3000 fps.
Back on the Prairies 30 - odd yrs. ago it was a 1-shot gopher killer !
 
from my 22" 1:12 LVSF 223 Rem

40 gr. - Barnes Varmin-A-Tor, 5.0 grs. Bluedot, CCI 400 ~ 1442 fps avg., +1" @ 60 yards, -3" @ 100 yards. zero recoil, and a bit louder than a 22LR like a Velociter

40 gr. - Barnes Varmin-A-Tor @ 2.176", 12.0 grs. Bluedot, WSR ~ 2990 fps. shoots flat enough for 200 yard shooting, its noticeably quieter than a regular 223 load, with much lower recoil. consider this max, and start 2-3 grains below and work up slowly!
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Yes, all good points. It really seemed that noise/too much range was his concern...hence the HMR. If you want to go the other route...nothing better than the .17 rem for gophers, but again, you're back where you started.

Buy an HMR barrel, buy 100 rounds of VMAX (22.00!) and have at-er. If a yote comes to the patch, it's too windy, You end up in a different location, or get a 300 yd opportunity...slap the.223 barrel back on!
 
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the 22 k-hornet is very nice. 3000fps with a 40 grain vmax is easy. no recoil to speak of. not very loud either.

the 17HMR looks an awful lot like a scaled down k-hornet.
 
Lazy Ike said:
Not another "one gun thread"! You will require no less than 4(four) guns to properly hunt gophers.

1. 22 lr open sights lever
2. 22 mag
3. 22 cal CF
4. Pump 20 gauge #4

Different times of the year and different feilds demand a selection. There is nothing like walking in a recently grazed pasture full of pups with a 20 gauge in hand.
Click to expand...
You missed out on the Weatherby 460 that someone used and showed a photo of in the photo gallery!!:D :D
 
Ctg for Gophers?

Make mine a .223 Rem, please.... :D

2006-04-08_100028_Rem223HBa.jpg
 
I use the 22 Hornet in a Browning 1885 LoWall out to 150 yards. I use 35 grain Hornady Vmax factory cartridges. The bullet is catastrophic in effect, althought the little beasties don't generally go airborne. The gun is quiet, not much louder than the 22rf, so It is good in populated areas. They say the 22 Hornet will do the job on a coyote out to 150 yards, but I've never tried it.
 
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