We left Ohio on the 13th. and went to Buffalo/Sheridan Wyoming area prairie dog hunting.
I used my Varmint set up AR 15 for 50 to 400 yard shots.
I took along my DPMS LR 308 to use for shots 400 yards plus.
After eliminating all close range targets, with the .223, (I was never able to get to a range in Ohio, that was over 200 yards), so I would range find a rock, and walk in the bullets , till I hit the rock, and mark down the scope settings in my note book.
I used a 12-40 X 50 Osprey tactical style scope, and after app. 35-38 power, this scope starts to get fuzzy.
Even at 38 power, a prairie dog at long range,is covered by the cross hair X ,
After shooting over 400 rounds, to make an actual drop chart,( as the computer program drop chart was way off) I started to try to shoot actual prairie dogs.
Even with 1/8 in clicks on my scope, a shot that hit low ,and the scope raised one click at some ranges would shoot over it.
I tried to shoot one at (according to the range finder)was 701 yards away.) I fired app. 20 to 25 rounds walking the bullet in, and I finally connected , on that little 3X8 inch target at 701 yards!
The 40 power scope would show so much movement, you could watch your heart beat as the cross hairs would move on the target.
I have a Harris bipod on the front, and a monopod on the Magpul PRS stock on the rear, which has a quick movement button, and then you screw the monopod up, and down to fine tune.
The monopod has a knurled lock nut on the threads, and after fine tuning, it was necessary to lock the threads to minimize movement.
The Harris was springy at that range, and I ended up buying a pair of pants at goodwill, and cutting the legs off, and filling them with ""sand'' from ant hills, and when the Harris had a sand bag in front, and behind it, it became a lot more stable at those long ranges.
I was severely disappointed in the performance of the 168 grain hollow point match bullets.(Nosler, and Sierra).There was no expansion at all, and the hole was barely noticeable through the dogs.
I might as well have been shooting FMJ bullets,
I heard a lot of ricochets, but when on a 1000+ acre ranch, and no cattle behind us, I was not worried about them.
I loaded 200 rounds of Hornady 168 gr ballistic tip bullets, and those you could hear the pop, when you hit one, but at $30.00 per 50, I did not want to shoot them exclusively.
I shot close to 1000 rounds of 168 gr match bullets, and only actually shot 104 dogs, but again a Prairie dog is a mighty small target at 400 plus yards. I shot a whole box of 50 rounds at one 990 yards away, and churned up dirt all around it, but never hit it. if it would have been a man size target, they would have been down on the first round.
I used a Bushnell 1500 yard range finder, and was not impressed with the performance of it.
That area is large hill after hill, and you could range find a dog, say at 400 yards, and move over to the right 10 foot to a mound that was by eye closer, and the range finder might show it as 420 yards ??
I think it picks up the hills behind them, and not the mound/dog.
I think if I could find a more accurate AFFORDABLE one, it would cut down on the number of shots taken per dog.
I have a clamp on WITT compensator , and When installed, I could not notice any reduction in recoil, but muzzle climb, was almost eliminated, where I could watch the bullet hit, with the 40 power scope.
If any one wants to see a pic of my rifle, ask, and I will post one, as soon as I download the trip pics.
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