204Ruger

I agree first and foremost shot placement but let's face it, no matter how good you are you will end up with a marginal shot. With that said I always believed in shooting the heaviest bullet I could that gave me the ballistics I was looking for. Your chances of recovery are greater with a heavier bullet on a marginal shot, but that's just my philosophy.

I've heard of people shooting groundhogs with a 30.06, cutting them nearly in two and they still drag themselves back to the hole. They are tough little boogers. I've dropped them in their tracks at a 100 yds with a 17 hmr, go figure.....

I have had poor luck with one shot kills on anything over 15 pounds with any of the poly tip bullets at close range, past 75 yrds the 39 BK does good. I switched to the 45 gr Hornady Sp last summer and have had instant stops. They will skip accross country if the angle is right and almost always completely pass through. Accuracy is excellent out of my Savage Preditor but they hang up on my feeding into the chamber. So I'm trying the 37 gr CRT HP's and the same thing is happeening with them as is the 45 Horn SP's. Accuracy is A+ feeding is D- no penetraton tests yet. I may try some J-B weld on the feed ramp to raise up the shell slightly as it goes up into the chamber. Oh well, minor details. I know the 39 BK's will stop a big 30# plus racoon only 1/2 the time where as the 45's stopped them all.

I know this is an old thread but does anyone have any advice to add?

I'm shooting 40gr VMAX and too often I'm hearing the thud, seeing the flop or watching them play dead for 1-2 seconds, only to get up and walk away. I've also had several with guts hanging out walk for a while. I don't remember that with my 55gr 22-250. I'm not a good enough shot to aim for the head at 250yds. I go for the body.

Should I go back to a .22 cal bullet?

Guess I must be living right, as in the years I've been shooting my 20VT at rock chucks using the 32gr Nosler BT or Varmageddon, I've never had any crawl-offs, ever. I shoot for the head out to 300, and it virtually always results in DRT with maybe a tail twitch, nothing more. Shot placement is everything as we all know, as unless the brain or spine is hit, these critters can crawl off when cut in two.

My Cooper 20VT with some rock chucks that will attest to the "brain or spine" mantra:



Both LE and the military teach this same discipline, as to stop an enemy instantly before he can return fire, either brain or spine must be hit. No woodchuck or rock chuck will ever shoot back (unless they organize! ), but they sure can get back to home base even when dragging critical digestive elements behind them.

More witnesses to the "brain/spine" mantra (courtesy of the 20VT and 32gr NBT):



One more, but you get the idea (the ones not head-shot all had a severed spine, except the one w/guts showing, he just died of massive hydrostatic shock me thinks....I'll admit I hit a bit low on that one).



I think this disproves any negative poly-tip bullet theories regarding lethality on large rodents from small caliber rifles. Hundreds of Oregon rock chucks seem to agree.

I have no problem anchoring any of those critters, but as Rick says it is all in shot placement. The tipped bullets I use, from Nosler to Hornady all to the job. from 20 SCC, 20 Practical, 204R or 223 AI. ( and I have added a 20-223AI to the group now) Bill K

Have come to the same conclusion as RIO: that tail twitch always means a fatal shot, and is always the result of a head or upper body brain/spine injury. I did shoot a 400-yarder recently that flattened out and its tail went up after being hit; didn't bother to jack another round, then suddenly it slithered to its hole! Maybe groundhogs have taken a page from the possums' playbook.
Also, I limit the .204R's groundhog-killing effectiveness about 400 yards (39-40 grain bullets); 300 with 35 Bergers. I never shoot 'chucks with 32-grainers.

Just thought I'd mention, there seems to be a lot of badgers in So. West Idaho this year. So far I've killed seven from around 11 lbs. to over 25 lbs. with my Rem. 700 SPS .204. All of them were shot in the neck or chest, one shot kills, DRT. 40 gr. Hornady V-Max. It really puts the smack down on them. Virtually no fur damage, .204 entrance, no exit. Jack rabbits are coming back too. The .204 just ruins their whole day! Also killed several rock chucks earlier in the spring with the same bullet. Very destructive, cut one in half, beheaded one and made one do aerobatics. Nothing but praise for the .204. Can't wait to get my first coyote with it. Just my 2 cents.

I have not shot groundhogs but I have shot a bunch of prairie dogs. Try the 39gr Blitzkings. I have had doubles sending both prairie dogs high into the air in two directions multiple times with the 39 grainers. My brother likes the 17 fireball and we noticed that his prairie dog hits with Berger bullets were deadly but not graphic, they would just drop to the side dead. My 20 VarTarg with 32 grain Blitzkings were blowing them all over the place.

How does barrel twist rate and bullet weight come into play? Mine is 1:10 and I have been shooting 40gr. Is it possible the bullets are going so fast they are going right through without expanding? Would a 32gr bullet have a different effect?

This week, I switched back to my 22-250 shooting 55gr bullets and all 6 of my targets dropped immediately and didn't crawl off. I'm really thinking about using it instead of the 204.

I'm shooting 39 Grain SBK from my CZ Model 527 .204 "Varmint" Rifle and they really put the Groundhogs down with good shot placement...I also use my Browning A-bolt Micro Hunter .22 Hornet with 35 grain Hornady V-max bullets and they do a great job on killing Groundhogs...again take Your time an aim high up on thier body...they usually keep close to their burrows and even if You hit them mid body or lower they don't have far to run into their holes.

When We use to hunt them with .22LR I used the CCI Stingers (hollow points) and only shot them high on the body or heads shots unless I knew I had a chance at multiple shots if they were far from thier den holes.Patients and even a little whistle will get them to stand up nice and pretty for better vital shots...and I have seen Groundhogs climb up trees were angled from out of sink holes....that's fun when You get to shoot one out of a Tree!

I had to chuckle reading this original post and then the replies - so here is my groundhog story: 183 yards, groundhog is on all fours not standing up, 90 grain .243. Gut shot. The groundhog dragged about 12 feet of guts over 30 yards by the time I got up to him and finished him off. Like the others have said - they are tough little buggers!

Ha. I had the exact same experience the first outing with a .243 (thinking it would kill a g-hog "better" than a .204R): same distance, postion, etc., 70 gr. Blitzking. It was still healthy enough while dragging several yards of guts, to turn and come after me!

I built a TC Encore 204R 26" SS fluted MGM 1-11twist barrel, Bushnell 4500 scope. Using 39gr SBK H4895. I shot my first dog couple weeks ago, 140yrd, shoulder hit, head snap, DRT. I have smoked lots of jacks and squirrels. Jacks fur flies, squirrels some just go BYE. Next week AZ PD time. I using a 39gr, go light, I use my COOPER 21 17Rem, which is my favorite gun. But the 204 is gaining.