Marmots and Ground Squirrels

First time out this year, and two new guns got their first kills.... My nearly 50 year old BSF S60 that lauchlin so graciously gave me met it's first GS today.... A single 7.9 gr. Crosman Premier HP to the noggin at 30 yards and it was lights out.... I couldn't see the iron sights, so I mounted a Red/Green Dot Holosight on a dovetail I machined to fit the rear sight mount holes so that I didn't alter the rifle itself....

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The other gun I had never had out hunting was my Hatsan AT-44 S10 Long.... I recently tuned it to shoot the new 34.2 gr. JSB King Heavies at about 960 fps (70 FPE).... They shoot quite well, under 1" at 50 yards and just over 2" at 100, and the SR12 Reticle on the Hawke Scope makes it easy to have the correct aim point out to about 125 yards.... When I spotted the first Marmot of the day at 80 yards, I decided the Hatsan should do the honours, and it didn't disappoint.... Hit right behind the eye and knocked a piece of skull the size of a dime off when it exited, and the Marmot dropped off the back of the stump he was sunning on.... Here is the stump (beside the boulder) from 80 yards with a telephoto, and the results....

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The 34 gr. JSBs have an impressive BC of over 0.050, so they retain about 45 FPE at 80 yards, and hit like a freight train.... I alternated using the Hatsan for the long shots on Marmots, and my 2260 HPA for them under 50-55 yards.... and took all the rest of the Ground Squirrels with the 2260 as well, out to about 75 yards.... It's a tack driver, and shoots the 18.2 r. JSB Heavies at 960 fps.... Here are the varmints I recovered at the end of the day, and my equipment....

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As is typical, only a small percentage of my kills were recovered, the Marmots usually fall down into the log piles, and the GS wriggle into their burrows, despite solid hits and flying mist being the norm.... The total tally for my 4.5 hours was 18 Yellow Bellied Marmots and 32 Columbian Ground Squirrels.... With the time I spent talking to the landowner, that works out to a kill about every 5 minutes.... I call that a fun and successful day....

Bob