Best Day's Shooting in Years

Call 'em gophers, whistle pigs, or ground squirrels.... I went out to a nearby ranch/sawmill today and spent the afternoon shooting 'em.... As is typical for "gopher" hunting, for every 3 or 4 (or 5) you shoot you might recover one.... I figure I whacked at least 40 today.... This is what I found....

http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/o...dSquirrels.jpg

The longest shot was the big guy in the middle, a lasered 98 yards.... Shot quite a few between 50-70 yards.... missed quite a few between 80-90 yards.... but the majority were 30-40 yard shots.... I took my SCUBA tank and my .2260 based PCP and about 100 pellets out in our Rhino ATV.... should have taken more ammo....

http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/o...CPRifleWeb.jpg

That rifle spits out JSB 18.1 gr. Heavies at about 950 fps (36 FPE).... At the moment I have a Leapers 3-9 x 32 AO scope on it, sighted at 40 yards, which gives me a point blank hold to 45 yards and top of the head at 50 for a headshot.... I held 3 MilDots high on the top of the head at 98 yards and was rewarded with a high chest hit.... When you get a solid hit there is no doubt in your mind.... You can see the splatter behind and can hear that THWACK, even from 50 plus yards....

This was the most fun I've had in a VERY long time.... I have to say, it's as satisfying to clobber a ground squirrel at 100 yards with an airgun as it is with a .222 Rem at 200.... Next time I visit, I'll be taking the landowner a bottle of Vodka to thank him.... WHAT A BLAST !!!

Bob

Way to go, Bob. Those ground-squills are murder on livestock. The land owner may want to buy YOU a bottle, or 6.

That's a serious lookin piece of furniture there. Care to tell us how you did that stock? Nice job.

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

Pretty simple, really.... When I shortened the 2260 stock to allow for the air tank, I turned around the piece I cut off, and grooved out the top with a sanding drum to the same radius as the top of the comb.... I refinished both the front of the stock where I had made the cut and the front of the new cheekpiece.... and then I drilled a couple of dowel holes in both pieces for alignment during gluing, and attached it with 5-minute epoxy and wiped off the excess.... Job done....

Bob

Sounds like you had a real good time.:icon_cool: Good looking bunch of Ground Rats. You eat them(wouldn't be my first choice) :friendly_wink:or do they end up as coyote bait?

Like to compliment you on your kill. Its a nice way to spend the day. I go out several mornings a week to shoot Richardson ground squirrels. Have an arrangement with a local farmer and take care of his gopher, muskrats, and beaver. Use my 2240 for close range gopher and savage .17 hmr for long range . Both me and farmer are happy Ted

Coyote bait....

Bob

Say the next time you head out to that ranch you should invite one of us along.
Two can kill more than one y'know :courage: