Small varmint kills (the bastards!)
- Thread starter carbonbased
- Start date
Tac Sol upper, CCI SV.
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Same rifle, today. Went for a walk with three women and a dog and still managed to get a couple of sharptails.
Was looking into 223ai after seeing your impacts and ran across the 6mm-204.
I love the 204 and have tons of brass. If I ever starts to reload…6/204 sure looks interesting.
From this link below:
It can easily launch 55-grain bullets over 3,500 fps, 70 grainers at nearly 3,200 fps or 80-grain “deer” bullets at over 3,000 fps. It does this from an 18½-inch barrel, with comparatively light powder charges between 27.0 and 30.0 grains.
6mm-204 RR | Handloader Magazine
www.handloadermagazine.com
I love the 223/223ai. I honestly am completely happy with the standard 223 but got a deal on this ai barrel and it makes it easier to keep the brass separate from my other 223. My buddy is running 26” 223 with 53vmaxs around 3400 I believe is what he said.
These fire forming were running 3232 with 53vmax.
Plenty of speed to flip some of them in the air. Best one today was laying low in its hole and when I hit it, it was pulled out of the hole and landed about 10’ away. I don’t understand why some fly and others don’t. But all of them are blown apart by the 223.
We try to keep our shots under 250-300 usually since we shoot standing off tripod.
We did spend some time prone in one spot that allowed it and made a few 400-450 yard shots but those took a few to get the right wind hold.
These fire forming were running 3232 with 53vmax.
Plenty of speed to flip some of them in the air. Best one today was laying low in its hole and when I hit it, it was pulled out of the hole and landed about 10’ away. I don’t understand why some fly and others don’t. But all of them are blown apart by the 223.
We try to keep our shots under 250-300 usually since we shoot standing off tripod.
We did spend some time prone in one spot that allowed it and made a few 400-450 yard shots but those took a few to get the right wind hold.
Dropped this big healthy male Sat Am.
X50 is in the shop so the RIX L3 backup mounted on the enhanced Impulse Predator .243 came out to play.
SJC
X50 is in the shop so the RIX L3 backup mounted on the enhanced Impulse Predator .243 came out to play.
SJC
Thanks, but 100 yards is a chip shot for this setup.
The grass was about a foot high, so it looked like a medium sized dog when it came into the field.
I was surprised when I retrieved it and the farmer was happy too.
SJC
100yds?!
Compliment rescinded lol j/k
Looked farther out. I don’t have a thermal yet and can’t estimate distances with thermal images. Sure looked out there.
Egg suckers be creepin'! 
Tippmann M4-22 with an RH25.
Tippmann M4-22 with an RH25.
Soooon the ground squirrels will emerge…
lol
lol
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I'm excited. Probably won't use a bow again as I only get about half my arrows back.Soooon the ground squirrels will emerge…
These are Richardson ground squirrels I think. I'm not a biologist.
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Soooon the ground squirrels will emerge…
Gdamnit Minnesota decided to put a damper on my enthusiasm!
Nice shooting man! With arrows too, sheesh!
I shoot the 13 stripe ground squirrels. We call them gophers around here.
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel - Wikipedia
Oh nevermind they're actually Richardson ground squirrels. Everyone calls them gophers here.Nice shooting man! With arrows too, sheesh!
I shoot the 13 stripe ground squirrels. We call them gophers around here.
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
I used to use .17HMR but it got boring so I went to subsonic .22s but I had been practicing with my bow and was never going to actually get a chance to shoot anything bigger.
I tend to use 22 LR subsonic segmented CCI rounds at 1050fps (not the fairly useless ~780fps “Quiet” version).
But it’s fun to uncork them with either the HMR or 17 hornet. The latter is particularly
How far are you shooting them with the bow?
CCI standard is my go to ammo. The CCI hollow points don't seem as accurate but they work too.I tend to use 22 LR subsonic segmented CCI rounds at 1050fps (not the fairly useless ~780fps “Quiet” version).
But it’s fun to uncork them with either the HMR or 17 hornet. The latter is particularly
How far are you shooting them with the bow?
With the bow probably 25 to 30 yards max. I'm no Robin Hood so even then my hit rate wasn't amazing and most misses the arrows skipped off a rock or slid into the grass and were never seen again.
I thought one of the pros of shooting a bow was you could reuse your ammo and shoot all day for free. Not true!
Same here in NorCal. 8” of fresh white s#!+ on the ranch I planned to shoot this weekend!
Not a great picture.
I made this shot at 322 yds. standing, using my tripod.
6.5 CM 140 Hornady American Gunner.
I made this shot at 322 yds. standing, using my tripod.
6.5 CM 140 Hornady American Gunner.
View attachment IMG_1015.jpegThis guy was tame I think. I knocked him silly, the dog did the rest. Was tearing up my new pear trees.
If you don't mind my asking Sir, how are you liking the HTG with the ARCA rail? And how long is that particular one?
I'm probably headed down the same road in a few weeks.
I love the htg stock. I added a Salmon River Solutions hunters rail to the stock.
I'll pm you pictures.
Here's a couple tree rats that fell victim to my R.A. Target 22 mag.
Got out to my cousin's ranch this weekend to clobber some ground squirrels. 57 Friday including two doubles and 44 today. High grass and lots of tiny young ones made for some challenging shooting.
Dang, that momma ground squirrel looks big! Maybe it’s just the camera angle. Glad you bagged a bunch; I saw (and nailed) just one!
What caliber(s) are ya shooting?
It's not the camera angle, they're huge when they fully mature. These mommas and some of the large males are has big as my boot! Body 12" long and 4+" across. Then on the other end, some of the babies are barely an inch wide.
I started shooting squirrels here when I was a kid. Dad brought out the trusty Marlin bolt action 22LR and I was instantly addicted. I bought the pictured rifle when I was 18, a Remington 700 VS in 223. Over years of use, I shot that barrel out shooting squirrels and tiny groups at the range. It sat in the safe for a long time. The idea of having the action blueprinted and rebarreled just seemed too expensive. I played with 17HMR for a while, but there was always something lacking, either accuracy or explosiveness. A few years back I discovered the Remage system and found a barrel from International Barrels. I bought the parts and rebarreled it myself. Back in action, I've been shooting a reduced load. 34-40gr bullets under 14gr of Blue Dot gives me 3300-3100 fps depending on the bullet. The reduced powder charge keeps the barrel much cooler, I can just keep shooting as I see squirrels and not worry too much about over heating. An added benefit is a much milder report and almost no recoil. These days I mostly shoot standing off the tripod and squirrels are dead from point blank to 200 yards with the majority of shots 80-140 yards.
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That’s fully grown pdog size! I mean, I know that a pdog is technically a ground squirrel, but dang, whatever you’re hunting is large and in-charge. For a small varmint, anyway.
Do they build mounds like pdogs? And is that in Calif?
Nodak gopher meets 17HMR. 15 yards.
Couple of more weeks and they will really get frisky. Then, 6BR time.
Couple of more weeks and they will really get frisky. Then, 6BR time.
They're not all that big, but yeah they burrow some extensive holes. Yup, CA near Paso Robles.
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