Hawg Hittin

[hipster]

Well it has warmed up enough up here in the freezer for the Ground Hogs to finally make an appearence for a few hours each day. As you can see in the posted pics there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground in our best spots and them big brown hogs sure stand out. What a blast it was, the best part is it will be a couple of more weeks before they are all out and the shootin should be sweet. In total we saw about 30 and connected on 6 ( yes me and Kev are pretty rusty on the trigger right now) I would have had more pics if the camera did not quit oh well. Hope you enjoy. If you want to know what bullets charge weights brass ect we used just ask.

[Kent]

Your scenery is nicer than mine

http://home.earthlink.net/~kdb71864/tstop.JPG

:headbang:

[RIKA]

Neat Hipster. I've never shot a 220 Swift. Hear its deadly. Glad you had a good hunt. Kent, your time will come.

RIKA

[bull3540]

That picture of you in the snow Hipster, makes me cold just looking at you. South Texas does that to you though. While they are a fraction of the size of groundhogs, the gophers down here are in need of mass termination with great prejudice, and I think maybe I need an appropriate varmit caliber. Since I've never owned anything fitting that bill other than several .22 rifles, maybe you could offer some suggestions. Is the .220 Swift a good choice? Gophers are causing small sinkholes in the sandy soil around here, and I know my friends whose land is riddled with their holes get tired of poisening once a year with so-so results.

[hipster]

The Swift is just poison it is head and shoulders above the other centerfire 22's (imo) The M77 pictured prefers 60 grain Hornady hollow points. The .222 is about a 250 yard max Hawg gun. I feel with no wind the 60 grainers and a proper zero the swift can do 400 yards with a super big bunch of practice and the right shooter holding it. It cleanly removed the heads off of two chucks at right about 300 yards. If you can get a swift get one factory loads are not overly numerous but if you roll your own you got it made in the shade. Then again the 22.250 is pretty damn close and ammo is eaiser to get (at least up here). Good excuse to own them both then you would have all the bases covered.

[hipster]

That picture of you in the snow Hipster, makes me cold just looking at you. South Texas does that to you though. While they are a fraction of the size of groundhogs, the gophers down here are in need of mass termination with great prejudice, and I think maybe I need an appropriate varmit caliber. Since I've never owned anything fitting that bill other than several .22 rifles, maybe you could offer some suggestions. Is the .220 Swift a good choice? Gophers are causing small sinkholes in the sandy soil around here, and I know my friends whose land is riddled with their holes get tired of poisening once a year with so-so results.


If you are talking ground squrrels and the ranges are not too long the .222 is just perfect. Good ammo is no to overly priced no huge bang like the swift and super small groups all day long. The Mod 70 in the pics shoots 40 grain Winchester Supreme's(Ballistic Silvertip's) into an inch or less at 100 yards. Wind would be a factor past 150 yards or so ( I missed that 175 yard Chuck twice because the wind had picked up) The third one smacked him square in the head once Kev corrected me on windage ( saved by a really good spotter) When I lived in Sask I shot a .22 rimfire with cci stingers for Gophers and it worked pretty good to about 125 yards. That new .17 HRM is nice too and I read it would do the trick out to about 150 yards. Hmmm prime yote huntin is about 2 weeks away up here guess the visa is going to take a big hit real soon.

[Gregh]

very nice.

[41mag]

Kool!It never occured to me to get out & try spring ground hogs.The snows melting pretty fast around here.

Hipster?You might have just changed my weekend plans!Thanks

[fffg100grns]

I ain't got pics to prove it but my brother and I had some 400 plus yard shots at these little buggers with 270 win's, Thats a hard shot but fun.
I lost him to cancer last year, the 220 Swift was his favorite.

[brass hammer]

great photo's hipster! :beer: when you own/shoot the .220 swift,the other center-fire .22's are a 'step-down',although the 22-250 is close enough to be in the room, it sure looks like you were having fun!

I've only hunted them in the summer when the soybeans are any where from 2" to 12" tall[ha!] one time when they were almost waist high I found one bean munchin' rodent and could never get a shot at him[the farmers say that just [1] will eat $400-$600 in crops a year] so one evening I low-crawled in to the edge of his feedin'-zone with mr.12 ga.[HA]

[fffg100grns]

brass hammer, I like your notes, my handle in all other forums is Bibletotingunslinger, and I pray I am not sinning for using the veres Luke 22:35-38 on my gun safe.

[brass hammer]

I COPY, BROTHER! "and he was reckoned among the TRANSGRESSORS:for the things concerning me have an END."

[gripper]

Hipster,what is the heaviest for caliber bullet weight you can use before you have think of a faster twist in th eSwift??That was always an interesting caliber to me.

[andy]

I've never understood the point in the 220, or 22-250. They only have a little bit more effective range than the 223, they cost a lot more to shoot, less than the 243, and don't have the option of taking bigger crittters that comes with the 243. In fact, with the faster twists, rangefinders, and heavier match bullets, the 223 of today might well outreach the Swift for use on crows and prairie dogs and chucks.

[brass hammer]

I've never understood the point in the 220, or 22-250. They only have a little bit more effective range than the 223, they cost a lot more to shoot, less than the 243, and don't have the option of taking bigger crittters that comes with the 243. In fact, with the faster twists, rangefinders, and heavier match bullets, the 223 of today might well outreach the Swift for use on crows and prairie dogs and chucks.

AND 'that' IS YER' FALLIBLE-IMPEDIMENT!!!



:laugh01: :-poke: :beer: :wavey:

[blueboy]

No, that's my seeing that such loads and guns are a frigging waste of time and money. Idiots like you can't be bothered with learning something that means anything.

[brass hammer]

HEY,PAL!,,,'blue-boy',,,what say ye of ack-herl'y going 'huntin' together,,,
,,,,,DOWN ON THE RIVER!

[andy]

People who don't know anything "think" long range rifles are necessary for taking varmints, but I've taken hundreds of them with a 22 pistol. If you use a folding blind and campstool and cammo, you can set up right in the middle of a prairie dog town, clear out a 50 m radius, move 100m, and repeat, all day long, every day, with a .22lr pistol.

ditto, with calls and a stuffed owl and decoys for taking crows. I've taken many a chuck with a club, too. It's just a question of stalking along the edge of soybean or alfapha fields, and getting between the chuck and his den hole. Hell, who can't drive by, stick a scoped rifle out a car window, and hit them at 200+ yds? Piece of cake-kid stuff.

[brass hammer]

NOW,[ol'boy mister 160']
U.R. about likened unto a 'STYE' in YER' favorite,,,EYE=BALL!, after vistin' "yer',,,FAVORITE,,,TITTIY-DANCER!!! [****-headed BASTARD thet' "u" -"r"]



:roflmao1: :wavey: