Well the thumbs on BOTH my hands are sore today! Normally after several spring days of Varminting here in Montana only the thumb on my right hand aches and suffers from skin friction burn. But with the last several days of amazing Bonzai Gopher Shooting with my Ruger 10/22's and my new Ruger 77/17V, my left thumb is now also in ache mode! I have significant skin friction burn on it also! During the last few days of nonstop Varminting I had to start reaching over with my left thumb and pushing off the safety of my Ruger 77/17V with that left thumb. The right thumb was just to sore and inflamed to push that safety anymore! Unfortunately the thumb and index finger of both my hands are afflicted with arthritis and simple things like loading Ruger 10/22 and 77/17 rotary clips is a major discomfort for me anymore! Aspirin and various over the counter arthritic remedies usually diminish the felt pain. But I am suffering today (I know I am a big pussy!).

The three position safety on that Ruger 77/17V is just a Bear to move back and forth! I bet it takes at least 20 foot pounds of push to get that thing moved either direction!

It was worth all the pain and discomfort though - I guess! One of my Varminting buddies and I were entertaining (guiding?) his freind from the east coast. The friend has some really cool Rifles along this year including these two favorites of mine! He had a Colt accurized heavy barrel AR type Rifle in 223 Remington! This Rifle has an absolutely amazing scope on it. It is an 8.5x25 Leupold variable scope with 30mm tube. This scope has a very very fine crosshair with 1/8th minute dot! Wow - is the best way to describe this rig! Ground Squirrels, Badgers, Coyotes, Rock Chucks and flying Varmints were - mowed down with this Rifle. I fired about 25 rounds through this rig and just was amazed at the accuracy it produced! Especially on the Ground Squirrels out at 225 to 250 yards! Makes me want to try one of these slam bangers! The ammo for it were handloaded Nosler Ballistic Tips! The other favorite Rifle that our friend let me shoot on several occassions was a Volquartsen 10/22 style Rifle in 17 HMR! This all stainless steel rig was not only amazingly accurate it was a blast to shoot! This rig was scoped with a Leupold 3.5x10 with 30 mm tube. It had a pliable soft Hogue type stock and the trigger was just heaven to squeeze! I made several kills on Ground Squirrels at 150 to 180 yards with this little work of art! This Rifle can really use up the ammo! Wow what a blast to shoot though!

I have put Neosporin on my thumbs to try and heal the friction burns! I should be shooting again in a couple of days!

Anyone have any suggestions on lightening that Ruger 77's safety?

I also installed a trigger spring and trigger sear kit in my local friends 77/17V Rifle, This kit from Volquartsen cost $30.90 and is well worth it in my mind. It alone took his trigger pull from 74 ounces down to an ultracrisp 30 ounces! He was very happy with the results! I have the same kit in my 77/17V and only wish they offered a kit for the safety!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy: Great reading as ever but don't expect any sympathy from this envious Brit

Unfortunately, although we are allowed to own 10/22s in 22 LR and 22WMR we can't actually own them in 17 HMR Be glad you don't live this side of the 'pond'.

British: I feel bad that you are not allowed to shoot the wonderful flat shooting 17 HMR cartridge! It is so new that I hope there is a consideration process that may convene with the "powers that be" over your way, regarding allowing the 17 HMR someday soon.

It truly is a wonderful rimfire both accuracy and Varmint lethality wise!

I have been shooting 100 (two 50 round boxes) 17 HMR's through my Ruger then it sits til I can clean its barrel. I have been experimenting today with thick and doubled band aids on my thumbs to alleviate the friction and pain. It works but then I have trouble loading the rotary clips with either 22 L.R. ammo or the 17 HMR ammo. So next Varmint outing I think I will put the double band aid on the left thumb and reach over the Rifles action and manuever the safety with that thumb only. And leave my right thumb bare for easier loading of the clips.

Anyway I hope soon in your future that the 17 HMR will be on your OK list there in Britain!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

Varmint Guy, I never use my safety so I can't sympathize with you there. On the varmint guns that I shoot off of the bench or bipod I leave the action open until I'm ready to shoot, then I shoot and open the bolt again. The only time I have ever tried the safety is after a trigger job. I check that the sear doesn't slip with the safety on, or when I flick it off but in the varmint fields I never use them. I use the safety on all of my big game and small game walking around guns but on my varmint rigs they always have the action open unless I'm on the trigger.



For 10/22 magazines I use one of those hand crank magazine loaders for the plastic extended magazines. They're a lot easier on the thumbs than loading by hand, although they don't seem to work well with the stock ruger magazines.

Fjold: Thanks for the tip on the loader for the 10/22's! I have never owned one or seen one in use. I will look into them ASAP!
The Ruger 10/22's rechamber themselves so quickly and the cross-bolt safeties on them I use religiously. This 77/17V is a year old for me and I may just use your method when shooting off my portable bench or the roof of my VarmintMobile! Yeah I think that may solve my pain situation on two fronts! The only thing I can think of is a tad of dust getting in my 17 HMR's clips or breech but I clean it pretty often and that should be no big problem!
Thanks again for the great ideas!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: Do you know that girl in the blue sweater? I kind of get hypnotized by her and often linger at your posts watching her walk!

VG, Picture the end of my thumb and the end of my forefinger rubbing in circles........what that means is that "it's the smallest record player in the world playing, "My heart bleeds for you!!!!" You get 2 or 3 great shooting days and still complain!!! One of these days, I'll get my 17 out your way and we'll just have a "rimfire rodeo" on your plentiful varmints!!! The next day we'll take the "big brothers" out.....222,223,222Mag,22-250 and whatever else we may deem necesarry! By that time, both of us ought to have a 204Ruger of some sort too!!!! Mine was supposed to have shipped 4/5/04!!!!.....Wasn't at the distributor today, 4/26/04!!!!! Next time you get a cut or bad scrape sore place, rub some diesel fuel on it ASAP!! Keeps it from getting real sore!!! GHD

GHD: Thats a cute one! Rubbing the thumb and index finger together...!
I hope that 204 gets here soon! By the way I think my friend got premium priced on his Ruger #1-V-SS! He paid $739.00 for it! He is so happy with it he called me again this morning about it. He is just about to start handloading for it and is searching for load data.
Be patient!

British: Thank you for the clarification. Yes bolt guns in the 17 HMR will do just fine! Can a British Hunter Hunt Fox out in the woods over your way? I have heard the controversy over the Hunting of Fox with hounds and horses over your way but lost track of how it ended up?

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy: You can hunt foxes with a rimfire or small centerfire provided you get permission from the landowner and the land owner in turn has approval from the local police authority for the caliber of rifle you intend to shoot to be shot over his land. Certain police forces will only grant permission for fox to be taken by certain calibers (usually no larger than say .308 winnie). Confused? I'll try and explain. If you had a .470 nitro express on your licence/Firearms certificate, you would not be allowed to shoot a fox with it anywhere in the UK (unless you're Royalty ) because it would be deemed as 'overkill'. They would argue that you do not need such a large caliber to kill a fox. Other Brit forum users would be able to explain this better than I can but I'm sure you get the picture.

As regards the hunting of foxes with horse and hound, I would refer you to this site,

http://www.supportfoxhunting.co.uk/

Unfortunately we have a government that doesn't care much for country ways and traditions and I sincerely hope that come the next election their relentless pursuit of all things 'politically correct' will turn round bite them in the arse.