Nothing fancy, but very satisfying.

Yesterday I got two brazen groundhogs with my CZ 452 ZKM.

I live on a commercial property and most of the time we either have customers or hotel guests on premises.

My mother in law has been crying the blues about her Impatients getting chewed to bits.

The groundhogs here are very skittish and will lumber to their holes at first sight of humans so the hunting has been tough with an iron sighted 22lr and a busy road nearby.

Yesterday I spotted one from my window and went out to bag it.

It ran away as soon as my door opened, but I didn't give up.

I crept nearer to the bank where it ran to and spotted a light spot with an inquisitive eye in the taller grass about 15 yards away.

I aimed for the eye and dropped it with a CCI Stinger.

I decided to roam the property to see if any others were out ravaging the landscape.

I rounded the corner of the restuarant and surprised another one, it ran full tilt for its hole as I raised my rifle.

I got it broadside which stopped it in its tracks less than a foot from its hole.

I put another into its head from the same spot but hit low and took off its jaw.

I was rather disappointed in the fact that I had to shoot it 3 times.

Anyway, 2 down 25 to go.



*edited for spelling error*

THIS is a topic I know quite a bit about.I grew up in Central Maryland on our family farm trying to "indian up" on Groundhogs with .22 rimfires.Quite a challenge.



I have been shooting rimfires a lot for the last 25 years and have learned quite a bit about "stealth" shooting vermin around buildings and livestock.Done properly,you are only seen,not heard..



You have a good gun in that CZm452-I own three of them and they are all great rifles.Just a suggestion ,but for safety and making ever shot count I would mount a scope and CAREFULLY sight in your weapon.You and the rifle should become as precise as a surgeon's scalpel.



Simmons makes a Nice ".22Mag MINI Compact 4x scope" complete with mounts for only about $30.It will improve your accuracy and it is compact,light and will not interfere with the iron sights on that CZ.



As to ammo I HIGHLY recommend you get some RWS subsonic Hollow points.They are EXTREMELY quiet,MATCH accurate and kill very well. With a scope and that ammo,your CZ should be able to hit a dime consistently at 50yards.Precision shots on Groundhogs should be no problem out to 75yards with a bit of practice.



The RWS bullets also seem to open up and kill more reliably than most subsonics I have used.I have killed game up to Coyote and Bobcats with one shot using them.Again,precise placement is the key.



The RWS ammo does not cost very much and it is available from www.grafs.com

Thanks for the tip on ammunition.
The Stingers are very destructive but also rather loud.
I've taken dozens of squirrels with CB subsonics so I'm happy to learn of another quiet load that has a bit more punch than the CBs.

The RWS ammo really works well.The barrel on your CZ is long enough(24"?) that the RWS Subsonics will be VERY quiet.Nearly as quiet as a CB cap.You will be amazed.

Other makers load .22LR subsonic HP loads,CCI,Remington,Eley and Aguila

I have tried them all in many different rifles over 20 years and the RWS is the most consistently quiet and accurate of them all.The RWS bullets must be made of a slightly softer alloy,because they also DO open up better on game than the other brands.

That CZ is a very accurate 22! I use Federal 22's from Walmart in the 550 round pack for $8.96 at our Wally World.

I mounted smaller scopes on mine the first season but finally got smart and bought a 4.5 x 14 Simmons ATV refurbished scope from Natchez for $59.00.

With a little kentucky windage, I have taken sage rats at 125 yds, with this with about 80 % kill ratio. That rifle really wrings out any accuracy in 22 ammo.

Sage rats are a lot smaller than ground hogs, ( I am a Virginia native). However, a head shot will keep them from getting to the hole and allow you to administer the coup d' grau shot to them.

That rifle is a real champ in my book, none better, especially for the price.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

I agree 100% about the CZ m452s and the Simmons 4.5-14 ATV scope.



My CZ .22 LR American has an ATV mounted on it and I constantly MARVEL at what a wonderful rig it is for the $$ I have in it.Mine shoots right at MOA with the Remington Golden Bullet HP bulk pack from Walmart.It bowls the Prairie dogs off their mounds quite nicely..



Even if owned a Kimber m22 with a Leupold 4.5-14(at about 3 times the total cost),I would not have a combo that works any better.