The dawn brought calm air to the SW corner of Montana and I jumped out of bed with a special "intensity of endeavor"! I threw my gear and 3 Rifles in the VarmintMobile and headed to my private range 19 miles south of my place!
It was just barely snowing as I sped (66 MPH in a 75 zone) S/B in the VarmintMobile! I was scanning for big game and Coyotes as I drove.
Once to my range I quickly set up as one never knows when the still Montana air will all of a sudden start roaring along!
First Rifle out of the cases was my Ruger 77/17 V/T in 17 HMR!
This Rifle never ceases to amaze me accuracy wise! I had recently removed a Weaver KT 15 (straight 15 power) scope from it and installed a Weaver V-16 (4x16 power variable) on it.
I had used my "NEW" Leupold end of muzzle type Bore Sighter to bore sight this rig. The Rifle was quickly and minimally adjusted to be 2" high at 25 yards and dead on left and right.
I actually enjoyed the tiny dot on the extra fine crosshairs of this Weaver scope! It worked well on the official Bench Rest Target anyway. I then obtained a VERY respectable and pleasing to me .732" five shot group at 100 yards! I have as yet to shoot even ONE 5 shot group at 100 yards with this Rifle over 1.000"!
And that my fellow rimfire enthusiasts is SAYING SOMETHING!
I have had this Rifle 3 years now and when sight in verifcation time (or scope changing time) comes along for it I always wait until the air is as close to dead calm as its gonna get!
Still this is an amazingly accurate rimfire Rifle! I use the Remington 17 gr ammo in this Rifle.
Next came my tried and true Ruger 10/22 Deluxe Rifle with a Lilja heavy barrel! I am sure this Rifle alone has accounted for - in excess of 10,000 Ground Squirrels over the years! It still shoots well.
I don't know why?
I made one 5 shot group at 50 yards measuring .433" with it! Then I fired it at 100 yards to verify the trajectory and that 4 shot group measured 1.068"! I was happy with that but I wished I was wealthier as I had "robbed" a beautifully clear (old) Leupold 4x12 with A.O. off of it some years back and replaced it with a Simmons 4x12 (with A.O.).
Its not half the scope the Leupold is but I still get my share of Ground squirrels with it! I use Federal Bulk Pack H.P.'s (525 pack) in this high volume rig! They are VERY lethal on Gophers and other small game and Varmints! I have even killed two Wild Turkeys with this set up to date!
Next to come to the firing line was my newish Kimber M-22 Hunter/Silhouette Rifle! I got this Rifle late last summer and it is a JOY to shoot in the Ground Squirrel Colonies! I have a Leupold 6x18 variable scope on it with Du-plex crosshairs! The trigger on this beautifully stocked 22 is just superb!
I did some ammo testing with this Rifle last year and it shot well with the C.C.I. Mini-Mag H.P.'s! I verified sight in with these bullets at both 50 and 100 yards. And it performed wonderfully in the dead calm air and the falling powder snow!
My friend had given me a carton (1,000 rounds) of the German made Wolf standard velocity solid points! He gave me this ammo as a reward for scouting out and helping him pack out his first Montana Mt. Goat a year and a half ago!
I really had no use (Varminting wise) for it and he has been bugging me to find out how it shoots for me! I can now call him with a clear conscience and tell him it made a sensational 100 yard 5 shot group measuring .884"! I then made an even better 5 shot grouping with the C.C.I. H.P. Mini-Mags! This grouping measured .838"!
Due to the "price" of these C.C.I. Mini-Mags ($4.25 per 100) I have been searching for a less expensive round for this Rilfe!
No luck again today!
I tried the Federal Bulk Pack ammo and got a 1.259" group at 100 yards! Then I tried the Winchester Gray Pack Power-Points - again no luck! As the 100 yard group measured - in fact I did not even measure it yet as it was so bad! Last year when I tested this ammo at 50 yards I got a group in the high 8's so it is not gonna "fly" in this beautiful Kimber Rifle.
By the way if you have not seen one of these Hunter/Silhouette Model 22's up close I highly recommend you find one and look it over! It has a 24 heavy barrel (blued) that is fluted and again the trigger is just wonderful on this model.
The high comb stock is VERY comfortable shooting over sand bags and off of a bi-pod in the field!
I am happy as a clam as I retrieve my targets and pack up my gear! Just then (with my ear protection now out!) what do I hear not 600 yards away but a PACK OF COYOTES yipping and howling to each other!!
Its March for Petes Sake! The mating season is running and denning is happening, yet there they were howling up a storm! Unfortunately they were on "The Kings" ranch (Ted Turner's ranch - we call him "The King" becuase so many people think its okay to poach "The King's Deer"!).
I got my binos and tried to spot them but they were in the willows along the banks of the 4th longest river in the world!
Spot marked!
I decided calling after I had just fired about 85 rimfire rounds would not bring "The Kings" Coyotes out of the willows and across the road!
I had just finished loading my shooting box and bench rest in the VarmintMobile when what do I see? A chubby Gopher scurrying along in the skiff of snow on the ground!
Mistake!
Its now time to "paint the snow" as they say here in Montana!
Sublime - this endeavor!
I got my Dog-Gone-Good window style sandbag out and in position! It was not long until I had bonked 4 Gophers with 4 shots (at 50 yards or so).
What to do I thought, I know my rancher friend wants these Varmints erradicated so I decided to keep shooting and I got out my 17 HMR! I ran off 9 shots killing 8 Gophers out to about 90 yards!
I am tickled - its been a long time since I had a good Ground Squirrel stand!
I then filled a 10/22 magazine with 10 rounds and promised myself these would be the last rounds I fired today (early season guilt?) at the Ground Squirrels!
I broke that promise!
The snow as actually falling in sunshine! The nearest cloud was now at least a mile from me! Fine - I kept shooting!
I was hitting about 85% with the Lilja 10/22 which is a sure sign I am "jerking" the trigger!
Take a breath VarmintGuy - I told myself!
It helped a little!
Some of my misses were due to the nervousness and inability of the Ground Squirrels to HOLD STILL and they would dart as I was taking up the trigger pull!
I wiped the snow off of the barrels of my Rifles with my G-96 wetted gun rag from my shooting box! I let them "balance" outside their cases on my seats while they fully air dried on the way home!
I kept thinking over and over all the way home how "easy" it is to just BUY the rimfire ammo and not have to reload it - like for my centerfires!
And its cheap (kind of!) I argued with myself - unconvincingly.
I could never give up my centerfire Varminters but I could give up the long winter reloading sessions!
Boy am I ready for the Gopher Hunting to begin!
But in reality it will be another month or a month and a half before the weather stabilizes enough to get them out in big numbers!
Long live the rimfires!
Long live Montana!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG,,, If you had been shooting centerfire you wouldn't have had the time to share your joy. I must agree that the rimfires have their purpose. I am also a lucky owner of a Lilja equipted 10/22 and have been totally amazed by the accuracy of this barrel/rifle. Though I can't agree on the .17HMR in the Ruger my brother in law has. It's a dog. Glad that you painted the snow, it helped add color to the story. Well done once again.

VG:

Great report as always!

I am sure you never saw it on the Favorite Gunwriters thread a while ago... but I listed you on my list of favorites....You do a good job Charlie Brown!

cheers
seafire

Seafire/B17G: Thanks for the kind words there from Oregon Duck country!
I had a blast yesterday even though I was by myself!
Seems like all of my "homies" are either in Arizona for the sunny times or working ("WORK"! - Dobie Gillis quote - circa 1967).
Love to share my impressions!
I am looking out my window right now at 3 to 4 inches of new snow on the driveway - the same driveway I just shovelled clear 3 days ago!
What is going on here? Its spring for Petes Sake!
The sun is out now though and it really is glorious here - and again its virtually dead calm wind conditions today - unusual that!
I got an off line E-mail from someone who did not realize Ted Turner had ranches in Montana as well as in New Mexico (and other places?). For everyones info - yes "The King" (Mr. Turner) has three huge ranches in western Montana. One ranch is heavily populated with Elk (Near Bozeman), another is heavily populated with Trophy Whitetails, Antelope, Moose, Mule Deer and countless Coyotes (near Alder, Montana) and the one (near my home) has not only Trophy Whitetails but literally some of the best fly fishing in the world on it!
AND Mr. Turner does or did allow Cow Elk Hunting only on the ranch near Bozeman for many years! This year the Game Department is changing the regulations in this area to try to "force" or NUDGE certain landowners to allow more Elk Hunting and the Hunting of Bull Elk as well as cow Elk only on these ranches!
Anyway Mr. Turner is an avid fisherman and his photo hung on the "picture board" (along with everyone elses) for many years in the Buffalo Inn on the shores of Clark Canyon Dam here in SW Montana. He was dressed in humble attire (not the "Orvis" type) and was posed with a huge Brown Trout he had caught on "his stretch" of the River.
Strange guy though in my estimation.
Anyway his ranch near my home here in SW Montana is over-run with Coyotes but no Hunting is allowed on this ranch without the amazingly high "tresspass fee" rumored to be now at $5,500.00! Among VERY few others who have Hunted on this ranch is Will Primos and his buddy.
Thanks again Seafire for the kind words.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG:

From my buddy in Billings, I have heard that Ted Does actually allow youth hunts on his property.. without any high fees.....

I do applaud him for supporting youth hunting if that is true.....

Funny, my step dad went to school with Ted Turner during Junior High and early high school.... He had said he was sort of an eccentric " weird duck" even backk then.... guess that "weird duck" personality is why he is so rich.. and the rest of us aren't.....

cheers
seafire

Seafire/B17G: I should have made my commendation of Mr. Turner more clear. Yes he indeed does allow Hunting for free on the Bozeman Ranch. I have heard that it is for Cow Elk Hunting only.
I don't Hunt Cow Elk so its no never mind to me!
But still its nice of him to allow Hunting for free there!
His other two ranches are definitely BIG BUCKS only to Hunt on them and less than a handfull of Hunters are allowed even that each year!
I had occassion to act as body guard for Mr. & Mrs. Turner back during the Goodwill Games in Seattle (1992ish ?). SHE was the "odder" of the two back then.
I did not know at that time that both Ted Turner and Jane Fonda had each lost a parent to suicide!
I wish them both calm souls for the rest of their lives!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

As always I love reading your column.....er uh posts.
I was trying out the remington stuff recently in my 77/17 sporter weight barrel and it was quite an improvement over the hornadys. My marlin heavy bbl on the other hand digests almost anything with a best group of 5 in the .3's half inch groups are purdy regular. Here in Pa it's been either raining or windy if it's not. I have my first reloads for my cooper 204 ready to go for testing. I loaded every .3 grain of BL-C2 from 28 to 31.4 grains. for the berger moly 40. I'm thinking there should be a one holer in there somewhere but we shall see. I'll post my results no crono data when I get er done. Again a pleasant read.

Lofter AKA Jeff

Lofter: Best of luck with the 204 Cooper! That should be a splendid rig!
I have about 4 different loads using 35 grain Berger bullets and the 32 grain Sierras that proved accurate and safe in my 3 204's!
I agree I tried all the V-Max type offerings back when my Ruger 77/17 V/T was new (Hornady, CCI and then Remington) and the Remingtons shot better than the other two. Not by much but better! I have had dozens of folks tell me that the three initial offerings were all exactly the same loadings except for the color of the V-Max tips!
I don't know.
But I do know that with my initial testing the Remingtons were a tad better accuracy wise. I have shot some of the hollow-point offerings and have yet to find reason to change from my Remingtons.
Let me know if you need some load suggestions for 35's and 32's.
And thank you for the kind words.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG I did get a box of the 35's to try go ahead and suggest away

VarmintGuy, OK, OK maybe I'll look into getting a 17HMR, IF I can find one cheap.

The "no cleaning" part intrigues me the most. Having shot a couple out to 250+ yards, it is not a bad cartridge. There is some value in not having to pick up brass, but reloading is enjoyable when I have time...

Flippy: My "hobby" of handloading I often compare to the knitting that my grandmother and two aunts used to partake of for hours on end and all year long!
They repeatedly told me it was not work but therapy and they got great enjoyment from it!
I get enjoyment from it about 50% of the time anymore and the rest of the time it is kind of a chore!
I highly recommend the 17 HMR and if you are not happy with it they resell quite readily.
Good luck if you decide to go with one!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Lofter: Two of my 204's just love this loading!
204 Ruger - 35 gr. Berger bullet, Hornady brass, Federal 205 M (match primer) and 28.0 grs. of H 4895.
Best of luck with the 35's!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by VarmintGuy:
Flippy: My "hobby" of handloading I often compare to the knitting that my grandmother and two aunts used to partake of for hours on end and all year long!
They repeatedly told me it was not work but therapy and they got great enjoyment from it!
I get enjoyment from it about 50% of the time anymore and the rest of the time it is kind of a chore!
VarmintGuy

You are so right!
As I get a little older my time is worth more and more.

---Mike