Thanks to the ever-gracious Kiri for a fine afternoon's shooting with the Chef and myself out in the glorious sunshine!

Chef and I met up and drove down together to Kiri's patch in West Sussex for a spot of rabbit and vermin shooting in what should have been, according to yesterday's weather forecast, a thunderstorm.

I had in the rush to get organised managed to forget a jacket of any description and so was rather banking on sunshine as I crept up the field's edge literally laden down with two rifles, a .22rf and freshly moderated 30.06, a brick of ammo and supplies for the afternoon's sit. I was glad of the rather novel, for me at any rate, idea of varminting from a high seat having sat in this seat enough over the course of deer season and watched enough rabbits, crows and magpies from it to know that it was going to be a good opportunity to get some American-style varminting in.

This particular seat has rabbits appearing from 30 to 200 yards away and although most are at or beyond the limits of a .22RF, at least in my hands, enough 80-120 yard rabbits appeared that the shooting was challenging and fun.

I confess that I was tempted once or twice by a longer range shot at bunnies with the .06, having loaded some special 125 gr superfast varmint loads just for the occasion. There is a corner of the field that from the elevation of the highseat would be safe to fire a 50 cal into and in any event these rounds are much less likely to ricochet than a .22 sub.

What really brought the desire to varmint with the .3006 on though, was the moderator. I have finally relented and had my beloved Tikka screwcut and moderated after literally years of indecision.

Yes, they ruin the balance, handling and looks of a rifle, but by God do the make it more practical to shoot!

Not only do they reduce the kick, whether more than hanging the equivalent mass on the end of the muzzle would I don't know, and let you shoot without hearing protection but also prevent you from letting the surrounding square mile or two what you're up to.

On account of this one considers that spot of varminting with an 06 is no longer totally out of the question and old scores on that account can finally be settled with both authority and discretion.

Fresh from reading Jack O'Connor's "Big game Rifles" and being rather caught up in the romance of the desperately keen but perennially impoverished American one-rifle hunter of the inter-war period, decided to load up some 125 grain Sierras at around 3200 fps and shoot a bunny with them tonight...

As I crept along the hedge line and up along the boundary wire of the little spinney where the east was I spotted a rabbit below me and to my right around 90 yards away. I squatted down and divested myself of all the kit as quickly and quietly as possible, fortunately shielded from the rabbit by the lie of the land. Not being able to go prone in that grass I crawled along to a fence post and to my relief as I popped up and rested my rifle on it the rabbit was still there. A chest shot flipped him over and he kicked out his last, sending another two bunnies that I hadn't seen skipping back into the woods.

I marked his position and got myself and my kit into the highseat. The bunnies within 150 yards had buggered off in the commotion but a fat rabbit rabbit sat with back to me a little way further in the corner of the field.

The 30.06 was quietly loaded.

Bugs made the mistake of turning head on and standing up at dead on 150 yards, which information was courtesy of the inestimable Mr. Boghossian's rangefinder which I of course intend to return shortly, and levelling down on him squeezed the trigger.

Instead of the the familiar thunder and lightning there was a sort of rattling hiss from the muzzle shortly followed by a hell of a double thump from the now deceased rabbit first being launched spinning into the air and then landing with a thud. A second rabbit not 20 feet away only glanced up from his feeding and seeing nary a twitch from his companion, resumed feeding.

I confess I was tempted but didn't need more fox-bait and so retired the 06 with both our reputations intact.

Up came the .22, a rather handsome Walther KKJ with a fine stick of walnut and bluing a mile deep, and for the next two hours I shot five rabbits, missed a few more shamefully, at ranges between 80 and 120 yards with one sitter wandering out in front of the high seat at 30 yards.

It was then that a flash of black caught my eye.

If I have a most hated foe, a creature for whom my distaste borders upon the pathological, it is the magpie.

When a magpie landed two hundred yards away to my right and started pecking at the group and walking towards the safe backstop area my heart quickened and I became overcome with a desire to see feathers fly in the afternoon sun.

The half dozen or rabbits that had of course just then appeared in front of me were completely forgotten as first I glassed, then ranged and then shouldered the rifle on the little harpy. I shifted about and tried to find the steadiest position was being confounded by what appeared to be the onset of buck fever!

I was a little surprised to be totally honest with you, I'd not expected to get so worked up over a magpie but it would be a great test of the myself and rifle and I was determined not to fluff it.

I forced myself to calm down and drawing a fine bead just below it's chin, and thanking Diana that I had set up a two hundred yard zero the Sunday before, squeezed the shot off.

This moderator lets me more or less maintain the sight picture from a rested position and I had the great satisfaction of watching the benighted imp cartwheel over and not move. I was immensely pleased with myself, despite the lack of pillow effect and of course it reaffirmed my love affair with this rifle.

All too soon I got a phone call from Kiri to say that He and the Chef had finished their rounds of the farm and had shot a few bunnies themselves. Chef wandered over and together we picked up the bunnies. Last ports of call were the inspections of Bait-Bunny and the Now-Reformed mapgie so as to glean data on the 06 as a varminting round.

A stark contrast between the two cases presented itself. It would appear that as in many other varieties of hunting, placement is everything.

Bait-bunny seemed to have sat back down again at the instant of the shot as the bullet had gone in at the point of the shoulder, quartering towards, and deposited the rear half over an usefully large area, from a fox-baiting perspective. A quick post-mortem examination revealed that the offside shoulder possibly remained edible.

The magpie had been neatly shot through the neck!

Apart from a curiously mobile quality to the neck and a neat .30 cal hole, it was unmarked.

It was a wonderful day in the early summer sunshine, it was good to make that shot, it was good to see old friends and to make new ones.

All in all, It was a good evening.

Ghubert,

As you know, I have long been an advocate for large calibres being used on small pests, particularly when allied with the benefits of home loading. West Mercia are most helpful in this respect, routinely listing vermin amongst the conditions for calibres such as .270W and .300WM (for non-UK readers, I'm afraid that listing what you are and are not allowed to shoot with your hard won rifles is another anomaly in the British firearms licensing system - astonishingly, shooting a crow with a rifle only conditioned for deer could ultimately cause you to lose your FAC if someone pushed the issue).

I can say with some authority that a 90gn hollowpoint bullet screaming out of a .270 doesn't leave enough squirrel to pick up with a vacuum cleaner and 110gn VMax out of the .30 leave foxes looking like they've been hit by an artillery barrage. Immensely humane...

As an aside, I'm astonished that you have finally entered the 21st century and screwcut the Tikka (and about bloody time too) - what did you do about the foresight? Did you have it moved back and go for a muzzle can or take the more extreme option?

See you soon,

A.

Amir,

Waidmannsheil!

Greetings to Kiri & Chef#1.

Where's the Beef ..... What? No photos?

Congratulations and thanks for the write up my friend, entertaining as always

I made Amir promise not to publish the photo of the "bait bunny" on the net as viewing it might cause a non-hunter greenie type to become an anti hunter.

The magpie was indeed neatly shot through the neck, and now that I've confirmed the ridiculously accurate shot I intend to collect my witness fee

What a great afternoon! It was nice to get out with a couple of the local heroes and experience a bit of hunting on this side of "the pond." Unfortunately it didn't rain as I had an extra rain jacket that I had inteded to rent to Amir. It's always the bad weather conditions or extreme bugs that allow one to profit from extra equipment or bug dope.

Many thanks to my new buddies for a fun time and a chance to exchange hunting lies/stories.

Interesting as usual!
Amir, now that you've finally taken the plunge, you can use the modded rifle in a whole variety of places without attracting undue attention. I'll give you a call next time I'm going out.

Chef, I was kind of hoping that you were going to dazzle with a few Rabbit recipes?
Obviously not from the pitiful remmnants of the Bait Bunny but hopefully someone headshot something young and tender?

quote:

Originally posted by Adam.270:
Ghubert,

As you know, I have long been an advocate for large calibres being used on small pests, particularly when allied with the benefits of home loading. West Mercia are most helpful in this respect, routinely listing vermin amongst the conditions for calibres such as .270W and .300WM (for non-UK readers, I'm afraid that listing what you are and are not allowed to shoot with your hard won rifles is another anomaly in the British firearms licensing system - astonishingly, shooting a crow with a rifle only conditioned for deer could ultimately cause you to lose your FAC if someone pushed the issue).

I can say with some authority that a 90gn hollowpoint bullet screaming out of a .270 doesn't leave enough squirrel to pick up with a vacuum cleaner and 110gn VMax out of the .30 leave foxes looking like they've been hit by an artillery barrage. Immensely humane...

As an aside, I'm astonished that you have finally entered the 21st century and screwcut the Tikka (and about bloody time too) - what did you do about the foresight? Did you have it moved back and go for a muzzle can or take the more extreme option?

See you soon,

A.

The Met were also very sensible about this issue in light of the ACPO memo on the subject. It's obvious that deer rifles are not the first choice of varminting rifles, but for the occasional specialised purpose, practice and fun they're hard to beat!

Incidentally, I passed up a stoat with the 3006 at Ampton a few months back in deference to your current record. They're cute little buggers in their frolicking across the place, how could you?!

It's a lot of fun, what you loose in terms of volume compared to a .22 you make up for IMO with deliberation and satisfaction.

The Tikka has been threaded M14 and an indexed, drilled and threaded cap has been made that accepts the original foresight. Basically the threading job was specified without a spigot and left the rearmost sight hole untouched. The fact that it was an M14 thread meant that less thickness was taken off the barrel and about 3-4mm of indent of the front sight hole was still visible in the threads.

The sytem seems to work well but I can't install a scope and the rear sight, as a slightly more fundamental problem....

Give me a buzz, I may have a solution for your blaser problem.

A

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
Amir,

Waidmannsheil!

Greetings to Kiri & Chef#1.

Where's the Beef ..... What? No photos?

quote:

Originally posted by Arild Iversen:
Congratulations and thanks for the write up my friend, entertaining as always

Thanks guys, I'd rather be telling these stories to you in person with a few beers around the table though.

I might get a photo of the magpie up if I can, Bait-Bunny was in a rather poor way, I must admit.

quote:

Originally posted by calgarychef1:
I made Amir promise not to publish the photo of the "bait bunny" on the net as viewing it might cause a non-hunter greenie type to become an anti hunter.

The magpie was indeed neatly shot through the neck, and now that I've confirmed the ridiculously accurate shot I intend to collect my witness fee

What a great afternoon! It was nice to get out with a couple of the local heroes and experience a bit of hunting on this side of "the pond." Unfortunately it didn't rain as I had an extra rain jacket that I had inteded to rent to Amir. It's always the bad weather conditions or extreme bugs that allow one to profit from extra equipment or bug dope.

Many thanks to my new buddies for a fun time and a chance to exchange hunting lies/stories.

Witness fee inbound, particularly in light of the jacket hire fee I saved when you and Kiri disappeared in a flash at the outset.....

I've left a couple of bits in your car I think mate.

quote:

Originally posted by Trapper Dave:
Interesting as usual!
Amir, now that you've finally taken the plunge, you can use the modded rifle in a whole variety of places without attracting undue attention. I'll give you a call next time I'm going out.

Chef, I was kind of hoping that you were going to dazzle with a few Rabbit recipes?
Obviously not from the pitiful remmnants of the Bait Bunny but hopefully someone headshot something young and tender?

There were two I headshot Dave, so I'm sure there's something tasty in the offing!

Is "interesting" being used in the euphemistic sense at all here DAve, me old mucker?

Thank you for the offer as well mate, I'm born ready when it comes to these things.

A

quote:

I've left a couple of bits in your car I think mate.

All I can say is, these bits better not include the rangefinder I've been looking for!

Good shooting BTW, you'll get used to the moderator pretty soon.

Whoa there double post Dan!

Hold your horses, you range finder is safe and very useful too.

Give me a ring if you get a minute, remember Duck Sauce, well that was playing through my head last night.

I'm taking a quick break and the rabbit is in the frying pan getting browned nicely in some ghee. then some onions, salt, pepper and choice herbs, all is going into the oven low and slow with a copious amount of butter. Not making a sauce with this bunny just choice vermin pieces to feast on.

I'm hatching a plan to introduce a new recipe at a future shoot but all is secrecy til then.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:

quote:

Originally posted by Adam.270:
Ghubert,

As you know, I have long been an advocate for large calibres being used on small pests, particularly when allied with the benefits of home loading. West Mercia are most helpful in this respect, routinely listing vermin amongst the conditions for calibres such as .270W and .300WM (for non-UK readers, I'm afraid that listing what you are and are not allowed to shoot with your hard won rifles is another anomaly in the British firearms licensing system - astonishingly, shooting a crow with a rifle only conditioned for deer could ultimately cause you to lose your FAC if someone pushed the issue).

I can say with some authority that a 90gn hollowpoint bullet screaming out of a .270 doesn't leave enough squirrel to pick up with a vacuum cleaner and 110gn VMax out of the .30 leave foxes looking like they've been hit by an artillery barrage. Immensely humane...

As an aside, I'm astonished that you have finally entered the 21st century and screwcut the Tikka (and about bloody time too) - what did you do about the foresight? Did you have it moved back and go for a muzzle can or take the more extreme option?

See you soon,

A.

The Met were also very sensible about this issue in light of the ACPO memo on the subject. It's obvious that deer rifles are not the first choice of varminting rifles, but for the occasional specialised purpose, practice and fun they're hard to beat!

Incidentally, I passed up a stoat with the 3006 at Ampton a few months back in deference to your current record. They're cute little buggers in their frolicking across the place, how could you?!

It's a lot of fun, what you loose in terms of volume compared to a .22 you make up for IMO with deliberation and satisfaction.

The Tikka has been threaded M14 and an indexed, drilled and threaded cap has been made that accepts the original foresight. Basically the threading job was specified without a spigot and left the rearmost sight hole untouched. The fact that it was an M14 thread meant that less thickness was taken off the barrel and about 3-4mm of indent of the front sight hole was still visible in the threads.

The sytem seems to work well but I can't install a scope and the rear sight, as a slightly more fundamental problem....

Give me a buzz, I may have a solution for your blaser problem.

A

Current record stands at 'weasel with 220gn hammerhead round from .300WM). Stoats just don't cut it anymore...(and there is nothing cute about a stoat).

Did no-one warn poor CalgaryChef that you would arrive with only half your possessions and leave with even fewer, having scattered them like confetti in your wake in other people's cars, homes etc? I don't know whether I prefer 'I may have left one or two bits in your car' or 'Dude, what do you mean it's not Wednesday' as your epitaph. In my professional life I'm doing some work on the potential effect that assistive technology might have on enabling people with learning disabilities to live more independent lives - some of the 'prompt and find' gadgets have your name all over them and may I use you in one of the trials, alongside some pictures of you looking confused and dishevelled.

By the way, I wasn't having a poke about conditions - merely pointy out a ridiculous anomaly with mad consequences.

Lastly, I've acquired some new ground with potential for some long-range 'zeroing' out to 1000-1500 yards - you might want to bring the good Dr. I have fire extinguishers...

A.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:

The Tikka has been threaded M14 and an indexed, drilled and threaded cap has been made that accepts the original foresight. Basically the threading job was specified without a spigot and left the rearmost sight hole untouched. The fact that it was an M14 thread meant that less thickness was taken off the barrel and about 3-4mm of indent of the front sight hole was still visible in the threads.
A

You had your foresight remounted on the thread cover?

Great idea. Wonder who thought of that....

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:

The Tikka has been threaded M14 and an indexed, drilled and threaded cap has been made that accepts the original foresight. Basically the threading job was specified without a spigot and left the rearmost sight hole untouched. The fact that it was an M14 thread meant that less thickness was taken off the barrel and about 3-4mm of indent of the front sight hole was still visible in the threads.
A

You had your foresight remounted on the thread cover?

Great idea. Wonder who thought of that....

A touch premature my good fellow, a touch premature.

The foresight is attached to the barrel, the thread protector is merely a glorified piece of packing.

Read the description again, or better still hang on until I show you it!

I think of all things.

Adam,

Does a Bunny with a 300g TSX through my "22RF" win? I promise it will be a small bunny.

There were a load of Ground Squidgells in South Africa this year where we were. I had a big rifle but the guy wouldn't allow any vermining...

A plan is coming together though. I may be going on a fifty cal training course with a friend of mine some thie in Sep, there is definately scope for something there.

K

BTW,

Only Amir can turn the phrase, "I spent a couple of hours in a high seat this afternoon and shot some rabbits and a magpie" into a book worth reading...

He's also not allowed in my car anymore as when the wife finds 6 month old doughnuts under the passengers seat it's just not worth the hassle...

K

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
BTW,

Only Amir can turn the phrase, "I spent a couple of hours in a high seat this afternoon and shot some rabbits and a magpie" into a book worth reading...

He's also not allowed in my car anymore as when the wife finds 6 month old doughnuts under the passengers seat it's just not worth the hassle...

K

Very true, on both points.

There was an occasion some years ago when my LRF's (why is it he has sticky fingers for range finders??) turned up in his car among some ducks that had been dead for some time? Luckily it was winter...

Stickyfingered bollocks!

Your memory is as suspect as your engineering know-how, you sent a timorous, self-reproaching pm out about how you thought your rangefinder was sitting in the bottom of Iron Pond and could everyone have a checkto see if they could find it.

Now don't get me wrong, I am grateful for your forgetfulness, not least on account of the two dead rabbits, not ducks, that you rangefinder was found reposing on; but to calim I somehow had a hand in the sorry incident, apart from sending the rangefinder back to you with what I thought was the bare minimum of pisstaking, is beyond the pale.

Harrumph!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
Stickyfingered bollocks!

Your memory is as suspect as your engineering know-how, you sent a timorous, self-reproaching pm out about how you thought your rangefinder was sitting in the bottom of Iron Pond and could everyone have a checkto see if they could find it.

Now don't get me wrong, I am grateful for your forgetfulness, not least on account of the two dead rabbits, not ducks, that you rangefinder was found reposing on; but to calim I somehow had a hand in the sorry incident, apart from sending the rangefinder back to you with what I thought was the bare minimum of pisstaking, is beyond the pale.

Harrumph!!!

LOL, knew that would get a reaction...

If I remember I lost the LRF's the night of the puddle and the stalled engine?

It was good of you to send them back.

But it was definitely ducks, and it was about a week before I missed the LRF's and you went looking for them....

I am becoming predictable in my dotage eh?

That was indeed the night of flash floods, generous yokels and the unforgettable cry of "fekkin slow down" bellowed through the mobile....

Never mind me, it was bloody good of you to buy the Chinese takeaway that night!

Ps I'm sure it was bunnies but we can agree, it was a week before I went looking for them.

How did the rangefinder smell?

So the bunnies ended up served beside wild rice and barley pilaff with sundried cherries and blueberries....not bad for a beginner.

British bunnies are a lot more tender than British women but I'm sure both go well with a glass of hearty red wine.

British women tend to soften after the liberal application of Smirnoff....

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:
British women tend to soften after the liberal application of Smirnoff....

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
Adam,

Does a Bunny with a 300g TSX through my "22RF" win? I promise it will be a small bunny.

There were a load of Ground Squidgells in South Africa this year where we were. I had a big rifle but the guy wouldn't allow any vermining...

A plan is coming together though. I may be going on a fifty cal training course with a friend of mine some thie in Sep, there is definately scope for something there.

K

300g will get you close, but still no cigar - I will then have to trump you with 500gns from the .458WM, once one or two issues are resolved with the FEO.

However, if you go down the .50BMG route, I wil a). be very, very jealous as I have been trying to resist going down that path since a trip up to Sennybridge last autumn, and b). 750gns will be very, very hard to trump (makes note to get plans for 2 bore cannon out again - it may be slow at 1,500FPS but the 17,500ft/lbs should do the trick...)

A.

Cue Dig,

there's a 10bore double rifle hanging about at the moment.

I think my ticket allows testing......

I dread to imagine the cost of the shells.

K

I am awaiting official confirmation but it appears that the new record is a field mouse with a 700NE.



And once more

That's collateral damage - you weren't actually aiming at the creature.

750grs of 50 cal makes a satisfying sound hitting a fig 11 at 1100m

I went out on the bunnies last night with my .22 Sako rimmy and my 60ftlb Daystate Air rifle.
I' have to say that there's not a lot of difference in performance.
I used 28g slugs in the daystate which I think tend to tumble once they get out to 50 yards but if you put an ordinary .22 air rifle slug in, it tends to wander anyway.
Subjectively, I thought the Rimmy was quieter.
I stopped at 4 all, no misses and got the .308 out in case a buck appeared.
A doe, probably a one year old came out of the bracken looking very thin and scraggy and wandered across the field. She suddenly broke into a run and I caught a glimse of her chasing another doe.
A few minutes later she ambled back across the field and stopped at the edge of the bracken. Suddenly two tiny kids appeared, poking their noses out into the field.
I guess that explains why she was looking so thin and behaved the way she did.
Back home I skinned and jointed the bunnies and left them soaking in brine overnight.
Guess what's on the menu tonight?

Well done Dave!

Sounds like a beautiful evening out, the way to look at it is that you saw deer but didn't have to gralloch and drag!

I'll guess that you had Rabbit cooked with white wine in the French manner, either that or rabbit pie....

"I'll guess that you had Rabbit cooked with white wine in the French manner, either that or rabbit pie"

My favourite rabbit recipe in the French manner is:
(Homage to Kieth Floyd of course) http://joannasfood.blogspot.co...-pruneaux-saute.html

However, the first two of these Bouncing bunnies are jointed in the slow cooker on a bed of celery, carrots, tomatoes and onions gently verging on simmering......awaiting the addition of roasted peppers and garlic later on this afternoon and then, the wine and seasoning!

Dave,

I really like that recipe too, although I often leave out the sautee of wild rabbit with prunes...

K

That was the thing about Kieth Floyd.
Not at all PC, Not a Foodie pedant just an enthusiastic cook and bon viveur who took the view that a meal wasn't complete without wine although wine didn't necessarily need a meal!

My humble bunnie casserole was left to cool at lunchtime, de-boned and then reheated in the evening with added roasted vegetables as described. So good, I had seconds of both bunny and S. Blanc.

I'm trying to perfect a caramelised version of those silverskin pickled onions you can buy in jars. Because they are pickled in vinegar you get a sort of BBQ sauce efect. Has anyone else worked on this?

Dave,

If you are going down the BBQ sauce route, soak the rabbit in pineapple juice overnight, drain and proceed as normal.

You would be surprised what it does to the meat.

K

Useful fact about pineapples; they contain an enzyme called Bromeline which breaks down protein, so very good as a meat tenderiser but also very effective at treating gout and rheumatic conditions...

Don't leave fish marinating too long in pineapple juice as you'll have fish gruel.


N.B - this is the only fact I know about pineapples and I don't get to use it very often.