new .22 Match Barrel

[hendog]

Went to local range today & shot my new MGM 22" Taper .22 LR match barrel I bought from Ed's contenders.
Very pleased with Ed's service & the barrel. Shot numerous nickle sized groups @ 25yds.
I sure wish we had tree squirrels to shot here in Washington state. My try to find a place out of state this fall. 
 

[woods]

I have one of the older contender match barrels, 22 long rifle,  very acurate but it really shined after a trigger rework job its now at 2 lbs 3 oz. I couldn't believe the difference before and after.
     woods

[Ladobe]

You've got other squirrels in WA state that you could use the barrel for... Douglas, Red, Fox, California GRD, etc, and a bunch more in OR.   Some of them are quite tasty too.   
 
The barrel should do way better than nickel size groups at 25 yards though.   I'd expect at least one hole groups from it that close.

[nomosendero]

I always heard that the left coast has alot of Squirrels & have even seen some evidence to support it.

[Doublebass73]

I'm hoping to buy a .22 LR barrel with sights soon so I can do some tree rat hunting. We have tons of reds and greys in NH. I called Ed because I like his service, too but he didn't have any that were drilled and tapped for open sights.

[hendog]

You've got other squirrels in WA state that you could use the barrel for... Douglas, Red, Fox, California GRD, etc, and a bunch more in OR.   Some of them are quite tasty too.   
 
The barrel should do way better than nickel size groups at 25 yards though.   I'd expect at least one hole groups from it that close.

I was using cheap federal bulk ammo. I expect better groups with better ammo. I bought some CCI standard HP to try next.
I have shoot tons of ground squirrels but, would like to try some tree squirrel hunting. Looking into a Southern Oregon Grey squirrel hunt.

[Ladobe]

I've had several Contender 22LR match barrels, both factory and custom (although most were handgun lengths), and they all shot Federal bulk just fine.   Even one 12" custom barrel that was chambered specifically for the very expensive Federal target ammo (for IHMSA competition) shot the cheap stuff just fine and dandy.   So I doubt its the ammo.
 
You have either Douglas or Red squirrels in almost every county in WA, both smaller than Western or Eastern Grey's... and Fox in a few places that are larger than Greys.   All are tree squirrels and all quite tasty.    Same species are all in OR as well.
 
I grew up hunting "Pine" squirrels for the cook pot, never hunted Greys until I lived in CA late 60's to mid 70's.   Left CA and went back to hunting the others.   Where I live now I'm not close to any species of tree squirrels - hours away from the Greys and Douglas found in this state... hours away in nearby states.    Some of the local ground squirrels are tasty too though.
  
 

[Mike A.]

Personally I would avoid any contact with ground squirrels anywhere in the Western US.  Clearly they are good to eat, since every natural predator smaller than a mountain lion eats them (and grizzlys dig them out of hibernation just before the griz goes to bed for the winter, too).

BUT (the big butt),  there are a few cases of bubonic/sylvatic/pneumonic plague (the "Black/Red/Just Plain Death") in the West each year, and they all come from handling ground squirrels.  Since the disease is usually not diagnosed until too late (usual early symptoms like flu), they are commonly fatal.

For more info on this grisly subject, google "ground squirrel diseases."  Just sayin'! 

Great targets, tho, and the cattle industry HATES them, as do all horse raisers.

[65465 Mo]

 I have a 12" Bullberry  22LR match barrel , that will group (3 shots) Federal bulk cheapies ,just under an inch at 100 yds.