Author Topic: G-hog hunting (Read 650 times)

cattleskinner · « **on:** April 16, 2005, 05:03:24 PM »

I was just wondering if any of you fellas have been out yet to shoot some groundhogs this year? I came home from school for the weekend, and decided to try my luck even though the fields are just now getting planted, and got my first one for the year...a female@ 248 paces. When I shot, I heard the usual thump sound that you hear when your bullet hits something solid, and when I got back on target from the recoil (the scope was on 24x), all I saw was a tail sticking up in the air. The bullet caught it between the nose and eye on one side, and came out in front of the offside eye. I'm really liking this .223 even more now that I started reloading for it. So what's you guy's season starting out like?

~~~Cattleskinner

ebonitekid767 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 16, 2005, 05:15:44 PM »

got 2 thursday,one at 65 yards right center chest,and another at about 110 yards right smack in the face and lets just say the 45gr JHP did a number on him.the farmer had just plowed his field so EVERYTHING was brown and made spotting them very very hard!!headin to my dads tomorrow to walk about 2 miles of fields should get atleast 10!

good luck!

shaner · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2005, 01:57:03 AM »

dont get in to big of a hurry guys , ive always found its better to give them a few weeks this time of the year for the babies to get hatched out real easy to thin them out this time of the year , got to leave a few for seed i always say, ive seen a lot of them out this past week also , seen a few about 1/2 lb runnin around the holes also , which means a few weeks they will be on their own

nofun1 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 18, 2005, 09:55:30 AM »

I've got about a dozen so far. I saw two in a feild one at 96 yards and one at 37 (rangefinder) I shot the far one and the close one ran straight for me like he was trying to attack me. I'm sure his hole was by my car but since he was so willing to commit suicide I felt obligated to help, I was behind our county jail last Sat. and there I counted 37 in a 3 acre field. I just havent figured out yet how to get permission. It is not easier to get forgiveness from the cops. I'm too pretty to go to jail. This season looks very promising.

knight0334 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2005, 01:57:52 PM »

with work and house repairs, I've yet to get a chance to splatter some. And now with trout season opening on last Saturday, it might be a few weeks coming til I can hunt.

varmitbob · « **Reply #5 on:** April 20, 2005, 04:51:46 PM »

What are you using for reloading? I have found that the hornady V-Max Bullets work quite nicely with Hodgdon Varget for powder for the .223. Always be careful when reloading the .223. I use new winchester or remington brass, because the military brass is thicker. The reduced room creates a compressed charge, and it will create dangerously higher pressures if you do not reduce the powder load from what the reloading manuals call for.
Also you will find out that this round will shoot significantly different depending on the weight of the bullet and the twist rate of the barrel. If you have a 1/7 barrel the 60 gr and above work very well. If you have a 1/9 barrel the 50 gr - 60 gr work well, and if you are below the 1/9 then you should not go over 55gr if you want optimal accuracy. The heavier bullets are longer, and need the faster twist rate to stabilize them. If you can use a heavier bullet, it will retain more energy down range.
I love the .223 round. It is allot of fun to shoot, its accurate, and it is easy to shoot well because of the minimal recoil. My daughters like their .223s, and are quite accurate with them.
I plan to take them out this weekend to pop some whistle pigs once we have to stop hunting turkey by noon. Lots of fun and action for the kids!

Nuttinbutchunks · « **Reply #6 on:** April 20, 2005, 05:02:07 PM »

I haven't got out yet, but my first shot (pardon the pun) will be coyotes with my new "zuit suit". I got a camo set of scent blocking coveralls from Cabellas, along with a hood and I can't wait to go blast some yotes. Now if it will just stop raining.