Need some advice on woodchuck rifle

[Brian_Stephens]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( "Forget about the SKS"

Pretty apparent you've never shot an SKS. )</font>

I've got 3 SKS's and have about 5000 rounds through them... They are very good at close range but I wouldn't try to use them at any distance... I do have one that is good to about 300 yds but It's got $300 worth of smithing thats been done to it including trigger and stock work.....

 

[johnday]

If you have a .270 that WILL be a real good one to use. There aren't many that shoot flatter. I agree with a number of the others about a scope. There are alot of good ones out there. For less than 500 dollars you should be able to get a pretty decent one. Go to a good hunt shop and tell them what you want to do. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I will try to answer most of the questions in this post. First, the barn roof is fine but too steep to put a shooting stand on. That is what the silos are for /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

The wood chucks can not keep all the grass down and that is the thing, these are being brought back into hay fields so we don't want them keeping any of the hay down. If we had no plans to do anything to the fields I would not be worried about them as they wouldn't be bothering anything I was doing.

I could rig up the .270 but was hoping to find some suggestions in a slightly lower power. I have a friend who was shooting his Contender and one of the rounds ricocheted off of a stone or something and hit another guy we both knew over 2 miles away in the shoulder. Even with the trees behind the field there is nothing saying the round could not skip over them and find its way to the town at the bottom of the hill. I will talk to the gun dealer hopefully today, we won a Mossberg 500 combo yesterday so we will trade that in on another gun (or a good scope and some more ammo for the .270 if I go that route).

Basicly, I don't reload so I have to shoot store bought ammo so I need to step up from the old 22 (and it is old). I just want something that will kill them (not blow them into many pieces). So it looks like I am leaning towards the 22-250 and if the price is too high at this dealer I will just set up the .270.

I have a couple scopes here laying around, don't remember the power of them but one is a Redfield and the other a Leupold (sp?) We won them a couple years ago and they have set in one of our gun cabinets for a number of years. Here in NY rifles are not allowed for deer hunting (at least not in this part of the state) so all I am familiar with is shotguns and some handguns. I do have plenty of friends who shoot they run a couple of the gun ranges around this area (this is how I sight some of our guns in). But I try to get more then just their thoughts so I ask you guys as well. But the common theme was either a 22-250 or a slightly less power .223 (.223 was for price as it is suppose to be cheaper to shoot then the 22-250 if you don't reload). Thanks for the post so far as I appreciate all the help. Later.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Should have read your post better, do all varmit rounds fragment on impact? I would imagine they could still skip given the right conditions though. I will check online for some more info on the different types of rounds. Thanks for pointing that out for me though as it will help a lot.

 

[Egon]

Are sabot rounds available for the .270 ?

Chances are you will have a hard time eradicating them by shooting. Cultivation would do a better job. If you are looking for quality grass it would sound like redoing the field would be necessary.

I've seen this same type of problem but with Richardsons Ground Squirrels. By the time they get well established the field really produces little of value other than dirt mounds and holes to fall in.

Egon

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I plan to redo the fields over time but this is a working dairy so I need to still hay the fields for bedding and such. I have another place where I have great hay for feeding. The idea is to use the gun to control the population as it will be hard to eliminate them. There are a lot of dens outside of the main fields in the brush and along ditches and roads and I will not be able to find them all. So when I do see one I want to be able to get rid of him from a distance and eliminate him from the population. Over time, between redoing all the fields and picking off the ones that pop up their heads I should get them under control. I plan to do the field in sections as the 60 acre field is 4 sections so I will try to do a section a year as well as redo one of the smaller fields each year as well.

 

[jimg]

Robert
My vote would be for a 22-250. If you reload youll have a better choice of ammo thats esp tuned for your rifle. Thats a hard combination to beat. Also you would be able to load bullets on the heavier (longer) side too making long shoots not so susceptible to wind deflection. The other really good bit about a .22 is that most varmint type bullets are pretty fragile and will most likely self destruct on any impact (critter or not). If this is an economy mode project look at the Savage rifles. For the $ theyre a good value and shoot well out of the box plus they come w/ the 'accu-trigger'.

 

[fivestring]

I know how much it cost!!!!

I used to shoot one (without scope) in Highpower National Matches.
200, 300 and 600 yards. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
1000 yard fun shoots! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dozernut]

Here is a suggestion, take it for what it is worth. Evidently you have a good varmint gun already, good for 120 yards. Why not take a clue from the turkey and deer hunters and use a blind. Set it up where you have a problem area, paying attention to the wind direction. You can buy camo blinds at any of your big sporting goods stores and I have seen them in Walmart and the farm stores. I use a blind with good success, it breaks the wind and gives you a sun shade and you can find them for under $100. When done, fold it up and store it until needed next time.
Ignore this advise if you were using the ploy, "Honey I need a new gun"! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If I am out turkey hunting and a woodchuck walks by I will nail him but even then I really don't have much time for Turkey hunting let alone sitting around waiting for woodchucks ( I have thought about it but I do not have the time and I would need a lot of it to cover and get most of them in that field.

Anyway, I went to a buddys gun shop and I have heard the new 17 calibers are great for woodchucks. I can get a Savage model 93 with the heavy barrel and a 3-9 power Simmons scope mounted for $239 (it is one he already has set up). The 17 is a lot cheaper to shoot then a 22-250 or the 270 as well as a lot quieter which is something to consider as I will be shooting around the dairy cows and the loud rifles make them extremly nervous. Will the model 93 work fine out to 250-300 yards?