Ground Squirrels & the 32 Magnum, Graphic
Jun 6, 2021 0:23:50 GMT -5
paul105, foxtrapper, and 8 more like this
Post by sixshot on Jun 6, 2021 0:23:50 GMT -5
I went on a late afternoon Ground Squirrel safari today & after a little rain shower they started popping out real good in a friends pasture. The only problem was they wouldn't stop long enough for a shot most times. I was hunting a pasture that was probably about 25 acres or so & it had, not hundreds but thousands of Squirrel holes in it, I couldn't take 2 steps in any direction without stepping on or in a Squirrel hole, it was that bad.
There were no cattle in the pasture, I've never seen any cattle in it, I'm sure they would break their legs in a very short time because many of the holes are hidden. It was rough even driving my Jeep in there, I was constantly dropping a tire in one of the bigger holes because the grass was grown over & I couldn't see the holes. That's why the ranchers like to have the Squirrels shot out if they can, in this place that would probably be impossible.
I was using my 4" model 16-4 32 magnum with 100 gr. HP's & 5.0 grs of Longshot. This load is patented, meaning do not use it unless you work up to it, just like you would any other load you see on the internet! This gun & load is superbly accurate, the only problem being the shooter but I did manage to get 13, mostly at 20-25 yds & one at 48 yds.
These things aren't very big except for the last one at 48 yds, he was a hog, looked like a Prairie Dog even with iron sights. It took me 3 shots to get him but it was a hoot! You can see he's almost as big as my gun in the last photo. My single action trigger pull is a bit heavy & you really have to focus on the last bit of trigger to stay on target, most of these things are small.
At 20 yds you are basically shooting at a clothespin! When I was driving on the dirt road I'm sure I saw at least 200 Squirrels but they were always running, never got a single shot at one that crossed the road, the cover was very heavy once they crossed over from the pasture. A lot of those that I shot fell back down in the hole & I couldn't reach them or I couldn't find the right hole, there were so many.
That's one of Mike Barranti's Hank Sloan beauties in the one photo, & also one of the reasons those long shots are possible for me with these old eyes is one of Fermin's great front sights, milled to 1/10" width so I can dial in a sharp sight picture. No other way I can do it, the sight makes the difference.
Dick
There were no cattle in the pasture, I've never seen any cattle in it, I'm sure they would break their legs in a very short time because many of the holes are hidden. It was rough even driving my Jeep in there, I was constantly dropping a tire in one of the bigger holes because the grass was grown over & I couldn't see the holes. That's why the ranchers like to have the Squirrels shot out if they can, in this place that would probably be impossible.
I was using my 4" model 16-4 32 magnum with 100 gr. HP's & 5.0 grs of Longshot. This load is patented, meaning do not use it unless you work up to it, just like you would any other load you see on the internet! This gun & load is superbly accurate, the only problem being the shooter but I did manage to get 13, mostly at 20-25 yds & one at 48 yds.
These things aren't very big except for the last one at 48 yds, he was a hog, looked like a Prairie Dog even with iron sights. It took me 3 shots to get him but it was a hoot! You can see he's almost as big as my gun in the last photo. My single action trigger pull is a bit heavy & you really have to focus on the last bit of trigger to stay on target, most of these things are small.
At 20 yds you are basically shooting at a clothespin! When I was driving on the dirt road I'm sure I saw at least 200 Squirrels but they were always running, never got a single shot at one that crossed the road, the cover was very heavy once they crossed over from the pasture. A lot of those that I shot fell back down in the hole & I couldn't reach them or I couldn't find the right hole, there were so many.
That's one of Mike Barranti's Hank Sloan beauties in the one photo, & also one of the reasons those long shots are possible for me with these old eyes is one of Fermin's great front sights, milled to 1/10" width so I can dial in a sharp sight picture. No other way I can do it, the sight makes the difference.
Dick