Author Topic: Groundhogs anybody??  (Read 14332 times)

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« on: February 28, 2006, 12:56:29 AM »
Its time to start sniping groundhogs... :D  I've seen a few in the fields during the last couple warm days we had.
I tried target shooting over the weekend but the wind was too bad. Anybody else looking for hogs yet??

Offline Bluedog

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2006, 06:50:30 AM »
Can't wait for the hogs to come out...only seen a few here and there...a few more weeks and they should really be out good.  How bout it?
A 1 inch group at 100 yards.....dont mean nothin.

Offline gdragon

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2006, 08:49:17 AM »
Can't wait. Loaded some V-max's for my 6mmBR the other day and just picked up some .220 Swift brass for a buddy of mine. It won't be long now.

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2006, 08:01:26 AM »
I heard familiar noises in the house last night again. After an exhaustive search, I found that it was my .204 banging around in the gun cabinet again. She really gets restless this time of year and theres only one way to calm her down. :lol:  
My Rem. 700VLS in .204 connected at 462yds last year for my longest shot but I think beyond 500yds might be asking a bit much out of it. I use the 32gn and even though I've never shot the 40gn out of it, I really don't think the extra 8 grains will make that much difference beyond 500yds.
I'm gonna try a new one this year. 6.5 sweed loaded with 100gn Nosler Ballistic tips. I want something that can bust hogs over 500yds and other than my 30-06, my 6.5 is my only option so I'm gonna try it. Not a whole lot of money avaliable right now. It may not be the best pick, but if anybody knows any proven loads for long range with this, let me know.  :mrgreen:

Offline Dale

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2006, 11:13:22 AM »
try the 40gr bullets you may be surprised as to what they'll do at that distance... in my opinion it's a better choice then the 6.5 swede...
when you step out the truck, you become part of the food chain...

Genius by birth....    slacker by choice!...

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2006, 10:06:28 PM »
I'm trying to concentrate on 500-1000yd shots this year. I have no idea if I can even hit anything that far away yet and although the .204 is truely remarkable, it'll never reach that yardage unless I'm shooting off a cliff and just trying to hit dirt. Sure the round will go that far but it'll never reach its intended target with any accuracy at 1000yds. I'll give it a try and if its possible I guess I'll be one of the first to find out. Thanks for the info anyway.   :D
The 6.5 is all I have and there's no extra money to play with so its my only real choice, not the best, but the only one. I have no intention of using my 30-06 at all.
My .204 has me spoiled I guess since I never loose site of my target once I pull the trigger. My .204 weighs in at 13 1/2 lbs and with the little bit of recoil this caliber has and the weight of my gun, I see it all, every moment, every spray of red mist-SRM, or watching it do a flip or just what ever. This is why I want to keep the caliber as small as possible. If I couldn't watch the action, it wouldn't be near as much fun.
Thanks again for the info Dale.  :D

Offline Bluedog

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2006, 12:42:55 PM »
so did you connect yet?  they ought to be out on a nice day like today...
A 1 inch group at 100 yards.....dont mean nothin.

Offline HFD60

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2006, 10:15:32 AM »
I GOT 2 ON MONDAY...THE ONLY 2 I SEEN .....LOTS OF SIGN .....CANT WAIT TO GET BACK OUT :D
Rich Bistline Jr

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #8 on: May 15, 2006, 08:16:44 AM »
Here are a couple that I sniped last Friday. This brings my total up to 13 now.
These were taken with a 6.5 Swed with 142gn Matchkings. How sweet it is!  :lol:

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2006, 07:45:30 AM »
Saturday was a good day and my total is 22 for the season so far. The new .223 Ackley Improved worked really well as did my .204. I only busted 2 and my son got the other 6 and between the 4 of us we busted 13. Bluedog put the Ackley together right before we went hunting. It's a Stevens Action with a Adams & Bennitt varmint barrel. I stopped by a friends house on the way to the fields, shot it in, and these are the results.
 
Not too shabby for a gun that was built an hour before we went hunting and I think we'll keep it. The Ackley is dressed in black and silver and the other is my .204 in a Remington VLS. There's just nothing like sniping a big fat hog.  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2006, 05:17:34 PM »
Here's another big fat hog. I haven't weighed it yet but she sure was heavy to carry back to the truck. Head shots are great! :lol:

The official weight was 11.8 pounds.

Offline Bluedog

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #11 on: June 02, 2006, 02:48:55 PM »
definitely a big fat hog right there!  How much did she weigh in at the store?
A 1 inch group at 100 yards.....dont mean nothin.

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #12 on: June 02, 2006, 03:15:00 PM »
She weighed 11.8 pounds officially Bluedog. I busted her in the rock break just left of the one I delivered that headache to at 200yds from the 6.5X55. That one weighed 10.3 and was winning until this last hog. Now she's winning.
The other big fat hog that won Big Bens contest on this website came out of the fencerow by the mound.
Both hogs in the pic with the 6.5 Swed actually did something for me and this newest big fat hog is now leading the contest. That's pretty cool indeed. :wink:
I doubt this hog is heavy enough to actually win the contest so I'll have to try harder to get a bigger one.    :lol:

I wanted to add that if your in a contest and you need it weighed, leave the field pronto and get it in the fridge or take it to be weighed.
In the pic with my 6.5 Swede, the hog closest to the gun weighed 13 pounds when I weighed it right after shooting it. I continued to hunt the rest of the day and let the hog lay in the back of the truck in the scorching sun and the next day it only weighed 10.3 pounds. Quite a difference and that puts me 1  1/2 pounds lower than I could be right now.
Just thought I'd pass that along.

Offline Bluedog

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #13 on: June 03, 2006, 07:34:25 AM »
sure wish I could lose a pound and a half by just laying in the sun all day... :lol:
A 1 inch group at 100 yards.....dont mean nothin.

Offline Two-0-four

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Groundhogs anybody??
« Reply #14 on: June 03, 2006, 08:43:05 PM »
You said it. A few hog huntin trips and I'd be looking pretty good instead of pretty round. :lol: