flashhole
06-26-2008, 05:57 PM
There I was, late afternoon at the range testing some new loads for my 223. The skeet shooters were up on the hill to the right busting a ton of clays. The handgunners were down to the left making a lot of noise at their weekly competition. I was the only one on the rifle range and I was shooting 100 yards. I had just finished my first volley of 5 shots with one of the new under-development loads and my Longmaster Classic was sitting in the butterfly rest with the bolt open. I was studying the head stamp and primer of a fired cartridge looking for pressure signs while waiting for the barrel to cool for the next 5-shot volley.
The range is comprised a series of interlocking berms separating the different ranges with shooting areas well defined and protected. There are two longer stations flanking the half dozen shooting stations in the center where I was set up. I was sitting at a center bench when movement caught my eye in my peripheral vision. I looked down range and a woodchuck sprinted right to my target, stopped, and stood up looking at me.
I viewed it as an omen! I was called to action by a higher force.
I picked up a cartridge loaded with 26 grains of BL-C(2) under a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet, laid it in the action and closed the bolt. In the 3 seconds it took to load the gun the chuck had taken itself out of a standing postion and was eating the grass. It had turned sideways. I put the cross hair just behind the front leg and squeezed the trigger. It flipped through the air twice and landed on its back with its feet up. All the inards in the chest cavity were gone as was most of the spine.
That's my second critter this week. FWIW - the loads I was testing used the Nosler Ballistic Tip and the Hornady V-max. The Hornady's didn't work well at all but the Noslers grouped with bullet holes touching.
The range is comprised a series of interlocking berms separating the different ranges with shooting areas well defined and protected. There are two longer stations flanking the half dozen shooting stations in the center where I was set up. I was sitting at a center bench when movement caught my eye in my peripheral vision. I looked down range and a woodchuck sprinted right to my target, stopped, and stood up looking at me.
I viewed it as an omen! I was called to action by a higher force.
I picked up a cartridge loaded with 26 grains of BL-C(2) under a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet, laid it in the action and closed the bolt. In the 3 seconds it took to load the gun the chuck had taken itself out of a standing postion and was eating the grass. It had turned sideways. I put the cross hair just behind the front leg and squeezed the trigger. It flipped through the air twice and landed on its back with its feet up. All the inards in the chest cavity were gone as was most of the spine.
That's my second critter this week. FWIW - the loads I was testing used the Nosler Ballistic Tip and the Hornady V-max. The Hornady's didn't work well at all but the Noslers grouped with bullet holes touching.