Perfect Woodchuck gun

[smkummer]

Colt 22 magnum bolt action single shot with 6X Colt (realist) scope. Wife was telling me for a week, something was making big holes under the garden shed. I said I did see a rat snake in the shed. Today she yelled, we have a badger in the back yard! No dear, that is a woodchuck. One shot of Winchester magnum hollow point to the upper torso as it was standing side ways and he plopped over and didn't move. The bullet completely penetrated. He must have weighed 10 pounds and I was worried a 22 LR would have made him waddle under the shed and die.150341

[Motor]

It all depends. Sometimes waddling down the hole is just a way of self burial.

Unless you're going to eat it, you'll now have go bury it. 10lb is a little heavy for the best tasting so I'd suggest burial. :)

Motor

[blueeyephil]

I've heard the hide makes great boot laces.

[quilbilly]

I thought you were going to write 45-70.:roll:

[roverboy]

I've heard the hide makes great boot laces.
I've talked to older men that said they use to wear shoes with groundhog laces like that when they were kids.

[roverboy]

Sounds like a great rifle . Especially with a Colt brand scope.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Well done ! Those pesky hole diggers will ruin more sheds and foundations and live stock legs faster than a storm.
I have never popped one with a 22 Mag but for sure will not trust a 22 LR to be my chuck gun.
I use a 32 WCF for most my close GH hunting. Through the shoulders is my desired shot. Head shots up close are good.
First GH I popped was with a 32 Win Special. Through the lungs, ribs and near blew the far side rib cage away at 20 yards. Still waddled (fast) near 5 yards. I was 16 and very fast on foot so quickly caught up and #2 round finished the task. He was big probably 25 pounds and they are tough. Will absorb multiple broad heads. I learned fast to think of them as a tough varmits that will absorb lots of thumping.
Mike in Peru

[aspangler]

223 and 55 gr hp makes short work of all sizes of the critters.

[JWFilips]

I have "bark tanned" a number of "Gundsow" hides...... Yes it is very tough leather!

[Geezer in NH]

223 and 55 gr hp makes short work of all sizes of the critters.With a 50 grn SX or a 36 grain varmint exploder their will be no hides for shoelaces. No worry about them sneaking off. :bigsmyl2:

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Nice shooting and nice setup. Too bad you can't get a brick of 22 mags for the little more the cost to make over a 22 LR. Nice round to shoot when you don't feel like puling the press handle.

[Echale3]

I shot a groundhog with a 7mm Magnum once--the weather was unseasonably warm while I was deer hunting that year and it just waddled out from it's hole to catch some rays, I guess. It was under a tree about 20 yards away from me, and being as how the farm is a grass-fed beef operation, I will blast those little buggers on sight. I shot it with a regular old Remington 140 grain soft point--the impact blew a huge hole through the groundhog and there were guts and bits of meat hanging from the lower branches of the tree it was under.

My 17 HMR doesn't do anywhere near as impressive a job of it.

[Shooter6br]

I have taken "chucks" with 22 RF but at 30 yrds. DEAD....Also 17 HRM up to 120 yrs........ and 600 yrds with a 6mm Rem with 75 g at 3400 fps.. Shoot placement is everything

[aspangler]

With a 50 grn SX or a 36 grain varmint exploder their will be no hides for shoelaces. No worry about them sneaking off. :bigsmyl2:
My pet load is a 34 gr Varmint Night mare Express from Midsouth and a healthy load of Varget. One hole groups at 2 hundred yards. GHs hate me!:mrgreen:

[Hamish]

Thanks for posting the pic of your classic rifle and scope!

[Ickisrulz]

150497

Here's a pic of my Colt 22 Mag (Colteer 1-22). My father gave it to me while he was downsizing for a move. I haven't gotten a scope for it yet. He gave me the "Colt" scope it came with when he bought it, but it is really dark. I wish someone made a vintage looking scope with modern technology.

[stubert]

Caught one in a hava-heart trap last year, dispatched it with a .45 acp 230 grain HP. Complete penetration end to end. A bit messy though.:bigsmyl2:

[JWFilips]

Caught one in a hava-heart trap last year, dispatched it with a .45 acp 230 grain HP. Complete penetration end to end. A bit messy though.:bigsmyl2:

So I guess you bought the "Not So Have a Heart trap" you got to read the sales tag!:shock:

[Doggonekid]

You had my attention at Colt! My favorite chuck gun is a Sako .17 REM. Close to 4,000 fps they are a great caliber out to 300 yards they really pop dogs! I would have to check but I think I can reload by .17 cheeper than buying 22 mag now days.

[Mk42gunner]

I have only ever killed one groundhog, they just weren't that common around here when I was growing up.

It was kind of strange though as it was up a tree at my grandparents place. I had just pulled in from squirrel hunting and my grandpa and young cousin were looking at it, and Grandpa told me to shoot it. I had been using my .410 and he said it wouldn't kill it, so I went in the house and got a .22.

Range, about fifteen feet. Dropped it on the porch roof, then I had to get on the roof to get it off, along with disconnecting the down spout and washing the shingles (used the roof to collect water for the cistern for drinking water). By the time I was done, I was wishing we had let it get down and away from the house before I shot it.

Robert

[725]

Grew up shooting chucks with my dad's Win 69A. Years with a .22 long rifle put an untold number (my most memorable day was 13) of the critters before the pearly gates. Then one birthday Dad elevated me to professional status when he gave me a Marlin .22 Mag lever action. It was a significant improvement.

[smkummer]

Sure as heck, the holes continued to be dug out. So here is the mate, I guess they work and live in pairs. Again, one shot of 22 Winchester magnum HP and it dropped in its tracks. If I wasn't in a rural sub-division, I might use 223 but 22 magnum is loud enough and it kills dead. 152665

[Vern Humphrey]

My favorite for chucks, crows and so on is a .22 Hornet. I load a 35 grain Hornady V-max on top of a case full of Hodgdon's Li'l Gun for about 3100 fps. It is no exaggeration to say this is an explosive load!

[Hickok]

While we are on the subject of groundhogs, have the coyotes in your area decimated the groundhog population?

Hunting 'pigs used to be a passion for me, but the coyotes have made finding them difficult.

I know the farmers hate groundhogs, but I sure like to shoot them for sport.

[marshall623]

Never had any trouble with the 22LR Contender out

[richhodg66]

Don't see wood chucks around here very often, did just see a road killed one last weekend, but I can only think of two or three I've seen in 20 years of living here. I kind of wish we did have them, they seem like entertaining critters.

[Hickok]

Rich, they are amazingly strong and tough animals. Their hide is tougher than boot leather, takes a good sharp knife to open one up.

At rare times, a bad shot/hit with powerful rifles will leave pieces of them scattered about, while they crawl back to their holes. I have always thought if ground hogs were the size of German Shepard dogs, they would be worse than brown bears to stop.

[tward]

Ground hogs can be tough. My grandfather had one eating his pepper buds, put 7 22lr hp in him and he ran 20 yards to the barn! Gramp said I missed him but when we pulled the car out of the shed there he was with 7 holes in him. Strangest shot was about 35 yds. The chuck dropped right over but we could not find a bullet hole, turned out I got him inside the ear! Tim

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

I had a mess of these critters. I killed 7 a year before last, and 2 last year.

[kgb]

When I decided to remove a couple from my grandparent's yard with a .22 I used some older Super-X copper plated rounds which I'd given a flat-nose treatment via a Paco Accurizer. Looked mostly SWC when done and two groundhogs died with single shots each into the lungs. Ranges of 20-25 yards, I don't think I'd try for anything over 50 with a .22LR.