13 yr old and ground hog

[Matt Muir]

Hey fellas I got to see my son pop a ground hog @ 100 yrds with the 45-70 tonight. the head shot with 535gr was less than pretty. When he shot, the pig dropped and all I saw was a mist. He had a smile from ear to ear. He reg shoots them out to 400 yrds with the 220 or 243 "has over 40...he likes to keep track".His first with the big gun will be talked about with his buddies at school on Thursday. Those MVA sights never cease to amaze me.:D

[Don McDowell]

[smilie=w::bigsmyl2: Glad it's all coming together for you guys Matt.

[Buckshot]

.............I've heard it said that cartridge killing efficiency should be tested on a groundhog who wants to get back into his hole, with the shooter standing in the way:-) But of course with a 535gr slug almost 1/2" in diameter I'd have bet my bottom dollar that a hit would have put the quietus to Mr. Groundhog!

...............Buckshot

[Doc Highwall]

Kinda like a cruse missle.

[oldhickory]

Some years ago I shot one with a P53 Enfield, .577 caliber...Ya woulda thunk it was hit with an '06!

[218bee]

Fantastic...sounds like your son is a heck of a shot.
I'll always remember my sons first whitetail...we were hunting about 200yds apart and I heard a shot and hoped he got one and then seeing him walking toward my stand with his 20ga Mossberg waving over his head and a huge smile is a picture I'll never forget

[SharpsShooter]

I did the same last year, but the boolit struck in the chest of the standing groundhog. The 515gr Lyman 457125 literally tore him in half except for a sinew or two. The property owner of the farm where I was hunting always picks and jokes. When he heard the shot, he yelled from the barn "you couldn't hit water if you fell in it!". So you know I HAD to go get that one. The expression on his face was priceless.

SS

[NickSS]

I used to hunt them mostly with a 222 Rem or a 243 Win. However, I did pot one one time with a 7mm Remington Mag. I had it loaded with something like a 100 gr bullet at 3700 fps. Results was the hog was litterally all over the place. I took my son prairie dog shooting last year and we both had a blast. He used a Handy rifle in 223 that I bought him for the trip. Gangs of fun that we both still talk about.

[Matt Muir]

Thanks guys, now his buddies want to come over and shoot them with the big gun. The only 2 guns that I have killed hogs with that never seem to move is the 220 and now the 45-70. I dont even get the tail salute with 45, they just sorta crumble.

Matt

[Southern Son]

I just have visions of the ground hog sitting there thinking "what is that whistling noise?"

Tell your little bloke he has impressed everyone here, inclluding me. A hell of a shot with iron sights.

[Matt Muir]

Thanks Southern, I will. He's getting scary good with guns. He saw a special on snipers that had Carlos Hathcock in it. I told him about the books that are written about him and he now takes his time and really concentrates on the trigger pull. Only kid I know that whines that more than 2-3 lbs is too much.

Now I have to get his younger brother to shoot and not flinch so bad. He used to shoot the 70 with a full load of BP and just a wad holding the powder in. Thought it was great untill we added a bullet on top of the load. The little fart only weighs about 70 lbs and got a slight nudge so to speak.

[nitroproof]

Took out a wood chuck from my bedroom window with my Marlin model 1895 using 300 grain hollow point at 145 paces in my neighbors hay field.
Mr. Chuck went down like he been hit with a sledge hammer.
That had to have been back around 1970 or so...
Good thing my parents weren't home :lol:
Thanks for bring back that memory!

[Doc Highwall]

Tell your son not to worry about the light trigger as the military guns set up for national match shooting have a minimum of 4.5 lb triggers and long range palma shooting is something like 1.5 or 1.6 Kilos or about 3.5 lbs. Tell him a good rifleman will learn a good trigger squeeze and follow-through regardless of equipment used and is a mental state possessed only by the best shooters. Kind of like the Marines, adapt and overcome.

[SharpsShooter]

I just have visions of the ground hog sitting there thinking "what is that whistling noise?"

Great remark! I laughed out loudly enough to annoy the wife :D and it inspired the mental image of a groundhog sitting by his hole and upon hearing the "whistling noise" yelling INCOMING!!!![smilie=l:


SS

[smokemjoe]

Years back I missed a chuck with my 458 Mag. 500 gr, Herters bullet, The chuck was standing beside a large flat rock and the rock blow pieces all over, The chuck just stood there after being missed, I think it was in shock, The next rock quarry I got one with the same load and the top have of the body was missing. The recoil hurt me from out of the car window.

[cajun shooter]

Doc Highwall you left one out it's adapt, improvise and overcome.

[sheepdog]

Kinda like a cruse missle.

No a 6.5 or 30 boolits might be a cruise missile. A 535 grain with BP is more like freight train. Slow but God help you if it hits you.

[wistlepig1]

Matt, tell the 13 yr old great shot and "that chuck don't have the brains to do that again". 13 yr old love that kind of dumb humor![smilie=w::bigsmyl2: