Went for .22 Ammo, Bought .243 Rifle. Gonna Get Those Darn'd Groundhogs!

[emmettlodge]

OP, have any pics of the groups you shot? I am interested how those "entry level" Remmy's shoot.

I don't, but when I zero'd the scope in at 100 yrds I was getting 6"-8" groups in prone position with the rifle supported but no bipod or such.

I'm not a good enough shot to do better than that so you probably shouldn't compare my groups to what could be expected of the rifle in the hands of an experienced marksman.

[dj age one]

6-8"!!

how many shots?

you might want to get that thing on a solid rest and re-zero it, lay down some groups before you try and do any more hunting. you could be getting misses where you should have a solid it.

FWIW. I found the tool bags they sell from home depot with the stiff sides work pretty well as a good rest when shooting prone.. cheap and also carry shootin stuff (mags, ammo, eyes and ears) well.

[emmettlodge]

6-8"!!

how many shots?

you might want to get that thing on a solid rest and re-zero it, lay down some groups before you try and do any more hunting. you could be getting misses where you should have a solid it.

FWIW. I found the tool bags they sell from home depot with the stiff sides work pretty well as a good rest when shooting prone.. cheap and also carry shootin stuff (mags, ammo, eyes and ears) well.

It was resting on a cinder block. It was pretty sturdy. I shot 20 shots, which was all the ammo I had. I was probably just flinch a lot. It's a loud rifle with a noticeable recoil, I'm not really used to it. I only ever shot .22's.

[dj age one]

ahh, 20 shot group.

you should probably run some 5 shot groups threw, and allow the barrel to cool in between.

your probably going to be making mostly cold bore shots, so your going to want it zero and predictable with a cold bore.

as the barrel heats up the POI is going to change. sometimes they walk up, some times over to one side or the other. it effects heavy barrels less then light barrels but its still something to consider.

I would shoot a 5 round group, then switch back to the 22 for a while, then switch back so you can work out the flinch and allow the rifle to cool.

a humane shot requires enough gun (your covered ) and good shot placement.. that rifle should be capable of 2-3" at the MOST.

you might want to consider some barnes varmint grenades, they fragment pretty well and should mostly eliminate ricochets (might be a problem in the places your shooting) it will turn the groundhogs into mist.

[LinkATX]

Pretty much everything said above. Get some sand bags from Home Depot or where ever, I set up at the range to where the rifle is in place on target without being touched. With groups that big, I am going to guess that you were probably resting the barrel on that cinder block and not the forend of the stock. If this is the case, that will send rounds all over the place. The only thing I can say about flinching is that you should line up your crosshairs and lean on the trigger until the rifle discharges. It should basically be a surprise when the rifle actually fires.

[emmettlodge]

So I went out and shot some this afternoon. I set the rifle stock on a tightly rolled up blanket, and relaxed a lot. Which helped. My groups improved some.

Going to buy a bipod at some point.

100 yards:



240 yards:

[Obin Robinson]

Going to buy a bipod at some point.

Practice will make perfect. If you want a top quality bipod then get this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Harris-Enginee.../dp/B000PWDEWY

I have used that same bipod for varmint hunting and it was nice and stable. I have the same bipod on my Remington 700 PSS. It is not much more than the imitations but it is a bit more durable. You will never need to replace it.

obin

[gotta_jet]

If you'd like to improve your rifle marksmanship, might I suggest taking a little bit of time every so often to read this blog, oldest posts to newest: http://artoftherifle.blogspot.com/

Really a great resource and will be time well spent.

[emmettlodge]

If you'd like to improve your rifle marksmanship, might I suggest taking a little bit of time every so often to read this blog, oldest posts to newest: http://artoftherifle.blogspot.com/

Really a great resource and will be time well spent.

Wow, I just read a whole bunch of his posts. They're fantastic.

He gets into a bunch of target precision I'm never going to worry about. But I found things like how best to work the bolt while keeping on target really helpful