Went over shooting sage rats the past two Wednesday, so didn't have to share the fields with other shooters...
Decided to use the Model 70 Featherweight in 223, that I have owned for 15 years plus, yet is one of those rifles I keep 'saving' for some day in the future ( I do dopey things like that.. Ya do things like that when you were raised by parents who were raised during the Depression)....
So took it over and was using 14 grains of Blue Dot to fuel 223 cases, topped with a 40 grain V Max.....
I'd show some 'action pictures', but I think they would really freak out, and be used against us shooters by the PETA and anti hunting types....
But talk about flat shooting ( 3350 fps MV) for that type of service.. deadly accurate and that little 40 V MAX is definitely explosive once it hits.... turns them inside out, and cuts the new pups pretty much in half...
Recoil is low enough, you don't lose sight picture in the scope, especially on 4 to 6 power.. which was plenty good out to 150 yds or more...
Was thinking about the thread of the cost of 223 rounds....
18 cents for the V Max.. 3 cents for the primer, cases are pretty much free ( Winchester Nickle plated, bought as police range brass for 5 cents each delivered...an on their 10th plus reloads)... and 14 grains of Blue Dot is pretty cheap, considering $66 for 5 lbs, and 14 grains equal 500 rounds per pound of powder.... so I am certain I am in the ball park price of the 17 HMR... and it is definitely a heck of a lot more fun for the shooter than the 17 HMR.....
Solid hits put them 3 to 5 feet in the air most times...
get out peeking out of a hole, and the round hits the sage rat, and then ricochets off the dirt behind him, and the shrapnel from that really sends them flying in all directions.....
Finally easy on the barrel, and still didn't heat up a featherweight barrel, enough to loose accuracy.....
only went thru about 175 rounds.. but still overall a very satisfying day.... they really come out tho between 5 PM and 6:30.. so for those of you just starting out.. don't get discouraged when there doesn't seem to be a lot of them out around 4 PM...
PS.. Have pictures.. but not sure about posting them...
