Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Most impressive thing you've done with a rimfire?

Any long range shots on varmints or deer kills? Maybe even a story or two of where you bailed yourself out of a tight spot with a rimfire?

Impressive- A flock of cow birds rose as I neared them, I shouldered my .22 and when the flock reached eye level I fired. Eight birds dropped to the single shot. I'm easy to impress I guess.

Tight spot- Driving down a gravel country road I felt the need to relive myself, so pulled over. As I was about to urinate, a large man with a large knife came out of the woods shouting and waving the knife. Thinking he might not be alone, I took a half step back and half turned to check behind me. When I turned, he saw my holstered revolver. At that point his eyes got very large and he said excuse me sir and went back into the woods. Even a large framed .22 can get results.

Long range?- Was carrying my grandad's Iver Johnson sealed eight revolver loaded with Shorts. Saw a bird in a dead tree over a 100 yards away. Aimed way high and slightly left and fired. He fell dead. Don't know if it was me or the bird that was more surprised.
Forgot to mention that this was while sitting in the back seat of a friends car as we drove slowly along the levy.

These are probably not the stories you had in mind, but they're all I got.

most impressive thing i've done with a rimfire was to teach some couch potato scout the fun of shooting at summer camp and watched this non athletic kid become the best shooter of the whole camp by weeks end. kid was walking on clouds at the end.

Peter Hathaway Capstick tells a story of taking an elephant with a .22.

My dad had a 9 shot .22lr pistol, I could collect Apples with it by shooting the stems. Most accurate pistol I have ever handled.

Won a national benchrest championship in the unlimited class (50 yds and 50 meters).

Had a national benchrest sporter class championship win in a 20+ mph wind (50 meters).

Shot a ladybug crawling across my benchrest target at 50 yards where I had to lead it a bit.

Those are exactly the kind of stories I had in mind.

As a young 14 year old knucklehead I killed a six point buck with my Marlin M39A. I was squirrel hunting and the little buck fed on acorns at about forty yards. Iron sights, one CCI Mini Mag hollow point to the noggin and it was done. Damn was my dad pissed! A couple years ago while squirrel hunting with an aperture sighted M39A I saw a coyote cruising along about 85 yards down the creek bottom from me. I started lip squeaking and the coyote trotted to about 65 yards and pulled up broadside. I smacked him with an Eley hollow point and he hit the deck ki-ying sharply. At the ki-yi's another coyote swung into view and I lip squeaked that one to face me head on at 70 yards. One shot under the chin piled him up. A double on coyotes at about 70 yards through a thick timbered creek bottom one shot each with a peep sighted lever .22 LR ain't too shabby.

I shot a crow out of the air once with a scoped .22, but it was a lucky shot.

Shot a rabbit in the eye at 80 yards that was raiding the garden.

I have a steel target at 165 yards that I shoot with my CZ 452. a 7" square, or 6" circle (depending on the day) mounted in from of an 18" saw blade.

I saw my granddad shoot clays from a hand thrower with a marlin m39 and factory irons. Near, far, running or not he could hit about anything with that rifle. He dropped a doberman at 120 yards with it after the neighbors wouldn't restrain it from chasing his horses. He killed a couple of deer with it also, snapping turtle heads, snakes etc. That marlin went with him just about everywhere.

I didn't do it but I witnessed it.................1969...A bunch of 18-19 yr. old kids plinking with shotguns and 22's in a local dump. Upon leaving one of my buddies spots a pheasant about 50 yds. away and we all stopped, at which time it flushed and went airborne heading straight away from us. One of my buddies swings up a 22 that he had borrowed for the day and in fine wingshooter style drops the fleeing pheasant at what had to be at least 75 yds with one round with a 22 he didn't even own and had never shot before that day. That round caught that bird perfectly centered in the back of the head. Talk about luck. But it sure looked like a professional trick shot.

That's on-point work. I've missed a couple yotes squirrel hunting...

My best feats w. a .22 have involved seeing a squirrel waaaay out there waaaay up a tree, holding a little high, and watching it tumble. I confess to having puffed out my chest a time or two. Squirrel falling out of a tall tree never fails to thrill.

Great stories guys!

this is what the fire is all about

I shot a crow off a fence post from 220 paces with a Ruger mark 1 ,22 auto pistol. One shot. Iron sights. dead crow. Killed many cottontails on the run from in front of my beagles with various .22 rifles over the years. A good high school buddy and I were sitting on the bank of a local farm pond fishing for bullheads one afternoon. Naturally we had our .22 rifles along. Lots of birds flying over head all afternoon and the fishing was a bit slow. Finally I said "betcha I can whack one of those birds out of the air with my .22". Pulled up bam, poof, feathers floating on the breeze, dead bird plops in the pond.

When I was 21 I killed a flying crow with one shot from a .22 Ruger Super Single Six. The bird came out over me as I stood at the edge of a tall woodlot. He had to be at least 200 feet up in the air, there was a puff of feathers and he spiraled down into the river next to me and floated away.

A year later I shot a crow out of the top of a tree with one shot from my Ruger Bearcat at about 100 yards.

Before laser rangefinders were readily available I was on a prairie dog hunt in Wyoming and took a crack at a PD with my Ruger 77/22 Magnum. It was a long way off and I held way high and into the wind. There was a noticeable delay before the PD toppled over dead. We paced it off and as I recall, the distance was 440 long steps. The PD was hit through the head.

I have shot probably a dozen deer with various .22 LR rifles and handguns. All had been injured by cars, fences or dogs, and some were still mobile. It worked just fine, even on a couple that were 50 yards or so away and running on 3 legs.

I dropped a squirrel one time, shot from the hip, while the squirrel was jumping out of a tree. I hit him on the way to the ground. I could shoot that old Marlin 60, I could shoot rabbits on the run with it, I even nailed one after my cousin had missed it twice with a 20 gauge SxS skeet and skeet.


I've still got that old Marlin, and it still shoots like it means it.

At 16 I killed a jackrabbit at ~150 yards with an Ithaca 22 lever action, open sights. It was below me, held on top of the ears, no wind as I recall. Good eyes then.

Wasn't the least bit impressive, if you knew the secret. The guy with me didn't know the secret so he was very impressed.

We were cleaning up some rubbish and brush at the farm when I was about sixteen. I was carrying (best as I remember) a H&R 922 for snakes. Driving back up the road toward the house a large snake came off the bank. I slammed on the brakes and we both jump out of the truck to see what kind it was. Normally I'd leave a black snake alone in this situation but... It was slithering along through the weeds when my buddy spotted it again. As quick as I could I drew and fired from the hip. The snake coiled obviously hit. I put another couple rounds on it, all from the hip. My buddy thought I was the greatest shot since Wyatt Earp or Wild Bill. What he didn't know was that the pistol was loaded with snake shot. I never did tell him any different.

impressed me at the time.....

huntsman22, I liked the vid where you dropped the bovine in the corral like a sack of cement.

Moosemike: I think one of the most impressive things I have done with a rimfire (at least I thought so at the time) was a one shot DRT kill on a big Boar Badger as it emerged from its den and stared at me while I touched one off with my Ruger 77/17 V/T (in caliber 17 HMR) with Weaver V-16 scope.
I knew it was a long shot but did not have time to laser range the suspicious Varmint as he was just laying half in and half out of his burrow.
At full 16 power I aimed right between his eyes and hit him right in the Adams Apple!
That Badger never even twitched after my shot.
We did take my camera and Leica laser rangefinder out to him and lasered back to my VarmintMobile where I had shot from and the Leica read 172 yards!
Since that shot many years ago I have come to expect amazing things from this rimfire dynamo (the 17 HMR).
But the most amazing thing I have seen done with a rimfire was a shot my long time friend, the late Ron Kesselring, made with his CZ heavy barrel Rifle in 17 HMR.
The shot was taken from inside his Suburban which was filled with four Varmint Hunters total and each Hunter had a window and window bag to aid in Ground Squirrel Hunting.
I had spotted a Weasel darting in and out of a stone pile at the far end of an Alfalfa field and Ron wanted to take a shot at it.
He asked me to laser it once he spotted it himself and the Leica laser rangefinder (which I had purchased at Ron's gunshop!) read 242 yards to the rockpile!
Ron quickly killed that Weasel with ONE SHOT!
That my friends is a tough thing to do as Weasels are about 1 1/2" wide and are virtually always moving.
He had to wait for that critter to stop moving for an instant and still have the ability to squeeze of the shot while maintaining holdover at that amazing distance - all the while 3 other Varmint Hunters are wiggling around and twitching and laughing and cajoling.
Simply put, that was one of them most amazing shots on any game animal or Varmint, I have ever witnessed.
Long live the 17 HMR.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I'm happy to see we got the .17 HMR into this!

Nothing impressive, as I have always popped critters inside of 100 w .22 lr.
Past that I ran centerfires.
Did have an AMT Lightning w WW Supermax that iron sighted put a mag under a dime at 25 yds (benched).
Did that w 2 mags.
I shot chucks in the head with it.
Had a 648 Smith 6" that put 'em under 2" offhand at 50. Was my IHMSA FP rig for a while.
Sidearm for chuckin w .243 win.

No chucks anymore. Houses built on some of the old hunting grounds too.
Old farmers gone, new folks too urban.

That sucks. But now my eyes do too. I got a Ruger 8" MK2 22/45 to mess with. Trying to decide on optic.

Not me, but my son. Shooting stationary clay pigeons at 100 yards, with a Stoeger 22 Luger . He let's off 3 or 4 quick rounds. Killed a mouse running across the range, at 100. I couldn't even see the damn thing.

Oh my!

Not terribly impressive, really, but venison made with a 5mm Rem rimfire mag. One shot behind the shoulder.

It ranks as impressive in my book!

When I was in High School, buddy was driving his pickup through a plowed field chasing jackrabbits at about 20 mph. Three buddies in the back all with semi-auto rifles couldn't hit the last rabbit we were chasing and all ran their guns empty.
Buddy driving says to me "shoot that SOB!" So I'm riding shotgun on the passenger side, and I stick my Colt Scout .22 SA Revolver out the window one handed and with the first shot drop the rabbit dead at 30 yards with the truck bouncing across the freshly plowed field at 20 mph

Not me, but my daughter's boyfriend was on the 2016 Olympic shooting team. 10m air pistol and 50m .22 pistol. I'm impressed.

A buddy and I were on the top of a rock dam at a flyash pond. There was a yellow pipe about 2" - 3" diameter sticking up out of the dam about 1/2 way down, guessing, just shy of 200 yards away. With an open sighted Winchester 94/22 Classic I wrung it something like 3 for 3 offhand. Figured I better stop there before my luck ran out.

I miss going there to shoot. Same company still owns it but they are a whole bunch more serious about their no hunting and no trespassing signs. It's the same place where I killed my first buck back in '85.

As a kid in the early '60s I killed my first moose with a 22lr poked out the window of the house. IIRC it was a Winchester 69A with a Leupold 3x. It was legal then.

A few years later we had gotten back to the spot we had launched the canoe and my father handed me the Savage 24 (not sure which letter, but likely the C) in 22lr/20. It was loaded and we always shot the 22 rather than trying to save it. With the stock jammed inside a lifejacket I hit a branch sticking out over the river at well over 100 yards. Popped it off enough to bend it over at a sharp angle. Siblings said no way, but my father pointed out it was the most likely target and they had to give the hit to me...

Walking down a marshy creek checking traps when a grebe got up right in front of me and took off. My shot hit him right between the wing butts and killed him instantly... Ruger MK II

Trapping in college in central CA I took a professor and his very young son with me when I checked my traps one day. Had a grey fox in a leg hold and just as we got there he pulled free. By his second bounce I had pulled the same Ruger MK II from the holster, slapped in the magazine, loaded the chamber and shot from the hip. Bullet entered the skull dead center in the foramen. I carefully unloaded the pistol and acted like that was normal. A little later that afternoon, working up through the brush along a small river I stepped over a hummock and spotted a beaver sitting on the bank no more than 15 feet away. I carefully and quietly loaded the pistol and calmly proceeded to empty the frigging magazine without cutting a hair! Beaver swam casually away going, "really????"

Oh yeah, the moose was one shot at the base of the ear.

Just proves you can kill anything with a .22

Can't believe I had forgotten this. In '65 I traded a Nylon 66 (Senaca Green) for a Ruger .22 during my first semester at college. Decided to hitchhike home one weekend with the Ruger in my back pocket. Got rides until about 17 miles from home. Was standing on the side of the road with thumb out when a black cadillac pulled over. I hoped in . Guy looked like a preacher, black suit, white shirt, black tie.

We hadn't gone more than a mile when he reached in his pocket and pulled out a .38 snubnose, put it next to my head and told me he would need some gas money. I leaned forward and reached as though for my wallet and pulled out the Ruger pointing it at him,. He said looks like a standoff. He pulled over and I rolled out the door and he sped away. I walked the last 17 miles home.

My Nephew ranged a pair of Blue Grouse @ about 55 yard --- said if I could hit one in the head; he would clean it. One shot from my S&W 34 revolver -- right thru the eye. I acted like I did it all the time.

That was a while back, but last Summer I was shooting Richardson's Ground Squirrels with a very accurate 10-22 and one popped its head out of a burrow @ 214 yards. There was a full value 10-12 MPH breeze. Only his head was showing. Got it first shot. The headshot caused him to do the jumping jack routine or I would have never known that I hit it.

When I was 16 or 17 I was rabbit hunting with a bud that is now pretty well known for game calls. He had a 20 gauge and I was shooting a Remington 552 with a Weaver V-6 scope. He had shot a rabbit and stuck the empty shell on a twig of a tree "just because".

As we walked on, I said something about how accurate my rifle was. He said, "I'll bet a Coke you can't hit that shotgun shell".

I said, "well let's see", and from about 75 paces I took aim, and offhand proceeded to knock the shell off the twig. We walked back to find it and I hadn't just hit the shell; the slug had taken out the primer without touching the base. "Any questions?", I asked.

He better would have paid up after that!

Back in the very early 60's a buddy and I were running our beagles on cottontails. He was carrying a High Standard .22LR which he would shoot to encourage the hounds. While trying to get ahead of the dogs he flushed a pheasant which he proceeded to take out of the air with one shot. Uncertain whether he was legally allowed to carry the pistol for this purpose (this is Canada remember). Not that it matters anymore as he has now passed on to the Happy Hunting Grounds.
My buddy was probably the best all around shot with all types of firearms that I knew. I always took it as a matter of skill and not luck. Another time we were out hunting and a jack rabbit jumped out in front of us. Before I could even find the rabbit in my scope he shot and hit the rabbit in the back of the head, centred between the ears. I never questioned his ability.

Jim

Same. Only a with a Ruger 10/22 straight out in a field. Smacked it right between the eyes.

In junior high and high school, I competed every summer in the NRA YHEC competition against kids from all over the country. I won the .22 rifle competition 3 times with a perfect score of 300.

dave284, one of the john amos ponds?

I won the NRA State junior small bore prone championship about 1985.

Guessing the sale of a rifle that cost around $125 when purchased for $800.

Otherwise, a few long shots that are nothing special in comparison with other stories here, but I've done some stunt shooting with CB Shorts.

Yep. Right as you start up Bills Creek.

The first time a buddy of mine and I went prairie dog shooting, I'd been bragging about well the brand-new (back then) .16 Hornady Rimfire Magnum worked. He was intrigued, so I allowed him first shot, since he'd come up with the spot.

Instead of shooting at one of the closer dogs, at around 100-175 yards, he aimed at one on the far side of the field. When he pulled the trigger to dog flopped down, because it had been head-shot at 303 laser-ranged yards. i

the .16 is a rare one......

Most impressive thing I seen done with a 22 long rifle was we were out fishing in the river and across the River on the other bank was a muskrat swimming around in the water, my buddy took my 22, aimed and hit and killed the Muskrat out of a boat on the first shot, the range was 309 yards. Then I had to hear about it the rest of the morning

From the late 40's to early 70's, my grandfather ran one of the largest plantation along the coast Of SC.
Every year, there was a annual deer hunt, cookout, for a bunch of bigwigs. State Senators, Judges, folks from entertainment industry, etc.
We had a particular field that always filled up with deer, and several of those guys were stationed around the field.
A large buck ran out, and stopped in the very middle of the field. It was so far from everyone, on one would even attempt a shot. I was in a old Jeep with my granddad. He pulled out his Browning semi-auto .22 rifle. He was gonna try to spook the deer towards one of the standers. I didn't know how far it was, but after visiting that field years later, I'd guess the deer was about 225 yrds away.
So my granddad lowered the windshield, and took aim way above the deer, and fired. The deer stood up on it's hind legs, rolled over, hit the ground dead as a hammer. He hit it right between it's eye and ear. Folks still talk about it round that area till this day.

When I was 5 or 6 years old I was riding with my Grandad in his scout. I was sitting in the back. He stopped and asked me " Podna, You ever had a hawk's foot." I said no. He reached into the glove box and pulled out a 22 pistol. He leaned out the window and aimed at a hawk circling above the tree tops. He shot and the hawk dropped stone dead in the back of the scout right at my feet. He holstered the pistol, stuck it back in the glove box and drove off like it was no big deal.

Years ago I carried a pump 22 in my 65 Chevy...had a little bracket bolted to the dash... One day I jumped a coyote out of a fenc line going in to check traps...time I got out to shoot he was 100 yes away...ruin gat a angle away from the truck through a plowed field...I started shooting giving a tad more elevation and lead each shot...I could see the dust from my shots and gauged off that ...I connected on about the 6-7 that..he rolled in a pile of dust and hopped up and kept going....must have clipped a front leg.....he was around 250-300 yd out....had a witness too....we still chuckle about that

I shot a Ruffled Grouse out of the air with a Winchester model 77 22 semi auto when I was 10.

We have a monthly 22 Marksmen Challenge match and 1-2x per year one of the courses of fire is to try and shoot the 5 match stick, 1 toothpick and a playing card, in 1/2, with 10 rds or less, at 30 yds under a time limit. Nothing can be left hanging; no "red" left on the match sticks, no upper portion of the toothpick and the card cannot be left hanging, but rather, totally off. The lower 1/2 of the toothpick is in front of the upper 1/2 of the card i'm holding.

Went through a box of 50 shells with my dad's 9 shot revolver when I was 16 without ear muffs. Have heard high pitched whine for the last 23 years.

It wasn't me, but a bunch of us were shooting clay pigeons thrown with a hand trap. I had my new Winchester 101 that was giving me misfires occasionally before I got it fixed. I said who wants to back me up? Thinking that one of the other guys with the shotguns would volunteer, but instead my friend Bob said that he would and he sat down next to me with a .22 pistol. Well, that 101 went "click" rather than bang and then I heard that little .22 handgun go off beside me. He cracked that clay pigeon in the air out about 40 yards with a single shot!!! He holstered the handgun and walked calmly toward the cabin with I'm sure a big smirk on his face while the rest of us stood there incredulous.

my p. dog hunting partner and I wanted to catch a calm day in N. Woyoming hill country and rimfire p. dogs. We had Ruger 22 Mags with 6.5x20x leupolds with target knobs on them. We had the dials marked up to 200 yards.

Well, we caught a calm day. We simply wore the dogs out, killed everything that was out. At 250 yards, it looked as if it had rained dead p. dogs.

Our rifles shot about an inch group at 100 yards, and we were using Winchester 40g HP. We had to stop many times and cool our barrels with a 50/50 solution of rubbing alcohol and water, this was a day we never forgot in that we killed over 500 before the wind kicked up that morning.

Head shot on a squirrel from far enough away that I aimed dead on with the wide part of the duplex on a Burris 4x12 scope on 12x. The rifle was zeroed at 50 yards. 83 yard offhand shot at a squirrel with my Marlin 60 with Federal Lightning ammo. Squirrel folded at the shot, but I couldn't find the hole until I looked at his ears and noted it went in one ear and out the other.

Old70

I've killed coyotes with a 22LR, 22Mag, and a 17HMR, and even once shot a buzzard that was flying over me with a 22. But, my best rimfire shot was when I killed a running squirrel at about 75 yards with my dad's S&W K-22 Masterpiece. That pistol was as accurate as a rifle, and I killed several squirrels with it, but the one that was running was probably my best shot.

My dad has killed an eastern wild turkey with a headshot from his Kimber of Oregon 22lr more than once while out squirrel hunting. Those birds' heads do not stay still long!

Had to follow up a whitetail wounded at last light with a mini-mag flashlight and a 4inch Colt Diamondback in .22


It worked!

Remembered another one: Shot a magpie across the lower Madison River with my dad's Colt Frontier Scout. Dunno the range but it was probably close to 100 yards. Of course I was 15 years old and didn't know it couldn't be done, so dropped it with the first shot.

Haven't tried to shoot a magpie across the Madison since.

Because now you know it's impossible.

Drove around northern Mexico for six weeks with a Ruger 10/22 stashed behind the seat of my pickup--forgot that it was there!

Thinking about it, probably the most impressive thing I've done is bought three new Remington 541, 6 round mags for less that $8.00 each just a few weeks ago.

When I was about 12-13, I remained at home on the farm while Mom, Dad, And Brother went to town. A migrating flock of Perigrine Falcons were hovering around Moms laying hens apparently looking for an easy dinner. I went into the house and got the shotgun and the several shells that we had and killed several. After I ran out of shot shells, I retrieved the .22. Since the birds were kind of hovering over the chicken pens, I went to work with the .22, killing another dozen or so out of the air, before the rest finally moved on. Not really difficult as they were close to stationary in flight at maybe 25-30 yards up.

Another time, and in a land far away, I forgot that it offended the state and shot a fork horn between the eyes at about 40 yards with my 39A Mountie. DRT. I had spent the week end guiding Nephew, step grandson and his friend each to successful first deer kills. Sunday afternoon, I went to a box stand overlooking a feeder. I had the Marlin, a shotgun, and a deer rifle with me. Quail, deer, and turkey were eating my corn. Mother-in-law needed a nice meat deer ever so often for me to stay in her favor. The fork horn made me and would not leave. He was kind of stalking me, and at close range, the .22 seemed to be a less messy kill........

Brother drove up to the farm house in Dad's farm truck. A crow was sitting atop the barn about 70 yards away. Brother got Dad's Ruger MK1 (without a rear sight) from underneath the seat and hip shot the crow dead, then casually went in for lunch. Got to be cool in those times!

Jack

Was many moons ago my brother and I were in Tucson visiting our cousin. He suggested we head out into the desert with our 22's. I had an old Remington 512, bolt action and mr brother had the newer nylon 66 semi-auto (can't remember what our cousin had). Not much was moving in the middle of that August day, but every so often we'd kick a jack rabbit out of the sage ... they were more of a flash and didn't have time to even shoulder the rifles. Out of frustration I got a shot off from the hip at a streaking jack. Imagine all of our surprise when that rabbit did three somersaults and crumpled into the dust. I had put that hip shot right through its ears.

I shot a crow in flight with a Marlin 22 semi-auto and a $0.79 scope.

At our recent gatherings in the SW, we have run a 150 or 200 yard shoot for .22 rim fire sporters (not target rifle setups). Guys and gals have been doing better and better as they get used to the distance and their equipment. I think the last two were one with newer CZ bolt actions and higher quality .22R ammo - but I have manged to come in 2nd with a 70 year-old Savage 19 and an ancient side mounted Weaver scope. After the event this summer, and before I cleaned and stored the rifle - on a dead still early AM and before my first cup of coffee - opened the shop window and fired a well less than one inch group on bull at 150 yards. Probably never be able to do that again, and surely not in our competitions. My wife was hardly impressed, but, to do that felt very good that one time.

In 1971 my friend came over and wanted me to go snowmobiling with him, well we had a dairy farm and I had chores to do. While standing in the barnyard begging my dad if I could go a crow landed in the tree row 150 yards away and he said if I could shoot that crow I could have the afternoon off. I ran into the house and grab my Ithaca 49 came out and leant up against the Case 430 tractor and squeezed off the shot and son of a gun I got him. will never forget the look on my dads face.

I think the most impressive thing I have done with a .22 is shot a stainless NM Super Single Six so much that I shot it out of time. It was the handgun my dad bought for me to learn to shoot with when I was a kid. I didn't keep records but looking back at the amount of ammo I used, I am sure I put at least 100,000 rounds through it.

The price tag on the box for the gun was marked 1982, which must have been the year I received it. It was bought new from a gun shop in New Mexico owned by Charles Sinclair, who it was later determined was a serial killer.

Killed a rockchuck in Colorado with one shot between the eyes at 125 yards with a Remington 581 and a 4x Bushnell scope. I was pretty pleased as I had only had the rifle for about a month at the time. A year or two later I was camping on a friend's ranch in South Dakota. He pointed to a dove in a tree about 80 yards away and bet me I couldn't hit it. One shot offhand and it dropped from the tree. When we picked it up, the shot had gone tight in the middle of it's head.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Back in 1972, my friend and I shot a rabbit running at 90 yards, we both shot at the same time. He was shooting his marlin and I was shooting my Winchester 62, one shot in head and one shot thru both ears. We were hunting in grape vineyard and had to shoot thru several rows of grapes. We still argue over who killed the rabbit.

When I was 15 I shot a duck in the head at about 90 yds, offhand, with my Marlin 25 scoped with a Weaver D4. About .004 seconds after realizing I had hit the duck, I also realized that it was across the river from me. I ended up hiking a mile downriver to a bridge, then upriver to get my duck, followed by a two mile return trip. To be 15 again, when a 4 mile hike was no big deal.

Some awesome stories guys.

My most memorable rimfire story was with my Savage 34M, 22 Magnum. When I was 13 I used my trapping money to buy my first gun. Dad actually did the paperwork but I paid for it out my last sale of muskrats and raccoon. I carried that rifle daily. It was uncommon for me to even make a trip to the barn without it over my arm. I laid waste to a lot of woodchucks with it with just open sights. When I was 15 my only desire for my birthday was a Weaver D4 scope. Dad came through with the scope and I began making longer shots on chucks. The summer I turned 17 I was walking a nieghbor's field edge looking for chucks. I spotted one about 300 yards away and began stalking, using the cover on the edge of the field and his inattention when he dropped down to feed. I had closed to 175 yards and had a small patch of open field to cover to get to a bedrock outcropping where I thought I'd take my shot. I waited until the chuck dropped down and fed away from me before I stepped out. He must of sensed something because he stood up looking straight at me. He had me flat footed. I remember dropping to a knee and bringing up the rifle all in one motion, found the chucks nose and elevated a bunch and let fly. He dropped instantly and I assumed he had ducked down his hole. I chastised myself for my impatience but decided to check out the shot anyway. I was shocked to find him flat on his back with an entrance wound in the tip of his nose and and exit in the back of his head.

I still have that little Savage. That story makes me a bit nostalgic. I may have to start looking for a vintage Weaver D4.

If they ever let us shoot those blankity blank magpies again you can try it on the ones we have around here. I jokingly asked a warden I know if I can get a permit to shoot them. He said "No". Darn it!

Just a Hunter: I hesitate to forward this to you but I have spoken with Game Wardens on more than one occasion and have had them relay how no one had ever been cited/prosecuted for shooting nest robbing Magpies!
DO NOT TAKE THIS as official policy of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, because its not.
Take this for what its worth.
Magpies do WAY TO MUCH damage to nesting songbirds, waterfowl, Doves and upgame birds for me to even consider not shooting them under most conditions.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Probably my most impressive personal feat was shooting a supposedly dead whitetail a friend had shot. It made it down from my area into a group of houses and was supposed to be dead. I took a handgun in case it was not. As we approached it from the rear it went from a full prone to dead run in no time. I quickly swung and put a WW power point in its ear hole. The fact I did it with a Taurus revolver seemed to impress my friend. I was not impressed just glad it was dead. My neighbor lady and her two kids looking out their dining room window were less then impressed..........

The Most impressive thing I seen with a rimfire was one day , a Buddy and I were shooting pigeons out of a barn silo. They were close and we were using bird shoot. THe old crimped case versions. He shot one and it flapped around and fell out an opening. We went out to be sure it was dead. While out side we sat on a short stone wall around the barn. As we sat there , a dove came swooping past and my buddy swung and shot. The dove folded like shot with a normal field load. Them little tiny pellets had found the head and eye area and died that thing DEAD.......

Good thread here and will toss a tale on the pile only because it worked for me also, albeit in a slightly different fashion.

Back from Nam in '70, visiting the brother and he informs me that one of his coworkers has some gun stuff for sale and was I interested? Sure was...

Couple of boxes that included dies for a .44 Mag, .30 M1, a C frame Lyman press and misc. reloading stuff. Some powder, primers, bullets, a Lyman load manual, and a big leather holster, old west style....and a box with a Ruger 3 screw .44 in new condition. $125? Hell ya, so I was in the bidness and ready to roll.

Met the fella a few days later and the deal was consummated. Asked why he was getting out of all that gear and he said he didn't have the time and otherwise had all the guns he needed. One was a Ruger Mk 1 that he carried in the side pocket of his VW Beetle. He related the following tale:

Driving along a rural road one night and spies a fella hitch hiking, a big burly black fella. He stopped and picked the guy up and they began to roll. He asked where the fella was headed and he replied, "Pull over and give me your keys" while brandishing a smallish sheath knife. Fella told me that he shifted into third and stayed on the gas. Perp says, "I said pull over and give me your keys." My hero shifted into 4th and stayed on the gas, reached down into the side pocket in the darkness and pulled the Mk 1, stuck it between the perp's eyes, and said "Get out of my car."

He said the guy hardly blinked. He opened the door and rolled out of the car. The wind closed the door behind him. After I quit laffin' I asked him how fast he was going and he replied "Just a bit over 50." It took awhile longer for me to finally stop laffin'. That is impressive, I don't care who you are.

Dan

PS: I drove VW Beetles pretty much nonstop from my separation from the service in '72 on thru about '84 or so. I carried a Mk 1, or sometimes a S&W .38 snubby in the side pocket, depending on my mood, and worked shift work in Miami with the FAA. Only had occasion to pull it twice, but the most memorable was at a stop light when a fella walked up and tried to open the door on the pax side. It was locked, the window was down about 6" so he tried to reach thru to open the door, all the while demanding I let him in. It was about 11:30 PM in Coconut Grove. I poked the .38 in his face, he said, "Sorry." and walked away. I went to a local hang out and had a few drinks per usual after the shift. Fun times......

interesting what you can accomplish by shooting a rifle that has a virtual absence of recoil. ive slayed far more vermin with a .22 LR and headshots than any other cartridge/rifle combo. bobcat, squirrel, armadilla ... you name it. might as well start deer hunting with it