A friend and I went down to southern Idaho to shoot some rock chucks today. He was shooting a 30BR with 110gr Vmax bullets and I was shooting my Bartlein barreled .243 AI with 105 Amax bullets. We didn't retrieve any for pictures as we were shooting across a concrete canal that is really difficult to get across but we did manage to get 12 today and I went 10 for 10 on chucks and 1 for 1 on pigeons. The .243 AI is better than my 6BR on chucks and I got some pretty good air on a few but I might have to take my .30-8mm next time for effect. The friend I went with had a hard time shooting from the bipod while sitting because he got hit by a car on his 4 wheeler in August while deer hunting. Next time we will take either a shooting bench or chairs and shooting sticks so he can help thin the herd a little more. It was a beautiful day, 65 degrees and almost zero wind.
Got to test my new .243 AI on some rock chucks today
- Thread starter IdahoCTD
- Start date
nvbroncrider
Handloader
- Aug 20, 2011
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That's awesome a good day shooting is better than any day at work. Was that down by Bruneau?
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DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
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Sounds like a delightful afternoon of thinning the rock chuck population.
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
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Outstanding! I've been looking for them, but haven't seen a chuck yet this year...
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- #7
I traded the buddy I went shooting with out of a brand new .243 Win. Varmint barrel and I punched it out to .243AI. I just did it last week so I have to get a scope mounted up and see how it shoots. I put it on a .308 HB I bought that came with a B&C stock with a bedding block. I'm trying to save my Bartlein barrel for longer range or bigger critters. I'd hate to shoot it out if I happened to get in a squirrel/chuck fight.
Woodycreek
Handloader
- Aug 2, 2007
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SJB358":1xjwozsv said:
And you are waiting on what???
Woodycreek
Handloader
- Aug 2, 2007
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I have had great luck with the 105 Amax and my 243AI. Retumbo seems to work well with the 105.
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- #10
- Nov 4, 2004
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Congratulations. The 243 AI is very cool!
JD338
JD338
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- #12
I just hope the Remington factory HB shoots somewhat close to as accurate as my Bartlein barrel. It's shoots 1/4" groups pretty regularly so hopefully the Remington shoots around 1/2" or better. Although It's easier to blame a miss on the gun when it's not that accurate :mrgreen: .
Woodycreek
Handloader
- Aug 2, 2007
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You should get 1/2" no problem with the factory barrel. Both of my 243AIs have Remington barrels on them. They will shoot 1/2" with 70 BTs, 95 BTs, and 105 Amaxs. The SPS-V will shoot under 1/4" with the 70 BTs and the 105 Amaxs. Never tried R-25 and the SPS-V didn't like H-1000. 7828ssc was ok but Retumbo has been spot on. Varget has been the powder for the 70 BTs.
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- #14
I doubt I'll shoot anything lighter than 105's. It's hard to get a 6mm to perform like a .30 caliber on chucks but it's even harder with light 6mm bullets. I might have to break out one of my .30 cal rifles if I can find someone with a good video camera and show everyone the difference. Both kill them but the .30's do it more dramatically. In this case overkill is a good thing.
Here's a couple of pictures of Rockchucks vs. 6mm Rem. (pretty much the same as a .243AI in the velocity department)... as you can see... an 87 Vmax does bad stuff to 'chucks (except Chuck Norris of course... nobody does bad stuff to Chuck Norris... at least not more than once!)
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- #16
Songdog,
Trust me a .30 caliber magnum is way more dramatic. We have literally launched chucks 30+ feet up in the air with their entrails hanging several feet out of them. Sorry for the graphic details but a 6mm of any kind can't come close to that. One of the ones I shot with my .243 AI flew about 5-6 feet and the ones I could see after the shot looked every bit torn up as those, but I didn't go check. A .30 caliber magnum and 150gr Ballistic Tips are a rock chucks worse nightmare. If your somewhat twisted, like me, shooting a chuck with a 6mm almost seems like your wasting a good chuck :lol: .
This video is what I'm talking about. I don't believe for a second these are Taliban or they are using a .50 caliber because the size of what is flying through the air is way smaller than a person, with short little legs and fur, and the very first shot is definitely a rock chuck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROHHplrVRKg
Trust me a .30 caliber magnum is way more dramatic. We have literally launched chucks 30+ feet up in the air with their entrails hanging several feet out of them. Sorry for the graphic details but a 6mm of any kind can't come close to that. One of the ones I shot with my .243 AI flew about 5-6 feet and the ones I could see after the shot looked every bit torn up as those, but I didn't go check. A .30 caliber magnum and 150gr Ballistic Tips are a rock chucks worse nightmare. If your somewhat twisted, like me, shooting a chuck with a 6mm almost seems like your wasting a good chuck :lol: .
This video is what I'm talking about. I don't believe for a second these are Taliban or they are using a .50 caliber because the size of what is flying through the air is way smaller than a person, with short little legs and fur, and the very first shot is definitely a rock chuck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROHHplrVRKg
I know those are chucks... that video has been around for years. I believe most of those in the video were actually shot with a .22-250. They're from the first "Exploding Varmimts" video I think...
I've shot many a chuck with the 110 Vmax out of a .300 Winny... and you're right, they do come apart... but I like to see my own hits... so a .243 is about max for me. That load out of the 6mm blew a 12oz piece of rockchuck (one of his front legs and part of the brisket) a lazered 32 yards. When applied properly... a big 6 can do a whole lot of heavy lifting!
I've shot many a chuck with the 110 Vmax out of a .300 Winny... and you're right, they do come apart... but I like to see my own hits... so a .243 is about max for me. That load out of the 6mm blew a 12oz piece of rockchuck (one of his front legs and part of the brisket) a lazered 32 yards. When applied properly... a big 6 can do a whole lot of heavy lifting!
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- #18
Seeing my hits is why one of my first custom guns was a 16lb .308 Baer built by Bruce Baer with a muzzle brake shooting 150gr Ballistic Tips at 3600fps. People couldn't believe I would build a gun like that to shoot chucks. Most of our shots were from the truck so the weight wasn't a issue.
I've shot chucks with .223, .22BR, 22-250, 6BR, 6mm Rem, .243AI, 6-284, 6-270 imp., 25-06, 6.5-284, 264wm, .270-7rm, 7-08, 7saum, 7rm, 7-300wm, 7STW, .308, .300wm, .308 Baer, 30-338, 30-8mm, 30-358STA, 338-378, 338 Baer, 358STA, .375 H&H, and .416RUM. The only thing close to a .30 caliber magnum that I've seen is the 7mm magnums with 130gr Sierra single shot pistol bullets and 180gr JLK's. A friend, the same friend I went with this weekend, and I actually built full 1.25" x 27" barreled guns in .338-378, .358STA, 375 H&H, and .416RUM to shoot chucks with. We shot 180 and 200gr BT's in the .338's, 180gr pistol bullets in the .358's, 200 and 220gr flat nose hollow points in the .375's, and 300gr Barnes X's with huge holes drilled in them for the .416's. All the calibers above .30 blew holes right through the them.
Back when we paid 185.00 for Hart barrels, powder was 10-11.00 a pound, and 150BT's were under 13.00/100 it was much cheaper to shoot the bigger calibers a lot. Now that I'm married with a 10 month old son and another on the way they usually take a back seat to the 6's but I do have a good stash of 150BT's and R-22.
I've shot chucks with .223, .22BR, 22-250, 6BR, 6mm Rem, .243AI, 6-284, 6-270 imp., 25-06, 6.5-284, 264wm, .270-7rm, 7-08, 7saum, 7rm, 7-300wm, 7STW, .308, .300wm, .308 Baer, 30-338, 30-8mm, 30-358STA, 338-378, 338 Baer, 358STA, .375 H&H, and .416RUM. The only thing close to a .30 caliber magnum that I've seen is the 7mm magnums with 130gr Sierra single shot pistol bullets and 180gr JLK's. A friend, the same friend I went with this weekend, and I actually built full 1.25" x 27" barreled guns in .338-378, .358STA, 375 H&H, and .416RUM to shoot chucks with. We shot 180 and 200gr BT's in the .338's, 180gr pistol bullets in the .358's, 200 and 220gr flat nose hollow points in the .375's, and 300gr Barnes X's with huge holes drilled in them for the .416's. All the calibers above .30 blew holes right through the them.
Back when we paid 185.00 for Hart barrels, powder was 10-11.00 a pound, and 150BT's were under 13.00/100 it was much cheaper to shoot the bigger calibers a lot. Now that I'm married with a 10 month old son and another on the way they usually take a back seat to the 6's but I do have a good stash of 150BT's and R-22.
I need more Chuck pictures, but these "creations" are from my 6mm shooting a 58 gr Vmax at a mild 3700 fps. I will admit the 70 gr Noslers that I gladly liberated from some passer-bys this fall are nice shooters and the Chucks seem to flip head over tails with them...literally. But they dont paint the walls like the 58's, in my brief amount of spring testing. More results to follow.
Woodycreek
Handloader
- Aug 2, 2007
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FLAT BOLT":1fyq8zux said:
Glad you made it over here buddy!
