Well we're almost ready for the annual shooting spree. The kids will be shooting their new Ruger American 17HMRs and 10-22s. I'll be shooting my 17Hornet,17HMR and my 35Whelen :shock: . I think I'll bring the .223 as well. I've amassed enough ammo....I think. 800rds of 17Hornet, 2100rds of 17Hmr, 3000rds of 22RF and 400rds of .223. Loading 800rds of 17Hornet on a single stage was interesting. I never smashed my fingers once! I average 500 shots a day with a bolt action. My kids are slower but when they load up the 10-22s the can average 200rds an hour!
I've been doing this for seven years now and the kids have joined me for the last three. I think it is the most shooting fun you can have. Big game hunting has more adrenaline but this sage rat shooting is non stop fun for hours at a time. I enjoy it more than sporting clays, cowboy action, 3-gun, duck hunting and almost everything else except big game and coyote hunting.
I've gone through all the guns checked them for function and cleaned them really well. I'll end up cleaning them each night between shoot days. I don't see much copper fouling but the carbon can get pretty thick.
We're heading over to the Silver/Summer Lake area of Oregon. Lot's of alfalfa and hay pivots over there and if they haven't been plowed in a few years the squirrels can be pretty thick. I have been in fields that when you look across the field it looks like the ground is moving and you think Oh, the winds blowing the grass, but then realize what your seeing is hundreds of rodents moving around. It is what I call a target rich environment.
We'll be shooting 5/12-14 and I'll try and post up some picts when we get back.
Scott
I've been doing this for seven years now and the kids have joined me for the last three. I think it is the most shooting fun you can have. Big game hunting has more adrenaline but this sage rat shooting is non stop fun for hours at a time. I enjoy it more than sporting clays, cowboy action, 3-gun, duck hunting and almost everything else except big game and coyote hunting.
I've gone through all the guns checked them for function and cleaned them really well. I'll end up cleaning them each night between shoot days. I don't see much copper fouling but the carbon can get pretty thick.
We're heading over to the Silver/Summer Lake area of Oregon. Lot's of alfalfa and hay pivots over there and if they haven't been plowed in a few years the squirrels can be pretty thick. I have been in fields that when you look across the field it looks like the ground is moving and you think Oh, the winds blowing the grass, but then realize what your seeing is hundreds of rodents moving around. It is what I call a target rich environment.
We'll be shooting 5/12-14 and I'll try and post up some picts when we get back.
Scott
