I wrote the following for a local board and thought the photo's might be worth sharing.
Hope you enjoy
"I needed an excuse to get to Narranderra. Lo and behold I pick up a new client in Leeton. The $$$ involved doesnt warrant the trip but if I see my two clients in Jerilderie on the way then I can call it work! And yes, i did need to see the clients in Jerilderie on business (I know you guys would feel that was important!)
First, a week ago i picked up another forum members 204 to deliver for some customisation. So that got packed along with my 6/250. I also packed my new 6.5x55 to take for scope mounting. Bloody scope arrived 30 mins after I left according to the 'article to be collected' notice, but I can post it, didnt want to post a rifle. Next off to Ogre's to pick up all his bits and pieces for delivery (I've brought back a pack of 87Vmaxes for you, dont let me forget) then off we go.
Get to Jerilderie in the arvo, see the retiring father, then across to the other side of the farm to see the son (who has been my client for 4 years). We are the same age, he has a lovely wife and three kids and I'm happy to say i get on with them more as friends than clients (dropped the twins to school again on Friday morning).
Heap of home made salami, a couple of glasses of red wine, beautiful scotch fillet, sticky date pudding and a coffee then into the ute in the darkness.
My rifle was zeroed for 300m as it hadnt been used since Leeton, so i had set up a target and re zeroed first when i first arrived. Would have preferred to do it off a bench but it would have to do.
The conditions are terrible. The crop came up beautifully but no rain in august and some has failed and the rest is in serious trouble. Its not bloody fair.
So not long out I got a hare, and a few more on round the farm. No sign of any foxes tho. Six was my best tally on this farm so surprised at not seeing anything. probably the knee high crop in most paddocks was providing the cover. Last paddock before heading for home and we see the tell tale reflectors. Estimate 100 to 120m away. as he pulls the ute up with me pointing in the right direction a quick blast of the whistle does the job. She stopped to have a look and I touched off that beautiful 10 oz trigger.
Well it was a hit
not much damage apparent? watch this when I rolled her over
we had gone less than 500m after the photo shoot when the farmer spotted another set of reflectors. I didnt even see them as he quickly took the light off the fox to get me into a position to shoot. "Is this close enough" he says before hitting the switch. " if I can see it I'll hit it" i replied. As he turns the ute so i will be facing the target i ask myself why i made such a big statement when I hadnt even seen it and have no idea how far away it is!
Well the dog fox showed up in the light in the 150 to 200m range. Again he stopped co operatively to a whistle blast. the scope was on 9 as i wanted a wide field of view to pick up targets so now he looked really really small! Pressure on, boom whop, dont you love that noise!
Bug eye!
Well you can see the bug eye was now a solo affair as my shot went straight thru the other one! The red blood patch down his flank is the exit wound. he was looking at me and the projie went thru him length wise.
Of course talking the talk then walking the walk created suitable praise for my shooting capabilities!
After breakfast and dropping the kids to school on friday morning I headed off to Narranderra. The Leeton clients had cancelled their appointment so i spent the rest of the day bugging Shane in his shop. He was working on the 223 I was picking up.
I just never use the 223 because the flatter trajectory of the 204 has made me lazy, there is no need to learn holdovers and range estimates to the limit of the spotlight with a 204. When I take the 223 to the range tho it punches out tiny groups at 100m and i just cant seem to bring myself to sell it even when I try. Since I had bought a CZ 222 as the action donor for mt 17FB I had this lovely grained wood sporter stock spare. I came up with the idea that reducing the weight of the varmint 223 and "sporterising" it would give it a permanent place in the safe as the light rifle for going for walks.
Shane was to flute the varmint barrel to reduce weight, remove the heavy laminated varmint stock and bed the 223 into the sporter stock that came off the 222 (follow that?). The trigger had some free travel even when set so he was to work the trigger also. The fluting had been done before i got there but i watched as he sanded off the remaining blue, smoothed the flutes, re crowned ( the crown is where the barrel is held when its being fluted), bead blasted, re blued worked the trigger and re assembled the rifle. It was educational to watch him work.
Anyway i am happy with the result. the rifle balances well and is not front end heavy. Still has the stiffness of the varmint profile barrel but the weight has been significantly reduced. The set trigger now has no free travel and goes off at 5.6oz. The standard trigger has a crisp 1lb 7oz let off.
To me its a thing of beauty now, impressed with the result
Thank you mr Clancy. Hope you guys like it too.
.Shane also worked the trigger on my 300wsm and bedded and floated it.
So in the arvo it was off to visit Galore Gunner who had offered to put me up for the night. Well I'm pleased to say that Mrs GG reads the forum too and she had the impression that i'm not too bad a bloke. I had met GG at the Leeton Fly shoot and had sucked him in too. So I was sleeping in the palatial guest room (thanks Monica, havent had the comfort of an electric blanket since i was a kid!) and not the shearers quarters. Luckily GG doesnt like calamari too much so i got some of his aswell!
Well we cant be nice to GG guys. He really does shoot every day. he loves his job. Has a great wife (who likes guns and makes a special home made salad dressing!!!) and son and lives in this absolutely beautiful part of the country. Your priviliged Steve, pinch yourself a few times! I will try not to be too jealous, I'll work it off by visiting more often. Funny thing, the barking guard dogs were completely silent at my approach, the only deterent was the fierce 3 day old guard lamb! Kick those dogs some more!
We couldnt sight in my 223 on GG's bench as the scope wouldnt adjust onto the target (the scope rings were too tight and obstructing the mechanism, all fixed now). Later we went off in the farm spotlighting ute. I started badly, but made a comeback on the hares. we caught a few glimpses of slinking reflectors but no shots were to present.
Again late into the circuit we spoted the reflectors at the edge of some trees. the whistle couldnt get our friend out in the open but I could see a body in the light. We stopped. I saw the body protrude from behind a tree, sitting like a dog but the head and shoulders obscured. Called it for a fox and fired. I would guess the distance at no more than 100m so no discernible 'whop' as the 'boom' was still in my ears! As we drove out to loacte it i had this horrible thought. We had seen quite few large possums sitting at the base of trees! "GG, if I've hit this I have this rotten feeling that I've shot a possum" GG wasnt as worried, he was pretty sure it was a fox and a few moments later he spotted it.
It was very ill
After a sleep in, bacon eggs tomato and toast, a walk thru the trees on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, a big bag of sweet oranges and a dozen free range eggs, off to narranderra where shane was closing the shop at 1pm.
Off to his private range on his dad's property to practice with his 6.5x284 that he is lending me for the Canberra comp. First we re zeroed the 223 at 100!
500m is a bloody long way and i got my first experience of mirage! Still a long long way off being competitive but at least i'll have slightly more confidence that i have fired the rifle at the range i will be competing at before hand. Thanks Shane, and thanks Trousers!
I reckon that was worth the drive, dont you?
