Page 1 of 2

204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 10:40 am
by Rick in Oregon
I've been gone a while, got back and noticed that the forum has been pretty quiet lately, not much going on. As it's springtime (here at least, not everywhere), my crew and I have been in the field having our way with our favorite rodent, "Skippy the Flying Squirrel" and thought I'd share some of the fun with the forum members.

For just over a week, we were at a friends 2,800 acre cattle and alfalfa ranch south of here in the foothills of a local mountain range. Our host really enjoys "his shooters" coming to visit every springtime, and has installed five full RV hookups for our travel trailers....talk about hospitality! So we haul our trailers, enough food and drink for a Marine platoon, more rifles and ammo than a guy could possibly shoot in a week, and great DVD 'guy movies' for evening entertainment. It's about the most fun you can have with a rifle and friends.

One of our setups on a hill overlooking cattle pastures and alfalfa fields infested with ground squirrels. Shooting was from "danger close" rimfire pistol action, to rockchucks and badgers at a lasered 908 yards (more on that later), but mostly squirrels from 150 to 500~ yards......fun stuff.

Image

Captqc at his bench with his Ruger No.3 in .22 K-Hornet giving Skippy flying lessons:

Image

Another setup along a nice shady grove of trees at the edge of a 400+ acre alfalfa patch that looked down into a nice gentle draw.....all pocked with squirrel mounds. That's our member "futuretrades" with his Howa 204 on the left using his well-known 'wet-towel' barrel cooling method, "Captqc", and his son Dan, or "Rat Force One":

Image

My bench setup in 'the grove', with my Cooper M38 20VT on duty. That little rifle did well out to just shy of 400 yards that day. From our evevated position, we could look down into the alfalfa to see the little buggers quite well. To say the shooting was excellent would be an understatement. See that wheel track in the field? The rats would hop out of the alfalfa and stand up in the track for a look-about......fatal mistake! There was alot of "boom-thwop" to be heard. :wink:

Image

Our host and landowner is a real character to say the least. Gritty, foul of mouth, dirty, and much more intelligent than most casual observers give him credit for. When he pulled up to our bench setup in his little ranch-rig, a Suzuki Samuri, and hauled out a LIVE adult male badger by the hind leg from the back, we all had wide eyes, raised eyebrows and open mouths. The critter was growling, snapping his teeth, and generally making it known he was NOT happy. Our host had shot it from 150 yds with his truck-gun, a Savage 223, and only clipped his back, stunning him temporarily, thinking he was paralyzed. Maybe so, mabe not, but can you imagine a full-grown male badger 'coming to' with you in a dinky little Samuri? :eek: Now that would have been a tussle!

Once we finished our interview with Badger Bob, I dispatched him with my Kimber 22 conversion unit mounted on my Kimber CDP-II .45 frame:

Image

Dan, or "Rat Force One" at his bench with his M700 223 shooting 50gr NBT's with Mt. Shasta in the background. I mention this, as Dan clipped a badger at a lasered 908 yards from our hilltop to a rock-strewn hillside on the far side of a wide open basin, hence the grin you see. 908 yards with a 50 grain out of a 223? Madness yes, but he did it, saw it myself!

Image

During a barrel cooling session, "Lucy" my Basset Hound gets a chew-bone and an out of the truck respite (during shooting, she's in her bed, in the shade in the back of the cab):

Image

This was one of the real treats of the trip. Our landowner buddy gained permission for us to shoot "secret valley", a patch of alfalfa infested with squirrels that had never been shot. This is the kind of stuff we live for, seldom get to see, but now it was ours! We had to 4WD up a steep trail through sage and juniper to get to this insolated plateau above the field. Once we got out of the trucks and glassed the mound complex below, we could not believe all the squirrels running about......literally hundreds!

The nearest mounds lasered right at 300 yards, the back fence was 508 yds. Out came the 20VT's, 204's and 223's.......This was barrel melt- down conditions!

Image

Bench-toys: My CRT No.2 Bench Tray showing signs of having fun with my Cooper 20VT. Brad sure puts out some quality stuff for guys like us. :D

Image

During all shooting, Old Glory and the dredded black flag of the EORFS flew proudly over the bench setups (dredded that is, by Skippy and his pals :wink: ):

Image

A break in the shade to cool barrels.......and us:

Image

In closing, a pic of one of my favorite setups at this ranch. I've shot this high hill facing east and west since 1998, and can only imagine the quantity of squirrels that have taken flying lessons from this location in all that time:

Image

It was a great week to be sure. A good time was had by everyone.......everyone that is except Skippy. :lol: Now back home with gear unloaded, just the sound of my brass tumbler to remind me that the trip is still not really over; now the reloading begins again. Hope all you guys enjoy our post and have a great spring varmint season too. :D

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 10:58 am
by willyp19
Rick,

Every year another great account of your outing. Thanks for sharing. I am so jealous!!!

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 6:54 pm
by Captqc
Image
Here's our good friend Futuretrades, that's the face of a happy camper! Gary

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 10:32 pm
by Jim White
Nice write up Rick, although that badger didn't look so docile when I last saw him...Jim

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 5:03 am
by Glen
Once again a lot of fun was had by all!! Including those that can only dream of those numbers of rounds in a day!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 8:59 am
by Rick in Oregon
Glen wrote:Once again a lot of fun was had by all!! Including those that can only dream of those numbers of rounds in a day!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Right you are, Glen.....it was a very good time indeed. The only downside, and I mean the only downside, is that when you fire up to 200-300 CF rounds a day, spend a week in the rat patch, then do the math as to the number of fired cases you bring home for reloading..........ouch!

But hey, it's part of the game, right? I consider it a thing to do in the summer when it's blazing hot outside (A/C in the gunroom), or for next winter when I'm freezing my fritter off outside, but I'm at the bench, nice 'n warm inside and dreaming about putting that nice shiny case back into the loading port of my rifle once again. There's times to shoot and times to handload......both good! :D

But I'm already dreaming about 'next time'....... :wink:

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 9:06 am
by futuretrades
Very well said Rick. I know the feeling very well!

Hey Gary, you really caught the essence of the fun I was having on my trip! :lol:

Besides all the fun giving "Skippy" flying lessons, I really needed this break! And I got see, and enjoy my old friends from the E.O.R.F.S.

Thanks for everything guys. Futuretrades

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 10:10 am
by Rick in Oregon
Here's Kevin (futuretrades) having more fun with his Cooper 20VT than many humans get to have on their best day!

Image

Glad you were able to take a break and give Skippy flying lessons with the crew. Your smile sez it all! :D

Now we've all got reloading chores to do in the gunroom.....life is good (as long as you don't turn on the news, that is!)

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 11:12 pm
by ClaimJumper
As usual Rick you tell a great story. The pictures are also nice but the fact your faces all had smiles on them tells me something...you can't buy it at a store, it's priceless.

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 3:35 am
by Bodei
Wow, shade tress...you guys are spoiled rotten!

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 8:14 pm
by Glen
Yeah but we all know you like it Rick!! :lol: :lol:

Finally got to the range today myself. Almost got the ol 222 sighted before the winds picked up. Should be a matter of a couple more groups.

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 2:23 pm
by Jim White
Rick in Oregon wrote:
Now we've all got reloading chores to do in the gunroom.....life is good (as long as you don't turn on the news, that is!)
Right you are! I've already started the neck [dress-up] turning followed by annealing for all of my 204 Remington cases. It will be a while before I load those up.

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 11:16 pm
by Sidewinderwa
What a great trip. A treasure mine of target rich fields! Seems like your 204 may be getting jealous of the 20 VarTargs. Thanks for the pictures and the story. Hope to thin Idaho out of some flyin targets in a couple of days myself. Warm up for Montana prairie dogs. Now keep those reloading presses oiled up and in action.

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:28 am
by Ray P
RIO and the hot barrel group way to go!! Glade to see everyone had grand time. Thanks again for sharing photos and stories. 900 yard shot with a 223 and a 50grain tip awsome to say the least. Some day maybe with try to hook up for a venture with the group!!

Later

Ray P

Re: 204 Fun in the Rat Patch

Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 1:56 pm
by Tokimini
Rick, you and boys should seriously consider doing some videos and posting them here or on Youtube.