I took my new custom Model 700 204 Ruger with the match chamber discussed elsewhere, along with my Sako Model 75 Varmint 204, and my custom Sako 17 Mach IV (which never came out of the case this trip). My new rig now has her well-earned name: The Silver Princess of Death, otherwise known as Little Princess 204.
Due to cold and a merciless frigid wind, we never got in one full day in the field, but the mornings were all productive, and one morning in particular, we had almost no wind, warm sunshine, and more targets that we could possibly shoot.....a truly good event. I finished breaking-in my barrel on LP-204, on Skippy of course, then went to work on him in fine fashion with the new rifle. The accuracy of the new Pac-Nor Super Match Stainless barrel was astounding to say the least. Rats peeking over their mound at over 300 yards got smacked right in the exposed head (see photo below), and any rat standing on his mound anywhere was in deep trouble; the wind being the limiting factor.
Due to the wind, we were not able to attempt shots much beyond 350 yards on such small targets, or we'd be walking in shots and wasting ammunition and barrel-time. On the crappy afternoons we couldn't shoot, we broke down and went back to the Rat Hilton to enjoy neat DVD "guy-movies" to pass the time and munch out.
My load of the Sierra 39gr Blitz King (just over max) RL-10X proved to be the winner for now out of Little Princess 204, as it really bucked the wind in fine style, and put the hurt on Skippy big-time....photos below of some of the carnage. Warning: Graphic photos, weenies, young kids, and the weak stomach types need not go any further.... (This load is safe in this rifle, mic'd the web, all pressure signs are "go")
Captqc brought proper hats for the occasion for the crew:
Here's my new sweetie, The Silver Princess of Death in the field, ready to go to work:
One up the spout, ready to launch at 3,980 fps (39gr SBK):
Shooter's view of the new rig:
A shot the first day looking downrange...the fence is 322 yards away, distorted by the camera effect:
A shot of the field, showing the target-rich environment...can you see Skippy and his pals?
This rat was launched off his mound at 312 yards....you can see my shooting position in the background, white target frame and yellow Pellican case:
This female rat was peeking over her mound at just over 265 yards...no match for The Princess. Can you say "head-be-gone?":
Captqc holding up a Skippy skull, found right under the irrigation pivot pipe, dumped by an eagle after enjoying his meal. We found a bunch of these under the pivot:
Keeping my new girl clean.....many times finishing up the barrel break-in:
The first ten rounds out of The Princess were 10 for 10. Later, she went 24 for 25....she's a keeper for sure, and as anticipated, Skippy does NOT approve!
My Sako 204 M75V benched. You can see a partial view of all the mounds in the background in the early morning sun:
The Eastern Oregon Raptor Feeding Society crew taking a break in the afternoon. Note the rimfire pistols at the ready for "rats inside the wire"......
Me chambering a round in my Sako 204, target acquired, range: 288 yards, dial elevation.....launch pending (no, the buildings in the background were NOT in the line of fire....):
The terminal effect of a 39gr SBK at the rat......highly effective (note the "twisted effect", indicating the 'helicopter' launch of the rat....about 6' in the air on this one):
It was a great trip as always. Next month we go again, this time under better weather conditons along with a fresh batch of squirrels being hatched. It will be an even better target-rich environment. Now it's back to the loading bench, and a pile of tumbled, spent 204 cases to reload. The Silver Princess of Death is cleaned, now resting in the safe, awaiting the next call to duty. Gads, this is fun!!
