Field Test - Varmint Stake (Rated PG - Graphic)
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:12 pm
Today dawned sunny and warm, and got better when I got an early call from a local horse rancher asking me to come by and thin out some rock chucks this morning. Okay, today's chores are on hold.....get the Cooper 20 Vartarg out of the safe with a box of chuck ammo (32gr Nosler BT over 18.5grs RL-7 for 3,725 fps), throw the hounds in the truck, and off to the ranch. My 204 Ruger's are too loud for this place, located not far out of town, so the 20VT is perfect with it's mild report.
Today I decided to test out my new widget, the Varmint Stake posted here recently. The chucks on this ranch are skittish, and I saw four large ones loping back to the safety of their rock dens as I tried to sneak up to a fenceline to set up. My shooting hide for the first rock pile that laid 225 yards distant (the 20VT has such a quiet report, it doesn't even spook the stock):
Another hide down the fenceline a tad:
The rolling landscape full of chuck dens under the junipers:
A young one getting ready to jump into his rock den (taken with a 200mm telephoto):
"Scooter", my Cooper M38 VR in 20 Vartarg under a nice shade tree, waiting for the next chuck to appear:
An alert chuck surveying his domain from outside his den....as seen through my 200mm tele lens, not a scope....this time....
A big ole boy, right where he landed after doing a perfect flip off his stump:
The big guy back up on his stump....a bit worse for wear this time:
Ever wonder what a Nosler 32gr BT at this speed will do to a chuck's throat at 185 yards? Stop wondering:
I was not able to recover one chuck, a nice big boy too. He flipped in a 1-1/2 gainer, then dropped so far down in the rock pile, he was not retrieveable. No doubt though how hard he was hit:
After a hour of sneaking about and taking 9 shots, I had 8 rock chucks and one large sage rat (Skippy) that literally vaporized. All I found of him was part of his hide with part of his head attached. The not so willing victims that were recovered:
At the ranch, there's a depression at the base of a low hill where I place the chucks belly up so the eagles, hawks and buzzards can see them to clean them up. Today's crowd waiting for the birds:
All in all, I rate the new Varmint Stake a success. Easy to adjust when prone, works great for sitting, and also works well as a walking stick. If you don't have sling studs on a given rifle, making one of these will work dandy in the field. Attach a short piece of dental floss, and you've also got a wind flag at your disposal.
A parting shot of a happy rock chuck outside his den, checking me out on a nice sunny day:
Hope you enjoyed sharing part of my day......it was a good 'un!
Today I decided to test out my new widget, the Varmint Stake posted here recently. The chucks on this ranch are skittish, and I saw four large ones loping back to the safety of their rock dens as I tried to sneak up to a fenceline to set up. My shooting hide for the first rock pile that laid 225 yards distant (the 20VT has such a quiet report, it doesn't even spook the stock):
Another hide down the fenceline a tad:
The rolling landscape full of chuck dens under the junipers:
A young one getting ready to jump into his rock den (taken with a 200mm telephoto):
"Scooter", my Cooper M38 VR in 20 Vartarg under a nice shade tree, waiting for the next chuck to appear:
An alert chuck surveying his domain from outside his den....as seen through my 200mm tele lens, not a scope....this time....
A big ole boy, right where he landed after doing a perfect flip off his stump:
The big guy back up on his stump....a bit worse for wear this time:
Ever wonder what a Nosler 32gr BT at this speed will do to a chuck's throat at 185 yards? Stop wondering:
I was not able to recover one chuck, a nice big boy too. He flipped in a 1-1/2 gainer, then dropped so far down in the rock pile, he was not retrieveable. No doubt though how hard he was hit:
After a hour of sneaking about and taking 9 shots, I had 8 rock chucks and one large sage rat (Skippy) that literally vaporized. All I found of him was part of his hide with part of his head attached. The not so willing victims that were recovered:
At the ranch, there's a depression at the base of a low hill where I place the chucks belly up so the eagles, hawks and buzzards can see them to clean them up. Today's crowd waiting for the birds:
All in all, I rate the new Varmint Stake a success. Easy to adjust when prone, works great for sitting, and also works well as a walking stick. If you don't have sling studs on a given rifle, making one of these will work dandy in the field. Attach a short piece of dental floss, and you've also got a wind flag at your disposal.
A parting shot of a happy rock chuck outside his den, checking me out on a nice sunny day:
Hope you enjoyed sharing part of my day......it was a good 'un!
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