I was installing a new front swivel on my old .223 Rem, Tikka 595 and had stood it up against a notch in my workbench. Then, I heard a clicking sound near our ventilation system unit and took a step in that direction. My size 14 shoe clipped the buttstock and the rifle went down sideways and landed hard on the cellar floor.
I picked it up, expecting to see some stock or metal damage, but the old linoleum kept it from being scratched.
Still, after checking the scope and mounts, I decided to check the zero at 50 yards, since I knew where that should be. It was off about an inch horizontally, so it was adjusted and shot a couple in the same hole, 5/8" above POA.
A couple of days later, a crow was feeding on the close-cropped blueberry field, about 100 yards out, and was not close to being in line with my son's house. I got the rifle, grabbed a loaded magazine that had factory Rem UMC FMJs in it, but I'd pulled them all and replaced them with 55 grain Sierra SP BTs.
Sneaking out of the house, I noted the 15 mph +/- wind on a narrow angle, standing, I braced my left hand on the corner of the house and with the Leupold on 9X, placed the fine wires about an inch low of center and held a half-inch left for the wind.
When everything looked perfect, I squeezed off the shot and heard the bang, then, a loud POP as the bullet found it's mark! Feathers were everywhere and blowing around in the wind! I never heard a louder POP at a bullet strike.
After putting things away, I went out to remove the carcass and found three pieces, a small bunch of chest feathers and skin, about 10 yards away, and a wing about 5 yards in the other direction. The main carcass showed extreme damage, with little but skin holding things together. The rifle is certainly well sighted-in.
That's the way to celebrate seeing ground, after such a long Maine winter!!! That will probably keep other crows away from the crops, for a while.
I picked it up, expecting to see some stock or metal damage, but the old linoleum kept it from being scratched.
Still, after checking the scope and mounts, I decided to check the zero at 50 yards, since I knew where that should be. It was off about an inch horizontally, so it was adjusted and shot a couple in the same hole, 5/8" above POA.
A couple of days later, a crow was feeding on the close-cropped blueberry field, about 100 yards out, and was not close to being in line with my son's house. I got the rifle, grabbed a loaded magazine that had factory Rem UMC FMJs in it, but I'd pulled them all and replaced them with 55 grain Sierra SP BTs.
Sneaking out of the house, I noted the 15 mph +/- wind on a narrow angle, standing, I braced my left hand on the corner of the house and with the Leupold on 9X, placed the fine wires about an inch low of center and held a half-inch left for the wind.
When everything looked perfect, I squeezed off the shot and heard the bang, then, a loud POP as the bullet found it's mark! Feathers were everywhere and blowing around in the wind! I never heard a louder POP at a bullet strike.
After putting things away, I went out to remove the carcass and found three pieces, a small bunch of chest feathers and skin, about 10 yards away, and a wing about 5 yards in the other direction. The main carcass showed extreme damage, with little but skin holding things together. The rifle is certainly well sighted-in.
That's the way to celebrate seeing ground, after such a long Maine winter!!! That will probably keep other crows away from the crops, for a while.
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