It was so nice today that I decided to go shoot some ground squirrels!!!

Here's the killing field. Well one of them. Most of my shots were from 100-200 yards with a few out to close to 300.



I only took two rifles, the 788 in .222 and the "new" 788 in .223. Total rounds for the day were in the neighborhood of 250-275, total kills, probably close to 225. The wind was really starting to howl about 15:00 so shots beyond 100 yards were nearly impossible. I'm really starting to like the Simmons Whitetail 6.5-20X50 mil dot scope on the "new" 788. I see Midway has them on sale again for $124 US. I wish I had the money, I'd get a couple more.

 The quarry, Richardson's ground squirrels (holeous diggous pastureous ruinous) were out in force, as were the redtail hawks. This picture isn't very good, but you can kinda tell what it's supposed to be. He was eating one of "gophers" I'd shot about 5 minutes before. He was about 150 yards out and didn't pay me the least bit of attention as I continued to shoot.



It was pretty cool to watch him dine. I didn't figure hawks ate "already dead things", but maybe he saw it die and new it was fresh. There was another hawk treating himself to one of my fresh kills, but he was too far away to even see in the view finder.

Here's a short video of me making "hawk lunch" at about 50 yards. Yeah, too close I know but I tried to get a farther shot "on film" but you couldn't really see the "gopher" or the impact.



Not the most dramatic flip of the day, but the 40 grain Vmax's do a good job of making hamburger.

I've been using 40 grain Nolsers in the "new" 788 in .223, mostly to help tell them apart from the other.223's. They don't seem to be as "explosive" as the Vmax's and I can't tell difference as far as accuracy goes.

I was going to post a picture of a dead gopher, but I was having to hard a time getting the blood cleaned up and the tongue shoved back in it's mouth. Come to think of it I was having a hard time finding all the pieces!

It was really a good day of therapy.

RJ

Nice one RJ.
 
We are enjoying a period of sensational still, clear fine autumn weather here at the moment, and it has been some time since I have been down to the rabbit patch. Your post is making my thoughts ramble from work. I am sure one of my work colleagues will ask why I am sitting at my desk, vacant dreamy smile on my face, left eye squinting and right index finger slightly curled.
 
I load the 40gn V-maxes for my Anschutz .222, and they shoot very well. I have tried both the 40gn V-max and the 40gn Sierra in my Sako .222, with as yet no discernable difference in accuracy. Both shoot 0.5-0.75" groups at 100m. I think I might load the Sierras in ethe Sako for the same reason you load the Noslers - to tell the loads apart.
 
Marcus