A farmer friend called me a week ago & ask for some help, he told me he was over run with Rock Chucks again. Several years back I shot 199 chucks on his place, all with handguns. Most were taken with single shot handguns but I took quite a few with various revolvers. My best day back then was 41.
Today I had a G2 Contender with a 12" 221 Fireball barrel & a 2X7 Burris scope & my 8 shot 327 Blackhawk using 135 gr. Ferminator HP's with 13 grs. of H110. I prefer to use just revolvers but Rock Chucks have eyes like a Pronghorn Antelope & you just can't close the gap on most of them, so many of the shots are well beyond 100 yds & quite a few are well over 200 yds. I've taken them out as far as 500+ with various TC Encore single shots.
As soon as I approached the first lava reef I saw 4 Rock Chucks run, I quickly turned my 4 wheeler side ways & set up my portable shooting bench which is a piece of counter top set across the back of my 4 wheeler with my sand bags on top & a folding stool for a chair. Within 3-4 minutes the first Chuck peeked up over some lava & I send him to that giant barley field in the sky. Then another & another. Within 10 minutes I had 5 Chucks with the Fireball using 40 gr. Vmax's & 16.8 grs. of 4227. I had only shot this load at 50 yds but it was a doozy, most times staying under .2" for 3 shots, just one ragged hole.
After 30 minutes I looked to my right & there was a Chuck standing on a lava rock, partially hidden by some sagebrush, he was closer so I decided to try him with the 327. Its really hard to turn to the right when you're sitting on a stool, your back & rib muscles won't allow a right handed shooter to keep a steady sight picture & those of you who have seen me know I'm really muscled up, at least that's what I call it, my wife says its FAT!
Anyway, I missed him twice so I turned slowly so I'm facing him & get a good sight picture with my left eye (shooting right handed) & that Ferminator HP hits him dead center in the big middle & he pin wheels off the rock with a lovely sound drifting back to me that says "dead". This one I had to range because it was a pretty tough shot, I ranged the rock at 61 yds & I couldn't have hit him any better. A few minutes later I smoke another one with the 327, a real sneaky one that keeps playing peek a boo at about 30 yds. He finally peeked & I said boo & nailed him just under the head lights (eyes).
By then it was starting to get late & I could tell the FB was off just a little but without a spotter I couldn't tell just how much. I drove over where the farmer said he was seeing the most Chucks & I just about croaked, I spotted 38 Chucks in one small patch of barley, they were everywhere! I called one of my boys & told him to get some ammo loaded, it was on! I'll get zeroed nice & tight monday & then tuesday we will help this farmer save a whole lot of barley because he's got a problem just like he had a few years ago, tuesday we'll fix it. I ended up with 15 Chucks, 2 with the 327 & 13 with the 221 FB. The Ferminator bullet & the 327 go together like pie & ice cream but Rock Chucks hate it. If I had to venture a guess I'd say I spotted about 70-75 Rock Chucks in about 2 hours hunting, I'm pumped!
Dick
