Rick in Oregon
Gold $$ Contributor
As the season is just getting started here in Oregon, the rats are out in full force already. In another month or so, the young ones will be out too, and that really gets the season going big-time. 
As the rats are plentiful and stupid, I only took my Cooper 20VT and 221FB along on this trip, as with all the rats you could possibly shoot inside 400 yards, not much need for the added firepower/range of my 204's this trip. These two little rounds don't eat much powder, and still give performance all out of proportion to their size.
A look downrange over my bench and Cooper M38 Phoenix in 221FB:
Hard at it with my 20VT, or "Scooter" as she's called, having my way with Skippy. I was shooting rats all along the fenceline at the far end of the field in the pic, right at 260 yards....no problem for the 20VT's 32 gr SBK at 3,700 fps:
My 20VT shoots about every poly-tipped 32gr bullet well, but the smallest groups I've every shot with any rifle has been with this one shooting the Sierra 32gr BK over RL-7 in Lapua neck-turned and annealed cases. This is a bunch of that load all ready for fireforming on the rats in Brad's (CRT) excellent Bench Tray: (If you like quality equipment that performs as advertised and looks better than it has to, then his line of handloading accessories is for you.)
Skippy's second worst nightmare....."Scooter", my Cooper 20VT on the bags between strings. (The nightmare of the First Order is one of my 204's....talk about air-time!
)
Here he is in person, lurking just behind his mound at 225 yards, waiting to see what happens next: (taken with a Nikon 300mm lens)
If you would like to see just exactly what did happen next, check out the short video here titled "Skippy Earns His Wings".....
My friend Steve from South Africa with his Savage 17HMR having his way with the rodents. His grin says it all:
Steve is ex-South Africa military and former LE and really knows his way around a rifle. The rats that day were duly impressed.
Here's the obligatory pic of Skipppy after his first flying lesson courtesy of the 32gr SBK out of my 20VT. It appears he won't be home for dinner. LOL
Now it's back to the loading bench to crank out more ammo for another upcoming trip to the ranch to save some more alfalfa from the voracious munchers. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, right?
As the rats are plentiful and stupid, I only took my Cooper 20VT and 221FB along on this trip, as with all the rats you could possibly shoot inside 400 yards, not much need for the added firepower/range of my 204's this trip. These two little rounds don't eat much powder, and still give performance all out of proportion to their size.
A look downrange over my bench and Cooper M38 Phoenix in 221FB:
Hard at it with my 20VT, or "Scooter" as she's called, having my way with Skippy. I was shooting rats all along the fenceline at the far end of the field in the pic, right at 260 yards....no problem for the 20VT's 32 gr SBK at 3,700 fps:
My 20VT shoots about every poly-tipped 32gr bullet well, but the smallest groups I've every shot with any rifle has been with this one shooting the Sierra 32gr BK over RL-7 in Lapua neck-turned and annealed cases. This is a bunch of that load all ready for fireforming on the rats in Brad's (CRT) excellent Bench Tray: (If you like quality equipment that performs as advertised and looks better than it has to, then his line of handloading accessories is for you.)
Skippy's second worst nightmare....."Scooter", my Cooper 20VT on the bags between strings. (The nightmare of the First Order is one of my 204's....talk about air-time!
)
Here he is in person, lurking just behind his mound at 225 yards, waiting to see what happens next: (taken with a Nikon 300mm lens)
If you would like to see just exactly what did happen next, check out the short video here titled "Skippy Earns His Wings".....
My friend Steve from South Africa with his Savage 17HMR having his way with the rodents. His grin says it all:
Steve is ex-South Africa military and former LE and really knows his way around a rifle. The rats that day were duly impressed.
Here's the obligatory pic of Skipppy after his first flying lesson courtesy of the 32gr SBK out of my 20VT. It appears he won't be home for dinner. LOL
Now it's back to the loading bench to crank out more ammo for another upcoming trip to the ranch to save some more alfalfa from the voracious munchers. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, right?
