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400 to 1000 yard

Assuming the cartridge is capable at the distance you are shooting, long range in my opinion is very much about optics, and stability. If you shoot F-class, it becomes obvious pretty quickly just what can be done at 1000 yards under ideal conditions on a surveyed range. Out in the field, it becomes much more tricky to accurately range a small critter and put x number of shots down range to generate a single hit on target. If you are lucky, the critter you are ranging will stay still for long enough to allow you to generate a shooting solution, but wind, bullet drop, your ability to make the shot, usually lead to many shots being misses for every one you will hit at truly long range. That being said, when I want to make hits at 1k with as few misses as possible, I like to use either my .260 AI or 7 RSAUM, heavy bullet, and a Nighforce competition 12-42 x 56 NP-2DD target reticle, Front rest, rear bag.
I agree with your choice of calibers. My 260 Ackley is my primary LOONG range stick shoooting the 140 Hybrid. My NF with Tremore makes shots what would be very diffi8cult with less. For longer distances I use the Barr & Stroud Optical rangefinder with 14 power eyepiece.7 and 6 power lasers are not sufficient for little critters at distance.
 
I agree with your choice of calibers. My 260 Ackley is my primary LOONG range stick shoooting the 140 Hybrid. My NF with Tremore makes shots what would be very diffi8cult with less. For longer distances I use the Barr & Stroud Optical rangefinder with 14 power eyepiece.7 and 6 power lasers are not sufficient for little critters at distance.
Yep, capable range finders and field optics are the name of the game. I first experienced the Horus reticle several years ago while testing an optics setup on top of a 7 RSAUM with a Military electronics contractor that was mating the reticle to a palm pilot app, and I believe at the time this was a first. My job was to start with zero knowledge of the system and see how far I could get in the shortest period of time to some level of competence. My first look at the reticle took place that day on the range and I was a bit shocked to say the least at how complicated the reticle first appeared. Once I started working it, with my spotters giving me the dope, it didn't take long to realize this was a game changer.
 
i have read that there are a group of groundhog hunters that ahoot to these distances.some use magnums and some use standard and wildcat cartriges.to any one out ther that does this shooting could you descibe your rifle and what you shoot,

I've shot a ton of groundhogs between 600-1,000yds in central PA. I used a lot of different rifles, but my favorite (and most accurate) rifle was a 22-243AI shooting a 75gr A-Max moly bullet at 3,670 ft/sec. It was, without a doubt, the quickest killer of groundhogs of anything I shot, regardless of distance. I was using a Leupold 6.5-25 LR scope back then.

My all-time best group with that rifle was a confirmed .625" group fired at 600yds. But never to be repeated. LOL

23 Groundhogs.jpg
 
Hey Charlie did you freeze some of them and thaw 'em out just for the pic?

Ahahahaha - Nope. The farm took part in a 10 year conservation program which prohibited farming the land and required letting it grow wild. The govt paid the farmer to "not farm" his land. It was designed to reduce excess fertilizer from eventually reaching marine estuaries, I think in the Chesapeake Bay IIRC. The property was also then used by Pheasants Forever for releasing birds caught in the Dakotas. The birds could easily survive under the now heavy grasses/brush.

The farmer was permitted to mow down 20% of the property every year, on a rotational basis, to prevent extreme overgrowth. I showed up a couple of days after a big cut and found holes filled with chucks that had been unmolested for years. They were all mature animals. I took 23 on that day.
 
Wow pretty good sir!
That was probably the most productive day out I've ever had. Over the last 10 years I've witnessed a progressive decline in the number of groundhogs on all the farms that I had access to. It's not realistic to believe that they were overhunted because there is plenty of protected areas around the fields. Even though I hunted almost every week, I spread the pressure out over many large farms. Rarely did I ever see anyone else hunting the same properties.

The locals all have opinions as to why there has been such a reduction in groundhogs; ie: coyotes, weather, disease, etc but I just don't know. For me, continual development of property and reduced farm size and availability has really killed the sport that I loved so much.

Why is it that things always seemed to better in the past? Don't things ever get better?
 
Man the gazillion dollar question huh? You know Im just gonna have as much fun as i can in retirement until they find a way to put an end to fun--prairie dogs, coyotes, carp and airgunning rats in the PI oughtta' keep me busy I hope.
 
650 yds was as far as i have ever shot ground hogs killed two at that distance with 222 rem mag . shooting 52 gr matchkings built on a howa 1500 with douglas barrel .
 
That was probably the most productive day out I've ever had. Over the last 10 years I've witnessed a progressive decline in the number of groundhogs on all the farms that I had access to. It's not realistic to believe that they were overhunted because there is plenty of protected areas around the fields. Even though I hunted almost every week, I spread the pressure out over many large farms. Rarely did I ever see anyone else hunting the same properties.

The locals all have opinions as to why there has been such a reduction in groundhogs; ie: coyotes, weather, disease, etc but I just don't know. For me, continual development of property and reduced farm size and availability has really killed the sport that I loved so much.

Why is it that things always seemed to better in the past? Don't things ever get better?
pm to you
 
I agree with your choice of calibers. My 260 Ackley is my primary LOONG range stick shoooting the 140 Hybrid. My NF with Tremore makes shots what would be very diffi8cult with less. For longer distances I use the Barr & Stroud Optical rangefinder with 14 power eyepiece.7 and 6 power lasers are not sufficient for little critters at distance.
My Sig works fine on ground hogs. I most times range the sandy den with very good range accuracy. Sometimes it can be difficult but most times it's a very effective method. Definitely cannot hit the Hog beyond certain ranges.
 
Everyone has an acceptable threshold for humanely dispatching quarry, and I have the utmost respect for a limit as high as 450 ft-lbs on groundhogs. But dang, that rules out many classic self-defense handgun rounds from point blank range.
 
Everyone has an acceptable threshold for humanely dispatching quarry, and I have the utmost respect for a limit as high as 450 ft-lbs on groundhogs. But dang, that rules out many classic self-defense handgun rounds from point blank range.
Well placed head shots on ground hogs with the .22 RF kills instantly. No crawling in the den and very little flopping after the impact. Use to use it when I started shooting them down in VA. We had some super accurate .22s that kept very small holes ( 1.5") on paper at 100 yards for a 22 rim fire. Today I prefer the longer shooting with larger case .224 rifles or deer rifles where detection by the ground hog is nearly impossible.
 
Back when I was quite young (translated; dumb), a perfect 12 yard head shot on a 13lb groundhog with a RWS 54 .177 air rifle produced an instantaneous, clean kill. I would never try it again.
 
I've shot a ton of groundhogs between 600-1,000yds in central PA. I used a lot of different rifles, but my favorite (and most accurate) rifle was a 22-243AI shooting a 75gr A-Max moly bullet at 3,670 ft/sec. It was, without a doubt, the quickest killer of groundhogs of anything I shot, regardless of distance. I was using a Leupold 6.5-25 LR scope back then.

My all-time best group with that rifle was a confirmed .625" group fired at 600yds. But never to be repeated. LOL

View attachment 1329184
I considered building a rifle in that caliber, it just made sense to me. Just my opinion but it puts that 75 grain in the right velocity.
 
I considered building a rifle in that caliber, it just made sense to me. Just my opinion but it puts that 75 grain in the right velocity.
It would make a wicked whitetail/antelope cartridge too, but my rifle was too heavy for that use. I built a full BR rifle in 6.5x284 to extend my range on groundhogs a bit farther but the 6.5x284 never shot as good as the 22-243AI.
 
It would make a wicked whitetail/antelope cartridge too, but my rifle was too heavy for that use. I built a full BR rifle in 6.5x284 to extend my range on groundhogs a bit farther but the 6.5x284 never shot as good as the 22-243AI.
I'm running a 6MM Remington with 75 grain VMAX Moly at 3,900 FPS. I rarely get shots at chucks past 600. The terraced fields made huge changes in my old stomping grounds. The eddy currents in the wind, you power through or bounce around. My 223 is a fine out to 350 or 400 in low winds but outside of that it's a non-starter. My 6mm is great in moderate wind out to 500 but needs the wind to slow down at 600.

I have another 6 that's cut for heavier projectiles that shoots well but I'm of the the opinion that my next build be it another 6mm or a 22 needs to push velocities between 3,600 FPS and 3,900 FPS. That certainly means some over bore design.
 
my next build be it another 6mm or a 22 needs to push velocities between 3,600 FPS and 3,900 FPS. That certainly means some over bore design.
The E-Z button would be a straight forward 22-243 in a fast twist tube. When I was shooting a non-AI version, I simply ran Lapua 243 cases into a FL 22-243 die and went shooting. But, you won't get to 3,600+ with a heavy bullet. IIRC, I was getting around 3,400 ft/sec with a Berger 80gr bullet in my 22-243 (plain).

I might add that I had surprisingly good barrel life with my 22-243AI. I put 1,000 rounds through the barrel before it was set back and rechambered to 22-243 (plain). It shot almost as good as new again.
 
The E-Z button would be a straight forward 22-243 in a fast twist tube. When I was shooting a non-AI version, I simply ran Lapua 243 cases into a FL 22-243 die and went shooting. But, you won't get to 3,600+ with a heavy bullet. IIRC, I was getting around 3,400 ft/sec with a Berger 80gr bullet in my 22-243 (plain).

I might add that I had surprisingly good barrel life with my 22-243AI. I put 1,000 rounds through the barrel before it was set back and rechambered to 22-243 (plain). It shot almost as good as new again.
When you go the velocity/high pressure route changing barrels is just a fact that you live with. My varmint guns being used for chucks last years but the round counts aren't high.

Since they terraced the fields on some days it's like skipping rocks across the pond. It's easier to see at shorter ranges and the 223 with a bit of a gust across a terrace you'll see one go wild against the general read of the wind.
 

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