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Favorite gun for woodchuck

O

oliver power

Member
The woodchuck post below had me thinking back. As a kid, I've shot more woodchuck with a .22 long rifle, than any other gun. In later years, the .22 mag became my favorite. The .22 mag being double everything of a .22 long rifle. Yet, still quiet as compared to a center fire rifle. I'm now thinking of a Crosman Maurder, in the .25 caliber. I know, it's not a .22, or .22 mag. But, from what I've read, it's quiet. Anyone here have experience with the Crosman Maurder in .25 caliber? I havn't hunted in over 20 years. It's more for target, and varmit control.
 
Well, a .22LR has accounted the most of them, but I really prefer my .223 single shot. Used it today as a matter of fact. RIP woodchuck. Both guns are far more accurate than they should be, much to the chagrin of the varmints.
 

I just cannot imagine any "Pellet Gun" being capable of taking Ground-Hogs reliably..

I, too have used my Mossburg .22 LR for many years, but the ranges seem to have increased and anything over 75-80 yds is pushing a .22 LR.

I have a Savage .17 cal HMR that is very good out to more than 150 yds if the wind is not bad..but I find results greatly improve if you sand the Tip to get a flat tip about 1/16" wide
improves results Greatly..( NO Runaways)..!!!

I also Love my .223 Target rifle for Ground-Hogs..I especially like my re-loads with a Full case of 3031 with a 40 gr Ballistic Tip bullet..the 40 gr Ballistic tip will not go through a Ground-Hog..(they never know what hit them)..!
At 200 yds, I Love to see the Ground-Hog starting to Flip, BEFORE the gun jumps..!!!
 

A GOOD Scope will cost more than the gun, anything less will NOT hold an accurate "Zero"..

Wallmart's Weaver scopes will NOT give you accuracy on any rifle that has any recoil to speak of..(they are probably ok on a .22LR)..
 

I've always used a 22, without a scope, but some places it is really tough to get within 100 yds so it is out of my range.
 
Browning SA .22 LR, German made, not the later models, with scope. For close up I use my Marlin 60 .22 LR with open sights.
 
Savage model 110 in a .243 with a 6-18x50 bushnell dusk to dawn banter scope, 55gr Winchester supreme ballistic tip shells leave the barrel around 4000fps, they fall to the ground before the gun cracks, pin hole going in but could steer a mack thru the hole coming out!
 
I like the Ruger 77/22 or Kimber 82 .22 mag. and for distance Kimber 84 223 cal.. Open sites don't work good with glasses so they are scoped in Burris scopes.
 
That's all I had one day, a Remington 700, when I saw one in the field about 200 yards away. When that 180 grain hollow hit it, it just vaporized. I set and watched for a minute, and another came out. Same thing, vaporized. Good gun, but a lot of gun for a woodchuck lol.

Ross
 
Last one got treated with the 30-06 cause I wanted to know for sure he was dead. That has to make it my favorite round for woodchucks. I have used 22lr but you have to be close or they run off before they die. I prefer to know they are dead.
 
Their is a gentleman in Baltic, Ohio by the name of Todd Kindler that specializes in ultra accurate, ultra long range, 17 and 20 caliber rifles and ammunition. He has a web sight called The Woodchuck Den that you can look up and find out a lot of information on it. I have known Todd for several years and a visit to his place will shock you. His trophy room is like a young Cabella's. He also publishes a magazine about this subject and a very interesting man to meet and know. Before I bought anything I would either go and see Todd or call him on the phone for some professional advice. Hope this helps. Tom
 
I have an 06 but to much rifle for this area and wood chucks. With the right ammo a good .22 mag is good out to 150 yards and at that you we have to know what's out behind that.
 
Remington 700 with scope in .270 or 12 gauge.

As I said below, I did nail one once with a .357 Magnum.
 
I have shot a good many of them and then turned them into Bar-B-Que which is in fact pretty good. I tend to use what ever gun is the one I can grab the fastest be it a 410 shot gun or a SKS or a 22 rifle or pistol
 
My woodchuck gun is a Thompson-Center Contender rifle in .17 Remington Fireball. It's not all that loud when you consider the 25 grain bullets are traveling around 3800 feet per second. That works out to about 16 times the muzzle energy of a .25 caliber air rifle. And due to greater section density, the 17 caliber bullets retain much more of their energy downrange than a pellet or .22 rimfire bullet.

You will find few factory rifles chambered in .17 Fireball; this excellent cartridge was a bit of a flop. My rifle has a custom barrel made by Match Grade Machine. Factory ammo is ludicrously expensive, which doesn't matter to me since I handload.
 
When I hit one of their holes unexpectedly while mowing hay Friday, it was very tractor related. Thought I had broken a front axle.
 
(quoted from post at 04:45:20 06/06/16) Unless you are shooting from your tractor seat I do not see how this topic is tractor related!
Click to expand...

Woodchucks, groundhogs, whatever you want to call them will burrow under your tractor shed and do considerable damage. I prefer a .410 myself.
 
Several other calibers that you don't see much of today but were good calibers are the 218 Bee and the 220 Swift.
 
I would say its related. About 12 years ago I fell into a woodchuck hole in our tractor- hay shed with a dirt floor. I stepped on a chuck hole that was covered with loose hay and went to my knee in it. Scraped my leg bad below knee and got a infection in it and ended up in hospital for 5 days with an IV drip and another 2 weeks at home to get it totally healed.
 
I also use a 223. I also hand load and use 3031 with 40 gn. VMAX bullets. Since I have been using that load I never had one take another step. Great cal.and a great load.

bob
 
If you can safely do so, just burn them out of the holes. It's a lot faster and safer than trying to shoot them. Once the hole is smuttied up they won't do back in it for a long time, they have a very sensitive sense of smell. Just my $.02.
 
Ok do some research the 220 swift was a legend with certain bullets. IN some events they shot the chucks head off at 400 yards!!!! 222, 223, 22 hornet 22-250, 250 and 22HP savage all very good in the old school guns. 30 06 308 270/280 and the mauser's all can be set up with lighter bullets!!!
 
The county drain runs along the South edge of our farm, almost exactly 100 yards from the house. The woodchucks love to have a top hole in the hay field and escape hole in the ditch, either side. Growing up, it was perfect to sniper them from the attic window- shooting down, virtually unseen, closest house down range almost a mile and off to the side.

Since then, we remodeled and that attic window is now in my daughter's bedroom, usually off-limits to DAD! And some citiot built a house on the cross road about a quarter mile, right in our backdrop. I have been shooting a few this year, 22LR, always very careful of activity in the house behind, and only taking shots not directly at it, of course. I still worry a lot. The elevation drop of 20 feet or so should keep most misses in the ground.

Would these ballistic tip rounds of the 17 or 22 MAG be that much safer? My younger son spent one morning re-sighting my old faithful Nylon 66 with Norinco scope, but I still struggle to hit the chucks consistently. I don't need to tie $1200 up on a varmint gun/scope package, either. suggestions?
 
Who cares if it is tractor related or not? Are you the self proclaimed internet Nazi or what? Better go squealing to the moderator.
 
Only owned one rifle for a good many years. A 30/06. Used the Speer 125 grain TNT bullet loaded to around 3600 fps. Seemed to discombobulate them quite well. Shot quite a few of them with various 150 grainers as well. Over the years it's been kinda as Old said, catch as catch can. Including something as ridiculous as .54 cal. round balls, and a model 94 in 38/55. Various pistols and shotguns. Jeff takes the cake, though. He has run them down and killed them with a pitchfork. That's right, he literally ran one down and killed it with a pitchfork. Those days are about 15 years behind him now.......................
 
Hah! An honest man. Ever notice how you plug one at just under 400 yards with no witnesses and miss them at 25 yards when there are 8 witnesses standing around? (Usually one of them is the new girlfriend you are trying to impress) (or the wife who ain't gonna let you forget it for the next 20 years) Lol!
 
I use an old rebuilt 22 pump Savage Model 1909 that I relined, a 22 Hornet, 218 Bee or 222/3 which ever I can get my hands on first.
 
They cause a lot of damage. Seen tractors with broken spindles form hitting a hole. I my younger days I was riding my 4 wheeler to the hay field to give dad a cold beverage and hit one of the holes and busted my nose good.
 
I have heard people eat them. I have eaten snapping turtle and found some of the meat to be quite good but I'm not sure I could bring myself to try eating what to me is a giant rat. I was raised mostly on beef, pork and chicken and would just as soon stick to them.
 
Did shoot some in Wy. one time or maybe should say shot at some, I done got old and shaky, I was covering a half a acre with the end of the gunbarrel, boys were getting some, there were shooting .243 and .270
 

.22 for point blank from the tractor .ofherwise .223 as that ammo is the cheapest and most available in North America.
 
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