204Ruger

This thread is devoted to the .22 Caliber and all it's variants.

Okay then, .22 caliber it is in hopes of getting this forum up and running again.

The weather guessers predict that next week will be warm and sunny here. So as I've been patiently waiting for these Pacific storms to roll through east (sorry for those affected), it appears it's time to head out for some rockchucks locally.

The chosen area is a small local ranch I shoot on every spring that requests my services to rid them of a few chucks that dig their dens around horses and cattle....no bueno. The chucks love the large, ancient rock piles to den in too that can be as old as 100 years when the land was originally cleared. Shots are all under 300 yards, so the 221 "Furball" is about perfect for this task. I'm shooting the 40gr Nosler Varmageddon over RL-7 for just over 3,100 fps. Typical scope for all my rat rifles is a Leupold VX3 LR 6.5-20X with VHR and the M1 elevation turret....I'm a "dialer".



When I'm hesitant to use any of my rifles with nice wood around our nasty lava rock, my Cooper M38 Phoenix in 221FB with her synthetic stock makes more sense. The large rockchucks can actually move large lava boulders around to shield them from predators (and me) and make themselves almost invisible at the top of large rock piles where they like to sun themselves. Sneaky little rodents.

A couple from last year with my Furball:



Upon flipping them over, the full damage of the 40gr Varmageddon's shows it's nothing to sneeze at if you're a rockchuck:



With houses in the area not too far away, the landowner appreciates the low noise level of both the 221FB and 20VT, and has asked me if I fired a shot. When I tell them I fired six or so, they say they didn't even hear the report. Perfect! Using the right tool for the job pays off once again.

I'm sure others here are hitting the rats and chucks too, so don't be bashful, post up some adventures in the field with that .22 CF rifle. We know you've got a rifle and a camera (or phone), so let's see what you're all doing with them. It's finally springtime!

That's some real beautiful country where you hunt. I like the nickname 221 "Furball". Seems fitting.

skipper wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 8:39 am That's some real beautiful country where you hunt. I like the nickname 221 "Furball". Seems fitting.

Thanks Skipper, that's the reason I live here, not to mention all the public land we have to roam about on (36.6 million acres).

The pic above shows my rockchuck area right at home, the pic below shows the boundry of our sage rat area that's bordered by the Steens Mtns, just over 9,700' high in eastern OR. Great hunting there, mule deer, Rocky Mtn elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and all the lesser critters one would expect in such an area.



The best part.....very remote, rugged, very few people (the best attribute), just plenty of room to hunt, fish and just roam about.

Another pic taken while out for Skippy and his pals. More snow-capped peaks to the east, sagebrush and junipers down lower where all the squirrels live (and eat), and where we have our Rat Rodeo's. The most fun you can have with a rifle!



At present, my 'Furball' is cased and ready to head out this week for some rockchuck walkabout fun. We'll see how that goes....

I'm looking forward to your report. Can hardly wait. Have a blast

skipper wrote: ↑Sun May 18, 2025 6:42 pm I'm looking forward to your report. Can hardly wait. Have a blast

Okay, since you asked....here's the field report....

I went to the same small ranch as I do every year, being careful to not shoot out the entire population. That was not a problem yesterday, as like a putz, I waited too long this year to get out there, and now the pasture grass is too long for decent prone shooting off a bipod. I thought about a shooting tripod, but if you're standing upright, the chucks bail, but are tolerant of a human prone if you're not closer than 100 yards and wearing desert camo. As such, I had to pass up at least three shots on large adult chucks because there was not clear shot opportunity through the grass.

The eastern slope of the Cascade Mtns as seen from my shooting position at the ranch (I know, almost the same pic, but it's just plain beautiful and inspiring just to be out there) It was a perfect day to take my Cooper Phoenix 221 "Furball' out for a stroll:



It was hard to find a shooting position that was not obscured by the high grass, I found a slight rise in the ground that had just enough room in the grass to poke out a rifle barrel in the direction of one of the rock piles that always has chucks about. It was heavily shaded, so hard to see inside the canopy as a result.



I saw an orange color head above one of the rocks, knew it was a chuck, so settled in for the shot after ranging. It was a fairly close shot, only just under 150 yards. Upon walking over to inspect, I was bummed to see the chuck was a small pup that I would never have shot had I known he was so small. The Nosler 40gr Varmageddon really ripped the little guy up:



In a corner of the property, there's a large lava rock pile that has always been home to a rockchuck clan. This time was no different, as I spied a large adult half exposed sitting on a high rock. My camo must have worked, as he allowed me to get into prone, deploy the bipod and get off a shot at 188 yards. I could hear the loud "thunk" at impact, saw him flip off his rock, and when I walked over I saw he had slipped down among the large boulders:



He turned out to be a large male, fresh from spring breeding. I hope he's the dad of a large brood in that chuck condo:





While glassing for chucks, I spied a large ground squirrel standing upright. It was only about 150 yards, so no need to dial the elevation, and as no chucks were visible at the time, he got on the hit-list right away. At that range being hit with the 40gr bullet at 3,100 fps, he demonstrated some impressive rat-o-batics prior to landing:



With the pasture grass inhibiting quality shooting, I headed for home, leaving a good stock of adults for next year. The road home goes past a large chuck population on HS property, so no shooting of course. I consider this my 'chuck barometer', as if these guys are out, chances are all the local places will have chucks out sunning themselves too...convenient to say the least.

I usually just park and 'shoot' out the window on a window bag using my Nikon DSLR with a 300mm zoom mounted to get shots of these protected varmints, as one can never, ever get this close to them in the wild. This guy has been around for a few years now and bailed when I parked, then poked his head out to see if the intruder (me) had left yet:



A few yards away, his neighbor got interested in me too. This would have been a great shot if legal for a perfect head shot over the rock:



Now that the alfalfa crops that are home to the countless ground squirrels we have here are getting too long to see the critters, so the rockchucks fill the void. But next year I won't make the mistake of waiting so long to get out after them and having long grass inhibit any quality prone shooting. This particular ranch being small with neighbors about, shooting a 204 would not ever get me invited back, so either my 20VT or 221 Furball are perfect for this place. When I got back to my truck, the landowner asked me if I had taken a shot, the Furball is so 'quiet', he had not heard any of my shots....perfect.

A few years ago at this ranch, I had my Cooper M38 20VT shooting the Nosler 32gr BT over RL-7 using my home-crafted 'varmint stake'. It was a good day. It may be time to take her along next time. Both it and my Cooper 'Furball' seem ideal for this particular ranch:



The "Varmint Stake":



I don't shoot much paper, as most of my rifle time is in the field shooting hair. This is the typical performance my Cooper Furball is capable of:



So that's my field report....here's hoping others will chime in on what they're doing this springtime with their rifles. And for those interested, rifle and load data:

Rifle: Cooper M38 Phoenix 221 'Furball', 12T w/Jard 10oz trigger
Leupold VX3 LR 6.5-20X 40mm VHR w/M1 Elevation
Load: 40gr Nosler Varmageddon, 20.0grs A2200, Rem 7-1/2, Nosler Case @ 3,125 fps

Thanks, Rick. Looks like you had a fun time, even though you were denied the prone position you prefer. Your reports are always so inspiring and filled with pictures. Next year those chucks are in big trouble!

skipper wrote: ↑Fri May 23, 2025 11:01 am Thanks, Rick. Looks like you had a fun time, even though you were denied the prone position you prefer. Your reports are always so inspiring and filled with pictures.

Thanks Skipper. But I was not denied the prone position, far from it as it's the only viable position when hunting this ranch. Being into 'geezerhood' now, I can get to prone, just slower getting there, and even slower gettin' up. Then I must be mindful of not laying behind my rifle to long, or the next day I've got a very stiff neck.

In retrospect, being the putz I am, I should have taken my varmint stake and shot from sitting. A bit too late now though.



Next time though, this little device will be in my truck just in case the grass is too long once again. A guy can think it up, build it, but you must take it with you. Lesson learned......again.

Soon to be finished up a 96 Swede Mauser chambered in 22ppc .244 neck. Since picture stock is now hand rubbed and drying then bedding to follow.

What wood is that? Nice.

Well just to add some info to this thread, I have been playing my 22 PPC barreled savage and the old Howa 22-250 the last few weeks, getting ready for some chucks and always ready to call in coyotes in the sage and rimrock areas.
Chucks will be on the list come around May-26 or so, but coyotes are always good year round somewhere in my areas. These two are about the only 22 calibers I am shooting at the moment.

Forgot to mention, that along with Rick's comments of prone and getting up and down. I also am slow in doing that method anymore at 87. So I use my Primos 3 leg adjustable tri-pod, which Varmint Shooter got me turned onto. SItting and standing positions are pretty fast and easy to use with this method and much easier for me now days. Also acts and a walking stick in between moving from place to place. Works well for me.