Weapon Choices for Varmints

OKRattler said:
If I'm worried about ricochets I'm grabbing a .17HMR, for your application I'd probably get a Bear Creek Arsenal upper chambered for it. I can't recall a time that I've ever heard a .17 grain V-Max ricochet.

I don't think there's a varmint you'll run across that's running anywhere after a shot to the head with one of those.
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Crazy story, I did predator control in my wetlands. I would take out American Snapping turtle to stop them eating my baby ducklings in the spring. My wetlands is 60 feet below my house with a small wooded area in between. I shot a big turtle through the head with my HMR .17 I could not reach the turtle so I drove around to my pole barn next to my house to get a pitch fork. When I got there I noticed my gutter was dripping and a small hole in my gutter. Got the ladder and that .17 HMR bullet was laying in the bottom of my gutter. I went back and got the turtle out and there was a hole in both sides of his head. The bullet traveled 25 yards went through that turtles head. Deflected went 60’ up a hill and another 25 yards through a wooded area and hit my gutter. I could not believe it, I thought The Kennedy magic bullet was strange but this blew my mind! So never say never!!🤔
 
viper said:
Crazy story, I did predator control in my wetlands. I would take out American Snapping turtle to stop them eating my baby ducklings in the spring. My wetlands is 60 feet below my house with a small wooded area in between. I shot a big turtle through the head with my HMR .17 I could not reach the turtle so I drove around to my pole barn next to my house to get a pitch fork. When I got there I noticed my gutter was dripping and a small hole in my gutter. Got the ladder and that .17 HMR bullet was laying in the bottom of my gutter. I went back and got the turtle out and there was a hole in both sides of his head. The bullet traveled 25 yards went through that turtles head. Deflected went 60’ up a hill and another 25 yards through a wooded area and hit my gutter. I could not believe it, I thought The Kennedy magic bullet was strange but this blew my mind! So never say never!!🤔
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I used to shoot a lot of 45 ACP at an aluminum beer keg. It is all tore up. I have a metal garage that is behind where I stand, Damned if there is not a .45 hole in it! How I don't know but a straight hole not a keyhole. I'm the only one shooting and never shoot towards the house of course. If a ricochet would have hit me it would be pretty bad, plus I would feel really stupid!!!
 
No ricochets:
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K
 
bowhunter57 said:
@Klenchblaize
Details.... what am I looking at here? :unsure:
PCP? Caliber? Brand? Model? Cost?
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* Rifle: Daystate PCP Air Wolf MCT
* Calibre: .22 FAC* Rated 35ft/lbs. (*Note: I'm based in England UK where firearms ownership is overly controlled. You can own an air-rifle without a Firearms Certificate but it must have a power rating below 12ft/lb)
* Cost: Rifle Discontinued - 2026 Catalogue: Product Range - Daystate
* Scope: Vintage Zeiss 3-9 Variable 1" Tube
* Mounts & Rings: S&K One-Piece Rings and modified Bases to allow enough height for 10-shot pellet magazine
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Klenchblaize said:
* Rifle: Daystate PCP Air Wolf MCT
* Calibre: .22 FAC* Rated 35ft/lbs. (*Note: I'm based in England UK where firearms ownership is overly controlled. You can own an air-rifle without a Firearms Certificate but it must have a power rating below 12ft/lb)
* Cost: Rifle Discontinued - 2026 Catalogue: Product Range - Daystate
* Scope: Vintage Zeiss 3-9 Variable 1" Tube
* Mounts & Rings: S&K One-Piece Rings and modified Bases to allow enough height for 10-shot pellet magazine
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K
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Gorgeous rifle! I have an old huntsman put away somewhere. My only daystate in my 80 plus airgun collection
 
Klenchblaize said:
No ricochets:
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When i did a lot of shooting with my 22cal pcp i had bad ricochets unless i shot NSA slugs that were super soft and deformed enough to stop. Otherwise nothing “blew up”, just went through and kept going of whatever it hit. I never really noticed it until hunting a dead quiet timber with frozen ground for squirrels, could hear the slug hit a tree then the ground, or a tree then another tree.. or a squirrel head then the ground way to the side.

Only time it didnt was if i shot them head on and the slug would go in the head and get stuck in neck or front shoulder. Pellets were really bad, hard jsb would go everywhere like a pinball machine.
 
BBK said:
When i did a lot of shooting with my 22cal pcp i had bad ricochets unless i shot NSA slugs that were super soft and deformed enough to stop. Otherwise nothing “blew up”, just went through and kept going of whatever it hit. I never really noticed it until hunting a dead quiet timber with frozen ground for squirrels, could hear the slug hit a tree then the ground, or a tree then another tree.. or a squirrel head then the ground way to the side.

Only time it didnt was if i shot them head on and the slug would go in the head and get stuck in neck or front shoulder. Pellets were really bad, hard jsb would go everywhere like a pinball machine.
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Pellets ricochet all over the woods when everything is frozen!
 
As much as I love this new Bergara BMR 22 Mag, the magazines are certainly a huge disappointment. :mad: Both the 5 and 10 round magazines have a tendency to not feed properly. I've been doing some searches, looking for a replacement magazine, that doesn't come from Bergara and I'm not having any success. :rolleyes:
I don't have a problem with the mags being plastic, if they would feed properly. I can't seem to find any burrs inside them to file off, so I don't understand where it's hanging up. I've already polished down all the plastic mold lines, but it didn't seem to help.

I've got less than a box of ammo thru this rifle and I'm already on the fence about selling it, due to this magazine feeding issue. :unsure:
I'm going to put in some serious time trying to get this magazine issue resolved, but if it doesn't get resolved to my satisfaction, I may be looking for another rifle....and it won't be a Bergara. đźš«
 
popper43 said:
Cycle real slow and look for the hangup. Sometimes the lips are too long/wide. Sometimes it's the follower spring force.
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When I get a failure to feed, the next cartridge is sitting just below the lips of the magazine. Enough so that it can't be picked up by the bolt. :rolleyes:

I disassembled both magazines, looking for a plastic mold line burr and found a few. So, I used a very small fine file, to buff them off flush. It's like the loading follower is snagging on the sidewalls of the magazine itself....and it's in both magazines. :unsure:

I would love to just replace the plastic magazines with metal ones, but the don't exist.
 
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