I went back to the rod and gun club again today, with my H&R .22 single with iron sights, my scoped 10/22, and my Taurus PT-99, set up my target at approx. fox-distance
I had brought my Winchester Wildcat .22's, a box of Remington Yellow Jacket, and my last box of WWB 9mm
Since the Yellow Jacket rounds were marginal (are the bullets *supposed* to be loose in this round, I could almost pull them out by hand, very poor QC), I figured I'd start with the H&R single, that way if I get a squib, I can verify it by breaking the action open and sighting down the barrel
no squibs with the H&R, but the pattern was all over the place, I'm ashamed to say it, but I shot 3-4" groups with that rifle
I then popped 5 yellow jackets in the Ruger's rotary mag to see if they functioned, they did, the 5 shots fed through no problem, so I loaded up a full mag, and proceeded to try them in my tack-driving 10/22
3" "groups" shot placement all over the target, not a consistent shot in the bunch, and I was shooting from a bench
I switched to the Winchester Wildcats, no other changes, and my groups *immediately* tightened up to 1/4 to 1/8" groups, I could almost send rounds through the same hole
It's clear the Wildcats are *far* more accurate rounds than the yellow jackets, now that I have proven to myself that different ammo shoots differently in the same gun, it's entirely possible that the CCI Minimags I was using on the fox were not impacting the same POA as the Wildcats, it would explain all the poorly placed shots I took
I also tried my PT-99 on the target at fox distance, and was dissapointed in my shooting performance, as I only scored a couple center-mass hits, then again, the 9mm platform and the PT-99 are still new to me, so I just haven't fully adjusted to the gun yet, it would be improper and negligent for me to have used the Taurus in dispatching the fox, as I could not reliably place the bullet on target at fox-distance with the Taurus, I have a responsibility for every bullet that leaves the muzzle of the firearm in my hands, if I can't reliably and safely place that bullet on-target, then i have no right to fire at the target
with proper ammo, I have no problem accurately placing a .22LR round on target, the same cannot yet be said for my 9mm, however, in time, and with practice, I will be able to do so, but at the moment, the .22 and 12-gauge are the only firearms I can accurately place rounds on target with in an uncontrolled environment
at handgun target distances (7 yards or so), I am more than accurate with the PT-99, it's at extended ranges (extended to pistols, that is) that my accuracy needs improvement
while I was at the range, I was able to try a fellow shooter's 1911 chassis .45 ACP, a nice custom Kimber, and I was deadly accurate with that gun, 1/2" groups at 7 yards, the gun's owner could not believe I had never shot a .45 ACP before, he said I was a natural at it
that .45 was a sweet gun, and the recoil was definitely more manageable than my 9mm
that said, neither the 9mm, .40, 10mm, or 45 ACP would have worked with the horses, the combination of the loud bang and powerful shockwave from the muzzleblast would have definitely spooked the horses
however, I would have likely only needed to take one shot to put the fox down
as far as the poster suggesting the Mosin-Nagant, yes, I'd love to own one, but I'd hate to see the horses reaction to the sound, fireball, and shockwave from *that* monster, it'd probably make them collapse in fear, or break free of the fences in panic, and the fox would likely end up a fine red mist in the process....
perhaps tomorrow, or next week, I'll hit the range with a box of CCI MiniMags and Velocitors to sight them in, the MiniMags to see how bad they pattern, and the Velocitors to see if they're more accurate than the crappy Remington Yellowjackets
