Trey Veston
Member
Got the itch to do some ground squirrel hunting in Idaho this Spring. Went hiking a couple of years ago and stumbled upon the Shangri-La of ground squirrel communities. Probably a square mile of burrows and squirrels chirping constantly. The massive clear cut is hidden from the nearest road and pretty deep in the woods...
The problem is that I haven't hunted ground squirrels in over three decades and don't have a rifle set up for it.
I figured I'd just use a .22 LR and keep shots at 150 yds or less. I have two .22 LR rifles. Neither have been rung out for accuracy.
The first is a Ruger 10/22 Copper Mica Edition. Came with a generic 3x9 scope on it and when I tried to sight it in last year, discovered the scope was defective. Mounted a Bushnell Banner 3x9 on it and haven't sighted it in yet. No idea how accurate it is, but the trigger is heavy and gritty. Looked it over and saw that the stock was touching the barrel, so took it apart and filed the stock down so that it is free-floating. Hopefully that helps.
The other rifle, and the object of the thread, is a beautiful Uberti Silver Boy 1873-patterned .22 LR lever action. It is a beautiful little .22 with a crisp trigger of 2.75 lbs.
I bought it a few years ago and also bought a Weaver-style rail for it to mount a scope. I mounted a 3x9 on it and never sighted it in. It was so ugly and out of place, that I removed the scope and rail immediately. Had to watch a John Wayne movie while sipping whiskey to drive the demons away.
But... I think it will be a pretty accurate rifle if I can find some optics to test it out. So tonight, I scrounged around my gun room/lab and found the scope rail for it. Then I looked for mounts and the highest power scope that would fit it. Found my old coyote hunting scope; a 4x12 44mm Simmons scope from the 90's, still covered in a camo job matching the AR it was on decades ago.
Everything fit perfectly, but the result is so hideous, and so blasphemous, that I will have to watch every Clint Eastwood Western ever made whiletaking shots of whiskey and puffing a cigar in order to cleanse my home and my soul of the foul ugliness that I have created...
The irony of a perfectly camouflaged scope on a bright and shiny chrome firearm does not escape me.
But, does it shoot? No idea. Hopefully going to find out later today if the wind cooperates. I have 3-4 different flavors of .22 ammo to try, but hoping it prefers the CCI Mini-Mags since I have the most of that.
Waiting for the snow to melt and the squirrels to emerge in the next three or four weeks before visiting my secret spot.
If you were a betting man (or woman) which rifle do you think will be more accurate; the Ruger 10/22 or the Uberti Silver Boy?
The problem is that I haven't hunted ground squirrels in over three decades and don't have a rifle set up for it.
I figured I'd just use a .22 LR and keep shots at 150 yds or less. I have two .22 LR rifles. Neither have been rung out for accuracy.
The first is a Ruger 10/22 Copper Mica Edition. Came with a generic 3x9 scope on it and when I tried to sight it in last year, discovered the scope was defective. Mounted a Bushnell Banner 3x9 on it and haven't sighted it in yet. No idea how accurate it is, but the trigger is heavy and gritty. Looked it over and saw that the stock was touching the barrel, so took it apart and filed the stock down so that it is free-floating. Hopefully that helps.
The other rifle, and the object of the thread, is a beautiful Uberti Silver Boy 1873-patterned .22 LR lever action. It is a beautiful little .22 with a crisp trigger of 2.75 lbs.
I bought it a few years ago and also bought a Weaver-style rail for it to mount a scope. I mounted a 3x9 on it and never sighted it in. It was so ugly and out of place, that I removed the scope and rail immediately. Had to watch a John Wayne movie while sipping whiskey to drive the demons away.
But... I think it will be a pretty accurate rifle if I can find some optics to test it out. So tonight, I scrounged around my gun room/lab and found the scope rail for it. Then I looked for mounts and the highest power scope that would fit it. Found my old coyote hunting scope; a 4x12 44mm Simmons scope from the 90's, still covered in a camo job matching the AR it was on decades ago.
Everything fit perfectly, but the result is so hideous, and so blasphemous, that I will have to watch every Clint Eastwood Western ever made whiletaking shots of whiskey and puffing a cigar in order to cleanse my home and my soul of the foul ugliness that I have created...
The irony of a perfectly camouflaged scope on a bright and shiny chrome firearm does not escape me.
But, does it shoot? No idea. Hopefully going to find out later today if the wind cooperates. I have 3-4 different flavors of .22 ammo to try, but hoping it prefers the CCI Mini-Mags since I have the most of that.
Waiting for the snow to melt and the squirrels to emerge in the next three or four weeks before visiting my secret spot.
If you were a betting man (or woman) which rifle do you think will be more accurate; the Ruger 10/22 or the Uberti Silver Boy?
