GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Hunting Gate => : gamo2hammerli June 28, 2008, 05:16:25 PM
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A few days ago 2 of my friends and I went airgun shooting on a field outside the city. We randomly dropped about 20 soup cans all over the place......so we don't know the distance to each can...and started walking towards them and plinking them. After we're done with each can...we picked it up and tossed it into our knapsack. After about an hour of this...with some food and soda breaks.....we saw a flock of birds pecking on the ground as we were about to round the edge of a stand of trees. We looked through our scopes....and Yep...they were grackles. (http://../jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-tongue-out.gif) I had my range finder with me so I took a reading....65 meters...about 70 yards!!! I told one of my friends to shoot at the left side...and the 2nd friend to shoot at the middle, and I was going for the bird(s) on the right flank. That way we can see if any one of us can kill a grackle.... We turned the scope magnification to max....9X and at the count of three we all shot..... They both missed (Maybe it was because they were using my airguns...)but I shot one. I couldn't believe it....neither could they.....since my airguns are "zero-ed" in for 9 meters!!! After that the birds flew off....they landed a few times...and we shot but we all missed.
Here's a photo of my Gamo Viper with it's kill....and with my recently purchased range finder (Abit difficult to see...it's near the grip of the stock). Photo had to be taken at home since I didn't bring my camera while out plinking.... I would like to say that the pellet hit what I was aiming at....the body of the grackle....but it wasn't the case....it hit the neck of the bird. The grackle just plopped onto the ground and didn't twitch one bit.
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Great shot 70 yrds WOW ! sometimes it amazes me how that perfect shot just happens. good job
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fANTASTIC SHOT! and the Viper look's fine next to her kill. Ed
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Luck or skill that's still one heck of a long shot :)
Good shooting
Jeff
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A hek of a shot!! That's a great feeling isn't? Nice job.
I had 3 of them on my sights this morning. Sometimes it works out the opposite. They were causing havoc around the yard when they came in numbers. Much fighting going on in the trees and a lot of annoying noise. Couldn't get a shot off. First one got spooked by a neighbor's lawn mower that just started as soon as I was ready to pull the trigger. 2nd one just flew away as I put its chest in my crosshairs and then I realized a cat was no more than 35ft away walking parallel to the Grackle. 3d one I was ready to pop it when the storm window slid down like 1/16th" and rested in the notches that made a noise and spooked it. These were all within 15-20yds. Now all the Grackles are hanging out 50-55yds away near the neighbor's driveway and the Starlings across the street. Oh well I gave up and walked away.
Not my day, but it certainly was yours!
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Thanks for the compliments GTA members...
It was abit of a lucky shot that's for sure..... I know most of my air rifles tend to shoot left after 10 - 15 meters. Around 10 they're dead center.... Lucky the bird was facing left...so the pellet hit it's neck (The hit was about 1 1/2" left of P.O.A), if it was facing right the pellet would probably hit his/her tail feathers.....or a complete miss with the pellet going over it's tail.
I would be even more proud of this shot if I had shot completely free-hand. I shot the bird with my left upperarm leaning against a tree....even with that aid...the cross-hairs were swaying abit around the bird.
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Hey Stanley, Freehand?? Freehand I practice on garbage can lids @ 10 meters,, Im getting to were I can hit them most of the time!!LOL!! Resting against a tree?? Well Buddy,, if it were not for the thick woods we have here (Plenty of trees), ,,, most game would be VERY safe from me!!He He!! Nice shooting Bro,, nothing wrong with leaning on a tree,, thats what they are there for!! Tim.
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I think you must be in EARTHQUAKE country....all that micro tremors are making your crosshairs moving all over the place. :o)