Looks like it was equipment failure after all

[Phantom 631]

After taking the SEVERE Confidance Kicking the other day when I couldn't get a group with the new tub of FX pellets I took the barrel and scope off my baby and cleaned the barrel with babywipes and some fag filters in the hope that this would help tighten my groups up.

 

I also took off the air cylinder as I wanted to give it a very light coat of oil.

 

After the clean up and oil, I noticed that the allen bolt underneath that holds the forestock on was loose!!!

If I'd have checked that 1st I would have saved myself some serious work!

I believe its this loose bolt that was to blame for the group having such a large (4 inch) span from top to bottom but only an inch wide!

 

Anyways I decided I'd go the whole 9 Yards and centre the scope, charge the thing up and go up to the paddock and see what I could do.

 

Went to my usual sniping point and set up the Zero target at 15 yards for starters.

1st and second pellets landed way over to the left (about 3.5 inches) but was almost spot on elevation wise.

A few full turns of the windage turret and I had the next two pellets flying to the right

 

I fired the next 3 pellets making the holes in the paper creap in a nice line over to the bull where I totally destroyed the red bull using a further three pellets.

 

Thats better I'm thinking to myself

After the other days performance, this was a tremendous boost

 

Picked myself up off the matt and took the target out to 30 yards and aimed at the top bull, of course the the pellet landed low as to be expected by a long way.

 

This is where I decided to cheat a little and placed my pellet tub under the stock so the crosshairs remained on the bull. I then turned the elevation turret until the pellet impact hole rose to meet the crosshair this method is not a perfect way to do it unless you have the gun on a good sturdy rest; however it made the final elevation adjustment that much easier.

Within a couple of more pellets and a few clicks I was putting all the pellets in the nine and bullseye rings SORTED!

 

Feeling good I decided to try a 45 yard target.

I've not done this on full magnification before, so I placed the target out and fired 2 shots at the bull, both shots landed about 4 inches low again this was to be expected.

Making a note of where the pellet landed in relation to the upright on the crosshair I made the adjustment in hold over.

Steadying my breathing and going through my usual cycle, my next shot landed just right of centre, clipping the bullseye.

That'll do for now I thought and put another few pellets into a group a little bigger than a 5p piece, not my usual grouping as you all know but I was not wanting to push myself too much today by demanding pellet on pellet, so I took a relaxing coffee break from my flask, got my balaclava, and the rest of my kit on and then got myself comfortable ready for any bunnies that wanted to come out and play.

 

It had been a lovely afternoon however I was now in the shade the Sun was setting and the light was falling fast!

The temperature too had taken a nose dive and was dropping like a stone through water and I found myself shivering. The slight breeze was adding to the chill I was feeling, added to that was the fact that the wind had changed direction and was now blowing my Bambi and Thumper Vindaloo flavoured farts right towards the warrens I was hoping to take a few bunnies from

 

By the time I could barely see anything with my naked eye; so I scanned the fence area using the scope and there just to the left of a warren sat a bunny :cool:

I still had the scope on max Mag and estimating the range to be about 35 yards I placed the crosshair just on top of its head. Steadied myself and sent the 16 grain FX to meet its mark.

Click phut, crack. Bunny rolled over frantically waving 'Bye Bye' with its back leg for a few seconds before the last of the signals left in its nervous system were gone.

 

Well that's me finished for the night I thought. I'm cold and I'm out of coffee so collecting my prize it was a look to see where the pellet had struck (through the bunnies left eye and through to the rear of the brain.) At first I thought the pellet had come out of the other side as there was a stream of blood through the bunnies right ear.

 

When I got home I set about preparing the bunny for the freezer. Opening up the head I found the pellet inside the brain near the right hand side.

 

When I examined it closely, I could see that the pellet had impacted the skull through and behind the eye and this made it tumble sideways through the brain causing tremendous damage to the cerebral matter above the brain stem.

 

 

Phantom

[JackReid 35]

Good stuff mate. I had a similar thing a few weeks ago, however for ages it was really subtle making me think I was losing any skill I once had! Fired hundreds maybe even a thousand pellets in anger before I found what was happening!!

 

All the best

 

Jack

[venomviper 129]

hi ya tony

well you always amaze me buddy with your write ups and picture and well the picture was really good as alot of people dont look into it after they have shot the rabbit do they

top shooting tony mate

i'm off out tonight i hope with the falcon to put her through her field test lol

great shooting again though tony mate

 

shay

[gringo40 13]

Another great write up Phantom

 

 

 

Loved the autopsy at the end, or was you just trying to retreive the pellet to put back in the tin. LOL

 

 

 

 

I'm learning all the time from you lads.

 

 

Cheers Carl

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

Another great write up Phantom

 

 

 

Loved the autopsy at the end, or was you just trying to retreive the pellet to put back in the tin. LOL

 

 

 

 

I'm learning all the time from you lads.

 

 

Cheers Carl

 

 

nice one Carl.

 

 

 

 

Hi Tony.

 

 

Excellent write up mate, and propper good shooting too

 

Glad your sorted the problem with the accuracy.

 

Re the Vindaloo fart's....have you tried those charcoal cooker hood filters?,tucked in the old gusset, they work very well

 

 

 

Cheers bud.

 

 

 

 

 

Bill.

[Phantom 631]

Thanks Gentlemen

 

Jack: I'm very suprised how I went from bull to Sh!te in such a small time, perhaps I had been compensating for it subconciously as I allways fire at a paper bull before each session and maybe the switch of pellets made it just that bit more apparent?

It certainly made a serious dent in my confidence I'm glad I had the sense to pack up and go home and not risk a shot at live quarry that day

 

 

Shay: I'm looking forward to hear how you get on with the Falcon, its a nice looking piece of kit.

 

 

Carl: Reading other peoples write ups, has helped me learn my hunting greatly Thats why I do them, thanks to people such as Stealthy, Davy and others (Long list of them) I had a distinct advantage before I even wento out in the field

I nearly always check to see what damage I have done as I have an interest in ballistic wounds. I have put up other rather graphic pix on here, but I keep most of them to myself for reference.

 

Phantom

[gurtwurz 792]

nice shooting and write up mate, interesting to see what happened with the pellet after entry too!

atb, wurz

[venomviper 129]

hi ya buddy

i cant wait to get out now waiting till 5pm is killing me lol but i will let you know how she gets on buddy good or bad but i hope now the rabbits are out

 

shay

[Phantom 631]

 

Re the Vindaloo fart's....have you tried those charcoal cooker hood filters?,tucked in the old gusset, they work very well

 

 

 

Cheers bud.

 

 

 

 

 

Bill.

 

Not tried that yet Bill,

Last time I tried to filter one the filter became a Bio Hazzard and COBRA sprung into action. They closed down all the airports in the UK and most of Europe. Mind you the Cover story they are using about some volcano seems to be doing the trick

 

:11:

 

Phantom

[gurtwurz 792]

so thatsthe truth of the volcano finally told then...

best of luck tonight shay, i'm sure youll put that falcon thru its paces in no time. i'm off to help out with some culling on a small industrial estate tonight with a couple of lads who've never shot a rabbit before, so thats the blind leading the hard of hearing there then... i'm just gonna set em up ambushing off of bipods well away from each other and me and leave em to it, they've been hard at work punching paper targets, theyve just got no notion of fieldcraft yet so hopefully i can help em out in return for a night shooting somewhere different, which is always nice...

all the best, wurz

[stealthy1 3,964]

At this rate you will be catching the lads up in the comp, good shot

[aaronpigeonplucker 32]

great shooting phantom but please before you put up one of your disecting posts please put 'graphic post' in the subtitle :sick: