6 rabbits for the r10

[zini 1,939]

Hi lads,

 

I decided that after a afternoon sleep today I was going to have a couple of hours of shooting on the permission as the sun was shining bright and the bunnies would probably be out soaking up the warm rays on my shared permission.

 

I arrived at the permission at 1430 hrs and put on my camouflage gear and ensured the r10 was filled up with air and ready to shoot.

 

First thing was to fill the magazine with 10 .22 RWS Super Fields and load the rifle before a 30 metre 1 mildot hold over zero. There was no wind in the narrow zero lane as the slight breeze that was about was blocked by the thick trees each side of the zero lane.

 

3 pellets fired at an old pellet mark and 3 strikes, pellet on top of pellet, job done and the r10 was still singing sweet as a nut.

 

Today though as well as shoot a few bunnies I really wanted to see what was about and took my good Panasonic camera with me to try and document any kits or rabbits on the permission to try and gauge how well the permission is thriving in regards to rabbits and babies etc.

 

Has the permission is a shared permission that i share with rossy08, its not a permission that we have to rid of vermin and I had no intentions of shooting any kits I saw as I wish to keep the balance correct and ensure that all the kits grow up and can be harvested later in the year when they are at there tastiest at 3/4 grown.

 

While walking to the wild growing field as I call it I spotted 3 rabbits sat further up in the pond field about 200 metres away.

 

On arrival at the wild field I saw a kit just say sunny itself in the nettles sat no further than 15 metres from me so I got out the camera and took a picture for you all. There was no way that I was shooting this little fellow.(Photo 1).

 

Next I decided to sit on a broken branch that I photographed all the rabbits on at the end of the session (later) as it gave me a higher vantage point looking over the long grass and nettles.

 

The first full grown rabbit showed within 30 minutes and was a give away at around 12 metres. I just used my cross hair knowing that my rifles point blank range goes from 7 to 28 metres and is only designed around a 20mm kill zone and being as my first zero point is 10 metres the pellet impacted perfectly in the kill zone knocking the rabbit over stone dead. (Photo 2).

 

Next I waited another 15 to 20 minutes but nothing showed so I decided to go into the pond field and go static under a hedge row with my face veil and gloves on and see what would show. (Photo 3,4 and 5).

 

In the pond field there was a very slight breeze blowing from my 10 o’clock to 4 o’clock position so from the north west to the south east as I found out when hiding under the hedge row and letting soil drop from my hands to see where it blew. This breeze was nothing that I wasn’t used to and I knew that I could adjust my POA accordingly easy enough as it was a very slight breeze and i had practiced these kinds of shots many many times in the past and at HFT.

 

From this position I witnessed lots of kits and full grown bunnies happily playing on the field showing what an excellent permission this is we have. I haven’t put all the photos of rabbits up but there are some for you to look at. (Photos 6 to 14).

 

The first rabbit from under the hedge came after about 15 minutes and it was close at around 15 metres from me. A slight bit of hold under and the rabbit rolled over without a twitch. The pellet had impacted perfectly in the KZ. (Photos 15, 16 and 17).

 

The next shot was at a lased 44 metres and just needed a slight bit of left hand side to compensate for the slight breeze. Before I took the shot though I put the camera to my scope and took a photo. (Photo 18). The shot was placed with 4 mildots of hold over and around 2 cm of left hand side windage before the pellet was released and knocked the rabbit over with utter precision.

 

This .22 r10 never ceases to amaze me with its pure accuarcy and consistancy.(Photo 19).

 

The next shot came after another 5 minutes and was again at a close range of 12 metres and was next to its fallen comrade. Yet again I used my cross hair with no windage and shot the rabbit clinically.

 

Sorry lads they cant all be long shots and i have to take what comes my way. (Photo 20).

 

After that I waited about 20 minutes and a 2 rabbits run out at once (Photo 21). It was at a lased 24 metres so I just used my cross hair with about 1cm of left hand side windage and took the rabbit cleanly. Before I shot the rabbit though I photographed it through my scope.

 

The last shot of the day was yet again a nice long shot at a lased 41 metres. It was a rabbit that run from behind me and run straight into the field. I slowly got into the sitting position and took it with a slight bit of windage as the breeze had calmed down by then and 3 mildots of hold over.

 

I was well pleased with this shot as I used the HFT sitting position and my knee and the rabbit was hit perfectly with a brain shot. (Photos 22).

 

The last thing I did was to take a photo of the bag back on the branch that I sat on to get my first rabbit. (Photos 23 and 24).

 

I hope you have enjoyed the read

 

Si.

Edited April 6, 2011 by zini

[zini 1,939]

More photos

 

4 to 7

Edited April 6, 2011 by zini

[zini 1,939]

More photo

 

8 to 11

[zini 1,939]

More photos

 

12 to 15

[zini 1,939]

More photos

 

16 to 19

[zini 1,939]

All done

 

Enjoy

 

ATB

 

Si

 

20 to 24

Edited April 7, 2011 by zini

[cmuzzy 6]

Great write up there bud a pleasure too read and some sweet photo's to suit aswell . have a SPA from me only just sussed out what they are . chris

[festa 206]

absolutely cracking read buddy im off work tomorrow so i might just have to have a little mooch myself

 

atb gary

[zini 1,939]

Thanks guys for your comments and the slut point Chris.

 

Here are some more photos of the close ups of my shot placement

 

ATB

 

Si

Edited April 9, 2011 by zini

[pianoman 3,587]

Now that is classic rabbit hunting with an air rifle as it always should be. Beautiful, warm day, lovely landscape, plenty of healthy adults in the meadows and fields; and a top-notch shooter and his rifle working together. Well done to you mate. The pictures say it all. But the write-up was a great read with them. Great respects to you for sparing the kitts. I know everyone will have a view on shooting or conserving these but, I always think it's sporting to give them a chance. And they are fair game by the autumn or, indeed, next season's sport

 

And I have to say, your rifle looks a lot better without the warpaint mate. Too nice a grain of Walnut for that. But I'm an old fashioned bugger with a love of classical rifles anyway. Your R10 is an absolutely superb shooting arm Si.

 

Great post mate!

 

Simon

Edited April 7, 2011 by pianoman

[falcongit 242]

looks like you had a great day there bud sun shineing and plenty of rabbits,thats how it should be,great pics zini,and great shooting as allways...

 

symon

[R0G3R 11]

Great writeup and excellent shooting.

[zini 1,939]

Thanks Rog

[gurtwurz 792]

blimey si, there'll be none left for rossi at this rate, excellent work mate.

 

really enjoyed the write up and photo's too(another budding journo in the ranks), although if i'd been you, i would've reported having seen the taliban sniper in photo 5 to the armed response unit-he looks like he's got sinister intentions mate...

 

nice 1 buddy,

 

all the best, wurz

[farmerkev09 105]

Great write up si and the pics are brill

 

 

Happy hunting atb

Farmer