I had to do a bit of elk scouting for our group cow elk handgun hunt coming up this fall so I decided to pair it up with some rock chucking!
I set a base camp not far from a trail head. Base camping makes it nice compared to packing in. Hot showers, grilled/campfire food, and a more comfortable bed.
As I was covering ground looking for elk sign I’d spot chucks on the rock piles around the mountains. Once I’d spot one it was time to break out the glass and look around for a moment.
Generally if I saw one there were ten more in the grass or laying low on the rocks.
I chose to use my Spohr 286 Competition, the new Ultradot Match Dot 2 Green, and the 105 357 Cutting Edge Bullet.
Back in March when I first received the Spohr I went on an exotics hunt to get some critters on the ground with it. At that point I had only tested the 105 CEB for accuracy and velocity. I had taken quite a bit of game with other CEB handgun bullets but none with the 105. Even tho I had not hunted with the 105 CEB I fully believed in their technology.
Normally with new bullets I start with varmint hunting first to proof the bullets to some degree; well this time I’m doing it backwards. I already had very good results with the 105 CEB on larger animals and now I’m going to confirm my results so to speak.
The area was just about saturated with rock chucks and I had a pack full of ammo left over from Handgun Hunter’s Competition. The 105 CEB shoots very flat due to its speed and the accuracy is second to none. (My load data is available in another blog post). I began to go to work on chucks.
Several fell within a short time span. From up close to far enough to need to dial drop on the Match Dot 2 elevation turret.
It didn’t take long to start realizing just how quick the 105 CEB drops critters. I had already seen this on the larger animals and now it’s just getting concreted.
On the Chuck above; he was shot behind the shoulder and you can clearly see the exit caused from one of the petals on the side of his head. This also goes along with what I saw on larger animals with all of Cutting Edge Bullets Handgun Raptors. Over the 40+ rock chucks taken all had exits from petals that flared out in roughly a 45 degree angle all around the entrance/exit path.
The “knock down” factor was amazingly quick with the Handgun Raptor. A large percentage of rock chucks tend to make it into the rocks after the shot but almost all of these were found where the pictures were taken.
The Spohr also showed its accuracy in the field. The frontal area of the chuck’s body where you want to impact is about the size of a baseball. The Spohr achieved this without issue and continued to impress me with its accuracy. All of the shots were taken in field positions. From standing resting on a tree to prone off a pack.
As with any firearm, accuracy requires a systems approach. You can have a great gun, great ammo, but you also need good optics. The prototype Ultradot Match Dot 2 Green did well. The turret tracked and allowed me to compensate for bullet drop at distances that are extreme for a revolver, the green dot showed up well on the chucks, and the new lens technology eliminated the slight negative magnification of the older Match Dots.
Varmint hunting is a great way to practice in the off season. It allows you to practice not only the shot but detection of game and the stalk as well.
After shooting Handgun Hunter’s Competition and doing a bit of varmint hunting I feel ready for the fall seasons. Come on September!