# Woodchuck Gun for Wife



## bsick1 (Jul 19, 2005)

This Forum seems to have some very Knowledgable and Opinionated members. Lets See how you do on this one....
My wife wants to go Chucking with me... I am all for it, except now I need a rifle for her. Here in Western NY, we have rolling hills covered with Alfalfa and Varmits. Average shots are 50 to 250 yds. Often it is slightly breezy 0-10 mph. My 25-06 is a little hot for her and plenty for the job. I Only hunt Chucks currently, but Coyotes are becoming all too plentiful. We can only use Shotgun on our huge deer population so I do not need that kind of power. Near Pin point accuracy is the big concern! I would like to know which is the perfect round for her to supply chucks with RDA dose of high speed mineral suppliments. I also want to know why you like 1 cartridge over another. Lastly, will I buy a Savage, Tiko, Ruger, Rem.... ?Remember, Price counts. I do not want to have to buy a $300.00 barrel $500.00 of smithing to murder a silly woodchuck. (that's silly!!) Besides, the more I save on her, the more I can spend on ME!!!
Right now here are my choices in decending order
22-250 (ammo everywhere)
220 swift (long time favorite. little difference in performance to 22-250)
243 Win. (Heard lots of good things, also common)
223 (Cheap to shoot)
204 (few options in ammo, yet)
223WSSM (don't know much about it)
17 Rem (small but HOT)
Manufacturers
Savage model 12
Tikko T3
Remington 700
Ruger 1
Stevens???????
What is the best bang for the buck?????? and why!!!! (be objective)


----------



## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

Personally I like the cost of ownership of the .223, but with a 22-250 you'll get more accuracy at a higher cost. Those would be the two I would look at. 
With the cost of owning a .223, you can do alot of shooting to know your gun and ammo for accuracy.....

The .204 interest me, but like you said, "It's too new on the market". I am waiting and watching to hear more on that caliber.


----------



## Whelen35 (Mar 9, 2004)

Savage in 223 put on a tasco mill dot 6-24 scope and you will be in for some great shooting. If you think game will be hunted that is larger, then go with the 243 use 55-80gr bullets for the small stuff, and 100gr partitions for deer and such. Have fun!!!!


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Cant beat the .223 Remington !! The .17 Rem is interesting but I dont think I have ever seen one in real life? I am sure the ammo is $$ and rare.


----------



## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Before the bench rest 22 and 6mm came along the 222 was king of the hill at the bench. The 223 is similar in case size, and the faster 22-250 and 220 swift surpass the optimal velocities for gyroscopic stability (anything over approximately 3600 fps). If you do not shoot over 250 yards a chuck will show some, but not significant difference between these three cartridges. The 22-250 will lift them off the ground further, but kill them no more dead than the 223 at those ranges. Also, the cheap ammo does not detract from this round either.

If your wife doesn't like recoil and you don't lug these guns around a lot go with the Savage heavy barrel. Perhaps the best out of the box accuracy, and no argument about the best trigger. With the heavy barrel the reduced recoil will allow you observe impact even with the scope on relatively high power.

You have no bad choices listed, but I think this would be the best one. Essentially I agree with whelen35. One more note. The Ruger number one is not known for superior accuracy unless a smith modifies the forearm.


----------



## Van Wey (Jul 15, 2005)

I have a 223 WSSM with a 6-24 Cabelas Outfitter scope mounted on it. IT IS AWESOME!!! Very fast and accurate and in my opinion the Outfitter scope easily compares with some of the best scopes out there!
But, it is not a cheap gun and the ammo is a bit more spendy then some of the others!


----------



## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

I think the .223 is the obvious choice. I also think the .223 is a very under-rated cartridge. In shooting thousands of rounds of .223 ammo at Prairie Dogs over the past 20 some odd years I can not honestly say I have killed Prairie Dogs any deader or any further away with anything else (.22-250, .243 etc.). I am not sure of your wifes shooting experience, but if lots and lots of practice is in order then the lower cost of .223 ammo becomes quite attractive. I have had good results with the Winchester / USA White Box Ammo in a couple different .223's, and keep hearing great things about it on the various talk forums on the net.

As per the GUN, now that is not quite as easy of a decision (in my opinion). I am a Ruger Fan, but of the 77 Bolt Actions. I have long wanted a Ruger #1, but never have taken the leap to buy one. Every time I get close to buying a #1 I read some of the horror stories about inaccuracy and forend bedding problems. However I would buy a Ruger 77 Bolt Action in a heart beat. I have found that with proper barrel break in, free floating the barrel and a trigger job (all of which I do myself) I have never found a Ruger 77 I was not happy with in the accuracy department.

I have never owned one, but hear great things about the Savage Rifles. Most toute them as being the most accurate OUT OF THE BOX RIFLE these days. My only concern with a Savage (or the new Stevens version) in .223 is the 1 in 9" Rifling Twist. I guess I am old school and like shooting lighter weight bullets than the 1 in 9" Twist was designed for. Yes I know many guys report great accuracy with even 40gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips in their 1 in 9" Twist Savage Rifles, but if anyone would get a bad one it would be me.

I have owned several .22-250's over the years and while they were more than accurate enough, I have never owned a .22-250 that produced any where near the muzzle velocity this cartridge is supposed to produce. In many instances the velocity I obtained with my .22-250's was not all that much more than I have been able to squeeze out of a .223. This may be nit-picky on my part, but I felt if I was going to burn the extra powder I wanted some return for it.

Good luck in what ever you decide to purchase. Put some good glass on it and go hunting.

Larry


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

I think the 1 in 9" is good hey use 50 grn or 55 grn on woodchuck just the same if 40s are not cutting it in the 1 in 9".


----------



## Longshot (Feb 9, 2004)

I also think it would be hard to beat the 223 for what you are describing. I owned a savage 10fp that shot great using Black Hills ammo with the 50gr. V-Max. I sold that one to buy another only because I felt I needed a new one to tinker with. I now have a Win. M70 Coyote that I set up specifically for prairie dogs. This is also a great shooter with the same ammo. These are the only 223 bolt actions I have owned but I'm sure there are others out there just as good. Have your wife pick a couple up to see which one fits her best and go from there.

Good luck! :sniper:


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Check out the CZ-usa website I hear the czlux and American are hard to beat.


----------



## Nudo7 (Jul 23, 2005)

22-250 or .223. You meantioned the wind being breezy. The .17 would be a good caliber, but the wind would be a problem for it, to light.


----------



## DutyHonorCountryUSMC (Jun 23, 2005)

"Remember, Price counts. I do not want to have to buy a $300.00 barrel $500.00 of smithing to murder a silly woodchuck. "

Dont know how well this will work for woodchucks, but im personally looking into a Ruger Mini 14-30 (I believe it is) Shoots a 5.56(which i also believe is .223 civilian) Its clip fed, so easy reloading for fast shooting.

You can pick one up for $400-$500.... at least around here, maybe a used one for a bit less.... I was very impressed with the one I shot this spring.... it urged me to look into buying one myself for plinking, and some other shooting..... Im not too familiar with Civilian firearms as of right now, So if these guy's can tell you something... and if anyone disagrees there most likely right 

Im just now making some major investments into firearms, and will soon be aquainted with all the fancy types and such 

Just my .02$


----------



## jacksonbrown (Jun 24, 2005)

I would go with the .223. Check out the damage that it can do at www.prairiedogshootout.com Its pretty great...(their FAQ section reveals that they were using a .223). Plus the ammo is cheap.


----------



## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

why wasnt the 22 mag mentioned? I have one with a 3-9 power scope with 40 grain bullets its good for 300 yard shots heres the ballistics out of my marlin bolt action

100 yards sighted in
150 just barely 5 inches low
200 it is 8 inches low
250 it is 12 inches low
300 its 20 inches low

now if you have a good power scope around 24x then you will be alright and get a bolt action marlin very accurate


----------



## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

A woodchuck is a hardy little animal. A 22 magnum is a wood chuck round at 150 yard at best with shots well placed. By well placed I mean head shots only. At the 300 yards you speak of, the 22 magnum is only producing 78 fpe. Shoot targets all you want at 300 yards or 500 yards if you wish with the 22 mag. When taking game or varmints at any yardage use enough gun to do the job humanely.


----------



## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

78 fpe is way more then enough to kill a person let alone a woodchuck personally i think the 22 mag is good for just about anything under a deer


----------



## bsick1 (Jul 19, 2005)

Now a 22 Mag is something I do Know alot about. I carried one thruogh our hay fields for years. My sons first rifle is a Marlin 982. I do know that on too many occasions, the chucks got back in their hole after a 22 mag hit. If you can get a clean head or chest shot, down they go. If I have a shot at a chuck that is more than 75 yds out comes the 25-06. I think I could hit 'em in the tail at 300 and still drop 'em where they stand. One does not always get the oppertunity to place the shot. sometimes the critters are a little shy....


----------



## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

> 78 fpe is way more then enough to kill a person let alone a woodchuck personally i think the 22 mag is good for just about anything under a deer


Rookie, 5 fpe is enough to kill a person if you stick the damn muzzle in their eye socket and pull the trigger. When you go around saying the 22 magnum is a woodchuck round out to 300 yards it becomes very apparent you haven't a clue what you speak about. Ballistics on paper has caused a lot of animals to die a slow miserable death because someone took them as gospel. Use the paper ballistics for what they are intended for, as a starting point but get some experience in the field and you won't be making such out of bound claims. I'm not saying this as a slap at you but if someone doesn't tell you then you will continue to be in error in your thinking.

Just out of curiosity, just when was the Last time you shot a woodchuck with a 22 magnum at 300 yards?


----------



## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

well for your information a few weeks ago i was shooting at a clump of dirt about 2 feet by 2 feet at just over 800 yards away and i hit it so i dont wanna hear the 22 mag has accuracy problems and ive hit and killed crows istantly at 400 yards so i dont wanna hear "it doesnt have neough umph" i do agree thouhg the 223 woudl be a could chuck gun


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Rookie do you mean feet not yards??


----------



## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

the_rookie said:


> well for your information a few weeks ago i was shooting at a clump of dirt about 2 feet by 2 feet at just over 800 yards away and i hit it so i dont wanna hear the 22 mag has accuracy problems and ive hit and killed crows istantly at 400 yards so i dont wanna hear "it doesnt have neough umph" i do agree thouhg the 223 woudl be a could chuck gun


Don't know whether to laugh or cry. Son, using the best 22 mag round available for accuracy and varmint effectiveness, (IMHO) which is the Remington V-max and sighted in for 150 yards which is about the limit on the 22 mag, you have a 740 inch drop at 800 yards. That's 62 feet kid ............... your clump of dirt wouldn't even be in the view of your scope at that distance. Even using these rounds, which you probable didn't you have to have a 9 foot (95.53 inches) hold over for these 400 yard crows. Using the TNT's you mentioned with the higher fps you have to have a hold over on the crows 6+ feet and some where in the neighborhood of 56 feet for your clump of dirt. You can learn a lot here on this forum with all the experienced people around but when you come back with your "I don't wanna hear" comment, well I have to remind myself that you did say you were just 14 years old, but unfortunately with that mind set you will still be 14 at all stages of your life.


----------



## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

I was using the 40 grainers when i hit the crow


----------



## Tholzel (Jul 22, 2005)

I've been testing the Beeman "Kodiak" air rifle with 30 fp muzzle energy, and 20 fp at 60 yards. (See http://www.velocitypress.com/pages/BeemanKodiak.php ) Using the hollowheasd Crow magnum pellet (that looks like an egg cup), it is possible to drop those tough little critters out to 60 yards with a single shot.

HOWEVER, for reasons that I haven't figure out yet, a lot of times (50%), the little buggers drop over and lay still--and then in a minute or two, recover enough to scrabble off to their tunnel--where they die among friends. Thus, the best policy is to shoot them twice.

Now admittedly the Kodiak ain't cheap (List $725, internet price below $600.) But you sure can't beat the price of the ammo.

Another advantage is, if you miss them, they don;t seem to mind being shot at. The Kodiak makes a "Tschank" sound that is not harsh, and simply causes the little critters to look up in your direction. If you're well camouflaged, you have time to get off a second shot.


----------



## t_lowe_3081 (Oct 10, 2005)

rookie, buddy, wheni joined this forum i think i was 13, and i was just like you, thought i knew everything. lemme tell ya, these old guys do kno what there talking about, and if u come to the mindset that they do, then u can learn just as much. but until then....u will only be 14.


----------



## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

> Woodchuck gun for wife


Describe the wife :lol: and her talents too.

I have a couple that I might trade............ :withstupid:


----------



## juggernaut (Dec 31, 2005)

Thats easy. Model 77 Ruger .17 HMR or .223 Savage rifle


----------

