Rock Chucks, Rimfires and Crawl Offs....

[Jesse Jaymes]

I've shot a few piles of groundhogs on east coast growing up. Centerfires. Never really an issue. In Idaho...I am battling several crawl offs. Fully realize shot placement is key. As is bullet choice. More venting than anything

But maybe seeing if Crawl Offs are the norm for rimfires?

I am working with a 1 year old dog I am training. I want him to retrieve them to hand, in prep for future hunting tests (many dogs will grab critters, but he has to grab, hold, sit and wait to release the game....so I thought these would be good training material).

Find myself "admiring the shot" like the African PH's say of American clients.

Had one pop out on my cement pad of gardening shed. Sub 40 yards. Hit this guy with 22LR and Norma TAC-22 off hand. He went Wheels Up kicking flat on his back. I ran to get the dog and let him inside the fenced enclosure. Dude got to his feet and scrambled under the wooden deck. I could see fur/tail. Figured he was done for and I would just fish him out shortly. Dog got inside and put his nose up the hole. Chuck started scrambling, throwing dirt out, then chirped at the dog from under the deck for several minutes. WTF?

I even pulled a decking board next day (as I didn't want a rotting chuck under my deck. No chuck!

Shot another last night. Stepped up to 22 Mag with 30 VMax. 72 yards. Fully stood up. Leveled it right across shoulders as I am sighted right on at 100. I MISSED 1st round. Was windy, but I held left edge. Sent another slightly more right. Crumbled him. Again...Wheels Up. He's on Neighbors lot (not here for the summer yet). I get the dog. Bastard crawled off down part of his well pump housing or some shit. Now my neighbor has a rotting chuck in his well pump area.

Pissed me off enough to check zero. Hung a plate swinger. 90 yards. Two rounds stacked DC.

Am I underestimating the grit of a Yellow Belly?

I did a ton of research and comparison on 17 vs 22. Hours of videos and ballistics gel. Thought I made the best choice in 22 Magnum. These 30 Vmax are easily the most accurate. Tried about 6 types of ammo. For accuracy they win handily. Sub 100 yards I didn't think there was a better choice for marmots. Most 22 Mag ammo does NOT expand at 100 yards in gel.

 

[Steve300xcw]

You can blow a squeeker in half and they will still try an get into their hole. Not surprised a chuck is taking a 22 like a champ.

Just like a larger animal, if you want DRT you need to put the round in the correct places.

I do like the HMR though.

 

[brca005]

I've shot a couple groundhogs with a .22LR, one I smoked in the noodle and DRT, the other was running, I was maybe 15-20 yards from it, rolled it, got excited I rolled it and then a few seconds later it got up and ran off into the woods. I shot at it a few more times as it was running off but never did find it.

The main reason I used a .22LR was it was at my in-laws, they live in a rural development but where I was shooting was away from any houses, but a .22LR shot gets less attention than centerfire caliber. If I had the opportunity today, it'd be with at least a .223.

 

[RedbeardMetalworks]

Those dang things are surprisingly resilient to get back in their hole. I have gone to mostly headshots only.

I shoot one a year or so ago and after he died I found he had a pretty serious previous wound that appears he had been shot by a .22 already.

 

[khart_6882]

I shoot em with those cci 40gr varmint rounds out of my .22 mag. I’ve had a few escapee’s but as long as I can get em in the neck or take their front shoulders out they usually don’t make it far.
You gotta go heavy for caliber, bro. Lol

 

[RockAndSage]

.22LR and .22mag are great rounds most of the time, but if you really want to put something down quickly, a tipped .17HMR is generally pretty explosive under 100yds, and cuts through wind at those distances better. If I were hunting small game for food I'd probably go with the .22mag, but for pest control, .17HMR is excellent.

 

[83cj-7]

I grew up in WV shooting groundhogs with a 22lr. The two bullets that produces the fastest kills were the stinger and the segmented hollow point.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

I’ll run some more numbers. 22 Mags seems super fickle in mountain winds even well under 100 yard shots. Scored on a mountain ramble today.

 

[waspocrew]

A 17 HMR works quite a bit better than a 22 LR in my experience…. I didn’t care for the crawl offs. I feel like you need to take head shots on them with rimfires. I much prefer my 223 or 22 Creed for rock chucks now. They don’t tend to run off from a 77 TMK at 3400

 

[Taudisio]

As others have said, 17hmr is your huckleberry. More ‘splodey, less runners. 22lr is like a red Ryder next to it.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Yea...I should have titled my post a pinch differently. My .22LRs are precision rifles. A Tikka T1X and CZ 455. They wear suppressors for inside the compound Wet Work My first reach for shit I shoot out a window or out the door.

I bought the 22 Magnum kinda specifically for Yellow Bellies. Again...realize it's shot placement. But I was really thinking (hoping) anything fore of the guts would be bang/flops with a 22 Mag and 30 VMax. Actually much more than Bang/Flops. I was expecting Bang/Pops.

I have truck loads of jackrabbits with a 17HMR. I shoot Lefty and it was a nice CZ452 in 17HMR. So I "gifted" it to my kid. Damn that was a One Hole rig too.

I'd have to try a few with each chambering. But I am feeling the 17 HMR would win this.

I walk/ramble/explore quite a bit. I really thought the 22 Mag would be about perfect if I sat down to blow a call for foxes or bobcats. And it may be..... But it's not giving me a warm n fuzzy on 4 Pound Rodents...

 

[Wagondriver]

I've never understood why people use 22lr for anything bigger than a ground squirrel, and even those crawl off into the hole. I would think a 22 mag with a vmax would do a pretty good job on marmots. I have shot a few with 17 hornet, prairie dogs too, but unless you center them, they crawl off. I shot a few marmots last year, I used my 22-250AI, no crawl offs with that.


I'm in Lemhi county too.