Think the gophers outside of Calgary will like this rifle?

[.22LRGUY]

Hey guys~think I finally have my gopher gun ready for this summer. Making my first trip out to Alberta to hunt gophers this year, and have sort of spruced-up my 93FV a little. Still deciding on whether or not I want to bother with a Boyd's stock for this gun, although that might be the icing on the cake. My only real issue is how muzzle heavy these guns are with a bipod attached. 95% of my varmint shooting is in the prone position anyway, and to be honest...my fat cheeks make compensate for the bad stock geometry on these Savage stocks. Anyhow, the new scope requires a sighting-in...and I have some new Winchester Supreme ammo to test-out, so I hope to get to the range this weekend. If any of you have any recommendations on .22WMR ammo that really shuts-down a gopher, let me know. I'm up against some HMR shooters out there..so I'll take the close ones.

 

[mmatt]

I'd say just about any .22WMR ammo will take out a gopher cleanly. That being said, buy lots of whatever stuff the ammo shoots the best. If your rifle is anything like mine was, your best results will be with a heavier bullet. Don't let that stop you from trying out a lighter round though. If your rifle likes them, you'll get a much flatter trajectory which means you might even be able to compete with the HMRs.

Have fun!

 

[.22LRGUY]

Well, I haven't tried the Supremes yet, but I have them and some CCI to try out. For now, the best-shooting ammo I've found is the Hornady 30gr. stuff. Great on groundhogs, but my concern is that they'd pass right through the gopher and not do their V-Max magic.

 

[hometownhero]

Well, I haven't tried the Supremes yet, but I have them and some CCI to try out. For now, the best-shooting ammo I've found is the Hornady 30gr. stuff. Great on groundhogs, but my concern is that they'd pass right through the gopher and not do their V-Max magic.

They should do some magic. My 223 with 53gr vmax does some epic magic on them.

 

[brybenn]

They blow 2" holes out the back of a crow and take out about a 1/4 of a fat groundhog. For a 30gr vmax pill they are awesome. I've even taken yotes with them. Great performance. If you're worried about range practise with a 40+gr hp. Way less wind drift at longer ranges just know your hold over. When I had a mildot scope and bipod on my 22mag I could out shoot my buddies 17hmrs all day at 200 yards in the wind

 

[Mason44]

Nice setup Rob, looks great. Did the FV come with that bolt or did you steal it from your buddy`s TR?

Great idea to head out West to Alberta to blast some gophers, when you going?

 

[.22LRGUY]

Nice setup Rob, looks great. Did the FV come with that bolt or did you steal it from your buddy`s TR?

Great idea to head out West to Alberta to blast some gophers, when you going?

Neither~had it installed by a gunsmith last week. Looks/feels awesome in my big mitts. Alberta~probably in the spring, still hashing-out the details with my buddies. Might try to build some fishing time in too, so that might be a factor.

I go so many calls/emails from my friends out there last spring/summer...they were having an awesome time gopher shooting. For every groundhog I shot here over the season, they probably HMR'd 200+ gophers. Saving some money for WestJet right now.

 

[little_airwolf]

I live just outside of Calgary on an acreage. It's been crazy weather wise. Knock on wood it lasts. If it stays nice the gophers might be up extra earily this year!!!!!!!!
I can't wait.

 

[.22LRGUY]

I live just outside of Calgary on an acreage. It's been crazy weather wise. Knock on wood it lasts. If it stays nice the gophers might be up extra earily this year!!!!!!!!
I can't wait.

Doubt you need any help with them, but drop me a line if you do. Yeah...having been to AB 4 times on fishing trips in the last 7 years, I really think I belong out there. At the time, I was just getting into hunting...we would practically trip over gophers on some of the hikes into the spots we fished. This time...the fly rod might not even be packed!

 

[super7]

They will be afraid......very afraid!

 

[Plink]

Nice little rifle there. What glass you wearing there?

 

[.22LRGUY]

Nice little rifle there. What glass you wearing there?

Thanks Plink~it's a Mueller APT. Really nice glass in my opinion, love the reticle too. These scopes don't seem to have the following in Canada that they do in the US, but I thought I'd take a chance on one. Really pleased so far, I'll update this thread when I've had a chance to sight it in.

 

[prosper]

Use the 'new skool' WMR ammo that's recently come onto the market; the plastic-tipped VMAX loads from CCI and Hornady and Remington. You'll be running right up there with the hummer's, but a little bit more splatterific

 

[.22LRGUY]

Use the 'new skool' WMR ammo that's recently come onto the market; the plastic-tipped VMAX loads from CCI and Hornady and Remington. You'll be running right up there with the hummer's, but a little bit more splatterific

Really? Interesting. A while back, I was contemplating (very publicly on this forum) the HMR vs. .22WMR for gophers, since I had (and prefer) the .22WMR but had heard that the HMR's have the most dramatic...impact...of the 2 calibers. My experience is an Ontario one mind you, I haven't shot anything gopher-sized with either one here. On bigger game like groundhogs, I know the .22WMR hits with much more authority and is more effective than HMR. I can honestly say I've shot enough of both calibers to say that with some degree of confidence.

Anyhow, I was only considering getting back into the HMR thing to make sure I'm having as much "splatteriffic" fun as my .17HMR-shooting Albertan friends. Sounds like you think the .22WMR is equal to the task...sweet! It's the one making the trip either way, but feel free to fill me in on the experience you've had with .22WMR.

 

[pharaoh2]

I might have to try another .17 HMR, my experiance in the past was anything but splatterific. Maybe the first batch of ammo was different then it is now because I never saw a single gopher so much as pop when hit by the V-max bullet. Ditto for the V-max bullet out of the WMR. Go hollow or go home is the safest bet, but you already know that.

And again, with the winds we have here your friends shooting the .17 won't be able to compete with your .22 and even if you shoot on a calm day you'll be more then a match for them.

Nice rifle by the way.

 

[cbh560]

Neither~had it installed by a gunsmith last week. Looks/feels awesome in my big mitts. Alberta~probably in the spring, still hashing-out the details with my buddies. Might try to build some fishing time in too, so that might be a factor.

I go so many calls/emails from my friends out there last spring/summer...they were having an awesome time gopher shooting. For every groundhog I shot here over the season, they probably HMR'd 200+ gophers. Saving some money for WestJet right now.

I like that bolt/knob! Who did it for you? Is it a full bolt replacement or just the handle/knob? I'd like something like that. Oh, and is it stainless? And good luck with the gophers in AB. I've been meaning to visit some family in Calgary to do the exact same thing.

 

[.22LRGUY]

I like that bolt/knob! Who did it for you? Is it a full bolt replacement or just the handle/knob? I'd like something like that. Oh, and is it stainless? And good luck with the gophers in AB. I've been meaning to visit some family in Calgary to do the exact same thing.

It was a gunsmith in Ontario who does Savage's warranty work. The whole rear section of the bolt assembly is a 1-pc. unit. If you look at the pile of clutter on my desk, the stock 93FV assembly it replaced is sitting there. I've done some business with this fellow in the past, and asked him how I might get an aftermarket tactical bolt knob (like the TR) on my FV. He asked "why don't you just put a TR one on there?"

Felt like Christmas day when I heard that. Made the 2hr. drive in the snow, and VOILA!

 

[DirtyCZ]

Hey guys~think I finally have my gopher gun ready for this summer. Making my first trip out to Alberta to hunt gophers this year, and have sort of spruced-up my 93FV a little.

Can someone explain to me what a gopher hunt is? I assumed gophers and other varmint were only hunted by property owners to keep them away from crops etc. I didn't realize people would travel to do this. Is it just for the fun of hunting or is something done with the dead gophers?

 

[cbh560]

Can someone explain to me what a gopher hunt is? I assumed gophers and other varmint were only hunted by property owners to keep them away from crops etc. I didn't realize people would travel to do this. Is it just for the fun of hunting or is something done with the dead gophers?

Basically just going out to kill some gophers for the fun of it. Not much is done with the gophers after they are shot. Most guys are out for the "splatter factor". Kind of gruesome, yet greatly entertaining. Most property owners don't mind you shooting gophers, as the little buggers can cause a lot of trouble (broken legs on livestock, crop/grain damage, etc.). Not to mention they breed fast enough that the amount of guys going out to shoot gophers is hardly enough to keep populations in check. Thinks like hard winters are still the ulimate population control

 

[cbh560]

It was a gunsmith in Ontario who does Savage's warranty work. The whole rear section of the bolt assembly is a 1-pc. unit. If you look at the pile of clutter on my desk, the stock 93FV assembly it replaced is sitting there. I've done some business with this fellow in the past, and asked him how I might get an aftermarket tactical bolt knob (like the TR) on my FV. He asked "why don't you just put a TR one on there?"

Felt like Christmas day when I heard that. Made the 2hr. drive in the snow, and VOILA!

Awesome, did he happen to have one on hand or can it just be ordered from savage? Was thinking about having mine threaded and a knob put on, but I like the TR knob and sounds much easier. Do you know if this part can be ordered? It just may look a little silly since my rifle is all SS, but only until I decide how to paint/coat it