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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Hunting Gate => Topic started by: A.K.A. Tommy Boy on July 20, 2020, 12:10:37 PM
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I have been plagued with chipmunks this year. This has been the worst year ever for them in the 30 years that I have lived here. Normaly I don't post any pesting that I do but this week has been crazy. I have taken about 4 or 5 chipmunks a day for the last week or so. I have been shooting them off of my wood pile area that is in my backyard. The distance to the wood pile from the back walkout door of my garage is around 35 yards. I use the 117. cal. Umarex NXG APX for backyard work. I shoot standing with my off-hand braced on the upright door frame. I shoot 117cal. Daisy 7.2 gr. pointed pellets in the Umarex. They are cheap and highly accurate in that gun. I usually get the chipmunks in the morning and in the evening while they are out & about foraging. There does not seem any end in sight for the chipmunks this year. The chipmunk in the image below was shot thru the ear while it was crossing from my fence over to the wood pile on some cedar fence rails that I have placed out there to afford a good unobstructed shot. The Umarex is a sweet rifle for pesting work. It is about 4 lbs with the CV-Life 4x32 scope and off-set rail mounted on it. This rifle shoots like a moderated rifle and is extremely quiet. I have also taken my fair share of Gray Squirrels and Cotton tail rabbits with the gun, in the 4 years that I have owned it. This rifle is easy to load and I have never had an air leak in it. It will hold 10 pumps of air for several weeks with out losing any power. The only thing that I have had to do with the Umarex is mod the horrible trigger and safety. On the safety is a small button that must be pushed in in-order for the safety to move. I inserted a small sheet metal screw on top of that button to keep it depressed and packed the trigger and saftey with graphite. Smooth as butter now & very nice. I did not change the automatic safety feature on it, as most of my rifles have that feature and it does not bother me. The only rifle that I have that has a manual safety is the Crosman Summit Ranger. The umarex does not have the power that my other rifles do, but out to 40 yards it is enough...... if the shot placement is right.
Best Wishes - Tom
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I have one of these too Tom. It is a good little gun. Got mine refurbed for about $30 and love it.
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Nice that you are able to remove them rather than have them move into your house for the winter. Sounds like your Umarex is a keeper.
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I have one of these too Tom. It is a good little gun. Got mine refurbed for about $30 and love it.
Thanks for the reply Cole. I got mine on a Lighting Deal at AGD for around $42 around 4 years ago, it was new. I tossed the scope that came with it and I put on the 4x32 mill dot CV Life scope right away. There aren't many posts on this particular rifle because most people don't like them but I sure like mind. It is way easier to load than the 2100 that I used to own with about the same power. Once the trigger gets fixed.. it is a nice little rifle.
By the way ....I just got two more.
Best Wishes - To
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Nice that you are able to remove them rather than have them move into your house for the winter. Sounds like your Umarex is a keeper.
High Jerry.
Yup....I remove them as fast as I can. I don't want them chewing any electrical wiring on my car, motorhome or air conditioner or tunneling in my yard. Two years ago I had to replace my AC unit on the house because they chewed & shorted out all the electrical wiring and AC computer. Thank you for your reply sir.
By the way... I just got two more.
Best Wishes - Tom
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I just came in from shooting two more chippers with the Umarex. Both were head shots at the same distance...35 yards. Here they are.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Tom, great shooting on all those chippers! You’ll dent their population soon!
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Tom, great shooting on all those chippers! You’ll dent their population soon!
Hi Randall.
Thank you for your reply.
I doubt that I have even begun to dent their population this year...wow I hear them all over in the woods out back of my place. You should see the burrows that they have dug around my yard. I am sure there will be more to come.... the day ain't over with quite yet. This evening should be real interesting.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Good shooting on those chirping devils, Tom!
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Good shooting on those chirping devils, Tom!
Hi Luis. Thank you for your reply.
I just took Chipper #4 with the 25 cal. Hatsan 125 TH.
They are all over the place today and just keep coming in.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Well folks..I just took Chipper #4. There were 2 more out there that took off after the shot but they will be back soon.
I decided to change things up bit and shot this one with the 25 cal. Hatsan 125 Thumb Hole. I was shooting 25 cal, Benjamin 27.8 gr Domed pellets. The distance was a little further this time..maybe 40 yards or so. The shot hit it square between the eyes as it was looking in my direction. The pellet traveled the light of it's torso and exited out it's rear rump. The impact bugged out it's eyes and knocked it back aways.
More to come today...I think.
Best Wishes - Tom
Note: I hadn't shot this rifle since last winter. It was still dead on target with no warm up shooting.
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OK....Two more today.....#5 was taken with the 22 cal Crosman Summit Ranger shooting 22 cal. Crosman 14.3 gr Hunting pellets. It was a moving body shot while it was scampering across the Cedar Fence Rails at 35 Yards. Chipper #6 was taken at 35 yards on the ground by the log pile. I shot this one in the side of the head next to the ear. I was shooting 22 cal. Crosman 14.3 gr Hunting pellets on this one too. I have the 117 cal.Hatsan Vortex Striker Striker all loaded up with 117 cal. Crosman 7.9 gr Destroyers (Old Chinese Style Destroyers) for the next shot if I get one.
This has been a good chance to check out these rifles. Outside of the Umarex ....I have not shot any of my other rifles since last winter's hunting season
Every day has been like this for the past week or so. We'll see if any more come in today.
Best Wishes - Tom
Click any of the the pictures in this post to enlarge the images if you wish.
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Darn good shooting Tom! Your rifles are getting quite a work out! :D 8)
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Darn good shooting Tom! Your rifles are getting quite a work out! :D 8)
Hi Buddy ! Thank's for your reply.
Well......this post started out today with the Umarex "880 Pretender" but it has sorta evolved into a shoot fest with my other rifles.
I had not shot any of them since last winter so this was a good check out run for them.
We'll see if any more target opportunities arise later this afternoon. I be trying out the 117 cal. Hatsan Vortex Striker if any more Chippers show up.
Best Wishes - Tom
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That's some great shooting Tom! Chippers are a blast. When I've had to clean them out there has been as many at two dozen easily, but others will keep coming.
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That's some great shooting Tom! Chippers are a blast. When I've had to clean them out there has been as many at two dozen easily, but others will keep coming.
Hi David !
Thank you so much for your reply and complement.
I have been getting about 4 or 5 a day for the last week or so. I usually don't post any pesting stories or pictures, just my hunting stories & pictures out in the woods, but this has been extreme.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Tom, just think of it as a pre-season shakedown for the rifles. And with that target rich environment, all the rifles are getting a workout. Well done, my friend. The man behind the rifle is definitely doing his part.
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Tom, just think of it as a pre-season shakedown for the rifles. And with that target rich environment, all the rifles are getting a workout. Well done, my friend. The man behind the rifle is definitely doing his part.
Hi Mike ! Thank you for your reply & complement.
Yep....a pre-season shakedown it is....for sure.
Well... I think I'll be on my way back out to the garage ....to see if any more turns up today.
Best Wishes - Tom
Best Wishes - Tom
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Ok....Soooo....# 7 down today too. It was a 35 yard head shot on a ground target. I was shooting the 117 cal. Hatsan Vothex Edge loaded with 117 cal. Crosman 7.9 gr Destroyer Hunting pellets.
Next gun up...I am breaking out the 22 cal. Walther Talon Magnum and it will be loaded with 22 cal JSB Exact 18.13 gr Jumbo Heavy Domed pellets.
We will see how I do with that rifle if any more show up.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Nice shooting Tom!
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Nice shooting Tom!
Hi Dave !
Thank you for your complement and reply.
It has been a rough day for the Chippers at my place.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Ok ..so it is 7 PM and I have not seen or heard any more Chipmunks. I still have a couple more hours of shootable daylight but I decided to check out the Walther on a paper target to see where it was shooting after having been in my gun safe for many months. Good thing I did too. I took 10 shots and the shots were high to the right and all over the place. Very Strange for this rifle. This is the one that SteveP-52 gave me last year and it was spot on last time I shot it. So first thing is to ....check the stock screws. That was it..the rear screw was loose. So I torqued it back up and took another 10 shots. This time all ten shots were on the center 1 1/2 inch bullseye. The second shot group was a lot better. It measured around 3/4 on an inch and was dead center on the bull. No scope adjustment was necessary.
I'll be standing by with this rifle until dark and confident that my shots will be accurate now. If I get another one I'll post it later on tonight.
If I don't see any....then I'll have the target as a consolation prize....sort of.
Best Wishes - Tom
Note:
For those that are not familiar the Walther, it was made by Hatsan for Walther/Umarex and is a 125 Hatsan Magnum.
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Well Folks I never did get a Chipper with the Walther today.
So today it was just the 5 rifles and 7 Chippers with 7 shots. Not too bad though, considering everything.
I wish I could have connected with the Walther but that was not to be, today.
I sat in the doorway until dark ...but all I saw were song birds.
Oh well....there is always tomorrow..right.
Best Wishes to All - Tom
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Tom,
Just plaster 7 more tommorrow with the Walther! ;)
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Tom,
Just plaster 7 more tommorrow with the Walther! ;)
Yes Sir Buddy......I definitely will do... what you have suggested I do ! ;D Well.... kinda sorta...maybe :-\
You can never tell on things like that at age 70... and soon to be 71. :-[
I might sorta forget to go out shooting tomorrow. :'(
Or I might not be able to lift or cock that ...Really Big Heavy Gun... either. :o.
(NOT Really) ;)
Best Wishes - Tom
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Well.......so I got up early this morning at 5:00 Am to resume my Chipper activities with the Walther..............
BUT......it started raining and thunder storming...Hard ! ??? So I got rained out for a couple of hours. :(
It has been raining and thunder storming about every other day for the last couple of days now.
Last Friday & Saturday I was ducking Thunder Storms and Tornadoes each night. :o
Two Tornadoes to the North of me and two Tornadoes to the South of me but none at my place. (Thank Goodness ;D)
This all should blow over by 10:00 AM...I hope. ;)
Best Wishes - Tom
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Good luck today Tom! Those chippers should be “out and about” after the weather clears a bit.
:D
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Tom. You had what we used to call a "John Wayne" day. Those days when you snatch the shot but the squirrel moves his head to intercept the pellet. Those days when every shot connects perfectly even the 50 yard "forlorn hope" crosswind shot. I had one of those days about 45 years ago. I hope I have another one before I die. ;D
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Good luck today Tom! Those chippers should be “out and about” after the weather clears a bit.
:D
Hi Buddy !
Not quite like yesterday, it was really dead today. No birds even...but... I did finally get one today, with the Walther.
Thank you, so much, for all of your great replies and all of your kind encouragement.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Tom. You had what we used to call a "John Wayne" day. Those days when you snatch the shot but the squirrel moves his head to intercept the pellet. Those days when every shot connects perfectly even the 50 yard "forlorn hope" crosswind shot. I had one of those days about 45 years ago. I hope I have another one before I die. ;D ( I Hope You Do Too ! - Tom)
Hi Carter !
John Wayne Day...you sure got that right. It was just amazing ! Every first shot connected with most of my 6 guns without any warmup shots or checking zero, and all this after many months in my gun safe. I doubt if I'll ever see another day like that one was. I am going to be 71 this August and I don't think I will ever see another day like this again, in my remaining lifetime.
Thank you so much for your insightful reply.
Best Wishes - Tom
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Great shooting on the chippers Tom! That little pumper is a keeper, and with a tuned trigger no less!
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Well I finally got a Chipper today with the Walther. The day started out bad. A thunderstorm blew in at 6 am and it rained hard & steady until 10:30 am. After the storm stopped it rained some, on & off all day up until 4 pm. I sat in the back doorway of my garage from 10:30 until 12pm. The only thing that I saw was ...Mosquitoes....and I slap-kill lots of them. It was warm and very humid....no birds even...just the buzzing of the Mosquitoes. At 12 pm I had to run some errands and did not get back until 4 pm. I spotted this lone Chipper at around 4:30 to 4:45 pm. I threw up the Walther and took the only shot that I would get today. Lucky for me I managed to make a good shot and hit the Chipper. The chipper was up in a small tree overlooking my woodpile. This one was real cagey like. It was checking out the area first, before moving in. The word must be out in "Chipperville" that my woodpile is not a safe place to visit anymore. I hit it in the back base of the skull with the JSB pellet and that was that. The tree that it was in was behind the woodpile so the distance was a little greater than 35 yards..maybe as much as 39 yards or so. Anyway..Chipper # 8 was harvested with the 22 cal Walther today !
Today was just as DEAD as yesterday was HOT ...but I luckily, managed to get one anyway.
All my rifles have now had a pre-season warm-up and most will go back in my gun safe until this Fall.
Six "highly different" guns...8 Chippers ..all taken in 2 days with 8 shots fired.
As Blowpipe Sam (Carter) has said....it was a "John Wayne Day" ....a couple of days at that.
Best Wishes - Tom
Note:
To All Readers:
I wish to thank everyone for all of their great replies, welcome encouragement and heartwarming interest in this post.
It does this "old man's heart" good !
Tommy Boy ( Tom)
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Great shooting on the chippers Tom! That little pumper is a keeper, and with a tuned trigger no less!
Hi Harry !
Thank you for the reply and complement.
Yup...I really like that little Umarex.
On a side note....I finally managed to wrap things up with the Walther Talon Magnum today... on ...CHIPPER # 8
Best Wishes - Tom
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Wow, nice shot with the Talon Tom! Maybe the weather will be better tommorrow and more chippers will be moving about. ;)
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Wow, nice shot with the Talon Tom! Maybe the weather will be better tommorrow and more chippers will be moving about. ;)
Well Hi Buddy !
Thank you for your reply and gracious complement.
I am hoping for better weather tomorrow myself.
The 22 cal Walther and the 25 cal Hatsan 125TH are tricky rifles to shoot. They both have a quarto trigger and I must be mindful of the "Special Quatrio Trigger Pull"......it is a little different than other guns. You allow your trigger finger to follow the curve of the trigger guard and pull the trigger back with a "firm but gentle" upward arc instead of straight back.
Those Hatsan Magnum rifles are accurate enough..providing you get everything right with the hold and trigger pull.
They sure can sling the lead.... real...hard too.
Best Wishes - Tom
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I have one of the Umarex multi-pumped also. That thing has so many deal and o'rings to oil. Mine likes the RWS Meisterkugeln rifle pellets. clackity when pumping, hard trigger, but it's okay.
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I have one of the Umarex multi-pumped also. That thing has so many deal and o'rings to oil. Mine likes the RWS Meisterkugeln rifle pellets. clackity when pumping, hard trigger, but it's okay.
Hi Jon !
Thank you, for your reply sir.
My rifle had it's Glaring Flaws too, but they were fixable. It's a sweet shooter now....for a "plastic fantastic rifle" that is.
What I like about it is.. the loading port. That port makes loading a whole lot easier that the 2100 that I used to own.
I put some 1/8 inch thick, sticky backed foam weather stripping on the pumping tube cylinder, to quiet down the clackity clack when pumping. I also fixed the trigger too. I use Mac-1's "secret sauce" very sparingly for lubrication about once a year.
The biggest problem area was that NASTY trigger. I just hated pushing that little button in to get the safety to move forward. Once I put in the small sheetmetal screw, in to keep the little safety button depressed and lubricated the trigger/safety assembly, generously with a dry film door hinge graphite lube, the trigger became smooth as butter.
Best wishes - Tom