Bang ! Ping....Smack-o .... Another Gray Down !

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Well the rain finally stoped long enough for me to get out and do a little hunting.
It has been raining of and on for several days now.
The woods were very wet and boggy but the wetness helped me &  prevented me from making any noise as I walked thru the woods.
The woods still have a lot od leaves and heavy cover still and the visibility was not to good.
There was no wind and the temp was 45 F.
I was hunting with my Hatsan Vortex edge rifle. This rifle was formerly a 25 cal. rifle.
I had received a new 22 cal. barrel for it from SteveP-52.
I wanted to try it out hunting for the first time, since I sighted it in with this new barrel.
I was hunting with 22 cal. Gamo 15.4 gr Red Fire Hunting pellets.
I spotted a nice gray at the base of a White Oak tree and lined up the shot and I braced my fore-stock hand on a tree branch.
It was a standing semi-off hand shot at around 20 to 25 yards.
The squirrel was broadside to me.
I squeezed off the shot and heard the "Metallic Hatsan Ping" then heard the telltale meat slap of the pellet striking home.
I hit the squirrel in the mid chest area with the pellet striking the heart lung area. There was no exit wound.
The squirrel staggered off about 15 yards then dropped stone cold dead.
I was very pleased with the performance of this barrel that SteveP-52 had sent me.
He said it was a good one and he was Soooo Right !



Best Wishes My Friends. -  Tom


P.S.

Oh yes.....Steve also sent me a gift today ......
3 tins of pellets that I have been wanting to try out in the 22 cal. Walther Talon Magnum. Hatsan 125 )

[Airspace]

My 22 freedom loves those Predator polymags. At 25 yds it was one ragged hole smaller then a dime. I hope your rifle likes them as well.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

My 22 freedom loves those Predator polymags. At 25 yds it was one ragged hole smaller then a dime. I hope your rifle likes them as well.

Hi Guy !

Thank You for your reply sir.

Hopefully my gun will like them too !  We will see.



Best Wishes - Tom

[dk1677]

Nice shot Tom! 1 here today

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Nice shot Tom! 1 here today

Excellent Dave   Very Good Shooting !

Today a lucky day for..... Both Of Us !

Thank You for your kind reply.



 Best Wishes My Friend  -  Tom

[35 shooter]

Nice shot Tom. Get after them lol.

Season opened this week here, but too much work in the way through Saturday for me
Can’t believe I missed opening day which was Tuesday.

Got to get a couple of new rifles that need breaking in on a hunt!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Nice shot Tom. Get after them lol.

Season opened this week here, but too much work in the way through Saturday for me
Can’t believe I missed opening day which was Tuesday.

Got to get a couple of new rifles that need breaking in on a hunt!

Buddy....Thank You for your complement and reply.

I am hoping that you can .....get out hunting soon.

All work and no hunting ........makes for idle guns. 

Don't idle your guns.....make them work a hard as you !     

Best Wishes My Friend  -  Tom

[ranchibi]

Tom, great shot with your new .22. barrel from SteveP! Nice way to christen the new barrel!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Tom, great shot with your new .22. barrel from SteveP! Nice way to christen the new barrel!

Randall.......I thought it was a nice christening too.

Thank You for your reply and complement.



 Best Wishes My Friend  -  Tom

[Luis Leon]

Good shooting Tom, off hand shooting is my nemesis, not good at it. The woods look very dense where you’re hunting.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Good shooting Tom, off hand shooting is my nemesis, not good at it. The woods look very dense where you’re hunting.

Hi Luis !

Thank You for your reply and complement.  Yes the woods are still very dense.

After all the leaves fall, then things will open up and the hunting visibility will get better.

With all the folage still on the trees and the full undergrowth...... I was lucky to see or get anything today... out in the woods

The short Vortex Edge 22 and the short Vortex Striker 117 (in an edge stock), both make for good "heavy cover brush guns"

1. They handle well in the thick stuff.   
2. They are reasonably light weight.   
3. They pack plenty of punch.
4. They can take abuse.
5. They are accurate.   





Best Wishes My Friend  -  Tom

Click the picture to enlarge the image.

[Wayne52]

Great shooting on that gray Tom !!!  I haven't gotten any gray's (black variation in my case) this year yet, it seems like there were a lot more of them last season.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Great shooting on that gray Tom !!!  I haven't gotten any gray's (black variation in my case) this year yet, it seems like there were a lot more of them last season.

Thank You for your reply Wayne. 

The squirrel numbers seem to be down in my area this year too. I am not seeing as many this Fall as I did last year at the same time. 
We have a few Reds and mostly Grays (Some black variation of the grays too)  We have no Fox squirrels in my immediate area, although I have gotten Grays that look like they could be part Fox squirrel.

[Bicycleman]

Well done, Tom. 
It seems odd that a squirrel will travel after having its heart exploded; but I have seen it several times.
(Cooler temperatures are on the way for Tennessee.) 

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Well done, Tom. 
It seems odd that a squirrel will travel after having its heart exploded; but I have seen it several times.
(Cooler temperatures are on the way for Tennessee.) 

Mike...Thank You for your reply.

Yes I have seen this happen many times too.

I'm glad that cooler temps are on the way for you.



Best Wishes My Friend  -  Tom

[buddyb]

Good job Tom, that's a nice looking gun too. 

Buddy

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Good job Tom, that's a nice looking gun too. 

Buddy

Buddy

Thank You for your Reply & Complement.   

I"ve got two that look just the same.  One is this Hatsan Vortex Edge in 22 Cal.  (formerly 25 cal.)
The other is a 117 cal Hatsan Vortex Striker that is in an Edge Riflestock. (That SteveP-52 gave me a few years ago)
They are both short, fairly light weight, highly accurate and good in thick cover. Here are some pictures of them.
The one with the white tape on the buttstock is the 117 cal. Striker/Edge
The middle one is a Camo 85 Sniper 117 cal.   ( formerly 25 cal.)
The one with the red tape on the buttstock is the 22 cal. edge.
They all three have basically the same power plant.
They use the same piston and piston seal.


Best Wishes My Friend  -  Tom

[Horatio]

Tom,

   Was the .25 barrel inaccurate, or oversized? Or were you just wanting to try something else and tinker around? Thank you.

Love your hunting posts. City life and couped up over here.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Tom,

   Was the .25 barrel inaccurate, or oversized? Or were you just wanting to try something else and tinker around? Thank you.

Love your hunting posts. City life and couped up over here.

Hi Sam ! 

The 22 cal Edge barrel was a recent gift from SteveP-52.
Being that I now have a 25 cal. Hatsan 125, I did not feel that I need it in 25 cal. anymore. ( the 125 was bought from cherokeesteve this spring)

The 25 cal barrel for the Edge is just fine. 
The 25 cal barrel for the 85 sniper works good too.

No sense duplicating 25 cal in lower powered guns when I now have the Real Deal in a 25 cal Hatsan 125 rifle..right ? 


SteveP-52 gifted me that edge 22 cal barrel, two edge stocks and.....a 22 cal. Walther Talon Magnum Rifle ( Hatsan 125 ) plus many various pellets. 
Lt. Dan and ugleymike also got gifts from SteveP-52.


Best Wishes - Tom

Here are some pictures of my Harsan Rifles below, click the picture to enlarge the image.

[cpool]

Good job tom