gently sloped uphill from where we set up our benches. Dave plunked down a folding chair to my left and broke out a binocular so he could spot for me. This day I was shooting a bolt ac-
tion Thompson/Center Venture Preda- tor rifl e chambered in 22-250. This rifl e has a round receiver and is bedded into a Hogue Overmolded composite stock with sling swivel studs, and a camou- fl age fi nish. The sporter weight tapered barrel is 22" long, is fl uted, has a 1:12 twist rate, and a camoufl age fi nish. The bolt and bolt handle are black nitride coated. The rifl e, without scope, weighs 6¾ pounds. The trigger pull weight can be adjusted between 3.5 and 5 pounds and the trigger pull is very smooth. Weaver-style scope bases are factory installed. The bolt has a fat body and a three-lug design for fast, smooth ac- tion. I have used the T/C Icon Precision Hunter on prairie dogs but the Venture was new to me. The rifl e was topped with a Trijicon scope just like the model I used the day before, so there was no “break-in period” getting used to it. It didn’t take all that long for me to con- clude I liked this rifl e. The area where we were shooting
had more prairie dogs available for us than yesterday’s location, so I tried to make the most of the situation. Target distances ranged from 40 or 50 yards for some young and innocent ones to well beyond 300 yards … and it was helpful to have Dave spotting for me on the longer shots. While Dave is in the fi eld he likes
to carry on his hip a Smith & Wesson Model 617 revolver chambered in 22 Long Rifle. This is a stainless steel, medium frame size, with a 6-inch bar- rel, and holds 10 rounds. He likes to plink at close-in prairie dogs when the opportunities arise, and he’s pretty good with it. At one point he spotted a prairie dog off to my right at about 25 feet. Because Dave was on my left, he handed the revolver to me and told me to take a shot. I did, and knocked over two prairie dogs with one shot. The prairie dog that I could see completely hid another dog that was directly behind it. We got a big laugh out of this feat of marksmanship (and luck) and I then immediately handed the revolver back to Dave. I knew enough to quit while I was ahead of the game. (Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.)
The area where we were shooting
had enough targets available that we spent all morning there and returned af- ter lunch, moving our shooting benches only about a hundred yards to the left for the afternoon session. Overall, I concluded that I could give high marks to the T/C Venture Predator rifl e I was shooting. I would be content to use it any time, anywhere in a dog town. Plus, with its camo fi nish it would make a good rifl e to use for predator calling. On our third day of shooting I
paired up with Dick Williams, who works with SureFire. Dick and I have spent quite a few days together at the Silver Spur shooting ground squirrels … and mostly we shoot rimfires or small centerfires. This was a rimfire day for us, and I picked up a Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 PC chambered for the 22 Long Rifle cartridge. For sighting, this rifl e was equipped with a Trijicon ACOG® Model TA01 4x32 sight. According to the S&W catalog, this “…is a dedicated M&P15 format rifl e designed and built as a true 22 LR semiauto from the ground up, with all the standard operating features and accessory specifi cations of a modern- version centerfi re M&P15 rifl e.” This rifl e provides the shooter the looks and feel of its big brother centerfi re ARs, but with little noise and no recoil. It’s one of those guns with a high “fun factor.” If you like the centerfi re AR-15 rifl es I think you will like this rimfi re version.
Even though I was limited to shots of around 75 yards or a bit more with this rifl e, it was hard to avoid having a grin on my face when going after squirrels with the M&P15-22 PC. I just may have to add such a rifl e to my ground squirrel battery. The combination of rifl e and sight worked just fi ne for the distance at which we found many of our targets. Overall, I would give high marks
to the three rifl es and optics I used on this hunt. Everything functioned with- out a hitch and I would have no hesita- tion about adding any or all of these items to my own prairie dog/ground squirrel battery.
CONTACTS
Smith & Wesson 2100 Roosevelt Avenue Springfi eld, MA 01104 1-800-331-0852
smith-wesson.com
Thompson/Center Arms 2100 Roosevelt Avenue Springfi eld, MA 01104 1-866-730-1614
tca_customerservice@tcarms.com Trijicon, Inc.
49385 Shafer Avenue P.O. Box 930059
Wixom, Michigan 48393-0059 1-800-338-0563
www.trijicon.com
Smith & Wesson offers a wide range of AR-15 style rifl es for hunters. This is a Model M&P150R chambered in 5.56mm NATO and is topped with a Trijicon Model TA01 4x32 scope. The suppressor was installed for demonstration purposes.
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