my rifles at 100 yards, chronograph the ammo, and work up “come up” sheets for each load. It’s awesome to calculate the appropriate “come up” and tag a dog on the first shot from 300 to 600 yards! In addition, you should know what your windage and elevation zeros are on your scope’s turrets, so that you can return them to zero at the end of each day. Mark was a real trooper on the


road trip out to Billings – there were no “Are we there yet?” questions. We drove straight through from South Carolina to Montana in 32 hours. Ron and I shared


driving responsibilities. There was good conversation – hard to believe one can talk about shooting and reloading so much. We made an adequate number of pit stops – even for Star. Upon arriving in Billings we


hooked up with Ty. Ty is my source of shooting venues each year. This year we shot on the Crow Indian Reserva- tion at the base of the Pryor Mountains. Our first night we stayed in a motel in Billings – washed up from the long drive and got some uninterrupted sleep. Thereafter we camped on a ridge


overlooking the killing fields. Wal-Mart supplied our food and ice. Remember to have enough water for drinking, wash- ing and dishes. We had more than 10 gallons. John flew in from South Caro- lina and we set up camp and shooting benches (Caldwell BR Pivot Shooting Benches). Don’t erect a tent for the first time in the field. In addition to shooting prairie


dogs, Mark received a mini AppleSeed course of instruction (RWVA.com). The AppleSeed Project provides a funda- mentals in rifle marksmanship course of training coupled with instruction pertaining to our heritage. During the heritage portion of the class, students hear about the events surrounding April 19, 1775. The importance of rifle marks- manship is tied, through instruction, to our revolutionary war heritage and the Second Amendment. Mark’s instruc- tion included the steady hold factors for the field positions (standing, sitting and prone). He is now an ace when it comes to walkabouts. He also soaked up information concerning rifle safety. I strongly encourage Varmint Hunters Association members to look into this program for themselves and loved ones. Ron and Mark chose to shoot


From left to right: Paul, Duane, Philip, Rich, Robert


While everything seems to cost more, Sierra’s reloading advice is still free. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (CST), shooters and hunters with reloading questions turn to Sierra’s Ballistics Technicians. When you’re looking for ways to maximize your shooting performance, email sierra@sierrabullets.com, post to Facebook or give us a call at 800-223-8799. The cost is free. But the advice is priceless.


mainly close in (40 to 150 yards), pri- marily doing “walkabouts.” While the 10/22, CZ 452 American in 17 HMR, and an AR15 were adequate in size for Mark off of a bench, the buttstocks were too long and the scopes too far back. Off to Cabela’s in Billings for an outstanding BlackHawk Axion stock that effectively converted the 10/22 into an M4 in 22 LR. The stock has 9.75 to 13 inches of length of pull with six stops. This solved the length of pull problem, in spades, that Mark was having when shooting from “field positions.” The barrel is free-floated in the stock, improving the accuracy of Mark’s 10/22. Mark’s longest documented shot was 223 yards using the CZ in 17 HMR off of a bench. This is quite an accomplishment for an 11-year-old doggin’ for the first time on very windy days. (When doesn’t it blow in dog country?) Ron had documented kills with the 17 HMR out to 400 yards. The HMR is a hummer! I strongly encourage anyone head-


facebook.com/SierraBullets Page 168 078.30338 Tech Ad VARMINT HUNTER 4.9375x7.5.indd 1


1­400­West­Henry­Street­•­Sedalia,­MO­65301­•­www.sierrabullets.com Spring 2013


11/6/12 8:52 AM


ed for the killing fields to buy the best glass they can afford. John and I spotted primarily for each other. Close in we used our binoculars (Steiner and Bush-


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196