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Post by hairytully on May 11, 2013 9:37:38 GMT -5
Hi guys, There is a wealth of technical info & FAQ in here, but how about some hard won, in the field experiences or "stories" to share with your mates. Most memorable shot or quarry taken, etc. To kick it off, when in my mid twenties I purchased a ,22lr/20g with synthetic stock, cross bolt safety & 4x40 scope. I would happily share it around while rabbit, fox hunting & spotlighting. I saw a few shocked expressions when after a click of firing with the safety on, the hammer was recocked. The following shot's expected crack was a resounding boom. The hammer's selector switch had rotated forward on hitting the safety, to the shotgun. The rabbit ended up just as dead, but it was a quirk not found on regular guns. My first 20G slug kill was a unlucky Kangaroo that as usual hopped out of spear & shotgun range to 50m then stopped to see what had disturbed him. Not having done any slug target shooting I was unsure & aimed at the chest. He back flipped spectacularly & locked in my respect for these combos. On examination the slug had almost taken his head clean off, as I found out later this shotgun hit about 7" high at that range. Now some 20 years later I'm the proud owner of its predator busting big brother in 223/12G & laughing at the predator forums. They discuss chasing pattern densities & extending the 12G's range out past 50m. They are missing out on the 24's mid range accuracy & close in hitting power. Now my paper punching tells me my 12G slugs hit 14" low for 1" groups at 50m. The 223 can shoot 2" groups at 200m on 9x, with nosler 55gn ballistic tips & 63gn Sierra SP. I couldn't be happier, well unless I had the time & hunting opportunities I did back then.  |
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Post by odell23 on May 13, 2013 8:25:20 GMT -5
hairytully,
Great topic to bring up. Other than a few squirrels and rabbits, I don't have any really great hunting stories with the Model 24 to tell. I will say that the antelope jackrabbits in my neck of the world can take a hit so I have to use either hypervelocity shells if I'm shooting .22lr or step up to the .22wrm. Being cross-eye dominant I prefer the left side button selector of the early 24 De Luxe models in 20 gauge.
I would love to one day hunt some kangaroos. They seem to be to Austrailia what white-tailed deer are to America.
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Post by vancmike on May 13, 2013 15:51:55 GMT -5
Mine's an old guy story: bought my Mdl 24 22/410 new, by mail, in 1958 from Stoeger's at age 15 (I'm sure I had my dad sign for it...  ) for $27.50, using lawn mowing dollars. I lived in and hunted rural Illinois, shooting rabbits, squirrels, and with the .410 (2.5"....3" shells were too expensive), quail and pheasant (it wasn't until years later that I was told that .410 was "too small for ringnecks....."). My buddy Dave and I would tape flashlights to the barrels of our guns and shoot rats at the town dump. When I moved back out west, to Idaho, I went on to bigger and stronger medicine for deer and elk, chukar, etc., and alas, my original 24 sort of sits in the cabinet most of the time, although I've taken it out to shoot ground and grey squirrels occasionally. Best first firearm ever to grow up with, tho.....they'll bury it with me. |
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Post by hairytully on May 15, 2013 22:54:22 GMT -5
Rats, that could be big game hunting in some cities. I saw a great YouTube video shooting an army of rats in a chicken coop with an air rifle & night vision scope. I guess as we get more experience we tend to want the challenge of bigger & tougher game with bigger boomsticks. But it sure would be nice to kill some time in a target rich environment with old faithful.
I have knocked over a few foxes & cats with both .22lr & 20G barrels, but that Roo is still the biggest thing I've dropped with that 24. Roos are probably more commonly seen out hunting than you would think. But as native animals they are protected unless the farmer has a permit to thin them out on his property. Do your selves a favor if you come down under & hand feed them at an animal park. The tame ones are cute as.
So now I plan on mainly predator hunting in state forests where ferrals hide after a lamb dinner. Wild dogs are a big problem after the bumper wet seasons & floods. Some packs have lost their fear of people & will damage cattle & horses. There are $50 bountys in some areas . All the local ferrals will be on my hit list.
I have been reading up on Coyote forums, about calling & decoys that seem perfect for attracting foxes & dogs. The low tech fox whistle has done ok to this point. Anybody got any pointers with sound & movement decoys? I think the combo of 223/12g would be great for this type of hunting.
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Post by rharper on May 18, 2013 22:06:42 GMT -5
Got a rabbit yesterday ...
It's not an exciting story, and it's not quite "hunting" because it was sniffing at the garden (in that case, the meat is good, but dead or scared away is the goal). Still, we'll be frying it up tomorrow night, so a full plate should count.
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Post by rharper on May 19, 2013 18:16:20 GMT -5
It was very good.
I was using a .410 adapter on the 20 ga (neighbor's house was too close to use the .22), so the kill was quick but a bit messy. The chickens and cats got a fair bit of treat out of it, but there was enough left over to brine, dice, and braise with diced tomatoes, beans, and greens (with rosemary, onion, garlic and sage for flavor).
I served it over rice, and the rabbit flavor was strong enough to carry the dish, without being particularly gamey--it was a young tender beast, and it made for one heck of a first wild rabbit.
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Post by vancmike on Jun 1, 2013 17:30:21 GMT -5
I recall many spring bunnies, who were raiding veg gardens, falling to my 24. I used 22 short because they were the most quiet, and (this shows you how old I am), 22 short were much cheaper.
If I recall correctly, 22 short were 25 or 30 cents/box, longs were a dime more, and LR were a dime more than longs. So one could should almost twice as many short for the same money than LR.
I still have a box of those old Western shorts.....I think it's worth more than a quarter now.....
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Post by rharper on Jun 3, 2013 21:41:35 GMT -5
I actually use CB shorts when I can ... but I paid a lot more for them (even before the sky-is-falling shortage) than 30 cents a box.
I got another one a few days later, by the way. He's in the freezer. That brings the spring total to five, just around the garden. The greens are safe, at least for the moment ... though there are some deer prints around as well.
I'm not sure whether I could count those as pests, though I understand the laws here in Virginia are pretty lenient about damage control. I do have some "self-defense" rubber buck that ought to get them out of the yard, should it come down to that.
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Post by sidewinder on Jun 20, 2013 0:38:24 GMT -5
I'd love to hear some coyote hunting stories, using the Savage 24 center-fire calibers. What caliber? What bullet and bullet weight? What distances for the shot? Was it a DRT, or did the coyote spin and run? Did you try to use a scope, or just use the iron sights? I have a .222/20 that I think should make a good coyote gun... and just got a .357Mag/20 that might work as a coyote gun also. What do you coyote hunters think?
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Post by idahoelkandflyguy on Jul 25, 2013 17:34:17 GMT -5
My first bear fell to my 24f. 30-30 / 20 12ga. Nothing too exciting, I shot, it dropped.
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Post by idahoelkandflyguy on Jul 25, 2013 17:35:29 GMT -5
Uh, that should read 30-30 / 20 ga.
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kweb
Rank Stranger
Posts: 4 
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Post by kweb on Oct 1, 2013 23:43:24 GMT -5
I will never forget years ago I was walking down a dry creek bed with my trusty 24v 30-30/20gauge, i used to carry that gun just for whatever opportunity presented itself. I had a really big cottonmouth raise up and open his mouth and hiss at me, just a few feet in front of me. I nervously fumbled the hammer selector to the shotgun and blew his head clean off, that was close to 20 years ago, I can still see that snake. Like a dummy I traded that gun off years ago, but luckilly I am the proud new owner of another just like it. I am really looking forward to hunting with this new to me one, that I just got. I am planning to use it for deer and hogs, not sure if i will use buckshot or slug. The shotgun barrel is a modified so shouldnt be a problem either way.
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) for $27.50, using lawn mowing dollars.
