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< 16ga. General Discussion ~ Long range chukars |
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Posted:
Sat Dec 10, 2016 11:12 am
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Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 3373
Location: The Great Northwet
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Had a great chukar hunt last weekend, but the birds have been hunted and were very skittish and flushing wild. We managed to get up about 8 coveys. 6's weren't getting the job done at first, so I switched to 1 1/8oz #5 reloads in my ic/xf husky, and then managed to drop four, all at 50+ yds. This is the first time I've ever had consistent success at these long ranges, and I attribute it mostly to the ammo switch, and having an xf choked gun that shoots to point of aim and that fits me extremely well. At 6lbs even, this husky 100 hammer gun is my favorite chukar gun I've owned. My setter had a great time too, as you can see by the big smile on his face.
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Last edited by UncleDanFan on Tue Dec 20, 2016 6:03 am; edited 2 times in total _________________ Gun art: www.marklarsongunart.com
Gallery art: www.marklarsonart.com
The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess." |
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Posted:
Sat Dec 10, 2016 12:53 pm
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Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 3177
Location: NCWa
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Mark,
Yesterday was the first significant snowfall of the season, so once the weekend traffic is back home I'll be able to try the breaks north of Wenatchee. I generally park at the top and hunt down then walk a USFS road back to the truck (unless there are two, then we park a rig at the bottom). With the snow it seems the birds hold a little better- I'd sure hate to try a 50 yard shot at a chukar. Sounds like you had a great trip. |
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Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:14 am
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Member
Joined: 22 Aug 2011
Posts: 1498
Location: the Moosehorn
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what is the load you were using? |
_________________ ALWAYS wear the safety glasses
If you take Cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like Prunes than Rhubarb does ----G.M/ |
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Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:48 am
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Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 3373
Location: The Great Northwet
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AmericanMeet wrote: |
Mark,
Yesterday was the first significant snowfall of the season, so once the weekend traffic is back home I'll be able to try the breaks north of Wenatchee. I generally park at the top and hunt down then walk a USFS road back to the truck (unless there are two, then we park a rig at the bottom). With the snow it seems the birds hold a little better- I'd sure hate to try a 50 yard shot at a chukar. Sounds like you had a great trip.
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I agree, the snow usually helps a bit. I tried those breaks along the river once but walked up from the bottom from the highway, which was brutal.
The load was a fairly conservative 2 3/4" cheddite paper hull load, 25g longshot, z16, 1 1/8oz 5's, roughly 9k psi, 1200 fps if I remember correctly. I think the xf choke in my left barrel is what made it effective, otherwise I wouldn't have taken the shots.
Good luck! |
_________________ Gun art: www.marklarsongunart.com
Gallery art: www.marklarsonart.com
The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess." |
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Posted:
Sun Dec 11, 2016 9:54 am
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Member
Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 376
Location: North ID.
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When I was a student at the University of Idaho in the 70's, walking up the breaks from the bottom was our main MO in hunting chukars and then side hill, up and down the canyons....no dogs back then so wherever we saw or heard them, we'd try to get above them and work down on them.
I look back on those days and wonder "how the heck did we do that as often as we did!"
Now days our hunt method is a bit different. What a difference 40 years makes! |
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Posted:
Thu Dec 15, 2016 4:11 am
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Joined: 18 Jun 2004
Posts: 438
Location: thick and uncivilized places in the Allegheny Mts.
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Can't see the pics of the little Husky or Brier . |
_________________ Going into coverts becomes less a chase with the sole purpose of killing; it remains important to find game but the gratification-and I keep coming back to that word-is in the beauty of finding it. George Bird Evans A Dog, A Gun, And Time Enough. |
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Posted:
Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:55 am
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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I have had very consistent results using an 1 1/8 oz. load of #7 mag shot propelled by Longshot at about 1200 fps when shooting chukars at the 50 yard mark with a very tightly bored Fox 16. Day in day out it will do the job, week after week. I admit that I do hunt chukars far more than most folks as I do have the time available to do so and our chukar numbers in Wyoming have been superb the past several years.
When the birds get too jumpy though I switch to tight choke 12's with buffered 6's if I am certain that the closest shots will be at 50. I tried 5's in the 10 ga. but found that 6's will down chukars and huns at ranges considered obscene. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Sat Dec 17, 2016 7:32 am
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Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 3373
Location: The Great Northwet
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WyoChukar wrote: |
I have had very consistent results using an 1 1/8 oz. load of #7 mag shot propelled by Longshot at about 1200 fps when shooting chukars at the 50 yard mark with a very tightly bored Fox 16. Day in day out it will do the job, week after week. I admit that I do hunt chukars far more than most folks as I do have the time available to do so and our chukar numbers in Wyoming have been superb the past several years.
When the birds get too jumpy though I switch to tight choke 12's with buffered 6's if I am certain that the closest shots will be at 50. I tried 5's in the 10 ga. but found that 6's will down chukars and huns at ranges considered obscene.
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I was using 1 1/8oz 6's at around 1200 fps and they just weren't getting it done at 50, even with my xf choke. Maybe the loads I was using just didn't pattern well in my gun. Interesting. |
_________________ Gun art: www.marklarsongunart.com
Gallery art: www.marklarsonart.com
The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess." |
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Posted:
Sat Dec 17, 2016 8:58 am
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Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 1624
Location: northwewst Wyoming
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"Maybe the loads I was using just didn't pattern well in my gun. Interesting."
42 yards is the extreme limit of my modified choke using 1 1/8 oz. of #5 1/2 shot. I suggest hitting the pattern board with different ammo using your full choke. Good Luck. |
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Posted:
Sun Dec 18, 2016 8:58 am
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Patterning a gun will reveal some interesting insights. My Fox 16 was actually choked too tight in the left barrel to handle #5 shot when I purchased it. Opening up the choke a little solved the problem and the 50 yard pattern tests are impressive.
No. 5 is my "go to" shot size in the gun for pheasant and grouse. The interesting side note is that those patterns will always have spots that would put at east 3-4 pellets through a chukar or hun, but other spots where only one pellet might "nick" a bird. This is a common occurrence with patterns at longer ranges due to the independent flight characteristics of each pellet.
If I can't depend on the whole pattern to provide the needed density, I know that I am only depending on luck and have no hope of constant results instead of occasional miracle shots.
When my pattern tests show reliable density for the situation then I must accept the fact that shooter error is the culprit. On those days, it is a matter of wills and I just keep hiking... |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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