Big Al

I was out in west Northumberland on Mon, Wed & Fri gone, I had 26, 27 & 28 respectively. On Friday 14 of them came from sniping a single warren for maybe 10 minutes tops, there must have been 25-30 sitting out in the evening sun. The rest of the time I mooch around in the truck picking nice shots from the wing mirror or the roof of the jeep, I dont shoot anything unless its at least 50yds and all are head shots otherwise it becomes too clinical and not very sporting, I shot best on Wednesday when I never missed anything at all, ranges between 50-102yds, it was a very still evening so no need for wind adjustments and all the longer shots were lasered and dialled. My best this week were two at 104yds and one at 102yds. I also shot one at 96yds which was very steeply downhill so dialled in for 85yds and the impact was just behind the eye which was very pleasing. I take my two cockers with me and it gives them plenty of retrieves, Ive got a pup and she is 15 months so its great training for her. There really are a lot about this summer for me, I hope Im not rubbing it in here guys, its just nice to tell others when the shooting is good and the weather nice, its night like this that I wait all winter for.

OK, I get your point Andy. Looking at the process it doesn't seem like it will take hours though, if it does then I will report back those facts and what if any accuracy gains are to be had. Based on those findings then I guess both myself and those who are interested will decide then if its worth the trouble or not. As I said earlier, my most accurate ammo isn't an HP one so even if I can make it so with no loss in accuracy then that will be a result, the only way we will know is if someone independently tries it and reports back

Duplicate post.

The point is I enjoy it and it makes me happy, I can spend as much time as I like on the local farm and using subs it doesn't disturb anyone. I live 10 mins away and it gives me something to do which I enjoy. There doesn't need t be anything more to it than that Andy Being a former toolmaker the die is an interesting piece of engineering, I will enjoy appraising it and will say what I think in a straightforward and honest way that might be of use to other with a similar interest.

LR has agreed to send me a die for review, I will keep everyone who is interested informed as to when it arrives and the results of my testing. I shoot around 1000 rabbit a year and due to increased numbers this summer Ive already started last week again with around 80 shot over 3 evenings just from longer range sniping of warrens, most shots were 80-100yds. Im currently using SK Standard in my rifle and the accuracy is great but the bullets pass through every time making precise head shots the only real option. I would like to look at the option of putting in a hollow point and seeing if it makes much difference to the accuracy while hopefully having greater terminal effect. I will also look at the piston head option and do a test on six or so different brands of ammo available locally.

Mild weather really makes a difference, if the breeding season is longer there will be more rabbits.

You are right that although still deadly, mixy no longer is the curse it once was and rabbits have to a degree become resilient, rabbit viral hemorrhagic disease or RVHD is a more lethal infection these days. http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/advisorynotes/31/31.htm Rabbit populations certainly vary quite wildly depending on disease outbreaks and the length and severely of our winters. Here in Northumberland the rabbit population I control has increased significantly this year but we have had a very mild winter. As such I went out last weekend and felt the need to shoot anything from the very small upwards. Usually during the summer I will snipe a few at longer ranges over burrows etc but the farm manager has asked for a big clear out ahead of the lamping season which is a bit sad as the resale option for the small ones isn't there albeit they will still get used in the middens and bait points. Ive spent a lot of money on C/F rifles in the last few years but a few hours out with the .22 still takes some beating

Duplicate post, see below

The good thing is its always fun to spend an afternoon finding out which ammo works best and it won't cost you a fortune in the process. I spend a lot of time and money these days on centre fire reloading and shooting but a day out with the rimmy still takes some beating

I think first and foremost you need to accept that nobody here can give you the answer you are looking for i.e. which .22 subsonic ammo is best. All you can really get from the replies here is that there are a number of acceptably accurate brands out there. To go further than this you need to try them all and see which one your rifle likes and whether or not that round is suitable for the task in hand. Ive had a number of .22 rifles and no two have shot best with the same ammo. I had a CZ 455 that was stunning with Winchester subs yet Ive not had any other rifle shoot them well since. The stuff made by Lapua under the SK banner is very good, either SK Standard or SK Match, RWS HP, most if not all Eleys shoot well but again your rifle will have a favourite. Ive recently acquired a Sako P94S Finnfire, by far the best of the rounds I have mentioned in this rifle was Eley Sport. I was hoping the SK stuff would be good as I have another rifle that likes them but the Eleys were the best. I have a CZ452 which really loves SK Standard and again it shoots them much better than any hollow point hunting round but sadly unless taking head shots I dont find it good enough for rabbits as I had a few cleanly chest shot bunnies run into cover which I dont like. Since this is my truck gun I had to settle for RWS HP which although not quite as accurate dumps more energy into a chest shot and stops them in their tracks. When Im collecting fox bait on windy nights I much prefer the ease and speed of a chest shot, it means I miss far less

Inspired by a thread I saw here last week I decided to get myself some Kydex and make a cheek piece/comb raiser. The Kydex was very easy to work with and softened nicely in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 mins while the Mrs was out A bit of care drilling the holes and some basic hand work and Im happy with the end result. The cheek piece can be detached in seconds to remove the bolt, the posts are 10mm and are a snug interference fit, I bored the holes in a mill to make sure everything was square but a pillar drill and v blocks would have done. Its not adjustable as I didn't want the holes to break through the top line of the stock so I took a bit of time to play with different height packing until I had what I wanted. The Kydex is then covered in 2mm self adhesive foam which makes for a comfortable and warm cheek weld and also hides the pillar screws. If I find that different shooting positions need varying height then some longer pillars could be made and a couple of small thumb wheels on the back of the top line will secure them. A nice couple of hours work this afternoon which has made my gun fit so much better. The Kydex was formed to replicate the original comb.

Thanks Gaz, I will

Nice looking gun Fiz although personally I prefer bluing/blacking, is that a Boyds Featherlight Thumbhole stock?

Thanks Baldie, yes it is. The sunlight and the camera actually make it look lighter than it is, its quite a bit darker than that and it has a few signs of use here and there but thats fine, its a working rifle. The trigger has a very short movement and your improved spring just finishes it off nicely, thanks!

Tikka M595 .223 with 20" Bergara 1:9 twist and one of Baldie's lighter trigger springs. Ive only had the rifle a short time but its very accurate and I never get tired of looking at it