Last night with the PPC

[Alycidon]

As some of you know in the field next to our bungalow I have some cubs, but I have been totally unable to find them, shame as the vixen has bad mange. I suspect they were in a very big badger set, about 100 yards square on top of a hill but dificult to get a decent safe shot. I have had one so far and an old vixen.

 

Last night we had the daughters boyfriend staying over on the sofa, about 11 I just had a foxy feeling and got the 170 and battery pack and had a peer over the garden hedge. 2 sets of eyes at about 250 yards. It was quite windy where I was standing , maybe 5-6 mph but even so I decided to have a go if I could.

 

Got the PPC out, taped the sun visor to stop the reflection, roughly set it up and out with 4 vmaxs. Get set up 30 yards down the field prone with Foxpro set to fox cub. Let it have a play for a couple of minutes and waited another couple. Light on, beam about right, no relection, but also no eyes where I hoped there might be. Put the beam round the field, nothing other than sheep.

 

Had another play and a wait, sweep the field, there is a single set of eyes in the sheep, unsafe shot as there is a lane behind them. Slowly mini charlie makes his way down the hedge toward the spot where I have shot a cub with the BR 3 weeks ago and a big dark Vixen last week. Blowed if he did not stop for a look within 10 yards of where those two copped it. I had set the zero on the scope for 200 yards before I went out and the bullet hit him a shade high, its the one furthest away from the rifle. It hit about 3 inches down the shoulder, took out the top of the shoulder, snapped the spine and carved a big channel through him. As you can see he was standing at a slight angle and the bullet went through diagonally.

 

Swept the field, called, then went and walked the field but did not see the other one. Went indoors, put the rifle away. About 12.30 am the charlie feeling went off again, we were still up preparing for today. Took the lamp for a look over the hedge , another 2 pairs of eyes, one only 40 yards away !!!. its like Watership Down for fox's here tonight it seems.

 

Get the PPC out again, 4 more Vmaxs, get set up in the same place, forgot the foxpro so had a sweep,. nothing.

 

I had a big chunk of dead ground in front of me as I was prone so I waited and tried again a few minutes later, bingo charlie is about 150 yards out but almost downwind. I am watching him waiting for a shot when the other one also appears out of the dead ground. They run off about 50 yards and start a boxing match. I have seen this before, the looser runs off at high speed closly followed by the victor and you never see either again. !!.

 

After a couple of minutes they calm down and again start walking away, one decides to take a dump with his arse to me. Now I like shooting dumpers as I know they are not going to move for at least three seconds. Its the middle one, in the center of the back and out between his front legs. At the shot I saw a flash of the third ones eye in the scope as it ran off over a hill. I waited 5 minutes and squeeked my hand, waited again, nothing so decided to call it a night.

 

I am just going through the gate into the garden, have a last scan round and here he comes back over the bank to play. Out into the field, get prone and switch on, this one is now very jumpy but eventually offered a safe sideways shot, its the small one under the rifle, at about 120 yards. I had re-adjusted the scope to my normal 60-160 yard zero, Bullet was placed perfectly but took a bit of a deflection upwards and left internally.

 

So two trips out with the lamp yield a one and a two, ironically a final final sweep showed another set of eyes at maybe 250 yards but it was 1.30 and we have a lot to do today.

 

 

 

 

 

A

[varminter]

Nice going Geoff!!!!

Thanks for sharing the photos mate she sure looks pretty :D ..

See you have mounted the lamp on the rear of the scope , sounds like you have the problem sorted!!

By the look of it those 65 V-max certainly do the job don't they!!!!!!!!! ;)

 

Thanks for sharing and all the best..............

RAY......................................

[Alycidon]

I did hope that it had solved the problem but alas not. Good old electrical tape on the sunshade has sorted it. I suspect that a 6 inch plus sunshade should (another 3 inches longer than whats on it) get it sorted but no one makes one for the Swaro 50mm, or the 50mm NSX for that matter.

 

Maybe my system looks a bit Heath Robinson but it works.

 

You will note that your cast off fox attractor covering the moddy still works well!!, dont think I have shot so many foxes for some time as I have in the last few weeks, perhaps the cover is drawing them up from the west country

 

I live about 3 miles from a major motorway, last night it was pretty quiet and instead of the usual crack-wump there was a distinct whistle as the bullets went through the air.

 

A

[menial 1]

Tape over about 1/3 of the bottom of the lamp Geoff, it will help stop the light bouncing back off the mod into the scope. You won't lose much of the lamp's capability by doing this.

Pete.

[nemasis243]

Cracking Job there buddy , there look in tip top shape,they have been living well , until you and your musket said HELLO

Nice shooting,all the best Andy

[1967spud]

AL , what do you think of the scope mounted lamp i have other types but not tried a lightforce scope mounted one, are they like the rest and loose fitting ?

[Alycidon]

The lamp itself (a 170 striker) is a good quality unit, I get it to produce as tight a beam as possable. It lights charlie up to enough to be able to ID and take a shot to about 200 yards with either amber, green or no lens cover. Others have had wiring issues and they may have a point as mine dont get a lot of use. Made of plastic it is pretty light.

 

In use it just clips on and off easily, it is quite solid but is easily knocked out of alignment horizontally, a screw under the attaching clip sorts this but comes loose every so often. You have to remove the lamp to adjust the screw so mine tends to be a fraction loose then I can twist it a bit if needed. Vertical adjustment is with a wheel that you can see in my lower pic behind the scope turret.

 

If I am lamping walking single handed it is a pretty handy set up, in a truck I have a 240 on a roof bar. I have watched a fox at just short of 400 yards mousing one windy night through the scope using both lamps. Note watched not shot at, wind was switching from 5 to about 12 mph, thats a bit to clever for me.

 

If I lost it tomorrow I would buy another.

 

Pete, I will try the lamp cover tape trick, got a feeling I did that in the early days but its easy to check.

 

A

[Grouse]

A,

Looks like you are using a swarovski there, so reckon my "glare" fix will work for you, as it does for my set up!

 

I have always found the 170 mounted on the scope works best nearer the objective lens, no shifting zero issues and also out of the way of the zoom ring - though at night mine stays on 16 power, generaly. Just pop a flip up scope cover on, and the shadow it produces will stop the glare! (I experimented with tape etc and was very pleased when this worked for me many moons ago! - I also use a sunshade on).

 

Spud, in my opinion the 170 is the best scope mounted lamp, especialy with its recoil damper and very easy alignment adjustment and on/off device - put an inline dimmer on mine too, good but does make a "hum" noise at low power.

 

Regards NW

[varminter]

I did hope that it had solved the problem but alas not. Good old electrical tape on the sunshade has sorted it. I suspect that a 6 inch plus sunshade should (another 3 inches longer than whats on it) get it sorted but no one makes one for the Swaro 50mm, or the 50mm NSX for that matter.

 

Maybe my system looks a bit Heath Robinson but it works.

 

You will note that your cast off fox attractor covering the moddy still works well!!, dont think I have shot so many foxes for some time as I have in the last few weeks, perhaps the cover is drawing them up from the west country

 

I live about 3 miles from a major motorway, last night it was pretty quiet and instead of the usual crack-wump there was a distinct whistle as the bullets went through the air.

 

A

 

Hi Geoff ,

Good to hear you are having good success!!!! ;) , as for cover you are most welcome!! ;)

Funny you should mention about the whistle of the bullets , had that with mine too!!!!

Keep up the good work and all the very best.............

RAY.....................................

[Alycidon]

nightwalker,

 

Looks like I have missed something here, reading between the lines are you saying that a Butler Creek cover flipped up will sort it?, not quite sure where the clip is as I dont have a lot of clearance under the scope. I did buy a set but never fitted them !!.

 

Scope is a Swaro PVS, 6x24x50.

 

A

[Grouse]

nightwalker,

 

Looks like I have missed something here, reading between the lines are you saying that a Butler Creek cover flipped up will sort it?, not quite sure where the clip is as I dont have a lot of clearance under the scope. I did buy a set but never fitted them !!.

 

Scope is a Swaro PVS, 6x24x50.

 

A

 

A, yes it works for mine, and at least 4 others up here that I know do the same.

 

If you don't have enough clearance under the objective lens then you can cut out the butler cover to accomadate (that is also the beauty of the swaro in that the objective doesn't rotate like other scopes when adjusting paralax) (I would just tape your cover to start with to see if it works then get the knife out!)

 

I have the same scope, great aren't they!!

[Alycidon]

A, yes it works for mine, and at least 4 others up here that I know do the same.

 

If you don't have enough clearance under the objective lens then you can cut out the butler cover to accomadate (that is also the beauty of the swaro in that the objective doesn't rotate like other scopes when adjusting paralax) (I would just tape your cover to start with to see if it works then get the knife out!)

 

I have the same scope, great aren't they!!

 

 

I find it OK, the rubber on the eye peice is a pain but optically it is pretty good although not in the Ziess league. I use the light plex reticule which allows shots at pigeon size targets at 600 yards ok. However when I bought it (2003) Ziess did not really have a dialable turret and it was significantly lighter than an NSX. Using it and an NSX at the same time makes you think a bit due to the 6 clicks per minute.

 

Would I but another?, probably not now Ziess have a decent dialable turret but it is a decent tool and has never let me down.

 

A