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Coypu Hunter

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Everything posted by Coypu Hunter

  1. Coypu Hunter
    On the list now!
  2. Coypu Hunter
    Right, dhand62362, that's very useful mate, you've told me two things: 1. I should try AA Fields in 4.52mm; 2. If I shell out a couple of hundred quid on a Stage 2 tune from Sandwell Field Sports, I can expect to reduce my groups by 3mm at 35 yards. Interesting. I've been thinking for a while about either getting a tuning kit for the 97, or even getting it professionally tuned when I'm in the UK. Now I'm not so sure. Here's why. My 97K is extremely hold-sensitive. If I have my left hand in exactly the right place on the forestock (just at the start of the chequering in front of th
  3. Coypu Hunter
    I've managed to find a pellet that will achieve 18mm centre-to-centre groups at 33 yards in my 13.5 fpe HW97K. It's the Weihrauch F&T Special pellet in .177 (washed and lubed). Haven't tried the Weihrauch Magnum pellet yet -- that's next (when I get back to the UK and order some from Solware). The rifle is untuned, and I use the artillery hold (took me a while to figure out that the 97K is VERY hold-sensitive!). I've tried a bunch of other pellets, and the best I've been able to achieve is 28mm CTC with Bisley Magnums and JSB Exact Heavy pellets. I've also tried Crow Magnums, H&
  4. Coypu Hunter
    I clean my 22LR when chunks of carbon start to be ejected with the empty cartridge cases. That's usually after 200-250 dirty 22LR rounds. Lead, copper and powder residue in the rifling won't do any damage, it's normal. However, after a while, you will get a ring of carbon deposited at the end of the chamber just beyond the end of the cartridge (particularly with 22LR). This can cause cartridges to refuse to eject, or refuse to feed and seat properly, so it's a good idea to clean out the crap there regularly.
  5. Coypu Hunter
    Solution to the Hawke scope problem : buy a Nikko Stirling AirKing 3-9X42 AO scope. Similar price to the Hawke AirMax scopes I bought, which broke immediately when trying to zero them, but this one (so far, everything crossed) works a treat. 20mm group at 33 yards from an untuned HW97K putting out Weihrauch F&T Special .177 pellets at 13.5 fpe. Hallelujah -- a scope manufacturer that doesn't charge the earth for a scope that works. Whatever next? Here's the proof of the pudding (crap phone photo, but you'll get the idea). The two fliers up and to the right were down to me trying to ge
  6. Coypu Hunter
    It's normal. When you zeroed your rifle, there was lead "fouling" in your barrel, specifically in the grooves of your rifling. Your first shot after cleaning is what's known as a "fouling round", because it "fouls" your barrel again with lead. This restores the barrel to the condition it was in when you zeroed it. After cleaning, you're shooting the first round out of a squeaky-clean barrel, which will affect the bullet's flight. Normally it comes out at a slightly higher velocity, because there's less drag from the rifling, since there's no lead there (until the first round has passed thr
  7. Coypu Hunter
    Get a Mac, edit using iMovie (doddle), export the file (fast) and upload. Simples.
  8. Coypu Hunter
    Lewis, There's a simple modification you can make to a lot of Gamo triggers. I did it on a 440 Hunter DX (18 fpe springer) and a Gamo 640, as well as a Crosman Nitro Venom, and it transformed each rifle. Make sure the rifle is unloaded and not cocked. Take the action out of the stock and see if there's a plastic roller behind the trigger that holds in place an L-shaped spring. If there is, you'll see that when you pull the trigger, this spring provides the 'first stage" (which isn't a true first stage). The first part of the fix is to remove this spring. Drop the trigger from its h
  9. Coypu Hunter
    As far as I know, Fiocchi don't make specifically subsonic .22 rounds. They have a plinking range, a target shooting range and a biathlon range of products...
  10. Coypu Hunter
    Try Lapua X-Zones or X-Targets if you can get 'em. They're sold in France under the "AKAH" brand, but it says "manufactured by Lapua" on the bottom of the box. They both shoot nice, tight groups at 65 yards out of my Zastava. They're only available in Lead Round Nose, but they drop coypus dead in their tracks and don't come out the other side of the skull. Excellent vermin round, and they're more accurate with my set-up than Winchesters, Remingtons or CCIs (which are very tight in the chamber). Tried RWS HPs, which are twice the price of anything else in France, and they grouped the sa
  11. Coypu Hunter
    I shoot coypus in my trap, using an air pistol (Crosman 357 C02 gun). It puts out an 8.5 grain pellet at 600 fps, generating 6.8 fpe. At a couple of inches, that's more than enough for a coypu, which has a much thicker skull than a cat. No risk of ricochet, no damage to the trap. Single shot through the top of the skull, at the point where a line from the left eye to the right ear would meet a line from the right eye to the left ear. I've also used my air rifle, same result. For the rest, put a silencer on your .22 and use subsonics and you shouldn't scare any other targets away. Simples.
  12. Coypu Hunter
    Unless Gamo have changed their designs recently, you'll find the Gamo trigger is absolute crap. It's easy enough to modify though, if you don't mind a bit of tinkering. Takes a few minutes. You just need to remove the false first stage (provided by a spring and a plastic roller) and insert a small washer over one of the assembly pins inside the trigger assembly to improve the rifle by a mile. Let me know if you need further info on that.
  13. Coypu Hunter
    Thanks for that, Blaise. Never heard of 'em before! Yet another pest species released into the wild by some idiot who thought their fur would be worth farming...
  14. Coypu Hunter
    Raccoon dog? Do you mean raccoons? They have raccoons in some parts of France, where escapees have established colonies. They're regarded as pests, too. None around here though, just muskrats and coypus.
  15. Coypu Hunter
    Nice... was that done with Tung Oil, then?
  16. Coypu Hunter
    I use Tung Oil. It's not poisonous (unlike Linseed Oil) and can even be used on work surfaces in contact with food, kids' toys, etc. After a fine sanding of the wood, brush on a thin coat of Tung Oil and leave it to soak in. When dry, rub over with fine wire wool to take off any flecks of wood raised by the oil penetrating the wood. Repeat (thin coat of oil, dry, wire wool) until it no longer soaks in but stays on the surface in patches. Wipe off with a lint-free cloth, leave to dry in a warm room for 24 hours and you should have a glowing satin finish, waterproof and silky to the touch. It ta
  17. Coypu Hunter
    I use a Hawke Airmax EV 4-12X50 AO scope on my .22 rimfire. I actually bought it for my HW97K, but swapped it to the rimmy when I realised just how good it was. I like the MAP6 reticle because you can download Hawke's BRC2 software, put in your power and pellet data, and print out your ranges in a circular format that you can stick to the inside of your flip-up eyepiece cover. I liked the Hawke so much that I bought two more Airmax EV AO scopes, in 3-9X40, again with the MAP6 reticle, for my two air rifles, and mounted them on one-piece Hawke Match Mounts, which come with anti-recoil lugs as
  18. Coypu Hunter
    Cheers. Been a quiet year though -- haven't seen another since that last one I shot back in April. I even found and fixed a huge hole in our perimeter fence, under the surface of the stream that feeds the lake in winter, but no coypus have taken advantage... I guess the local hunters have been busy!
  19. Coypu Hunter
    Sounds like a deal! I checked with the fédération de chasse in my department, and there's no reward for offing coypus. Maybe I should release the ones I trap into the town lake... or the Maire's back yard...
  20. Coypu Hunter
    Illegal, mate. I use a .22 rimfire, and have done ever since I learned that pest control with air rifles is illegal in France. Good excuse for getting a Rimmie, as I explained to Her Indoors!
  21. Coypu Hunter
    If anyone travels to or holidays in France regularly, this may be of interest. The laws in France just changed, with effect from 6 September 2013. Prior to that, you could only buy an air rifle of up to 10 joules/7.5 foot-pounds without a gun licence/hunting permit. Over that, you needed a licence to buy the gun, and it had to be declared to the Préfecture (usually by the gunsmith, or by you if the rifle was bought online from outside France). That has now changed, and you can buy air rifles of up to 20 joules/15 foot-pounds of energy without a licence or a declaration. Anyone over 18 in
  22. Coypu Hunter
    I recently bought a .410 shotgun to dispatch coypus in my trap -- the longer barrel means I can cringe away a lot further than with a .410 pistol! Previously, I used an air rifle or pistol, but the critters move around too much for pinpoint accuracy -- hence the .410. How about a .22 revolver using .22 Shorts for humane dispatch in your trap? CB shorts won't action a semi-auto, but a revolver doesn't care about blowback. They're ridiculously quiet, too. I'll be getting a .22 revolver and a bunch of Shorts myself when my French pistol permit comes through.
  23. Coypu Hunter
    Well said, Deker. My point is that 22LR has more than enough power to do the job, using a headshot, with subsonics, at up to 65 yards in the case of my rifle. Beyond that, if I had a fox problem here, I'd move to an HMR or centre-fire calibre. As with all hunting, this assumes that 1) you have practised enough to be sure of hitting a small target at range; 2) the animal sits still long enough to give you the shot you want. The latter is never guaranteed.
  24. Coypu Hunter
    Obviously, bigger or more powerful calibres have more stopping power and can be used at longer ranges, or for heart/lung shots. However, headshots using a .22LR with subsonics are totally effective on coypus (which have a much thicker skull than foxes) at up to 65 yards. I've retired enough of them at those ranges to be able to say that with 100% confidence! And yes, I've boiled both fox and coypu heads to compare the bone structure -- coypu skulls are massive and thick, fox skulls are fragile by comparison, so a .22LR round will be equally or more effective on foxes. I'm still waiting for
  25. Coypu Hunter
    My Zastava has always liked Winchester Super X HP subs (in the cardboard boxes of 50) which give 2-inch groups @ 65 yards. However, I recently changed to Lapua X-Trainer LRNs, which shoot 1.5-inch groups, and Lapua X-Zone LRNs, which give one-inch groups. At 4.00 and 4.50 euros for 50, I haven't found anything better at such a reasonable price in France. There's a limited choice of brands over here. Tried Remington subs, which were often supersonic, sometimes subsonic, sometimes failed to fire, and generally inaccurate. I've also tried RWS HPs, which grouped as well as the Win Super X,
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