Night hunting

[hunterbob]

I use two rifles , a DPMS .308, and a Savage Model 10 with a 168 SST. I have the Photon 6.5 digital NV scope for the DPMS...I have a Nikon Monarch 3, 4x16 SF mil dot scope, for the Savage. Have 2 lights I use, green, one is good for 300 yds, the other is good for 125 yds and variable 3 levels. My old trusty tooth loosening model 1300, is always close by with #6 shot in the chamber; with a few backup 00 and slugs. I was using a 110 gr Vmax which had superb accuracy, but one night we had a big Boar , that I shot in the head,,,it jumped back up, and man it turned into a rodeo for a minute. took 4 or 5 rounds, so I went back to the 168, which is superb accuracy with a big punch.. Turns them upside down, feet up, large entry wound with larger exit wound . Wound channel an inch and a half dia..

 

[hunterbob]

For those of you running lights with a bolt action, how do you attach your light to your rifle?

Plastic type clamp, with a tightening screw, that is universal , is the best for me.

 

[jimbo300]

THX,i'm working lots of side jobs,so a thermal is in the not so distant future,can anyone steer me in the direction as far as brands,etc,i want lightweight,and performance. I might be dangerous with a thermal,oh wait i'm dangerous if you're a coyote.

Thermal is definitely the way to go, if you seriously want to up your night hunting game. As someone that ran ATN gen II+ NV for years, I finally bit the bullet and saved to get in the thermal game. At that time I read many comments on various forums on the pros and cons of many of the top units. I ended up going with an IR Hunter MKII 35, now owned by Trijicon. It's a breeze to operate at night, as it has turrets similar to tactical day scopes. I can locate animals now at hundreds of yards. Plus the optic just looks drop dead sexy as far as thermals go. Yes there was some pain involved in the purchase but that vanished quickly. Trying to somehow budget for another in the hopefully near future.

 

[Ohlongarm]

What is your gun and scope setup for night?

Well now it's a CZ 527 in 22 Hornet,and topped with a newly acquired Pulsar XM50 thermal.Nothing taken with it yet,but I can assure you one thing at 500 yards ,a rabbit is identified as a rabbit,5x22 magnification. March should be fun,I'll scan with a wicked coyote light if need be.