first rabbit with the 10/22

[babbyc1000]

hi guys, i got my first rabbit with the 10/22 today!!
 
i decided to go out for an hour or this morning, so grabbed 2 full mags and headed out into the fields. there wasnt much about, so after 15 minutes of walking about i thought id sit down for a while, just to see what might come along. after 5 minutes of sitting down a rabbit came hopping out of a hole about 20 ft away from me! he didnt know i was there, so i just watched him til he stopped so i could get a clean shot. unfortunately he saw me when he was only about 15 yards away. normally i wouldnt complain at all about this shot, but i had the scope on and couldnt use the iron sights, and stupidly i had the scope zeroed at 100 yards.
 
anyway i aimed a good bit low hoping for a headshot, first round took him in the chest, and put him down. wasnt a great shot but it did the job anyway, though after that i just came on back to the house, need to decide whether to lower the zero to 50 yards or maybe fit a red dot sight for close work. due to the design of the stock its a case of either/or when it comes to scopes and iron sights, tho i mite take the bullpup stock off and get a butler creek folding one, so i can put see thru mounts on it and have both options.
 
heres the pic anyway, pretty good sized rabbit as well

[buckshot roberts]

Congrats on the good size rabbet, that is one set up ya have:hanged: that well put many a rabbit in the pot, Ron

[babbyc1000]

thanks ron, i sure hope so!

[nrthrn_maine_hunter]

yup, congrats to the first of what I am sure will be many.  keep the pics comin and keep enjoyin that beautiful set-up.

[gitano]

Great! and good pic.
 
Personally, I keep my .22 RFs sighted in for 25 yds. It's easier and more "natural" to aim over something than under it.
 
Paul

[babbyc1000]

thanks paul, ill maybe try that. what sort of range would you normally use them up to? my biggest problem is that im hunting in open farmland, the only cover is if there is a hedge or old barn, etc, so thats why i originally zeroed at 100 yards, tho as i said im drastically rethinking that now.
 
well things have just changed in the last 2 minutes!!! the postman arrived and i got my see through weaver mount/rail that screws into the top of the rifle, so i can use a scope and iron sights at the same time. only problem is ill have to take the bullpup stock off as it wont work with it on.... :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
ill post a pic later once i get it set up with the (i cant bear to say this) WOODEN stock back on it

[gitano]

Well... you should do what you like, but the bullpup setup seems to 'work' for you, and personally, I'd keep the setup I liked. Also, I've never cared much for see-through rings. They just didn't seem to work right to me. All of that said, most of the shots I take with .22 RF are between 25 and 75 paces, with the preponderance of them at 30-ish. That's not to say I don't take the occasssional 100 yd shot, but hitting at that range offhand or with a field brace is about as much luck as it is skill. Nonetheless, I take those shots just to see "what if". However, when I do, I apply what we over on this side of The Pond call "Kentucky windage" - which translates to "an educated (or experienced) guess".
 
I s'pose if I was hunting in an area such as yours, and the most common shot was one from a prone or bipodded position, I'd choose to be 'dead on' at 50 paces. 'Troof iz', most of us, myself included, worry about the long shots too much. We'll miss three at close range due to having to aim 'odd', and not be ticked off, but we "have a fit" about the possibility of missing one at 100 yds.
 
In the end, you'll settle on a distance you like. For decades I sighted my big game rifles in for dead on at 200-ish yds. (After all, that's what all the experts (ptooey) said was the right way to do it.) After doing that for so long, and hitting high more often than not, (because A: I over-estimated the range, and B: "I sure don't want to miss low"), I re-sighted ALL my big game rifles for 100 yds. I'm a much happier hunter now. :)
 
Let us see the rig once you get it reconfigured with the see-throughs.
 
Paul

[nrthrn_maine_hunter]

Well, Paul, you just about said everything I was going to.  22's - 25-50 yds zero depending on use, big game rifles- 100yd zero, see through rings- not a big fan personally.  And as you said also Paul, it is a personal choice and babbyc1000 you should do what you like and are comfortable with!
God is Love!
Justin

[babbyc1000]

thanks guys, i just dont know what to do. the main reason i put the bullpup stock on was that i was taught to shoot using bullpups, so i suppose it just felt natural in a way. well i got her set up again with the wooden stock. few major diferences though. i couldnt put the tactical foregrip on again (with integral bipod) as it was too far away to be comfortable, so im using the good old snap on A - frame bipod. i also put the 6 - 24 mag scope on, and the red dot sight as you can see. the main difference is the rifles now 39" long, with the bullpup it was only 27" and carried most of the weight at the rear, so itll be interesting getting used to the new set up.
 
anyway i now have 3 sets of sights on the rifle. i can use the standard iron sights; i have the red dot sight (set for approx 50-60 yards, tho i have to zero it all tomorrow, it was too late today by the time i set it up) and ill probly zero the scope at 100 yards again. had to make an adult decision (for once in my life!!) about this, itll be used mostly for rabbits but i need to be able to grab it and run without changing anything incase dogs are attacking sheep, etc, and the bullpup didnt give me that option. heres a pic anyway, bit uglier than she was, but hopefully a bit more versatile.
 
ps - ignore the empty 12 bore shell on the muzzle break, just force of habit to keep it on incase i get mud, etc, down the barrel...