I was on the phone with AOA’s head honcho Robert Buchanan last week, and we were talking about some of my upcoming hunts. Sometimes I take my own guns, sometimes I borrow guns to try out in the field, and I was asking Robert if there was anything new to use for small game. He said there were a few, but it was too bad that springers were not my thing. I’ll save the gun we were talking about for another time, it was the fact that a guy I know pretty well thought I was not interested in springers that I want to speak about. Because if that’s the case, probably people that don’t know me so well would have the same view.<\/p>\n
This is probably fair, because most of what I write about these days are PCP’s, and much of it is about predators and big game. But I am a small game and varmint hunter at heart, and even if I am using PCPs more these days, I still enjoy shooting springers, and make a point of getting out several times every season with them. This is especially the case when I go out after rabbits and squirrels when small game seasons roll around in early fall.<\/p>\n
The thing that I really like about these rifles are that they are fully self contained, and outside of a pocket full of pellets, you don’t need anything else. No fill tanks, n search for air….. And the guns are very reliable. I’ve never taken a springer out of its case for a hunt and found it unusable. While there are many advantages to a PCP, I’ve had many times encountered a slow leak or a fully degassed gun that has impacted my plans for a hunt. This is especially true because I get a lot of prototype and pre released guns to use. I’ll often carry a springer as a back up, especially when traveling for a hunt.<\/p>\n
Lately I’ve been shooting three break barrel springers in particular; the Walther LGV, the Diana RWS 34 \u00a0Pro Compact, and the Diana 340 n-tec, all in .22 caliber. All of these are fine rifles that are accurate and great small game guns. I’ve been running a lot of pellets though them looking for the best hunting projectiles for the start of squirrel season in a few weeks. I’ve made myself a promise that I’d do a lot more with springers this season. I’m not giving up my PCP’s!! But, I will aim for more balance, so if you’re a springer fan, I’ll have more for you this year.<\/p>\n
What Else is Happening?<\/p>\n
I’m doing some coyote pest control for a friend that owns a bird preserve this week, and have my calls charging. I’m using one of my .357’s that is set up to shoot the JSB diabolo pellets, as I’ll be shooting around buildings and equipment. My plan is to hit the predawn and early evening hours around my work schedule, hopefully I’ll have a good report for you next week.<\/p>\n
Thern I leave on Saturday for the Lone Star state, been going down there so much this year I’m starting to feel like a local again! Going for Hogs, predators and rabbits. Hope you’re all continuing to have a great summer and will catch up next week!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was on the phone with AOA’s head honcho Robert Buchanan last week, and we were talking about some of my upcoming hunts. Sometimes I take my own guns, sometimes I borrow guns to try out in the field, and I was asking Robert if there was anything new to use for small game. He … Continue reading