My first grounghog match today.

std7mag · March 14, 2020, 04:48 AM

Up early (5am) for my first groundhog match today.
100 yard match near Grampion, PA.
I've never shot this type of match. Doing so from invitation of another shooter that lives in my home town. (Altoona, PA.)

Using my wife's very stock, Savage 110FP in 223 Rem.
It has an EGW 20MOA one piece base (i was planning on a 600 yard F-Class match later this spring), Warne steel rings, Vortex Crossfire II 6-18X44 scope.

When i bought the rifle, trigger was 7lb. I adjusted the creep out, and have it down to 1.5lb.

Load consists of prepped LC brass, Fed 205M primers, Alliant PP2000MR powder and 69gr SMK.

Hopefully i don't embarass myself.

David R · March 14, 2020, 07:11 AM

Offhand?

std7mag · March 14, 2020, 05:11 PM

No, off the bench.

And....

I won factory class!!!

FrankenMauser · March 14, 2020, 10:02 PM

Very cool.
Congrats!

NHSHOOTER · March 15, 2020, 03:21 AM

So, for us uninformed, what is a groundhog match?

David R · March 15, 2020, 07:35 AM

congrats on the WIN.

Where I come from, the first weekend in May you go out and shoot all the woodchucks you can. Biggest wins the prize. Its a Blast.
Copenhagen NY is where I am from, the hunt is on tug Hill. Buncha Hicks!

I used a lot of guns. For a few years I used my Deer rifle, a Savage 110 in 7mm mag. 115 grain bullet going 3500 fps. I used a scoped TC contender in 32-20 for closer shots.

David

std7mag · March 15, 2020, 09:36 AM

When i was a kid, that was usually what was involved.
Now in the PC age, someone may be traumatized for life.
Although there were at least 3 people there with "hunting" rifles, one brought his freshly won Thompson in 270 Win.
The majority there were benchrest rifles in 30BR.
The folks at Anderson Creek Sportsmans describes their shoots as social events with lots of food (deer chili, deer bologna), and oh, there's some shooting also.

Targets for this time were square, i'm told some are actually ground hog shaped.
3 minutes, unlimited sighters. Then 8 minutes for 6 shots on record.
See attached picture.

T. O'Heir · March 15, 2020, 01:45 PM

"...with "hunting" rifles..." Oh, F-Class. As in any rifle, any sight, any ammo. AKA "Belly Benchrest". I believe there's a discipline called Sporting Rifle too.

std7mag · March 15, 2020, 03:47 PM

No, decidedly NOT F Class..

wachtelhund1 · March 16, 2020, 03:33 PM

Groundhog match, is that where you shoot as many groundhogs as you can on a Saturday morning? I remember those days. Fifty-seven years, growing up in CT, I bought a 218 Bee built on a Winchester lowall. I kill hundreds of groundhogs with it. Wish I still had that gun. I do still have the reloading manual with my load data written in the back.

When I was sixteen, on spring - Saturday mornings I would shoot a half dozen or so and put them in my trunk and drive into Hartford. I'd pull up to a city corner. As I would get out I would hear, what's this white boy doing. I'd pop the trunk and yell fresh killed wood chuck, $3.00 each. In less than three minutes I'd be driving away with date night money.

NHSHOOTER · March 16, 2020, 03:48 PM

std7mag Thanks for the information, sounds and looks like fun..I think I will mention it at my next months club meeting..

std7mag · March 17, 2020, 01:59 AM

Alas, i have to inform you that while the scores were being tallied up, i was listening more to another shooter with much more experience than me. I was surprised when they called my name, and wrongly assumed (yeah, i know

) that i had gotten the win in Factory class.
After some calls it has been established that i placed second. Which i'm still stoked about!

Seems the club president won the Factory class. Hmmmm..

Second is still great to me! Met some great people, had fun, and learned alot!

wachtelhund1 · March 17, 2020, 03:34 AM

std7mag,
You are educating me! Groundhog matches that are not groundhog shoots. I had to Goggle Groundhog matches. And now Factory class! I had to Goggle that too. Factory class applies to varmint matches. As one who has shot F-class (1,000 yards) I had never heard those terms. Now I know. Keep up the good shooting.

std7mag · March 17, 2020, 07:32 PM

It had me scratching my head too!

I get to challenge the club president again next month.

I wonder if i change the stock, if it's still "factory"?

old roper · March 18, 2020, 01:34 AM

When I was shooting BR some clubs include Factory class. Lot of local club members shoot it and club made some money from it.

langenc · March 20, 2020, 08:50 AM

When I was sixteen, on spring - Saturday mornings I would shoot a half dozen or so and put them in my trunk and drive into Hartford. I'd pull up to a city corner. As I would get out I would hear, what's this white boy doing. I'd pop the trunk and yell fresh killed wood chuck, $3.00 each. In less than three minutes I'd be driving away with date night money.

Yankee ingenuity at its best!!! Congratulations!!!
Im wondering if you ever told the date where the $$ came from. Some would think "Yankee ingenuity," others not so much.

bamaranger · March 21, 2020, 12:39 AM

Did I miss it........what distance was this match, and others like it, shot.??

std7mag · March 21, 2020, 07:28 AM

They called it a "grounghog" match. More a UBR match.
UBR type targets at 100 yards off the bench.

Man those UBR targets are small!

March 14, 2020, 04:48 AM	#1
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	My first grounghog match today. Up early (5am) for my first groundhog match today. 100 yard match near Grampion, PA. I've never shot this type of match. Doing so from invitation of another shooter that lives in my home town. (Altoona, PA.) Using my wife's very stock, Savage 110FP in 223 Rem. It has an EGW 20MOA one piece base (i was planning on a 600 yard F-Class match later this spring), Warne steel rings, Vortex Crossfire II 6-18X44 scope. When i bought the rifle, trigger was 7lb. I adjusted the creep out, and have it down to 1.5lb. Load consists of prepped LC brass, Fed 205M primers, Alliant PP2000MR powder and 69gr SMK. Hopefully i don't embarass myself. __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

March 14, 2020, 05:11 PM	#3
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	No, off the bench. And.... I won factory class!!! __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

March 14, 2020, 10:02 PM	#4
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Very cool. Congrats! __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

March 15, 2020, 01:45 PM	#8
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...with "hunting" rifles..." Oh, F-Class. As in any rifle, any sight, any ammo. AKA "Belly Benchrest". I believe there's a discipline called Sporting Rifle too. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

March 15, 2020, 03:47 PM	#9
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	No, decidedly NOT F Class.. __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

March 14, 2020, 07:11 AM	#2
David R Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2015 Location: The swamps of WNY Posts: 753	Offhand?

March 15, 2020, 03:21 AM	#5
NHSHOOTER Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2012 Location: Concord NH Posts: 1,002	So, for us uninformed, what is a groundhog match?

March 15, 2020, 07:35 AM	#6
David R Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2015 Location: The swamps of WNY Posts: 753	congrats on the WIN. Where I come from, the first weekend in May you go out and shoot all the woodchucks you can. Biggest wins the prize. Its a Blast. Copenhagen NY is where I am from, the hunt is on tug Hill. Buncha Hicks! I used a lot of guns. For a few years I used my Deer rifle, a Savage 110 in 7mm mag. 115 grain bullet going 3500 fps. I used a scoped TC contender in 32-20 for closer shots. David

March 16, 2020, 03:33 PM	#10
wachtelhund1 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2007 Location: pelican lake, WI Posts: 414	Groundhog match, is that where you shoot as many groundhogs as you can on a Saturday morning? I remember those days. Fifty-seven years, growing up in CT, I bought a 218 Bee built on a Winchester lowall. I kill hundreds of groundhogs with it. Wish I still had that gun. I do still have the reloading manual with my load data written in the back. When I was sixteen, on spring - Saturday mornings I would shoot a half dozen or so and put them in my trunk and drive into Hartford. I'd pull up to a city corner. As I would get out I would hear, what's this white boy doing. I'd pop the trunk and yell fresh killed wood chuck, $3.00 each. In less than three minutes I'd be driving away with date night money.

March 16, 2020, 03:48 PM	#11
NHSHOOTER Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2012 Location: Concord NH Posts: 1,002	std7mag Thanks for the information, sounds and looks like fun..I think I will mention it at my next months club meeting..

March 17, 2020, 01:59 AM	#12
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	Alas, i have to inform you that while the scores were being tallied up, i was listening more to another shooter with much more experience than me. I was surprised when they called my name, and wrongly assumed (yeah, i know ) that i had gotten the win in Factory class. After some calls it has been established that i placed second. Which i'm still stoked about! Seems the club president won the Factory class. Hmmmm.. Second is still great to me! Met some great people, had fun, and learned alot! __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

March 17, 2020, 03:34 AM	#13
wachtelhund1 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2007 Location: pelican lake, WI Posts: 414	std7mag, You are educating me! Groundhog matches that are not groundhog shoots. I had to Goggle Groundhog matches. And now Factory class! I had to Goggle that too. Factory class applies to varmint matches. As one who has shot F-class (1,000 yards) I had never heard those terms. Now I know. Keep up the good shooting.

March 17, 2020, 07:32 PM	#14
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	It had me scratching my head too! I get to challenge the club president again next month. I wonder if i change the stock, if it's still "factory"? __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

March 18, 2020, 01:34 AM	#15
old roper Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2007 Posts: 2,155	When I was shooting BR some clubs include Factory class. Lot of local club members shoot it and club made some money from it. __________________ Semper Fi Vietnam 1965 VFW Life member NRA Life Member

March 20, 2020, 08:50 AM	#16
langenc Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2007 Location: Montmorency Co, MI Posts: 1,551	When I was sixteen, on spring - Saturday mornings I would shoot a half dozen or so and put them in my trunk and drive into Hartford. I'd pull up to a city corner. As I would get out I would hear, what's this white boy doing. I'd pop the trunk and yell fresh killed wood chuck, $3.00 each. In less than three minutes I'd be driving away with date night money. Yankee ingenuity at its best!!! Congratulations!!! Im wondering if you ever told the date where the $$ came from. Some would think "Yankee ingenuity," others not so much.

March 21, 2020, 12:39 AM	#17
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,308	missing something Did I miss it........what distance was this match, and others like it, shot.??

March 21, 2020, 07:28 AM	#18
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	They called it a "grounghog" match. More a UBR match. UBR type targets at 100 yards off the bench. Man those UBR targets are small! __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...