Official 2022 Varmint Post

That is a PIG! You reminded me of my first groundhog rifle was a 243 in a Mauser action built by a gunsmith friend. I shot the 85gr. Sierra Hptbt. The hogs did not like them! As to your "pig", I have shot some big ones, but yours is so fat it looks like he's enormous! Waddles when he walks, I bet. And nice shooting!
 
.357mag,

I'm in Hicksville. I actually got him in one of our alfalfa fields.

Jason
Cornchuck -

Howdy ! NIce to hear from you !

Wife has a cousin that lives in the last bend on Hwy 37, just into Indiana.

When I first started into shooting / reloading ( mostly for groundhogs ), my riflesmith was Fred Sinclair; who lived a scant 6mi away in New Haven, IN. Fred recommended I try Hornady's 50gr SX in my .22-250s.
Closest source I could find, was a " gunshop " operated out of a guy's house, right on Hwy 37 in Hicksville; just a little wayz East of the grain elevator.

I used the 50SX for a while, but had a crawler @ 235yds, on a good hit. Switched to use of the 55SX, and never looked back. 47 yr later, it's still the .224" cal bullet we use exclusively.... when shooting groundhogs.


With regards,
357Mag
 
Cornchuck -

Howdy ! NIce to hear from you !

Wife has a cousin that lives in the last bend on Hwy 37, just into Indiana.

When I first started into shooting / reloading ( mostly for groundhogs ), my riflesmith was Fred Sinclair; who lived a scant 6mi away in New Haven, IN. Fred recommended I try Hornady's 50gr SX in my .22-250s.
Closest source I could find, was a " gunshop " operated out of a guy's house, right on Hwy 37 in Hicksville; just a little wayz East of the grain elevator.

I used the 50SX for a while, but had a crawler @ 235yds, on a good hit. Switched to use of the 55SX, and never looked back. 47 yr later, it's still the .224" cal bullet we use exclusively.... when shooting groundhogs.


With regards,
357Mag
357Mag,

Would Fred Sinclair would be of the Sinclair International? My wife and I are transplants from central Ohio in 2008 after a friend of mine asked me to come work for on his farm. Groundhog hunting to me is like archery season to a bow hunter.

Jason
 

357Mag,

Would Fred Sinclair would be of the Sinclair International? My wife and I are transplants from central Ohio in 2008 after a friend of mine asked me to come work for on his farm. Groundhog hunting to me is like archery season to a bow hunter.

Jason
Cornchuck -

Howdy !

Yes.... Fred Sinclair of New Haven, IN was the founder of Sinclair International.
He used to shoot BP in Friendship, IN at first, then got into " benchrest " shooting. Fred became a ICON in benchrest, both as a Hall of Fame'r, and as a reknowned accuracy rifle 'smith. He was a contemporary of guys like Walt Berger, Ally Euber, the Hart's, Homer Culver, Cecil Tucker. L.E. WIlson..... Mount Rushmore of benchrest guys.

His shop at first, was in his garage in New Haven. As his operation grew, he took on more help. Fred had a young guy named Tom Meredith doing things like stock painting for him, using a plywood " booth " to do it in.

Sinclair had a local area following, and for a few years was heading up short range BR shoots @ the Blue Creek range on the NE Indiana / NW Ohio line. Fred held a couple of world records for small group.

After using my first bolt action varmint rifle on groundhog ( a custom M-98 .22-250 out of P.O. Ackley's shop in UT ),
I went to Sinclair to have my first full-tilt, no kiddin', wildcat-chambered; anti-groundhog rifle made.
The chambering was my own design.... " .22-35 Remington ", which gave me a terminal performance and engagement range boost of over a .22-250. Going out in the 'beans w/ a Sinclair-smithed varmint rifle gave me a tremendous amount of confidence, and even more so.... capability.

Fred passed the operation on to his son-in-law Bill Gravat, and Sinclair International was eventually absorbed into Brownell's.


With regards,
357Mag
 
Still a little time left to get after the hogs before they disappear for the winter. 220 Swift and a 55 grain Sierra.
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