The last weekend of our crow season a friend wanted to sight in his 700 sps 204 that I had just bedded in a new Boyd stock. We were in my shooting house at my range on the farm. We were just getting set up when he said there were two crows out at 200 yds. I grabbed my old Ruger 220 swift, put the cross hairs on him and pulled the trigger. Feathers flew. He told me good shot. I was setting up the powder scales getting ready to start loading the 204 and my friend said there were 2 more on the other end of the field. I ask how far he said about 400 yards. I got the range finder out and I was getting a reading of 375 to 380. I looked at my chart and dialed up the old Weaver 6x24 varmint scope, took aim and squeezed the trigger and my buddy said **** you got him. I said Yep 220 swift. My cousin bought the swift in 1976. I kept it a couple of years and shot it till I got my 25-06. Then my cousin sold it to my friend he had it for a couple of years and I bought it form him because he didn't shoot it, because he bought a 25-06. But He didn't know it shot this good. He never shot a box of shells in it the whole time he had it. The cartridges he had were the ones I reloaded back in the early 80s. Anyway that made 38 crows for the year. Didn't miss very many but most shots were pretty close and 10 or so were with the shotgun. Now the next day I had two crows at 200 yards again, and I missed. Then later had one at 300 and missed. So I set up a target and it was shooting 6" high ? I dialed it down and now it was 6" low. Moved it up and shot two in the bulls eye and then it went 6" high again. I kept fooling with it for 30 shots and after checking everything was tight I guess my old scope just gave it up. Last year I was carry it with the sling as I was walking down a gravel road the old Ruger stock just snapped at the wrist and the scope hit the ground. It bent the tube. I thought it was history then but I straightened it and everything seemed to be OK. I fixed the stock and sighted it back in with just a few clicks and everything was fine, till now. It was a bad month for me and scopes. This is the third scope I have had go bad on me this last month. The other two were old Tasco varmint scopes that I have had for probably 30 years. They served their purpose for cheep scopes for my H&R single shots. They just quit holding zero. One is not too bad just every shot it moves one click up. My new Vortex will be here tomorrow for the swift, got to get her back in action, crow season will fire back up in June. Hornady 55 sp does a number on crows and yotes. I may try 55 v maxes with the new scope or go back with the old load with the 53 hp.
