3 Boars Down! A Good 2016 Start

[Double Naught Spy]

It was my second time out, but my first time on hogs. I thought I might see a single as there wasn't much sign, but then a nice little sounder appeared...

https://youtu.be/dJ6LfFnqFOs

[LRRPF52]

That was awesome.

How do like the handling of the 16" compared to the 20"?

[Double Naught Spy]

You know, it isn't just a 16" vs. 20" but a 16" pencil barrel, carbon fiber handguard lightweight upper vs. a 20" hbar, standard weight handguard, recoil absorbing hefty upper, LOL.

It is sort of like the difference between driving a little sporty car and a large SUV. The 16" is nimble and quick, corners great and is a pleasure to operate in tight spaces, but you feel every bump. The 20" is all about being solid and bold, pleasure to to shoot, smoother to handle, but tougher in tight spaces and there is more momentum on your swing throughs that you have to control. I could one-hand shoot the 16" with the gear on it. I would have trouble holding up the 20" to one hand shoot, LOL.

Recoil, the little gun jumps around a bit more and can make for shakier video, but the differences are generally minor.

I carry my rifle cradled in my left arm when I hunt and the big rifle has bulked up the left bicep quite a bit.

I don't like the loss of velocity with the 16" as I do think it makes a difference when it comes to penetration on bigger hogs, though I had NO problems with these guys which are smaller-sized. That is somewhat subjective, but is my opinion as a guy coming from shooting a .308 which my big Grendel largely replaced. Even so, the little version still is quite capable.

I will happily hunt with both. I like the smaller one for carry. I would prefer the bigger one for bigger boars.

[LRRPF52]

Have you chrono'd your 16"? Mine shoots Hornady 123gr AMAX at 2456fps. 20" guns are usually in the ~2500-2580fps range.

If penetration is a concern on larger hogs, you could go with a 120 TSX or 100 TTSX load in the 16".

[Drift]

Great video-as always!
Scope question: Does the IR Hunter vs the Zeus change the center of gravity/performance of your hunting weapon?

[Double Naught Spy]

Does the center of gravity of the weapon change with the use of a Zeus or IR Hunter? Well, the scope will raise the center of gravity, but you are probably talking fore and aft balance, yes? I am sure it does, depending on exact placement, but I don't notice it. Of course, with longer scopes or scopes with larger objective lenses, there will be some shift forward in the balance.

With that said, I have not assessed the balance of my rifles in any sort of metric manner. I tend to focus on cheek weld/cheek/eye comfort, grip, controls, and pointability than balance. I want to be able to pick it up, put it to my shoulder, and fire quickly and efficiently.

[Holyfather12]

That looks like a blast. That scope is awesome

[jawbone]

excellent and fun video, 00Spy, as always. love those optics, too.

[pkee]

Thanks for sharing .