Porky meets Handi 32-20

[petemi]

Things are quiet around here, so I thought I'd post this.  "Charlie", my Feist and I did one of our early spring walk-about cleanups for woodchuck, red squirrels and porcupines.  Charlie found a fresh woodchuck burrow which I'll stake out early in the morning.  Next up was a red squirrel we lost in dense spruce.  Pretty soon, he found another.  While I was searching the branches for him, I spotted a big porky about two thirds up a big spruce, almost hidden in the boughs.  Now, if you own timber and dogs, especially hunting dogs, you don't tolerate porkies around.  At he shot, the porky exploded like a water filled jug.  I won't go into the gory details, but he was DRT. His tail quivered a bit and was still, but he didn't fall.  He was hit with a .312 100 gr. XTP doing 2150 fps.  I walked around the tree and knocked him out with another.  I've shot a lot of porcupines with everything from .22s to .45-70s including shotguns, but I was totally impressed.  Except for quills, that critter was just about unrecognisable.  That little .32-20 "Trotter Special" really packs a wallop.  If anyone here is looking for something in a Handi that's fun to shoot, cheap and easy to load for, I recommend the .32-20.  It's gotta be stubbed, so that part is a little pricey, but after that it's gravy.

Pete

[quickdtoo]

Way to go Pete and Charlie!!! 

Tim

[Monteria]

A couple of my hogdog pups caught a porqupine the other week. What a miserable night...

[petemi]

Yeah, I hear ya Monteria.  I've been lucky.  None of my dogs have gotten it super bad, but I've seen two dogs blinded by them.  One dog lost one eye and the other both.  That poor guy had to be put down a little later.  If they get it in the eye, it takes a really good vet to help them.  It's a fight to get quills out of their mouths and tongues.  Been there.  It's a shame, cause porkies are really benign creatures, but an awful hazard.  I always make sure they're dead before they hit the ground.

Pete

[Couger]

Petemi, Sounds like you're shooting .32-20+P (or +P+) fodder.      I like it it!!
 
 
Congrats busting that rodent with getting you or your buddy "stick-ed." 

[petemi]

Cougar, the load is right in the latest Hornady manual under T/C loads.  Book says 2200+ fps, but I chronyed it at 2150.  I don't think Porky noticed the difference    The brass is holding up well and there's no signs of pressure.

Pete

[OldSchoolRanger]

Yeah, I hear ya Monteria.  I've been lucky.  None of my dogs have gotten it super bad, but I've seen two dogs blinded by them.  One dog lost one eye and the other both.  That poor guy had to be put down a little later.  If they get it in the eye, it takes a really good vet to help them.  It's a fight to get quills out of their mouths and tongues.  Been there.  It's a shame, cause porkies are really benign creatures, but an awful hazard.  I always make sure they're dead before they hit the ground.

Pete

Well I wouldn't say really benign, I've had porcupines do a bit of damage to trees, a couple of tree stands, and to an outhouse, I had at my old cabin.  Had to replace quite a bit of the wood.  After that I put an end to them whenever I had a chance.  But, I know what you mean, just wish they would stop chewing up the plywood.

[ratdog]

i have shot a lot of porky's i used to shoot them with my 22 mag marlin they would explode they would eat the plywood siding on the cabins i seen one that was eaten 4 ft all the way around. was going to try skinning one the Indians used to eat them.  but they were full of ticks bad.

[Couger]

Cougar, the load is right in the latest Hornady manual under T/C loads.  Book says 2200+ fps, but I chronyed it at 2150.  I don't think Porky noticed the difference    The brass is holding up well and there's no signs of pressure. Pete

That's still great performance Pete, and good knowledge to put away.     My Hornady manual at present is the 5th ed, but I'll have to familiarize myself with the more current T/C loadings.
 
And its still a good thing you didn't stuck with that porcupine.  We have those in Utah too, sometimes really 'thick' in population in a given area.  They're NOT terribly fast or agile, but move just fast enough to always keep their quills and backside between them and you!

[petemi]

 "was going to try skinning one the Indians used to eat them."

Ya gotta understand, I'm married to an Indian.    I eat them when I have the patience.  Skin them from underneath folding the skin outward.  Quarter, discard the midsection.  You can read a newspaper through the ribs.  Remove all fat kernels, par boil a bit to remove some fat.  Marinate or rub as you would venison, grill and enjoy.  They're excellent.  You can also stuff and bake them, but I prefer the grill.

Pete

[OldSchoolRanger]

...   I eat them when I have the patience.  Skin them from underneath folding the skin outward.  Quarter, discard the midsection.  You can read a newspaper through the ribs.  Remove all fat kernels, par boil a bit to remove some fat.  Marinate or rub as you would venison, grill and enjoy.  They're excellent.  You can also stuff and bake them, but I prefer the grill.

Pete

That's what I love about this site, can learn something new everyday.  BTW what do they taste like? Chicken? 

[petemi]

No, I'd say more like beef or veal.  They're not very gamey at all.

I forgot to mention, there aren't any quills on the underside so it's an easy start.  Pliers can be a help later.  Patty and some of her friends do quill work.  The real chore is pulling the quills and sorting them by size.  Then they're usually dyed.

Pete

[MSP Ret]

I have had some pesky porkys do damage to trees on my woodlot as well and have shot them with guns from .22 LR to 45-70's. They really can do damge to a tree crop. They do like plywood as well. A nieghbor a mile or so from my camp in Maine had his favorite treestand for archery hunting that was named "The Porcupine Stand". It aquired that name because those pesky rodents kept doing thier best to eat it, it was quite large and comfortable and was made from plywood. The porcupine stand always seemed to produce at least a porcupine and a deer each year and for many years.....<><....

[petemi]

Andy, I started building a nice mini cabin/ground blind about 20 years ago with A-C exterior grade plywood.  They were eating it as fast as I put it up.  I covered the exterior sides with Louisiana Pacific Textured T-111 siding.  Not cheap, but it ended the problem.  There's not a porky chew on the whole thing to this date.  I build my tree stands with treated lumber and they leave that alone too.  Guys have told me to mix cayenne pepper in paint and put it on.  They say that keeps them off.

Pete

[PHATINJUN]

Pete every time you post about that 32-20 moves me one step closer to redoing my 32mag. Good thing I got lots to do right now or I'd prolly be boxing it up for a ride to the reamer. Kurt

[cwlongshot]

Good story Peter!!

Been a while since I shot a salt pig! We have same proble
 At our deer camp in New York State. They ate one side out of the outhouse!  We built it orig with "barn wood" actually from a corn crib. As the years past replaced it with plywood and that was the dinner bell for porky. So we started covering again with "barn wood over the ply. Asteticly It looked allot better too matching everything else. Porky did not try after that. We seemed to shoot allot more with the bows than firearms. As a kid I remember more then once guys coming back in with no arrows. Then going back out with a shotgun to knock the bugger outta the tree to get them back!!!  LOL

Yes that loadi g is a good one!!! I have also been shooting it for years in my 1894CL. More recie fly Speer brought out a 115 G for the 327..... I have loaded them but not shot anything as yet....

CW

[petemi]

Pete every time you post about that 32-20 moves me one step closer to redoing my 32mag. Good thing I got lots to do right now or I'd prolly be boxing it up for a ride to the reamer. Kurt

Watcha waitin for Kurt?  The .32-20 is kind of a paradox.  It's a medium bore, but it's really not.  It's more a .22 mag. on steroids.  I really like it.  For plinking, you can get cast bullets for 28.50 for 500, add a three cent primer and a nickle's worth of powder and you're shooting for less than 15 cents a shot....three bucks a box of 20.  If you want to play around, you can load it with heavier pointed .310 or .311 7.62x39 or .303 Brit Bullets.  You can go "Whisper" down to 500 fps. or scream little ones at 2300+ fps.  What's not to like?  Here's a pic of the little lady.

I forgot to mention, the barrel is a .303 and handles bullets from .308 to cast in .313.  Seems to like the .312 XTP.

Pete

[quickdtoo]

After seeing the rounds, it's more of a .32 cal Hornet...on steroids!! 

Tim

[petemi]

Tim did some of his extractor/ejector magic on it for me and I sent some dummy rounds with the barrel.  The 115 gr. PSPs make it look like a 7.62x39 Short    The scope in the picture has been changed to a Bushnell Banner 4X32.