Three Mauser M03s vs Feral Beasties

Moonless night - check.
Full tank - check.
Full block of Cadbury hazelnut chocolate - check.
Flasks with hot water, cooler bag with cold milk, coffee and hot chocolate sachets, sandwiches, even breakfast - check.
Million candlepower spotlight - check

What else … ? Ah, that's right. Three Mauser M03s, perfectly sighted in - check.

The late afternoon light was fading by the time I drove from where I'd fired test shots with each of my M03s to a broad slope where I'd seen several pairs of rabbits the week before. On that day I was travelling light and had only a 30-06, looking for four pigs that had been seen in the area. The rabbits had been safe then. Today I had a 243 Winchester and a bag of deadly accurate hand-loads. Today was going to be different.

The first shot was 200 meters a long way up the slope at a rabbit that crept slowly from behind a bracken bush. Zok! The second was only 100 meters away along the flat, so I had to aim at fresh air, three centimeters below the intended point of impact. The lack of damage to the body made this wild rabbit as good as a bought one. The farmer's daughter's pets would approve. After I'd delivered the rabbits and enjoyed some freshly fried potato slices hot from the pan I got back to work, meaning, the rabbits were safe again. I knew from experience at this farm that the foxes clock-on at seven pm and the pigs at midnight. I also knew from experience that the weather report is a big fat lie and that showers easing in the evening with light winds means that my windscreen wipers would be mostly on and that the 243's wind-bucking performance would come in handy. All came true.

Seven foxes had clocked-on for the last time before midnight when I was heading for the soft, wet paddock where Mrs Farmer had seen the freshest digging. Many thistle roots had been munched by a big pig, she said. Experience again had taught me to listen carefully to the clues the landowners provided. Many many times I'd found pigs within a good seven iron shot of their best recommendation.

The thing about moonless nights is that the intensely high contrast of a million candlepower focussed by a parabolic reflector can make interpreting the two dimensional scene that is lit up quite tricky. I was holding the lamp with my right hand and trying to focus my binoculars with my left, sussing out some dark shapes, when another dark shape made a distinct movement at the edge of the scene. I panned the binoculars but forgot to move the light. Everything went dark. Bugger! Once I had the binos and the light lined up I found I was looking at a muddy snouted and totally guilty pig. The dark shapes that had caught my eye were huge clumps of turned over soil.

As I walked to the back of the Landcruiser I felt like a golfer. Hmm … a gentle swish with a five iron or a strong swing with a seven? It was the Mauser M03 in 270 Winchester that I lifted from the rifle box and I soon had it teed up on the front of the Landcruiser. Earlier in the day when checking the sights I noticed that the Zeiss ASV+ ring number 004 has five clicks between 100 and 200 meters. Five clicks it is then. Reach up to flick the light back on, and now load, and press the cocking lever to the right. Oh OK then - the Victory HT has an illuminated reticle so I may as well switch it on. Yes, that's nice. Now where are you piggie? There, quartering towards me. Bang. Whop.