first chuck of the season

[Ridge Runner]

I've been hauling my Savage mark2 chambered in 17 HM2 around to dispatch problem starlings, In the middle of my beer run this eve I see a groundhog in a field that I have permission to hunt.
I get out and load the 17, crank the 4x16 weaver up to full power and start trying to estimate range (dang rangefinder was at home) all I can come up with was it was over 100 yds.
I get the hog in the scope, its quartering away, put the 1/4 min dot about 1/2" over the back, verticle wire in line with the off shoulder. give the trigger a 3 pound smash, I see the dust fly off the hog and it rolls over flopping, squirm and wiggles, bites at itself.
By the time I get another round in the chamber its at a dead run for the hole and disappears. I walk to the hole and see the groundhog dead at the entrance. Its a big sow, about 12-14 pounds hit through the ribs,
I'm anxious to see what kind of penetration I got so I step off the distance, I'll range it at another time but is was 148 paces.
upon skinning it I find lots of bloodshot just behind the off shoulder, I spent 20 min. looking for a bullet or fragments, even though there was no exit wound the only thing I found was the black polymer tip from the cci brand v-max bullet. I had to get almost total penetration by the amount of blood under the hide on the off shoulder but nothing was found there or inside the body cavity, just lots of trauma.
I bet at 20 yds that bullet would have turned to dust almost on impact, I was really impressed.
RR