I had heard that using bullets you have handloaded adds another dimension to your hunting and I'm glad to learn that clearly is true. I took up handloading over the summer after realizing the benefit of loading for a .470 I recently purchased. Of course I soon started loading for some of my other calibers, one of which is a .270.

Well this morning I shot two deer using bullets I had loaded myself. They performed perfectly as the first deer, a cull 8-pointer, was hit in the heart at about 125 yards and he ran about 30 yards before dropping. Since I need to take out at least 20 does off of my farm this season, a doe that the buck was coming to visit made the mistake of not leaving after the shot, so I decided to pop her since I had already disrupted the woods a little bit. I shot her at about 150 yards right thru the shoulder. She ran about 75 yards before dropping.

My bullets are 130 grain Sierra Gamekings and the accuracy of my shots was definitely what I had hoped for.

I have learned so much from so many of you on this forum as I have solicited and received great advice or simply reviewed the older discussions on topics of interest. I still feel like quite a novice, but it's nice to finally put some of what I've learned to good use!

Anyway, here's a picture of the buck I shot. The blood on his face came from the ground since we had cleaned the doe in this spot a few minutes earlier.

I think they taste a little better when you shoot them with your own handloads!
Cheers and congratulations.

Congrats on the deer Vic. It certainly is rewarding to have your handloads perform exactly as you intended. You'll never buy factory ammo again.
The only factory ammo I've bought in the past 25 years for rifle or pistol is 22LR. For shotgun I do buy my waterfowl loads though. Just don't shoot enough of them to justify setting up for that.
Good luck with the rest of those does!

I haven't killed a game animal with a factory load in about 39 years now. (Well, I did kill some hogs with some factory ammunition that someone gave me for an Auto .270 last year, but they're just vermin and don't deserve the respect that a noble game animal does!)

Hunting with factory loads just isn't the same; no comparison to shooting your own.

Your hooked, just another addiction you'll have to endure for the rest of your life. Enjoy it. I've been hooked for 35yrs., although my wife wants me to seek treatment that ain't never gonna happen.

Amazing how long some of you have been reloading, and with the remarkable convenience of this forum, there's no doubt that in my quest for info, I came to right place! I guess the purpose of this thread is to offer a collective "thank you" and to show you results of your assistance. So many of you helped me along my learning curve; in some cases directly, but more often your insight was offered generously to minions like me as we peruse these forums for any tidbits of wisdom that can be gained by your years of hands-on experience. For all of that, I am indeed grateful.

Hey Spring, I'm absolutely positive I did not help you with any 270Win data, but that sure is one fine Deer for your first Handload kill. Always good to see a fine Deer taken cleanly.

Happened to notice the "size" of your skinning rack posts. You all expecting some SUPER WHOPPER BIG Deer or what?

Oh yes, there is a small circle on the hind quarter of that Deer which is just about level with your chin in the flick. Any idea what that is? Just the hair turned wrong? Grease from something in the truck bed?

Congratulations.

Hot Core,
I see what you talking about but I don't know what it is. I did have to drag both deer for a while and I know they did pick up a some cockleburs along the way which could be what you're seeing. Other than that, this was an older deer so any variety of things could have happened to him over time.
As for the large skinning posts, it never hurts to be optimistic! That said, compared to a really strange deer I saw last week (You can read about it here) , that little mark is mild...

Got my first deer with homemade bullets (and this gun) this year also, but it took me 2 years of rolling, over 800 primers, and 2 newer gun purchases, to take one!!!!

Obviously, I am more of a casual shooter than a hunter. I told my wife something was going down this year to justify the effort finally.

I wish I could cull off a few of those around here .

Congrats on your new hobby but, let me warn you, It is very addictive .

Reloader

Thanks, Reloader. I hope I didn't disparage this deer too much by calling it a "cull", as on balance he was a good 8-pointer. But in our ongoing quest to try to get bigger deer, improving the breeding prospects for up and coming 10 or better point bucks (I think there's a pun in there somewhere... ), some of the 8's must go.
As for using my reloads in the field, there's no doubt you can achieve a greater level of confidence with bullets that YOU KNOW can perform as you want them to. That said, I must admit that when using mine for the first time, I had this little fear deep in the recesses of mind that when the time came to shoot, would my bullets do anything but "click?"
Here�s another pic of yesterday�s buck:

Congrats, lots and lots of fun. We got 2 Elk this year with handloads useing rem 165 pspcl in the 06. They sure seem to do the job.
On a side note, I've been loading 500gn cast bullets for my 470NE. They are much cheaper to plink with and shoot to the same point of impact as Barnes 500 XLCs. It just takes a little bit less powder to get the cast up to 2150.

Vic,

Congrats on your first "handloaded deer". Looks like the season is going well over your way.

We still need to find time for a shooting, or just bullshooting, session soon. Both seasons (deer and football) will be over in the not so distant future, and we might get JudgeG back from Africa in a few months .

Jim

Hey Spring, Now you have me thinking I'm seeing a Doe and a Fawn to your left "which on closer inspection is apparently only weeds".

Go to the sweater just below your chin. Now go directly to the left until you get almost to the edge of the flick. Just above the green are some Brown weeds that looks like a Doe facing left with a small Fawn in front of her.

We would occasionally get weeds doing that to us where I hunt. Once I come down and have a chance to rearrange such stuff I do. Stared at that kind of stuff in light fogs over the years to the point it makes "me" a bit upset once I realize it is never going to twitch and ear or take a step forward.

Anyway, congratulations again. And go stomp that weed!

Jim,
I'm glad you haven't forgotten our tentative plans as I had no intention of letting them slip by you! Once our globetrotting judge is able to let some grass grow under his feet, let me know and I'll hitch up a wagon and head your way....

HotCore,

I'm not exactly sure what you're seeing, but have no doubt I've seen plenty of "weed does" or "elk rocks" through the years. In fact, I've been fooled so many times that I sometimes see what is in fact an actual deer, and trying not to get fooled again, try to see it as a weed before realizing it's the real thing. This happened to me about 10 days ago. I saw some supposed limbs and branches that made me say, "that almost looks a bit like a big buck," which caused me to pull up my binocs rather than my gun. I then realized it was indeed a very heavy 10-pointer with a lot of mass, which during the process of putting down my binocs and easing up my gun, somehow, as a ghostly buck can do, disappeared.....

Hey Spring, I hear you. During this time of the year (Deer Season), I go on "Recognition Overload" when it comes to spotting Deer. Went down the road and back 6 miles total and positively spotted 8 road kills. The person with me saw 3 of them because they were up on the skirt of the road.

I was going fishing early one morning getting mentally prepped to skunk the guy with me and he asked about seeing Deer. I told him we had just that moment passed one as he was asking and I stopped. I could see the Deer in the mirror off in the woods maybe 10yds. Told him where it was and he still couldn't see it. Told him to keep looking exactly where I told him and I started to back up. Had the boat on, so I had to go slow. Finally got close enough that the Deer moved and he FINALLY saw it.

But, here is a classic example of not believing what you are seeing similar to you. I was in a Stand we call the Weed Field which after about 10yds, becomes a very large Bean field. I got in the Stand an hour before sunrise and settled in. Happened to spot a small Hawk working a row of pushed up trees. So I eased the binoculars up and watched it a few minutes. Began easing them backdown and spotted a nice Buck just standing very still maybe 100yds out in the foggy Beans.

Got mentally ready to go in the kill mode and noticed it wasn't moving at all, not a twitch - nothing. Decided my "good buddies" had set a "Decoy" out there to mess with me. Slowly put the binoculars completely down and was smilling to myself behind my face mask when I noticed the "Decoy" take a step forward.

Things went in very slow motion then and I began raising the rifle as he relieved himself and took one more step forward. He was was quartering toward me, so I was in his periferal vision area. Just as I got the scope to my shoulder, he laid back down in the Bean row.

I waited a very long time for him to stand back up and he never did during legal hunting hours. Had considered walking him up, but I had the wrong firearm. If I'd had a shotgun in the truck, I do believe I could have run out and stopped about 15yds from him and he would have popped right up.

But, I also see way too many Weed Deer. They wear your concentration down and can make a person sloppy in his movements due to frustration.

Best of luck to you.