My Muzzleloader season

28 October 2013, 07:19

Idaho Ron

I drew a tag this year for a ML deer so I decided to take advantage of an early elk hunt in the same area. After hunting for 4 days I got lucky on the last day. I got this cow with a Paper Patched 500 S&W bullet. The shot crushed her shoulder and I found the bullet in the flank.

On to my deer hunt.
This deer tag this year about killed me. I have put in countless hours scouting and hunting with little to show. On opening day I had three good bucks pushed out of the country by elk hunters. Then I went on a 7 day dry spell where I didn't see a buck I wanted to shoot, and I walked 38 miles. I headed up last night for the last couple days of the hunt. This Morning I headed into an area I have had some luck in before. I stopped to glass and saw a small bunch of deer. I saw that one was a branch antlered buck. With literally only hours left to hunt I decided to take him if I had the chance. I watched them go over a ridge and I took off as fast as I could. When I got there he was 117 yards. My sight was set and I put the Hot Rod on the shooting sticks. I knew that my sight was set for 100 so I was going to hold a pinch high. I don't normally like to do this but I felt like I didn't have time to set the sight for the shot. So I held for a high shoulder shot since the lungs were blocked by brush. As the rifle cracked the smoke blocked my sight but I heard a solid WHOP!!! I put the binoculars up and saw the deer running away, minus the buck. I reloaded and headed for the spot I last saw him. I got there and I didn't need the follow up shot. The buck was DOA. The bullet hit the shoulder and crushed it. What was left of the bullet was under the hide in the neck. It was the fastest kill shot I have ever had with a muzzleloader. The Rifle was my 45 cal fast twist Hot Rod Hawken. The load was a 409 gr paper patched RCBS 11mm rifle bullet. I used 80 gr of Pyrodex P and an over powder wad.
This combination will shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards. If I do my part I have shot sub 1" groups with it. This was my fist animal with a 45 cal. It was great to be able to get an animal with this rifle. Ron

Mike

Legistine actu quod scripsi?

Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.

What I have learned on AR, since 2001:
1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken.
2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps.
3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges.
4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down.
5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine.
6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle.
7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions.
8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA.
9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not.
10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact.
11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores.
12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence.
13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances.