I pounded another elk today.

[idahoron]

Last week I thought I was done elk hunting for the year. Well I talked my self into a couple more days. I left on Thursday night during another flash flood slash wild fire. I don't understand how a flash flood can hit and a wild fire break out at the same time. Anyway, I hit my favorite spots and nothing. I don't know if the weather or the fires or the choppers or the moon or what. I was not seeing any elk. Today was the last day and I was wanting to try one last spot. I get there and head up the hill to the ridge. As I was making my way up the hill I see an animal looking over the top. It was an elk, the only elk I have seen in 4 days hunting. My tag was for a cow with a Muzzleloader so I was not picky, she would do. I watched her go back away from the ledge and I made a run for it. I get to the top and she is 200 yards away. I was stuck! Ya I can shoot my "Beast from the east" AKA MK 85 that I bought from a guy in Ohio, that far but I didn't want to wound her so I waited. Soon she looks my way. So I put my hands beside my head like a set of ears. I raise up so she can see me and then I lower back down. Here she comes. I got ready behind the only brush between me and her. I put my rifle on my shooting sticks took off the safety's and waited for her to step into the open.
When she stepped out I let her have one of my paper patched 500 S&W bullets. I have wanted to take out an adult elk with my 500 S&W bullets for some time. Last year I shot a calf but I wanted to test them on a big elk. The shot was quartering to me. The bullet hit her on the point of the shoulder. I found it in the flank. After the shot she ran about 50 to 75 yards. She wobbled and went down. The sound of these bullets hitting game is more like the sound you hear when an 06 hits them. It is a loud WHOMP!!!

On a side note. This elk was shot I am assuming last year and lived. I saw an old wound in her and dug out a tumor. There were bones from the old wound in it and a piece of lead. It only penetrated 3" at the most. It stopped at the rib bone.

I didn't have my camera so I took pictures with my phone.

Ron


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20elk%20hunt/Cow1_zpsf0990bce.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20elk%20hunt/Cow2_zpsdfa93b41.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20elk%20hunt/Cow4_zpsb1a1b180.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20elk%20hunt/Cow6_zpsc8e80ff5.jpg

[Gibbs44]

Must not have been a similar rig that hit her last year, I doubt you'd have gotten a chance at her. Nice shooting, looks like your combo did the trick.

[idahoron]

I am guessing it was a round ball. All there was left of it was a sliver of lead. Ron

[waksupi]

Okay, long shot here. Could you identify the caliber and type of bullet that failed?

Congrats on your kill!

I see you already answered this! I can't imagine it was a round ball, or it would have been pretty much intact.

[mooman76]

That should be some good eatin. Congrats!

[idahoron]

Okay, long shot here. Could you identify the caliber and type of bullet that failed?

Congrats on your kill!

I see you already answered this! I can't imagine it was a round ball, or it would have been pretty much intact.

All that was left in the tumor was a bunch of bones and a sliver of lead. I assume that the sliver of lead shaved off when it hit bone. I don't know what the caliber was but in Idaho the minimum size is 50 for elk. We also can't use Sabots so the only possibility is either a PRB or a conical 50 cal or larger. Ron

[deep creek]

way to go ron! you just cant beat those 500 sw pp.Ilove that sound when that boolit hits. Ive got to wait till nov 1st to elk hunt.

[idahoron]

I have told that to a lot of guys that are accustomed to not hearing the hit. I admit that when I was using the Hornady great plains bullets I didn't hear a WHOMP! These 500 S&W bullets lat the law down. Good luck on your hunt. Ron

[OnHoPr]

Congratulations Idahoron. Well at first I seen your new smokepole and then I seen the backstraps and then then head. There is fine vittles laying there. Just for the heck of it, have you ever posted a recipe. On one thought, I might have to agree with waksupi on maybe not being a round ball, if so it should of stayed together. On another thought, it could of been a 223 or 22-250 or the like and just fine fragmented on impact. Do you have a pic of that big hunk of alloy from that many suppers.

[idahoron]

This is a picture of the back side of the shoulder.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20elk%20hunt/Cow15_zpsdcfa83b2.jpg

This is what the bullets look like

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/Muzzleloaders/Paperpatch501.jpg


Here is the picture of what is left of the bullet.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20elk%20hunt/BULLET3_zps052d6a9b.jpg

I see where you coming from with the 223 or 22-250, I understand that I have killed a lot of elk. But I didn't find pieces of jacket. Just a small sliver of lead and bone in the tumor. I didn't take a picture of that stuff. Ron

[nekshot]

awsome! well done and I love your decoy method!

[elk hunter]

Elk hunting at it's best! Congratulations.

[johnson1942]

thanks for the post ron, it gets us all pumped up. when my young son had trouble with recoil we loaded his 270 with 90 grain bullets and made them go really fast. the last record deer he took was at 150 yards and he had a hard time dropping it. it just wasnt penetrating like you would want. last year we went up to 150 grains and had no trouble droping it. those fast light bullets are fun but the big ones dont fool around. your right about the sound, to me its like a scoop shovel hitting a barn .

[OnHoPr]

The reason I mentioned the high speed .22 cal was that I saw a whitetail shot with one. The deer was skinned and the shot was in backstrap just in front of the liver or back lungs area. There was just a hole about the size of a orange in the muscle (just disintegrated) and hardly any bloodshot extending from the wound. No bones were broke and the deer needed a neck shot to finish it off. While butchering the opposite side of the backstrap didn't have any bruising at all. I could not see any fragments of any kind of the boolit. It was a handloaded 22-250 with a 53 gr ball. I know the same load and gun hitting a deer in the second rib back from the v would drop it on the spot.

[Fly]

What happened to the hot rod T/C ?

Fly

[mooman76]

Looks like the bullet held together pretty good.

[idahoron]

Fly, last year my son had a ML deer tag. He broke the stock on it and it has been out of commission. I got a new stock and took it to my gun smith to inlet it for me and he get burned while blueing a gun. So I am waiting for that one to get done. My Hot Rod Hawken is a 45 so I couldn't use it on this hunt. I do plan to use the Hawken with my RCBS 11 mm bullets for my deer hunt next month.

[OverMax]

So now that your have tried both. Which do you prefer to hunt with? (T/C or the Knight) Only have one other question to ask Idahoron. When shooting those paper patched 500s. How hard are they to push down the barrel on a follow up shot?
(As sabot can be a chore for me. When needing a quick follow up shot./// In my G/M quick twist.)
Nice shot you made on that cow Sir.

[idahoron]

I prefer the Hot Rod Renegade. The problem with them is they are known for the stock breaking. This MK 85 was NEW in box when I got it. There is a long story behind it but I have been looking for this gun for many years. I can see this gun being a back up to the hot Rods if something happens.

The second shot is a little tougher but quite easy. The third, forth, and fifth are not bad either. This gun will shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards. The sight on this gun is like the hot rods. I can adjust the sight for the distance I am going to shoot. Ron

[missionary5155]

Greetings and Congradulations !
That is one fine story to read. That will be many great memories along with some tasty eating.
Mike in Peru

[tomme boy]

Very nice!

If you epoxy bed the stock on that Renegade, it should never crack. Have you tried that?

[idahoron]

Yes I used bedding compound and glassed it. It broke again, so I drilled it hogged out some wood and filled it with accuraglass. I pinned the crack. It broke again. With heavy recoiling rifles these glass jobs don't cut it. Ron

[tomme boy]

Did you also bed the cross pin on the fore arm? One other thing you can do id add another dovetail cut on the under side of the barrel and put another lug on it and bed that into the stock. You might not be able to have the ramrod in the stock anymore, but the stock should be able to take it.

I have two New Englanders that are known for this as well. Mine are not cracked. I bedded the rear tang and never over tightened the cross bolt. The cross bolt is where the problem is at if you ask me.

[roverboy]

That's a mean looking boolit your shooting. Hope you get your T/C fixed and kill some more game with it.

[idahoron]

The next hunt will be with my Hot Rod Hawken. It shoots a 409 gr Paper Patched RCBS 11mm rifle bullet. I am super excited to test that gun and bullet on game. Ron

[weasel 21]

What part of the 'HO is this?

[rodman68]

questions on the paper patch what bullet is that or what mold? Also is that one wrap of what kind of paper and what is the size of the bullet before and after the wrap. I have a MK85 also and tried the lee 360 grain hollow base and its way to difficult to load. I thought about sizing it smaller but I like the paper patch 500 S and W better. Also were did you get the peep sights?

[Junior1942]

+1 on what rodman68 said.

[idahoron]

questions on the paper patch what bullet is that or what mold? Also is that one wrap of what kind of paper and what is the size of the bullet before and after the wrap. I have a MK85 also and tried the lee 360 grain hollow base and its way to difficult to load. I thought about sizing it smaller but I like the paper patch 500 S and W better. Also were did you get the peep sights?

The bullet is a Lee C-501-440-RF
http://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-c501-440-rf.html

I use two wraps of 9# onion Skin. My paper is the older 25% cotton but I understand that the wood pulp onion skin does very well.
http://www.thepapermillstore.com/paper-store-24-7-onion-skin-white-paper-8-1-2-x-11-in-9-lb-bond-smooth-500-per-ream.html

The bullet comes out at .501 and I wrap them with the paper dry. Then I size them with the Lee push through sizer die .501. They are snug in the MK85 but you need them snug so the conical does not come out if your carrying them in an ATV gun boot or carrying the gun muzzle down. These bullets would never come out on their own from carrying them.

The Peep sight is a Williams FP sight. It is field adjustable and sighted in for 100, 150, and 200 yards. I use the rang finder get the distance and set the sight for that distance. I don't like to hold over an animal. Ron

[rodman68]

thanks for the reply after I sent m post noticed the sticky you have. But still have more questions how do these load compared to a saboted round if you have ever tried to load them in the mk85. They seem to be very difficult to me some are almost impossible unless it is on a clean barrel. Might try this with my lee 360gr that is way to big for the mk85.

[idahoron]

I can load at least 4 without much trouble. I have never had to use more than one of these on game and the first reload has always been fired in victory. Ron