A Weekend Of Firsts

[tmanbuckhunter]

So, let me preface this before I write my story. These are my first public land deer, my first cast bullet deer, my first winchester 94 deer, and my first 38/55 deer. I have had some what of a fascination with the 38/55 since I was a teenager... I guess romanticizing the old west, old Marlins, and older cowboy guns is why. For years I wanted to acquire a Marlin 336CB in 38/55 but couldn't ever make it happen. I had this old Model 94 I had gotten from my grand father that sat behind the door of his office for years; it belonged to a family friend for the majority of it's life. Long story short, as a teenager I didn't have enough money to do anything with it and the bore was trashed, it was more like a 33 smooth bore special than 32 Winchester special at that point. Years later, long after my grandfather passed this year I finally restored the rifle. Rust blue, refinished the wood, sent it out to JES for a rebore to 38/55, and drilled and tapped the tang for a marbles tang sight.

This rifle is a tack driver. I bought a 4 or 5 cavity (I dont recall) mold from Accurate, Tom's 38-250F design. I'm using a copy of roto metals hardball, aircooled, powdercoated with smokes clear, sprayed down with Hornady one shot and then sized to .377. This bullet loaded over 5744 produces MOA accuracy at 100 yards with boolits sorted within a grain of each other. I have to sort tighter to keep the same level of accuracy out to 200.

Now for the best part....

I was sitting about 30 foot up a long leaf pine with some real tall oak thicket behind me watching a transition line. The deer were bedding in front of me and behind me. I was about to nod off when I hear some commotion off to my right, and I see a gray blob busting through the briars making a lot of noise. At first I thought it was a coyote and I was thinking GAME ON, so I roll the rifle over to shoot left handed when I realized it was a doe, she was bleating, and running RIGHT at me and was going to run under my stand. I flip the rifle around to shoot right handed and she wouldn't stop at all. She never saw me so I knew she had something hot on her trail, since in that part of Texas they are in the 3rd rut right now. Less than a minute later I hear commotion again and hear grunting and a small spike comes hauling *** through the brush taking the same path right under my stand. He stopped behind an oak tree exposing his right shoulder to me just for a moment, and I let him have it. I thought at first I didn't hit him because he just took off running. I quickly reload my rifle, expecting the woods to be dead at this point when it's almost like everything got rewound and I see the same gray blob busting thru the brush, only this time it's an 8. Same song and dance, runs right under my stand but stops broadside 40 yards away with his ears in the alert position. I was already thrown down on him hammer off. As soon as I saw those ears go up, I knew he was legal and dropped the hammer. The accurate 38-250F hit him so hard he dropped immediately and got back up, and made it a maximum of 40 yards pumping blood everywhere.

Words cannot express how happy I am that everything worked out with this rifle, the hunt, and the whole entire weekend, and to have something like this play out on Texas public land is incredible. First kill with a Winchester Model 94, first kill with a 38/55, and first kill with a cast bullet, and to top it off, I rebuilt the rifle, cast the bullet, and loaded the ammo.

Just to add, this would not have been possible without the two great men in the photos with me. Being able to share the experience with them and the help they provided post kill was something I'll never forget.

[rking22]

Nice hunt, well told! Glad you got your grandfather’s 94 back to the woods!

[buckwheatpaul]

Great story...thanks for sharing!

[Nathanj]

Great write up, I really enjoyed it. Congrats on the buck. Like the rifle too

[Texas by God]

Congrats, way to do it. I have the same rig but no deer yet.....

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[244ack]

Congrats, nothing more satisfying than hunting with an old levergun and a bullet you made yourself. This is how hunting should be done
Thanks for sharing

[tmanbuckhunter]

Thanks fellas. That was a weekend I will never forget.

[Kylongrifle32]

Awesome you really had a great hunt and nothing like bringing new life to an old family heirloom. I took a doe with a mini Sharps in 38-55 and I'm now hooked on this round for close range deer hunting. I sold my first deer rifle a Marlin 336 to my cousin for his boys to hunt with about 15 years ago. Now that they are grown and hunting with bolt action magnums I going to try to get it back and as soon as I do it's headed straight to JES for a 38-55 rebore.

[veeman]

So you got 2 bucks? Didn't really say what happened to the spike, but he is there in the pic so I assume he went down also. Excellent hunt! Wish Illinois could use rifles. I have a 1894 made in 1897 chambered 38-55 SRC I'd love to hunt with.

[tmanbuckhunter]

So you got 2 bucks? Didn't really say what happened to the spike, but he is there in the pic so I assume he went down also. Excellent hunt! Wish Illinois could use rifles. I have a 1894 made in 1897 chambered 38-55 SRC I'd love to hunt with.

Sure did. Shot both within a minute or so of each other. It's worth driving to a nearby state with public land to try that 38/55 out on deer. I do believe it is my new favorite caliber.

[smoked turkey]

This was a wonderful hunting story filled with all the excitement of the hunt and ending with "deer down". Thrown in for a bonus is a great back story on a grand old rifle and caliber. Thanks for sharing and the pictures are great making it all come to life. Great job.

[nagantguy]

Wonderful story- thank you and good shooting! Somewhere here in the hunting with cast archive I have a tale of restoring a very old winny 94 that spent decades on a basement floor; me and my daughter did the work and the first time that rifle hunted in who knows how long I took a very nice public land buck with cast boolits and a Marbles tang sight!

[tmanbuckhunter]

Wonderful story- thank you and good shooting! Somewhere here in the hunting with cast archive I have a tale of restoring a very old winny 94 that spent decades on a basement floor; me and my daughter did the work and the first time that rifle hunted in who knows how long I took a very nice public land buck with cast boolits and a Marbles tang sight!

I bet it's a fine old rifle. It's a great feeling when you can harvest game with a rifle that has that much soul and character isn't it?

[725]

I really enjoyed your write up. Well done. That's just about the perfect hunting experience, and with a great old cartridge, to boot.

[rushin4]

Great story. That lever gun must be perfect for the terrain you hunt in.

[Texas by God]

I took mine for a walk this morning. I saw one doe and I ate pecans. I'm still impressed that you got your main and cull buck in just a few minutes and I know you're glad you had help! There is good hunting around Houston, watch out for Gators!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[JDL]

Congrats on the deer and restoring the flat band.

[tmanbuckhunter]

I took mine for a walk this morning. I saw one doe and I ate pecans. I'm still impressed that you got your main and cull buck in just a few minutes and I know you're glad you had help! There is good hunting around Houston, watch out for Gators!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

The Sam Houston is chock full of deer in every corner, but to have it play out like that? Yeah, one in a million! That is a nice M94 you have there. Where are you located in Texas?

[Texas by God]

Cross Timbers Region, up the West Fork of the Trinity River. If it wasn't for all those pesky dams, I could canoe on down for a visit! My wife's uncle had a place by Damon between Houston and Brazoria- good times, good memories. The 38-55 m 94 was my Dad's early 50's 30-30. Joining this forum caused me to send it to JES- I like it much better now. It has a Redfield peep. I haven't scored with it yet but I'll keep trying.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk