New thread, 8x58RD Remington Rolling block on the way to me.

[17nut]

Did you know that the original load was 72½grains of black under a 227grain jacketed roundnose bullet?
A 65grain compressed pellet with 7½grains of 4f for starters. The pellet was inserted into the straight case and then sized.

[sharps4590]

Wow Koger!! Compred to the way mine looked, your is new!! Well done sir!

[17nut]

Did you know that in 1888 the Danes tried the 8x58RD in converted RB's and found that they lasted less than 500 rounds?
Thus the reduction of max. pressure from 2600bar~37.7kpsi to 1600bar~23.3kpsi.

[marlinman93]

That's a truly exceptional Rolling Block! Rarely see one with so much finish left on it!

[koger]

thanks guys. I am looking forward to shooting it, when everything gets here. I could see one of those 225 gr cast bullets poking daylight thru a deer here in KY. We can only take 2 deer here locally with a rifle, but in other zones, you can buy as many doe tags as you want where they have a problem. About an hour away, I am thinking of going over there and try to take one each with 3 or 4 different rifles. If I do, and I have a surplus of meat, I will donate one or two to Hunters for the hungry, a program where you can donate a deer for $10, and a processor will grind it all for homeless soup kitchens. The wife and I usually kill 6-8 here locally, which 2 of your 4 deer limit has to be does with a bow/crossbow. We depend on the meat as part of our self sustaining lifestyle.

[MOA]

Well Koger, good luck on your hunt. Anywhere from 10 - 13 grains should work fine. Great what you're doing for the community too.

[marlinman93]

We can only take one buck here, unless we apply for and get lucky enough to draw a doe tag for certain units. I began hunting with my old firearms back about 20 years ago after numerous decades of hunting with bolt action high power rifles. I originally was using old Marlin lever actions from the 1800's, but eventually went strictly to single shot rifles. Nothing I ever hunted with previous to going to old firearms was as rewarding, or as much fun. It takes a lot more effort to get closer, but the reward is a much better hunt.

[koger]

we can only take one buck, per year, but can harvest 3 does here locally. I can drive45 minutes, to another zone, where i can use my 2 doe only tags, for rifle instead of bow. Several land owners will let you hunt for free, due to crop damage by the deer. I usually take the land owner a country ham sliced for Christmas. Like you did in the past, I have been primarily a long range shooter, hunting with a 6.5 Swede and 6.5x284, both rifles I built. Last year I enjoyed the one shot I took with an original Trapdoor, more than I have anything in long time.

[MOA]

We can only take one buck here, unless we apply for and get lucky enough to draw a doe tag for certain units. I began hunting with my old firearms back about 20 years ago after numerous decades of hunting with bolt action high power rifles. I originally was using old Marlin lever actions from the 1800's, but eventually went strictly to single shot rifles. Nothing I ever hunted with previous to going to old firearms was as rewarding, or as much fun. It takes a lot more effort to get closer, but the reward is a much better hunt.

I have to agree with you on this too.

[marlinman93]

we can only take one buck, per year, but can harvest 3 does here locally. I can drive45 minutes, to another zone, where i can use my 2 doe only tags, for rifle instead of bow. Several land owners will let you hunt for free, due to crop damage by the deer. I usually take the land owner a country ham sliced for Christmas. Like you did in the past, I have been primarily a long range shooter, hunting with a 6.5 Swede and 6.5x284, both rifles I built. Last year I enjoyed the one shot I took with an original Trapdoor, more than I have anything in long time.

I recall using my high power bolt action rifles and being pretty happy with taking bucks at 350-400 yds. across draws, or open grasslands. I never thought much about it then, except to think I was lucky to have a flat shooting long range deer rifle. My hunting partners all shot guns with more drop, and when I first started using small caliber flat shooting cartridges they questioned if they would bring down deer well. But it took just one deer dropping at 365 yds. to convince them it worked. Within a few years they'd all switched to similar rifles and calibers.
But after a dozen deer taken at long range I began to become bored with "sniping" deer at distance, and wanted to use my old guns just to see how they performed. The first gun I took was an 1889 Marlin in .38-40, and I'd drawn a doe tag, so since I already had a buck I figured I didn't need the extra meat if I missed a doe. We headed out opening morning, and my nephew and I came across 3 does within the first hour. I took the largest at about 85 yds., and was surprised how hard the .38-40 hit her. She was looking at me as they'd spotted us, and I waited with my finger on the trigger, for her to turn. As she began to move I touched off on her left front shoulder and she reared up, and landed on her back, stone dead.
For 3 or 4 years I used various old Marlin lever guns, and then used single shot Ballard rifles from that point on. Didn't have but one year I didn't bring home a buck, and after all the long range hunting, I was able to take deer at mostly around 100 yds., with one exception that was about 140 yds. ranged after I brought him down. That buck was my first with an old Ballard in .38-55, and my biggest buck ever.

[sharps4590]

17nut, thank you for those bits of info. I have not done much research on the cartridge and it origins and am grateful for the info.

marlinman, your experience echo's mine. Whacking a game animal at 200-400 yards with a flat shooting, scoped rifle doesn't compare to seeing one collapse at 35-65 yards through a cloud of white smoke....if you shoot BP or go down immediately with a cast bullet over smokeless. Either is simply grand.