Ready for mu Elk hunt.

[oldgeezershooter]

Went to a friends ranch last week where we have a range set up and made sure the Ruger#1 was still on.
I shot two groups and cooled the barrel between groups, shot about 1 1/4" groups at 100 yds.(Using a lead sled.)
This is a Barnes 300gr.45814 boolit over 55gr. of IMR 4198, it chronographed at 2500fps. with about a10-15 fps. spread.(Dang thing kept blowing the Chrony over.)
Ought to do the job.

[leadman]

I did the same on Friday. Went to the range and and sighted in my Encore ProHunter in 7mm Rem Mag., 150gr Nosler Ballistic tip, 3,275fps, 1 1/2" at 200 yards in a very stiff wind.
Did shoot some boolits though. Got out my Ruger SBH Hunter in 41 mag and sighted in the 220gr Saeco at 100 yards. 1,400 fps, 3" group. Also going to take my deceased BIL's S&W Madel 27 in 357, 180 gr Saeco RFN.

Where are you hunting? We got our 5th choice west of Springerville in Unit 1 for cow elk.

Good luck on your hunt.

[oldgeezershooter]

5B south, cow.
Thanks.

[mroliver77]

Not to jump on you or anything but.....
Do you practice with the gun/load in field positions?

Some years back I noticed I was not hitting nears as well as I should. After thinking on it I came to the conclusion that most of my shooting was being done from a bench or bipod. My good friend Willbird turned me on to shooting marshmallows floating down the creek. It was great offhand practice and built offhand confidence and skill.

I read Paco Kelly's book and he has a rule that he must shoot one practice round for every yard he might possibly take a shot at with the exact gun/load combination he will be hunting with. S if he thinks there will be the chance to take a 200 yard shot he shoots 200 practice rounds that must stay on paper plates for deer sized animals.

I liked this idea as I had just went through a learning bout with a handgun. You see I was never a very good handgun shot. I decided to learn to shoot them better. I read everything I could get my hands on. Aside from basic hold techniqes what I found was everybody said that practice was the most important consideration in becomming a more proficient handgun shot. "Buckets of bullets." as on writer put it. :) I spent the winter in my barn casting wadcutters by the thousands and shooting them at 10 yards in the barn. I recovered the lead and recast and fired again. I improved a whole bunch!!!

So after working up a load. Shooting from a bench to insure the steadiest hold. I then practice at different ranges and "snap shoot" various targets I find while on a walkabout pof my place. We have a woods with a 5 acre or so creek bottom. Flooding brings in and leaves lots of rubbish. There are many targets of opportunity to practice on. If with a buddy one will say " Bleach bottle, 5 oclock, 75 yards" The other will spot, check background and fire as quick and accurate as possible focusing on shot placement as the #1 criteria. It is great practice and quality time woods loafing!

I see many guys fire a couple rounds to sight in a gun and go hunting. They wound animals and blame it on anything but themselves. We all can use a little push now and then.

Just a reminder to everybody to practice.
Jay

[leadman]

I normally hunt in 5B North, but did not get drawn for it this year. This Unit 1, Antelope Mountain hunt was our fifth choice. Only 10 permits for this hunt and our group has 3 of them.

[oldgeezershooter]

I do a lot of shooting year round, when I work up a new load I like to test it from a solid rest.
I then shoot several rounds from different positions.
The #1 with that load lets you know at both ends, so I don't punish myself too much.(Plus them dang boolits are about a buck apeice.)

[ss40_70]

Boolits= as God laid it into the soil,,grand old Galena, The Silver Stream graciously hand poured into molds for our consumption. . . Bullets= Machine made utilizing Full Length Gas Checks as to provide projectiles for the masses.

[MGySgt]

I do a lot of shooting year round, when I work up a new load I like to test it from a solid rest.
I then shoot several rounds from different positions.
The #1 with that load lets you know at both ends, so I don't punish myself too much.(Plus them dang boolits are about a buck apeice.)

That is a very strong reason to shoot cast. When I was Elk hunting with either the 45/70 or 45/90 - I probably shot over 1,000 rounds from May through Sep.

When you have the range in your back yard it is easy. I would shoot from 50 to 200 yards. Walk down put a target up (most of the time just a sheet of card board about the size of an elk body) and go in the house, bring the rifle out and take a shot or 2. put the rifle in the house - go patch the holes and do it again. May be 4 or 5 time an evening. - Every evening!

FWIW

[oldgeezershooter]

Got my Elk, one shot one kill. Bullet performed as advertised, retained full weight and expanded from .458 to 8.650.

[waksupi]

Got my Elk, one shot one kill. Bullet performed as advertised, retained full weight and expanded from .458 to 8.650.

Man, dat's some expansion! [smilie=l:

[leadman]

Yes, that was incredible expansion. No wonder it did not exit.
Glad you got your elk. I leave in the morning.

[oldgeezershooter]

Sorry! That should have been .865(I was tired!)

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Well, even though being an Ol'Coot I am realtively new to the cast boolit hunting. Not boolit casting mind you, but to casting rifle hunting boolits and hunting with same.

IT seemed about the only thing left that I could do in the area of reloading and hunting that I had not done since starting in the 60s.

Have formed wildcat rounds and hunted with them, and hunted with my own loads in about everything but .22 since way back when.

So, it just seemed that bigger was better for this effort, and the 45/70 seemed kind of a no brainer as to choice.

Now, I realise not everyone wants to cast boolits or hunt with same as is my choice, but with a cartridge of this dia. it does seem to be the most reasonable/logical way to go.

Now if I wanted to hunt with an expanding "J" boolit, I have good rifles in the rack that will and have served that objective, all much more suited to jacketed rather then cast boolits.

Therefore, considering the extreem effectiveness of .45 caliber hard cast boolits with WIDE meplats it is hard for me to understand using expanding "J" boolits.

I don't want, nor do I needed expansion and the work my current 465gr cast boolit does at 1600 - 1700fps is AWESOME to say the least.

Nope, the cost of a few boxes of jacketed boolits will go a long way toward buying more powder or primers or even a new mold if that urge should strike me.

And NO jacketed boolit, no matter how light or how fast it is driven will make the 45/70 into worthy competition to my other rifles when it comes to a 4 - 500yd shots.

So, it leaves me wondering, why shoot a jacketed expanding boolit in this rifle when it is so effective with good cast projectals?

Some of us Ol'Coots are getting a bit slow, so just asking. :castmine:

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[oldgeezershooter]

I wanted to try something different. I have shot lots of cast boolits and like to try different bullets and loads to enhance the performance of my guns.
I had heard of the Barnes X bullets and wanted to try them, and was verry pleased with the way they performed.
I still shoot round balls out of my Thompson .54cal. Renegade because they perform better and expand better than Maxi-balls or sabots.
I have even jacked up my Ruger#1 in 25-06 to a bit above 4000fps with a Hornady 75gr. V-Max varmit bullet(Coyotes don't have a prayer.) Although mostly I shoot about 3700fps.