38-55 Brings Home Another One

[JohnH]

One area I hunt is an old coal mine, and this morning my back hurt enough that after an hour of hunting a stand, I had to get out and move. I was on my way back, walking along a row of planted pines when about 20 yards ahead a deer moved from my row to the next row left. I cocked my NEF and eased a peak from behind the tree I was at, and there she was looking back at me. All I could see was her head and neck so I centered her neck and fired. On firing, two other deer with her I'd not seen took off (max visible distance was 20 yards in any direction) but she dropped, neck broken. Was a bullet size hole in and a 1 1/2" hole out. No complaints here about bullet performance, I had chosen at the start of the season to use a soft bullet. Alloy is 1 to 1 WW and 20:1. Makes 10 BHN and is very plyable. I shoot into log rounds for a back stop and as the bullets pile up on one another, they deform, but don't shatter, and don't act like FMJ's either. This bullet struck a vertabre at 1700 fps + and exited, good performance in my book. Load is Lyman 379449 over 24.5 grains of WC680 lit with Winchester Large Rifle Primers. This is #2 for the load and the rifle, I like it, I like it :)

[Johnch]

Sounds like you have a good load for your rifle . :bigsmyl2:

Johnch

[Bass Ackward]

One area I hunt is an old coal mine


John,

Congratulations.

And thanks for the info. We have had a monster buck running around all fall and we couldn't find him during season. Bet that sucker went down in the coal mine! I might need another scope that has better light gathering capabilities though. :grin:

[JohnH]

Yeah, we've had at least one if not two monsters hanging around that mine, have not much sign of them this year, one was leaving droppings like those from a calf on the edges where the mine joins a field, nada this year. Figure he or they as the case is have moved deeper into the mine, Hunting pressure was getting pretty heavy last year. To get to where I think they are is a 2 mile walk one way. The land owner is tolerant but not overly friendly, so I stay around the edges near home. Keeps the peace and there's plenty of deer for my freezer for sure. Long as he remains tolerant hunting is good, if not moving into the edges of what he considers his prime hunting territory leaves me the outer edges, I'm a happy camper. And who knows, that monster might make the same silly mistake that doe did.... a second to long to figure who and what I am, and what I'm up too :)