my82cam

i'm not saying i am going to shoot a deer at 300 yards, i haven't even shot it that far yet, but i have at 200 and it was right on.

if i have a muzzle loader that is capable of shooting 300 yards accurately, what is wrong with taking the shot if you have practiced and know your limits.

i must say, i have had 2-3 mosins from long to carbine, and none of them kicked bad at all, seemed more like a 308 to me. as far as a rifle, maybe a ruger #1 in 45-70 loaded super hot while sitting down, 2-3 rounds of that thing made me put it down(the 458 win mag i shot and my 405 winchester didn't kick as bad as that ruger)! i don't know what to say as far as a handgun, my super blackhawk with some hot 44mag loads and the wooden grips has a good bite but not awful. i guess i haven't shot enough big handguns yet

howler, sounds like you had the same result with 100 gr as you did w 150 gr of powder. whiskey shot his deer at 40 yards with 100 gr 777 and it didn't leave an exit wound, i would hardly blame it on me having it loaded with 150gr of 777

i switched from the hornady sst because my encore wouldn't shoot them unless i cleaned the barrel between each shot. with the powerbelts i can shoot 6 or 7 times without cleaning and they are very accurate. i may try the tc shockwaves for next year. yes, i did look for the deer. answer me this, if i have the rifle loaded with 100 gr for shooting at 100 yards, how am i supposed to reload the rifle for the 200-300 yard shot that i may have the opportunity to take?(no, i haven't shot at 300 yards yet, but, so far, up to 200 yards, the leupold ultimate slam scope is right on and no, i wouldn't practice on a deer if that is what you are thinking) i always prepare for the long range shots in case they come up, that's why i use 150 gr of 777.

the last deer i shot with a muzzle loader was at 35-40 yards and that was with a hornady sst. it left an exit that you could stick your hand into. i guess i could see that at 200 yards, but i think at 100 yards and 150gr of 777 that the bullet should go straight through them. or am a just wrong? lol i was thinking about calling powerbelt and asking them if they should grenade or stay together. i will try to tense my body, i did the breathing, but never tried that, thanks

well, guys, i decided to hunt in the woods first thing saturday morning, i didn't see a darn thing, so, i went into the big field around 10. at 12 oclock i scanned the wood line and saw a big buck about 5 or so yards in the woods. i raise my encore and look through the scope, i can't tell how many points as all but some were blocked by a tree but his body was very large. at this point i start shaking, i think my heart rate went from 75 bpm to 390 pbm. lol after the 3rd time of trying to calm myself down by taking deep breaths, i was able to hold the scope very steady on a forward lung shot just behind the shoulder. i squeezed the trigger. bang! the deer starts to run towards me and turns into the wood line giving me a clear line of sight on the exiting side of the bullet. there wasn't a bullet hole? no blood, no nothing. the deer ran off into the woods, never to be seen again. after 45 minutes i went to look for a blood trail, i couldn't find any blood anywhere, not even kicked up dirt from a missed shot. i sat and rattled and waited to see if he would come back, he never did. went back to the stand and 3 hours later i saw a deer in the same spot where i shot at the buck, my heart stopped until i saw it was just a large doe. i held my rifle steady for the 100 yard shot, DRT all for legs up in the air, didn't move at all. i went and found a small entry wound and no exit wound on the deer, the deer rattled like a kids rattle toy. the 245gr powerbelt came apart and tore up the heart and lungs! as i was driving home it hit me like a load of bricks, i dont think i missed the buck, i think the bullet just came apart and didn't leave a large exit wound. has anyone else had trouble with the powerblets like this? if it doesn't stay in tact, i think i am going to try other bullets they stay together. sorry this was so long, but i have had a lot of time to think about this! lol i will be back in 2 weeks with a friend and we are going to look and see if we can at least find the antlers or some of the body.

if it is raining i will put a piece of masking tape over the barrel to keep water out of it, when you fire the gun it will blow the tape off and will not effect accuracy. i got the idea from jim shockey!

i guess if i knew where the big bucks would always be, it would be called killing and not hunting! lol some bed by the field, but im pretty sure walking to my stand shouldn't be a problem as the path is on the outer edge of a wide field right by the stream. i think some use the woods path as a means to get from the bedding area to the large field.

well guys, i just talked with the guy that hunted that field last weekend with a bow. he said he saw a big buck(called him bullwinkle) coming in and out of the field but couldn't get a shot because he only had a bow. if he does that this weekend, i may be able to pop him with my ML! maybe, we will see...

i would like to know the thought process that goes behind why and where to position yourself...that is one of the reasons i am asking this, to try and see what different peoples thought processes are.

maybe i should clone myself so i can hunt in both places?!

that is kind of where i was leaning towards karhman. the stand at the open field is a double stand and isn't that comfortable, but the spot in the woods is where i use my climber stand, i can stay in that stand all day and be comfortable. i think i will try and find a soft seat to sit on and try for the open field and see what happens.....unless someone else thinks differently.....lol

ok guys, i am super excited about muzzle loader hunting saturday! the problem is i don't know where to sit and hunt and i wanted some advice from people that know more than i do! my 2 favorite places are the opening of a big 10+ acre field that does typically hang out in and feed out of, i also have a small food plot there(this is the first year of the plot and it isn't growing great but they are eating what grows) my second choice is a small cleared out spot in the middle of the woods by a stream with a salt lick they tear up when i keep it with food and goodies. the small cleared out spot is where i shot a nice 8pt 2 years ago on opening muzzle loader. i was thinking the open field would be good because it is the prerut and i was thinking about trying to be where the does hang out and feed. what do you guys think?

i had this problem with my remington 700 in 30-06, however, we adjusted the trigger on it and didn't get it quite right. readjusted the trigger and it is just fine. it never had any problems stock.

looking good bret! you got me thinking about playing with some of mine

yeah, i wasn't very happy when i couldn't get it to shoot, i am very happy now! i called winchester about the primers, they told me to send them in so they could look at them. i asked if she was going to send me new primers and she said no. she said if they found something wrong with the product they would compensate me and they couldn't send hazard materials to me, so she wouldn't send me any replacements. i thought that was BS, i'm not going to spend time and money sending a product back to a company so they can look at their own product. all well, i bought some new ones and will try quite a few before i take them into the woods.

don't know what all the different E levels are. what is the difference betwee a E5 and E4?

well, i called and spoke with them last night, they said they don't have any positions available. i thought that was kind of odd, he said he could put my name on "the list" and when someone retires or there is an opening he may call me. i didn't think it went down like that, but i may still go check it out and put my name on the list. i figured if you wanted to get into it you could just sign right up, not sure i wanted to wait 5 or 10 years.

well, i been a mechanic since i was 13 working at my dads garage full time, even quit basketball so i could work. i have gone through the diesel college and have several ase certifications. i don't know if that qualifies as officer material. lol i will talk with them and see what they say. i am still working at my dad's garage but business is great and the pay is pretty darn good, plus the access to the garage for side work is great.

i have already gone through college and is paid for and have a great job. i guess there are better jobs out there but right now mine is pretty good! i could handle being deployed, and i think my wife could as well.

i guess just general insurance for me and my family. sgt joe, thanks for the info, you have a PM!

well, i already have a great job and a wife and 2 kids. i wouldn't mind taking some business classes at some point, and i believe they would pay for it. i was talking with one of my customers after i fixed his jeep, and he said they need mechanics in the motor pool at the nashville airport. the airport is very close to me and i could use the insurance benefits. lol i enjoy working on new stuff and think it would be fun and brake up the normal reutine of working on the same cars day after day. just wanted some feed back from people that have done it.....

i have been thinking about joining the air nation guard and was wondering if anybody here was in it. just wondering what to expect or more details that you only find out once you are signed up. anything would be great, thanks

i don't have one of those but i sure would like one! i have a couple old winchesters but they are all lever guns. great looking gun