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Silver $$ Contributor
This story is entirely true despite the rumors.
First year deer hunting with a new rifle built by hand on a modern Mauser style action. Only one expense was spared, that being the $22 scope rings instead of those made in the USA costing about $90. Load testing throughout the summer shows consistent accuracy below ½ MOA for a three shot group. Groups at 300 actually measured about 1/2 inch so whatever that works out to be. My frugality was solidly holding.
The evening hunt (11/4, Northern MN) was bitterly windy, with a heavy mix of sleet and snow. The water beads formed perfectly on the hand-rubbed stock. I had been thinking that it was perfect weather for having a cheap plastic stock on a throwaway rifle, but was proud to have built an accurate and attractive one.
My posting for the evening hunt was unusual to account for the weather. End of legal shooting was set to be 6:29pm. Immediately behind me was a deep ditch with a two lane road on the other side. To my left and right were 40 acre blocks of trees, and straight in front of me was a stream that intersected the ditch along the road. Along this stream were two narrow clearings. The thought was that I may see deer as they cross the stream or come to cross the road. This stream intersected the ditch about 10 yards to my right.
About 6:25, I saw a mature buck and doe slip into the stream and could occasionally see them peek out at me. I low crawled to the edge of the stream and waited behind the accumulating snow and some grass. Checking the time repeatedly, the buck showed up in my scope at 6:28pm. He dropped violently from the 130 grain nosler that was placed in his neck just below the chin. The doe ran back into to woods to my right. I followed her for about 30 seconds until the likelihood of a good shot had disappeared. I went back to look at the buck laying in the stream, but he wasn’t there. He was 20 yards away, across the ditch and stream intersection and struggling to stand-up right in the center of the road. The faintest shimmer of headlights danced against his white tail and I audibly swore no doubt. My father in laws last words before this hunt, “Don’t let em cross that road.”
I ran toward him, not willing to shoot at him on the roadway. I made it to exactly the middle of the ditch before losing my footing, falling into the water, and flinging my rifle into the air. Undeterred, I continued toward the buck rifle-less. My mission was to make sure he didn’t get run over by the vehicle or catch a second wind, or worse, found by other hunters that had more guns than me. About this moment he had fallen immediately onto the far shoulder of the road. I lept on top of him and held him down. The deer was very interested in me not holding him down, and if not for the gunshot wound to his neck, and most of his blood pouring out, I probably would not have succeeded. The truck passed and I grabbed an antler and dragged him back to my side of the road. He kicked and gasped while I looked for my rifle. Once the rifle was found the struggle was ended.
Two or so minutes later, my brother in law pulled up to me on the shoulder, looked me over, and asked, “Is that your blood?”
Over the next few days. I would miss three shots on two more deer (Lucky for me my wife doesn’t drop her guns, and let me borrow hers to close out the season). Post hunting evaluation shows the scope rings did not handle the roughly six aerial feet traversed by rifle. Shift in point of impact was about 20” at 100 yards. Scope is fine. New rings, the ones I should have bought the first time, have been ordered.
Eight or so months ago, when talking with my friend Rueben, he cautiously scoffed at the notion of saving money on a build. I think we both understood it as a dumb decision, but it was that one thing that made me able to tell my wife, “Look how much I saved!”
First year deer hunting with a new rifle built by hand on a modern Mauser style action. Only one expense was spared, that being the $22 scope rings instead of those made in the USA costing about $90. Load testing throughout the summer shows consistent accuracy below ½ MOA for a three shot group. Groups at 300 actually measured about 1/2 inch so whatever that works out to be. My frugality was solidly holding.
The evening hunt (11/4, Northern MN) was bitterly windy, with a heavy mix of sleet and snow. The water beads formed perfectly on the hand-rubbed stock. I had been thinking that it was perfect weather for having a cheap plastic stock on a throwaway rifle, but was proud to have built an accurate and attractive one.
My posting for the evening hunt was unusual to account for the weather. End of legal shooting was set to be 6:29pm. Immediately behind me was a deep ditch with a two lane road on the other side. To my left and right were 40 acre blocks of trees, and straight in front of me was a stream that intersected the ditch along the road. Along this stream were two narrow clearings. The thought was that I may see deer as they cross the stream or come to cross the road. This stream intersected the ditch about 10 yards to my right.
About 6:25, I saw a mature buck and doe slip into the stream and could occasionally see them peek out at me. I low crawled to the edge of the stream and waited behind the accumulating snow and some grass. Checking the time repeatedly, the buck showed up in my scope at 6:28pm. He dropped violently from the 130 grain nosler that was placed in his neck just below the chin. The doe ran back into to woods to my right. I followed her for about 30 seconds until the likelihood of a good shot had disappeared. I went back to look at the buck laying in the stream, but he wasn’t there. He was 20 yards away, across the ditch and stream intersection and struggling to stand-up right in the center of the road. The faintest shimmer of headlights danced against his white tail and I audibly swore no doubt. My father in laws last words before this hunt, “Don’t let em cross that road.”
I ran toward him, not willing to shoot at him on the roadway. I made it to exactly the middle of the ditch before losing my footing, falling into the water, and flinging my rifle into the air. Undeterred, I continued toward the buck rifle-less. My mission was to make sure he didn’t get run over by the vehicle or catch a second wind, or worse, found by other hunters that had more guns than me. About this moment he had fallen immediately onto the far shoulder of the road. I lept on top of him and held him down. The deer was very interested in me not holding him down, and if not for the gunshot wound to his neck, and most of his blood pouring out, I probably would not have succeeded. The truck passed and I grabbed an antler and dragged him back to my side of the road. He kicked and gasped while I looked for my rifle. Once the rifle was found the struggle was ended.
Two or so minutes later, my brother in law pulled up to me on the shoulder, looked me over, and asked, “Is that your blood?”
Over the next few days. I would miss three shots on two more deer (Lucky for me my wife doesn’t drop her guns, and let me borrow hers to close out the season). Post hunting evaluation shows the scope rings did not handle the roughly six aerial feet traversed by rifle. Shift in point of impact was about 20” at 100 yards. Scope is fine. New rings, the ones I should have bought the first time, have been ordered.
Eight or so months ago, when talking with my friend Rueben, he cautiously scoffed at the notion of saving money on a build. I think we both understood it as a dumb decision, but it was that one thing that made me able to tell my wife, “Look how much I saved!”
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