Took two whitails this week

[Nature Boy]

Each deer taken with different rifles and loads that I developed for this season.

First was on Wednesday, a mature 8 point shot with my sporterized 1903A3 using 180g Sierra ProHunters and 60g of RL22

I was in the field all of 15 minutes when he hopped over the fence approximately 140 yards away. Shot through the shoulder

Second was a 10 point on Friday that I shot with my Browning BLR .358win using 225g Sierra Gamkings and 48g of VV N140

He came out late in the evening and it took a while for him to show me enough to decide he was worth taking. Turns out he was. Shot was 130 yards and went through the shoulder.

He went maybe 30-40 yards before going down

Surprises me sometimes how tough these deer can be. Here’s the entry and exit wound casued by the .35 caliber 225g Gameking

Heads are at the taxidermist and the meat is headed to the processor in the morning

 

[Mark W]

Congrats on a successful season!!

 

[308 shooter]

Nice to see them old calibers out their still getting it done , well done !

 

[CaptainMal]

Fine story. I also like to switch guns for each deer. Variety keeps you interesting.

What part of the world are you in? Nothing on profile so you could be in Namibia or British Columbia or .....

 

[AckleymanII]

Really nice deer! I see that your mind set is against running deer after they are hit!

 

[Hal]

Fine story. I also like to switch guns for each deer. Variety keeps you interesting.

What part of the world are you in? Nothing on profile so you could be in Namibia or British Columbia or .....

My guess is he is in TX.

Hal

 

[JBT47]

Very nice! Love the BLR’s. Grew up hunting with a .308 BLR...still have one.

 

[Beruisis]

Nature Boy, you must be living right!
Good going!

 

[Lone Hunter]

Nice Bucks, I still have an original 1903 and have considered using it for the heck of it. Old guns are nice..

 

[Nature Boy]

What part of the world are you in?

East Texas. This hunt is out in West Texas, south of Abilene

 

[Nature Boy]

Really nice deer! I see that your mind set is against running deer after they are hit!

Yes. I don't like tracking deer. Overkill = overdead being better than not quite dead enough

That said, I rarely get "bang flops". They usually run a bit, but not far.

I have been getting a lot of satisfaction out of developing hunting loads as an extension of the reloading hobby. It's allowed me to start using my .358 win BLR again since finding factory ammo became impossible around 20 years ago.

I go through the same load development process I would do for precision ammo. As a result, I get a lot more practice with my hunting rigs, which adds to the confidence level at "the moment of truth"

Last year I ran .35 cal 180g Barnes TTSX in my BLR. Even though I placed this shot perfectly at 100 yards and broke his front shoulder, he still ran 40 yards before going down. These west texas bucks are small, but tough.

 

[Roe]

Looks like excellent carcass quality with the 35.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[WEL]

I had a BLR in 358 and traded it off. Still regret it. I have not had good luck with the 225 Sierras in a 350 Rem mag. They don't hold together. In a 358 they may do well. The 200 gr Barnes Tsx has been a good bullet and I'm not a big fan of Barnes bullets. The 225 Partition is a hammer but they can be hard to find.