Hunting Forum

Good going on those two .

Excellent harvest there.  Great looking animals.  That is a nice looking moose.  And some excellent shooting there.  Looks like you have a real winning combination of powder and bullet.

Congratulations on your hunt. You have every reason to smile.

Congratulations. We knew the load combination would work, as long as you did your part, which you apparently did.

   

I ended up shooting it 2 times, once at 105 yards which knocked it down (I hit a rib high under the spine which paralyzed it), and a follow-up shot at about 20 feet square into the chest. I recovered both slugs, but I don't know which one is which. One retained 97% and the other about 80%. I was actually amazed that the second shot was not a pass through, which is what I was really wanting with that heavy of a slug.     

                    

Posted By Orion/CO on 15 Oct 2012 09:22 PM

I ended up shooting it 2 times, once at 105 yards which knocked it down (I hit a rib high under the spine which paralyzed it), and a follow-up shot at about 20 feet square into the chest. I recovered both slugs, but I don't know which one is which. One retained 97% and the other about 80%. I was actually amazed that the second shot was not a pass through, which is what I was really wanting with that heavy of a slug.

<!--?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /?--><!--?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?-->

Well a Moose is a thick skinned and massive animal.  I would guess the body cavity was still full of fluids and it is amazing how quickly fluids will slow down bullets.  Even large conical bullets.  And the weight retention is good news also.  Shows that even though the projectile was pure lead, it did its job just fine.  I have shot the same bullet with 100 grains of Triple Seven in my White Rifles and they are amazing.  But for the deer I hunt, 65 grains is a great plenty.   Congratulations again on those animals.  Great job.

The rifle was a kit that I got back in 1980 when I was still in high school and the barrel is stamped Thompson Center Arms, Rochester New Hampshire, so I assume it is an original Hawken and barrel

Yes that is an original barrel then... I have the same kit gun from the same time frame. They are good shooting guns without a doubt. The reason I asked was, Green Mountain Barrel Company sells drop in barrels for that rifle. And you can get them in a 1-28 twist or 1-70 twist. I have both of them in different calibers and ignition systems. I really like the 1-28 for shooting conicals. But the other day I was shooting my T/C Hawken Rifle flintlock with the factory barrel. I was shooting roundball, and I had almost forgot how accurate that thing is at shooting roundball. After reading your experiences... I guess it will get a lot more range time. Enjoy that moose and elk. Both are great eating animals.

Looking at the picture of the recovered slugs.. I think of all the fancy bullets out there on the market made to do this and that.. and then look at that .503 bullet that is now probably closer to who could guess in diameter. Pure lead conical bullets are deadly. Just plain deadly. They proved that in the Civil War with minnie ball. You got hit with one of them and something was going to either be cut off, out or it did not matter. That picture says a lot for the lead conical. Cheap, accurate, easy to obtain, and deadly. A winning combination.

Yup. That's a Shiras moose alright.
Now you need to come up here and see what an Alaska-Yukon looks like through your sights. They're just about double what y'all got there!

Orion/Co:

Have you ever thought of using a Cast Preformance .50 cal. 370 gr. WFNGC.  Good luck in your hunt! 

indeed!