deer at 100 yards with roundball???

[adkmountainken]

i had a chance to take a HUGE, BEHEAMOTH buck today at around 100 yards today with my 45. flintlock but decieded to pass that is just a little to far and i don't feel confident. my question is how many of you feel confident to take a 100 yards shot using patched round ball and what type of rifle and load are you using? i will write a post with the whole story as this was a hunt to remember!

 

[roundball]

i had a chance to take a HUGE, BEHEAMOTH buck today at around 100 yards today with my 45. flintlock but decieded to pass that is just a little to far and i don't feel confident. my question is how many of you feel confident to take a 100 yards shot using patched round ball and what type of rifle and load are you using? i will write a post with the whole story as this was a hunt to remember!

If I had a crystal clear standing broadside view of a double lung shot, and a rock solid rest, I'd kill him without hesitation.

TC Hawken Flintlock
Either 1:48" or 1:66" twist
90grns Goex 3F
Oxyoke wonderwad
.018" pillow ticking
Hornady .440
Shoots 2"-3" bench rest groups at 100yds

At 60yds, this load broke a buck's rib, flattened out like an igloo, plowed through his heart and bulged the hide on the far side...at 100 it would still get in and turn the lungs to jelly.

Even though it's rare to get such an opportunity, it's exactly why I like to use max/near max charges, even though 99% of my shots are around 40-60yds.

 

[gmww]

If you were absolutely sure you'd get a good hit broadside sure. However you need to know that the down range ft/lbs. energy is going to be about 300 lbs.

I've passed up shots at 100 yards and even 90 yrds shooting a .440 round ball because I want a clean kill. I know I could hit them but I don't want to leave one wounded out there.

 

[Mad Professor]

Listen to what Roundball said.

Are you confnident shooting that far? Have you PRACTICED shooting OFFHAND, if so, that far?

I can hit a dime at 200 yds with a centerfire/scope THATS DIALED IN but when you are hunting it's a different story. With the same centerfire rifle I'm only good to 2-4 in groups at 100yds offhand, with no scope. This is a rifle I've put over 1000 rds through and know quite well. Still even at 100 yds if the deer is running or if looking through timber/brush I'd pass.

You owe it to the animal you're hunting to either take ONE good shot or pass.

 

[Slowpoke]

Good job on passing on the shot Ken, I wish more hunters were like you. I would never take a 45 past 75 yard, not saying you could kill'em pass that mark. That said, I killed a 6pt last year with my 54 at 100y ball almost made it completely through.

SP

 

[adkmountainken]

my 45. is dead nuts at 50 yards and a tad low at 100. i use a 65 grain cgarge of fff goex and a .445 hornady rb. there is absolutly no doubt that i could have put a ball in that deers shoulder/ heart / lungs at 100 but there are just to may variables to consider. trust me i wanted and i had the sights tigt to his neck but that little voice just told me that is was not the right time! i have killed some big bucks and this one was BIG!!! at 60 yards he was dogging a doe through heavy brush but his heavy mass, bright white, high rack was clearly visable, was all of a 10 point if not more. i choose to hunt with my 45. and its limitations. i am not one bit sad that i didn't take the shot. maybe this buck will breed 10 does this month, maybe i'll put a ball in his neck this week, who knows. i do know that he is as we speak a truly huge, healty, unharmed, king of the woods Adirondack buck that will hopefully spread his genes on. oh yeah, next saterday i will be hunting with the same ole trusty .45, Miss Fish. maybe i'll get the 20 yard, broad side, slam dunk shot and then i'll know it was ment to be.

 

[roundball]

i use a 65 grain cgarge of fff goex and a .445 hornady rb.

Ken, I'm glad you had the experience of seeing that bad boy, and I agree you did the right thing with that light of a powder charge...I wouldn't have either

 

[adkmountainken]

Bill,
i absolutly love my 45. and it is very special to me but i do plan on getting a 54. rifle or a barrel with a 1:70 twist to sight in at 100 yads. i will be looking to use a heavy 85-100 grain charge for this rifle as i will be using it for deer and other big game. was thinking about either buying a 54. GPR or getting a 54. GM barrel for my Renagade. what do you think about the .58 GM barrel as far as distance and charge compared to the .54?

 

[roundball]

Bill,
i absolutly love my 45. and it is very special to me but i do plan on getting a 54. rifle or a barrel with a 1:70 twist to sight in at 100 yads. i will be looking to use a heavy 85-100 grain charge for this rifle as i will be using it for deer and other big game. was thinking about either buying a 54. GPR or getting a 54. GM barrel for my Renagade. what do you think about the .58 GM barrel as far as distance and charge compared to the .54?

IMO, a .54cal is very strong...and a .58cal is simply stronger still.

I got a .58cal GM Flint barrel for a Hawken stock and it's[url] excellent...in[/url] truth, it's overkill for whitetails at typical 40-60yd shots when I .45 will take them all day long.

BUT...the .58cal will reach way on out there with energy so if you have long distances and/or large game in mind, it would be worth it. NOTE: Unless you home cast your own round balls, the .58cal balls cost almost twice as much as the .50's/.54's...I don't shoot my .58 year round, and use .45/.50/.54's instead.

I settled on a mid range load for the .58cal:
100grns Goex FFg (2F)
Oxyoke wonderwad
.018" pillow ticking
Hornady (or Speer) .570's

But if you probably won't be going after bigger game than whitetails, a .54 would be an excellent choice...a well placed 230grn ball with a stount powder charge will take deer easily out past 100yds.

My .02cents

 

[Stumpkiller]

You did right, regardless of the cailber. If it doesn't feel right, pass.

I've taken farther shots with a .50 and a .54, but those were over a log rest at a ground blind and one was at a buck which approached and then bedded down 120 yards away on the other side of a ravine over my right shoulder. I spent 20 minutes getting that shot lined up before I took it.

One good rule of thumb is never shoot farther than you have practiced at.

 

[cayugad]

I agree with the others and commend you for your decision. As you said, something just did not feel right, so you did not shoot. You did the right thing. If more hunters made their shots with that same attitude in mind, "does the shot feel right?" there would not be as many wounded deer or lost deer out there in the woods.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Oftimes, if you cant shoot at 100 yards, you wont get deer here.

With my .53 Hawken, PRB over 120 gr FFg, if he were standing still, I'd take that shot anyday. My rifle is dead on at 100, and I know from experience, it will knock them off their feet at that range.

Bill

 

[harryo]

Bill,
i absolutly love my 45. and it is very special to me but i do plan on getting a 54. rifle or a barrel with a 1:70 twist to sight in at 100 yads. i will be looking to use a heavy 85-100 grain charge for this rifle as i will be using it for deer and other big game. was thinking about either buying a 54. GPR or getting a 54. GM barrel for my Renagade. what do you think about the .58 GM barrel as far as distance and charge compared to the .54?

I think you made the right decision. I will hunting with a TC Hawken with a GM 45 cal barrel this season ,too, and I hope I'm not confronted with the same situation. While this rifle is an absolute tackdriver and a real pleasure to shoot, the .445 ball looks pretty small.

I have a .58 GM barrel on a Renegade and I love it. The rifle is one of the most accurate I own. I have only taken one deer with it, which was a doe that weighed about 100 lbs. The .575 ball pushed by 100 grns of Swiss Ffg literally dropped her in her tracks at 65 yds. It was a straight, head on shot and the ball entered her chest, smashing a rib on entry, went through the lungs and travelled through the whole length of the deer's body, exiting just behind the upper leg. Really devastating performance but it is more than you need for whitetail.

 

[harryo]

Bill,
I absolutly love my 45. and it is very special to me but i do plan on getting a 54. rifle or a barrel with a 1:70 twist to sight in at 100 yads. i will be looking to use a heavy 85-100 grain charge for this rifle as i will be using it for deer and other big game. was thinking about either buying a 54. GPR or getting a 54. GM barrel for my Renagade. what do you think about the .58 GM barrel as far as distance and charge compared to the .54?

I think you made the right decision. I will hunting with a TC Hawken with a GM 45 cal barrel this season ,too, and I hope I'm not confronted with the same situation. While this rifle is an absolute tackdriver and a real pleasure to shoot, the .445 ball looks pretty small.

I have a .58 GM barrel on a Renegade and I love it. The rifle is one of the most accurate I own. I have only taken one deer with it, which was a doe that weighed about 100 lbs. The .575 ball pushed by 100 grns of Swiss Ffg literally dropped her in her tracks at 65 yds. It was a straight, head on shot and the ball entered her chest, smashing a rib on entry, went through the lungs and travelled through the whole length of the deer's body, exiting just behind the upper leg. Really devastating performance but it is more than you need for whitetail.

 

[rudy parnell]

Well, I figure when you think you got just alittle too much gun...you're probably just about right. The one thing that I take into account is the type of hunting...meaning are you shooting from a treestand, off the ground, or in a tower? If you are a real aggressive hunter...not just a shooter, then weight is a consideration and a decision that will be important. If you hunt the "Great Plains", you need some gun. If you hunt the "Rocky Mountains", you need some gun. If you hunt from a tower you can take all your guns. If you pack a treestand and gear...you got a decision. If you hunt the "Blue Ridge", you got a decision. A 45cal. in most situations in the woods with thin skinned" Southern Whitetail" is most agreeable and if the gun is light even better. So, my 2 CENTS on passing up the shot. You'll not have a bad thought, ever. In my humble opinion, you ain't got enough gun for where you hunt and your method. You are hunting big bodied deer in them big mountains and you need a bigger gun and BTW...put some powder in there with what you got...till your big gun arrives. Thank you for sharing the story...but finally, don't shoot for the neck; that intended target seems to negate all the ethics that I believe you strive for. Go for the vitals and broadside only. That's it. Have a great hunt and I hope you get that big fellow. :thumbsup:

 

[OTHERN]

I think you did well passing on the shot, since it didn't feel right!!! I also didn't feel that a 45 was really adequate at 100 yds, so I moved up to a 50 or a 54. With that said the only animal I have ever shot at over 75 yds are antelope.

Othern

 

[tobias]

I like to quote that famous line from a cop movie from the 70s. "A man has got to know his limitations". Those limitations encompass all sorts of things. Distance, obstructions, energy transfer at given distances etc. But the most important point and perhaps the bottom line is, are you confident that you can make the shot? Have you subscribed to the lesson of "practice does not make perfect, but rather, perfect practice makes perfect"? I don't mean for this to sound as if I am questioning your ability because I am certainally NOT doing that. I teach firearms instruction here and those are the questions I ask every single student that comes my way, no matter what or how long they have been shooting.

I have a dear friend that will not hesitate with a hundred yarder with his .45 bp.,nor will he pass a 5oo yarder with his 300 mag. But he practices constantly with his weapons of hunting choice and he knows what his personal limitations are. He won't violate those when hunting but if he decides to let a deer pass because it is out of his comfort range, he hits the range asap and practices at further distances and around all sorts of obstacles.

You made the right choice as I and I think most everyone in here will agree. If in doubt, don't shoot. I have passed up animals that were within 35 yards of me and my centerfire rifle because the shot didn't feel right and I let the animal pass.

You showed much wisdom in your post and as you said, hopefully by the next time you see him he will have spread his seed around the doe population and perhaps next time all factors will be in place for you to take him no matter the distance.

My coon skin cap is off to you my friend for your wisdom and decisions. That shows all who read one of the things that makes hunters the best conservationists out there.

Good luck with the rest of the season and may your freezers be full and your hunts safe and productive.

 

[ladysmithtrading]

We hunt elk out here in WA, shots at 150 yds 54 cal rb 3f, 95 grains, penetrate very deep, most shots are offhand, just need to practice shooting long, we have several rondys here that have shots out to 300 yds, of course you have to aim bout 5 feet hi, but the shots can be made, Jim

 

[Runner]

A good rest, little wind, and a broadside stationary deer. I will take the 100 yard shot under those conditions with the 50. Not a chance with a 45 for me. I shot two this last week. One was at 14 steps, and the other at about 23. Both dropped in their tracks and there was no question. If I was setting up expecting that long of a shot, I would drag out the Lee REALs and sight them at that range. I looked at a nice doe killed with a Winchester 180 30'06 two days ago. The bullet blew going in and only perfect shot placement saved the day. Lets face it. Stuff happens in the hunting fields and taking a marginal shot on game is just asking for it to happen. My 36 will drop every deer it ever hits under perfect conditions. It is a lousy deer hunting gun!