First deer with muzzleloading rifle

[Cbriggs57]

Not a big deer, but a first with my TC 54 Hawken. Shot on an antlerless permit in Michigan. My only disappointment? It was a button buck. Had I been able to tell I'd have let him grow up.
Still, I've been hunting my 15 acre parcel for a lot of years and this was my first with traditional equipment. Oddly, the 54, with 100gr equivalent 777 and a 425 Great Plains bullet, hardly made a hole. He went down in his tracks, but I couldn't find the hole until field dressing. Didn't waste meat, I guess.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Congratulations.

 

[daniel collums]

they drill a good hole its just to heavy a bullet to flatten any on a young deer. a big moose or real heavy hog might cause it to mushroom a little. glad you got a deer with your .54

 

[will5a1]

Congrats, it is always nice to harvest one on your own property.

 

[Silky921]

Thumbs up on making meat!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Great news :hatsoff: glad get ya :thumbsup:

Don't worry about the bullet. .54" holes are plenty big enough :wink:

B.

 

[robinsroost]

Congratulations sir! Next time, try a round ball in that .54 and I think you will see a substantial exit hole.......robin :bow:

 

[pab1]

Congrats! :thumbsup:

 

[Spikebuck]

Congratulations on your first with traditional equipment! :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

Those .54 Hornady GP's don't take a Moose to make them expand. Recovered this one (an unfired one next to it for comparison)from a big Minnesota whitetail buck (a tad over 200# field dressed) from just under the skin on the far side after going through ribs & the heart from 89 yards. That's about as perfect of a mushroom as you can get. After cleaning it all up and weighing it, it was virtually all there yet...no breakup.

That said....a .54 round ball will kill them just as dead.

 

[Cbriggs57]

Hm. That's a big buck. Mine was half that. The mushroomed Great Plains bullet is pretty impressive.
I'm aware that the revered Patched Round Ball will kill deer just as dead, as I've been told by virtually everyone here, but this rifle was bought to use conicals. I just like big guns and heavy projectiles.
I already have a 50 cal TC Pennsylvania Hunter, rifled specifically for round ball, but had the 54 Hawken with me Saturday, since I've been working up loads for it. Just haven't fired the round ball shooter this season. I'm sure it would have given equal results.