Old Longrifle finally gets a deer

[hanshi]

You did a great job bagging that deer. But I want to comment on your rifle. That is one very fine looking rifle-gun. I've used the .45 extensively and always had the same results. If the ball didn't go all the way through, it really did look like a coin.

 

[hanshi]

Two of these are from my .45 mixed in with a couple of .50s. Amazing what these little prb can do.

 

[Hammond79]

Outstanding Congratulations!

 

[bigredbuddhaman]

Congrats, man. That's plenty of meat in the freezer, for sure.

 

[Realwarrior]

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Okie Hog]

Great shot with the long rifle using a patched round ball. Way to go.

 

[Euan]

Well Done!

 

[Blind Dog]

I built a 45 cal. Longrifle 45 years ago. I only hunted once with it in all that time and never killed a deer with it. I built a nice .54 flintlock soon after this rifle, and have used it for most of 44 years.

I got the old rifle out a few weeks ago and worked out a load of 70 grains Old Eynsford and a .440 roundball with .017” denim patch, lube with bear oil.

I hunted with the rifle for the Illinois muzzleloader season without getting a shot. However, the county my hunting property is at, has a bonus late winter season this year. Any unused permit is good. I had loaded the gun in early December and left it loaded until I shot on the 26th. Went off perfectly.

The deer was about 50 yards. At the shot, it ran hard for another 50 and fell on a gravel drive. No dragging required! The ball destroyed both lungs and stopped against the hide on the offside shoulder. It flattened to over .650”.

 

[awebbersr]

Nice shooting, good looking rifle.

 

[Logcutter]

Way to go. Always love hearing about a successful hunt. Congrats!

 

[ebutch]

Very nice! Congrats!

 

[sawyer04]

No dragging required!

Great going, now I like the sound of no dragging required. I would like to find one that jumps into the truck after being shot. As I grow more mature, well physically anyway, I have to use a hoist to drag the carcass into the bed.
I am particularly interested in the bullet. The crossed etched section of the back side. Is that from the patch upon ignition or was it molded with that design?

 

[okawbow]

The imprint on the back of the flattened ball is from the denim patch. The other side is shown in the second picture later in the thread.

 

[erhunter]

That's cool you took your older rifle out for a hunt! Great job and you have a good story. Congrats!

 

[jrmflintlock]

Tsaan Wookkuh Okawbow!!

I think everyone should have a .45 caliber long rifle!!

 

[Spikebuck]

The crossed etched section of the back side. Is that from the patch upon ignition or was it molded with that design?

For a good tight load, that imprint happens as soon as you start the ball down the barrel. A friend of mine will use a longer strip of his patch material and start the ball to flush with the muzzle with material hanging out both sides as "handles." Using the sides of the material he will pull the ball back out and check to see if it's imprinting. For him, if it's not imprinting, the load isn't tight enough.