What is your hunting rifle?

[rusticbob]

Took my .54 Renegade hunting yesterday. Vermont has a four day antlerless muzzleloader season this year. I saw seven does and I shot the biggest one.
I practice with the .530 roundball and a .018 patch out to 75 yards, of course, shot this beauty at 25 yards. Still my favorite after all these years.

 

[vince-m]

Same rifle since 1998 Thompson renegade 50 cal. With Pyrodex and Maxie ball

 

[Johnny Tremain]

45 cal Rice 42 inch swamped barrel, Crockett double set triggers and a Late Kethland by Jim Chambers. 180gr round ball @ 2033fps. All steel furiture, rusted to a fine color.

 

[Walkingeagle]

View attachment 48532

45 cal Rice 42 inch swamped barrel, Crockett double set triggers and a Late Kethland by Jim Chambers. 180gr round ball @ 2033fps. All steel furiture, rusted to a fine color.

180gr round ball in a .45??

 

[hanshi]

View attachment 48532

45 cal Rice 42 inch swamped barrel, Crockett double set triggers and a Late Kethland by Jim Chambers. 180gr round ball @ 2033fps. All steel furiture, rusted to a fine color.

Surely you meant to type a .45 128 grain ball!

 

[Nameless Hunter]

If circumstances allow, it will be my .54 GPR caplock - shooting a .530 round ball. It will be the 1st time I've taken it hunting.

 

[olskool]

there is a lot of 54 cal. guns here. looks like so far it is the most prevalent cal. it is also my favorite,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[hanshi]

The .54 is excellent and I've used it on deer. But deer are so dang easy to drop the .45 is actually enough for me. Add in elk and the .54 comes into its own.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Ok I know this was gonna happen, pure laziness on my part.

Or just maybe Im resizing 50 cal to fit in the 45. Madem long and round on both ends.
Good thing I keep the .452 in another room.

 

[Sparkitoff]

Mine is a .54 caliber. The make, style and ignition have changed some over the years but each fired a .530 PRB. Currently I would rank my custom flintlock first and my Mule's Ear percussion rifle second.

 

[hanshi]

It's very true what "they" (whomever "they" is) say; "For deer size game and up there's no such thing as TOO MUCH GUN.

 

[michael mcghee]

That’s a tight patch combo. Did you find it necessary? I have a .50 cal that I casually shot with .015-6” patches and .490” balls that I happened to measure one today and found just over 0.485” (Lee mold). I haven’t played with it enough or even used a good lube to say much from that perspective, but I’ve felt mine was fairly tight needing a bit of a whack to get started so I figured that should certainly be enough to see accuracy. But I’ve read some guns just need something extremely crazy to get good accuracy from.

I’m not carrying a hammer or wanting to need anything like that to get what I want...

no it shoots the best with 535 dia ball and a 18 ths patch it will shoot better then that high winds sunday going with 70 grs of 3 f and a T/C maxi hunter in the 50 ... both will outshoot the nut behind the trigger...

 

[bud in pa]

Hanshi don't climb no more so snoozing is fine. I have a lightweight folding canvas chair I carry into the woods; infirmities make it difficult getting on the ground and getting back up. I'll snooze some but hunt with my ears. Often I've heard deer and knew what was coming. Most hunting has been with a .45 flintlock although the .50, .54 and .62 have taken their share.

i have a chair that straps onto a tree. It has arm rests and folds up to sling over your shoulder. it has no legs, and I position it so that I can slide out of it. if I wasn't so damn old I'd learn how to use my phone to send pictures to the forum, they explain better than my words.

 

[Eric Krewson]

If I finish my Hanes this season I will hunt with it, just got a new hip last Wednesday so standing in the shop is a no no right now. Our season runs into February so I should be in the woods by then.

My first rifle build is dependable, .54 Rice barrel, it kills deer. If I don't finish my Hanes may use old faithful or a TC Hawken percussion I made from a kit.

 

[hanshi]

i have a chair that straps onto a tree. It has arm rests and folds up to sling over your shoulder. it has no legs, and I position it so that I can slide out of it. if I wasn't so damn old I'd learn how to use my phone to send pictures to the forum, they explain better than my words.

A friend once told me that you knew you were old when you started talking about your operations with other oldies. I now have so many physical limitations that a chair is perfect for me now. Mine's light and easy to carry with a carry strap. Yours sound very interesting. Get a 12 year old to post those photos, they know more than we ever will about technology.

 

[Spikebuck]

Get a 12 year old to post those photos, they know more than we ever will about technology.

Hanshi...you need a new saying, instead of " Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff." you'll need to change that to " Old guys should hang out with young guys; young guys know stuff!"

 

[hanshi]

But the stuff they know won't fix a FITP. I can do that but I can't understand my "smart phone"!

 

[bud in pa]

I agree with you Hanshi. I used to build drag cars, repair my own tractor trailer, completely wire up my house, plumbed it too. I have built guns modern and old time, I could fix just about anything. This smart phone showed me how dumb that I really am. I hope that I never run into a paleontologist, as he may want to take my bones!

 

[rodwha]

Hanshi...you need a new saying, instead of " Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff." you'll need to change that to " Old guys should hang out with young guys; young guys know stuff!"

Hmmm... I was thinking it was because they can carry stuff for you!

A little labor in exchange for some wisdom. Sounds like a fair trade to me.

 

[PastorB]

Original Colt Special Musket, manufactured in 1863. 60 grains of powder, 510 gr. Minie Ball, sized to .580. My favorite hunting rifle, pic is of it's latest successful hunt.