Shot my first young buck. Shaken up after a malfunction.
- Thread starter canoetrpr
- Start date
Your second round must have been the dud , the first shot hit but it wasn't an instant kill, it happens and it was probably a coincidence the buck you thought was a doe dropped after the second shot.
Mystery has been solved above.
Gentlemen, thank you for the ongoing mentorship. I've learned a ton on here.
One disappointing thing I've learned on this hunt is as much as I love my FN Winchester 70 30-06, I think I would prefer a hunting rifle with a magazine. Would not have made a difference here but that's just and aside. Next year is a moose hunt. Maybe Ill have to get a 35 Whelen in such a configuration.
One disappointing thing I've learned on this hunt is as much as I love my FN Winchester 70 30-06, I think I would prefer a hunting rifle with a magazine. Would not have made a difference here but that's just and aside. Next year is a moose hunt. Maybe Ill have to get a 35 Whelen in such a configuration.
I suspect the first shot was probably a miss... having the bullet jammed up against the lands will raise pressures, and could cause a change in the point of impact. You don't need to crimp, just seat them a little deeper.
I'm not sure why you think you need a detachable mag, but I hate the things, and won't own a gun that has one unless it's a .22. Just one more thing to lose or forget.
So what criteria did you use to determine COL for the particular bullet in question? And have you ever had to pull a seated bullet with no crimp? It takes some force to get it moving.
I always try to reference the manufacturers COL when working up a new load. BUT I always make sure any new bullet selection will fit in the magazine, chamber and eject. This is performed with an unprimed, full length sized case.
And, as always, I keep track of what I did/happened in an Excel spreadsheet.
I prefer detachable mags myself.... I do a lot of spot and stalk which requires driving to different locations.... having detachable mag means easy loading and unloading.....
I used a Sinclair OAL gauge and seated .015" from the lands. Pretty sure I chambered these rounds (samples) and ejected. Not all the rounds I loaded have this problem in this batch. I'm guessing I'm just too close to the lands and there is no margin of error.
I'd measure chamber again and compare to loads and then run a few through the press again at about 25 thou off and see how they shoot.
It's also worth mentioning that every single round that goes out into the bush with me has been run through the action. Any that are a tight fit, or imperfect in some other way, are set aside for practice.
Reliability trumps all. I would rather have a 2 MOA rifle that is 100 % reliable and never shifts point of impact, than a 1/4 moa that can only be trusted when the weather is perfect, the phase of the moon is right, and if you hold it with 3 ft-lbs of pressure against your shoulder.
Reliability trumps all. I would rather have a 2 MOA rifle that is 100 % reliable and never shifts point of impact, than a 1/4 moa that can only be trusted when the weather is perfect, the phase of the moon is right, and if you hold it with 3 ft-lbs of pressure against your shoulder.
Some good advice there and a lesson I learned the hard way. I once had 50% of the factory loads that I took on an overseas hunt for my 270WSM that wouldn't chamber. Needless to say I always check now.
I wonder if there's two dead deer there? Its a bit of a stretch, but 40 yards, doe that turned into a buck and the second shot perfect? I had that happen on yotes more than once and know a guy who did it with matching calf moose. One of my dad's long dead hunting partners popped two cows unknowingly, though it was legal enough in the old party tag days.
No two dead deer there. I thought it was a doe as it was antlerless. Obviously it was a bad shot; the first one. Recalling that there was a tree in front of it and so possible that I missed by a bit causing the tree to deflect the bullet enough.
I'm loaded too close to the lands. From now on, every round I take to hunt will be chambered at the range.
I'm loaded too close to the lands. From now on, every round I take to hunt will be chambered at the range.
You ignored previous advise about distance to lands for hunting rounds - now you know that 15 thou nominal is too little. You ignored previous advise about the relative merits of removable magazines and iron sights, now you know. The internet can only do so much for you - real experience is king.
Not quite sure what is going on with search with my phone but I'm guessing you mean you've suggested to me sometime in the past that hunting rounds should be seated deeper?? Quite possible that I've missed this or forgotten since you posted.
Yes I have ignored the relative merits of iron sights and detachable mags as have about 1/2 the shooters out there. Having been out here in the bush I see now that crap happens and it would be nice to have iron sights with a QD scope incase anything that
happens on that front. Although you could also carry a second rifle with you if the weight isn't an issue I imagine.
Like everything else that I've done you only figure out what you like, prefer after trying. I'm not convinced I will run out out and sell my lovely Winchester and get a rifle with a detachable magazine. Maybe, maybe not. This one has sentimental value now and it is a damn fine rifle to pass down to one of the boys.
My hunting loads using cup and core bullets are often loaded .010" off of the lands with no issues at all. I think that you need to either look at how you are measuring the distance to the lands, or you have a significant issue with the consistency of your bullet seating.
