First deer with my 500 magnum Handi

[xhare]

I got my first deer with my 500 magnum Handi.  I spent all day Sunday watching everything under the sun but deer.  There were just no deer moving through my usual hot spot that day.  As evening approached I did finally watch a buck wander into a pasture below the wooded ridgeline I was sitting on.  The deer was moving my way and entered the woods.  I was expecting him to slowly move closer to me, but much to my surprise he decided to sit down.  Not only that, he caught sight of me leaning left and right trying to figure out where he went.  Where he sat was too far a shot through the woods, so I left my spot, went over the opposite side of the ridge and moved down towards his direction.  I peeked over at one spot, but he was looking right at me and the shot was not clear.  So I retreated, and moved down about 50 feet and crawled up again.  Again he was looking right at me, but this time he was now standing.  Since there was no reason to try to be sneaky anymore, I just got a comfortable seating position, propped my elbows on my knees and lined up on him.  He was facing directly towards me about 85-90 yards out, down a steep hill.  With the lowering light, all I could reliably make out was the white on his snout, so I lined up on that.  All the time he just stood there and watched me, if he had run, I would not have had a shot through all of the woods.  I pulled the trigger and he was down before the echoing boom had stopped.  The bullet impacted his head just above his right eye.  He never knew what hit him.  His head was was a mess and his right antler was loose.  While only a 5 point, he was rather big bodied for his rack.

I have installed the Williams Peep sight  with optional target knobs on this rifle.  I cant remember the model number for those sights.  I was using Ultramax loaded with 375 grain Cast Performance bullets.

Incidentally, one of the interesting things I saw in the woods that day was a Pileated Woodpecker.  Not entirely rare, but not a normal sight either.  I was hunting in Allen County, Kentucky.  Hope your hunts go well this year.

[cpj]

Cool. ALTHOUGH, thou shalt not post a thread about killing critters without posting a picute to go along with it.  That just aint right!

[jigmaster]

Good work with the 500.  I suspect a head shot at that range with iron sights is in no small part a credit to your skills.  Now for the mashed potatos and gravy! 

[darat100]

xhare

really odd that you saw a pilated.

i saw one saturday morning as well.  I am in western ky.

i didn't even know what they were until a couple of months ago.

[pills]

They are annoying as snot is what they are. We have a few on the ranch that I hunt and it never fails one of us has an encounter. When they go to work you cant hear anything else.

[xhare]

Well, my brother-in-law took a picture but it was with a film camera, not digital.  I do plan to take a picture of my 500 Handi and post it here however. 

[Daniel Laws]

My question is what ammo were you using?  I am shooting 400 gr. cast FP in mine, over 30 odd gr. of H110.  Kicks like a mule and leads up more than I like to clean.  I'm just too cheap to buy factory ammo, and big bores and cast bullets just seem to go together.  I think all the load data available is for short barrel handguns, and the fast powders used are not optimal for the 22 in. handi barrel.  Leads to sudden sharp recoil and and the fast pressure spikes are a contributor to leading.  I've not got a deer yet, but it sure messed up a bobcats day last year. 

[toyfj40]

good story. thanks.
There is a nice article in the Jan07 issue of  'Guns Magazine' on the  NEF/Handi 500.

[xhare]

I was using the factory Ultramax load loaded with a 375 grain Cast Performance bullet.  I have no idea on velocity, and can only say that it is accurate enough.  I cant vouch for my off the bench groups since recoil is stiff. Funny how I did not notice recoil or the sound when hunting.  My ears did not ring at all.