First Buck with an in-line

[S.S.]

I am normally a Traditional Muzzle-loader hunter,
But I decided to change this year. I bought a CVA
OPTIMA right after the season last year and the accuracy
is incredible with this thing. This year Scopes were allowed
so it was wearing one. This was kind of a strange hunt.
My brother in law was hunting over the hill from me
and about 20 minutes before dark, BOOM, he fired.
Scared the crap out of me because it was so quiet before.
I waited a couple of minutes and called his cell phone.
"Is it down" I asked.. No but there is a major blood trail.
He told me that my other brother was on his way to help find it and
get it out on the dirt road. I told him I was going to wait till dark and
then I would come too.Right at dark I decided to use my Grunt call
a couple of times. The second Grunt I heard a comotion down in the little valley
below me and the buck literally came running.  I could not see him at first
but then he stepped into a clearing at only about 40 yards. Perfect Silouette
broadside. BOOM... Instant flash Blindness !... Hold eyes shut for several minutes.
Open Eyes and smoke still has not cleared... Wait for smoke to clear...
Then remember that Flash light was still at home.... Now too dark to see!
Call brother on cell phone.. "Was that you?" he asked, "Yep!" "did you get it?"
"Have no Idea, Can't see a thing over here and forgot my flash-light"..
After about five minutes I see a light coming through the woods.
The buck had only taken about 10 steps and had fallen into a patch of high grass.
The exit hole on that deer was the biggest I have ever seen.
I am a roundball hunter normally, But that sabot hollowpoint gave a dramatic
Account for itself.  My other rifles will probably stay in the cabinet the rest
of this deer season .. By the way, My brother in law got a very, very large Doe.
Bigger than my Buck Actually.. He hit it on a straight on shot in the brisket.
Using an inline also but with a Full Bore Buffalo Bullet. We found the Bullet
under the hide just in front of the hind leg. He damaged almost no meat at all.
The bullet showed massive expansion and mushroomed perfectly.. Two deer
within 20 minutes..With Muzzle loaders.. All in all a pretty good evening.

[simonkenton]

Congratulations, Deer Hunters!
What type bullet are you shooting? Powder?

[Redhawk1]

S.Sumner, congrats on the deer and welcome to the dark side. 

[HuntingGuy]

Congrats.. haven't had a chance to take my Omega out yet, but it's only a matter of time!

[SURVEYOR]

Good for you S.Sumner!

[marylandeer]

Congrats S.Sumner. That was a great hunting story. You have to love shooting them with the high tech smokepoles.

[S.S.]

I was using a 50 Cal. CVA OPTIMA -Two 50 grain 777 pellets and a 240 grain hollowpoint in a sabot from Thompson Center.
And a Remington 209 primer. The exit wound was huge !

[yellowtail3]

Satisfying, isn't it? I shot a substantial doe the other day with my modest CVA Buckhorn, topped with a 1.77-4x32mm Bushnell Trophy. Load was 95gr Pyrodex RS and a 240 gr TC magexpress (Hornady XTP bulllet, I think). Entered 2nd to last rib on right, exited at front of left side. Entrance hole was bigger than exit. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around, but... no complaints, dead deer in about twenty-thirty yards and no lost meat.


entrace from inside ribcage (apologies to the squeamish)

Shot another with same load last week, hit high in front shoulder... deer dropped immediately. I recovered that bullet, only the 2nd XTP I've recovered. It expanded nicely, and held together as you'd hope. Here's the recovered bullet, with an unfired one:

[simonkenton]

yellowtail--how big was that entrance wound?
I hit a big doe head on, chest shot, with a 250 XTP. The entrance wound was 4 inches diameter.

[S.S.]

I am gald I did not hit the shoulders,
I have no doubt both would probably have been ruined.
Exit wound was at least 2-1/2 inches across