Tomorrow is opening day of deer season in Missouri and unless it is raining cats and dogs, I will be taking my new Marlin 45/70 to the stand. If it is raining I’ll go with the plastic stocked 308. The new Marlin is still too new and pretty to take it out in heavy rain.
I had a real good session with the Marlin at the range on Wednesday. I had a box of 50 rounds loaded up, all but four with Rem 300HP R#7 trapdoor loads. As an after thought I loaded four with the same components but to the next level. At 50 yards I was getting nice two-inch groups with the light loads. As there are only three stations at public range and there were a lot of people showing up to check out their 30-30s, I didn’t get to go through all my ammo. I did, however, get to shoot those four Marlin loads. My 2-inch group became three in the same hole and one, which I knew I pulled off when I touched it off, about one inch to the left. Unfortunately this load did not impact at the same place, as did the lighter loads. As the gun is sighted in for the light loads and they will handle any deer I am likely to run into, that is what I will be shooting tomorrow. After the season, though I want to load up a bunch of the Marlin loads and see if I get the same results consistently.
As I loaded up my guns and ‘stuff’ I put the box holding the empty and still loaded 45/70s on the top of my van while I put other things in the side door. Yep, you guessed it. About five miles down the road I heard this awful clatter and bang and as I looked out the rear view mirror I saw the box hit the road and 45/70s flying everywhere. I did a U-turn and went back for them but the box was shattered and most of the cases were in sad shape. I was able to fire some of the loaded rounds in my Handi and fire form them back into shape but a lot of them appear beyond salvage. Fortunately I had some new cases and I loaded them up for tomorrow.
RJ
