Well the saga of the 6.5-284 Model Seven continues. I killed a buck with a 6.5-284 Custom Model Seven that I built for my son when he was born. When he saw waht that rifle did to that buck he started practicing holding the unloaded rifle and snap shooting (empty) it at targets in our yard. He was generally getting used to its weight and feel in preperation for his first deer kill with a modern rifle. His mother refuses to let him hunt from a tree stand so we have to use our imaginations to create ground blinds and use the very hilly terrain on our property to our advantage. Thanksgiving day we went out for the afternoon hunt. We did some still hunting as the leaves were sopping wet after an all night rain. After about two hours of moving slowly along a major creek/young river we found an area were two of the extremely steep hills meet at a notch or small pass area. Sure enough there was a major deer run that crossed the creek here and the deer were using the notch between the hills to travel rather than climb the steeper rocky hill side.
I set him up about half way up one of the hills, on the ground, with a huge hardwood stump for cover and to serve as a rifle rest. About one hour before dark two does came thru and just like a pro he propped his foot against the stump and rested the Model Seven on his knee. I saw him turn the power ring on the Vari X III to 4X and settle down to shoot. After what seemed like an eternity the 6.5-284 spoke and the doe responded by hitting the ground much like the buck described above. She fell without a twitch as if hit by hot lighting.
After the obigitory hugs and congratulations on a fine 85 to 100 yard shot I had to wade the creek to get my 11 year old son's prize. About half way back with the doe I stepped in a hole and both my boots filled with liquid ice water, very nice! Inspection revealed he had hit her in the front shoulder that was facing to him. The Hornady 129 grain traveled thru her shoulder, blew a .60++ hole in her neck base, and exited just behind her off side shoulder. The exit wound was reminiscant on those produced by a 45-70. When we skinned her out there was massive trauma to her neck base, upper lungs and she was bruised all the way back to the diaphram, instant death and slamification. I commented on how she went down as we were dragging her out. I told my son it was like hot lighting hit her. Just then he held out his deer rifle and said "Well now you have got a name Hot Lighting!"
