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How many of your rifles have killed deer?

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Joined
Oct 10, 2004
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Location
Florence Alabama
I was thinking; as soon as I build a new deer caliber rifle or smoothbore I always hunt with it until I kill a deer with it. I have one .40 that is legal to hunt deer with in Alabama but I haven't used it on deer yet.

I have killed deer (lots of them) with my first build in .54, 12ga smoothbore, 20ga smoothbore, a gifted .44, the TC Hawkins kit I put together and random parts TC Hawkins have both taken deer.

I haven't killed a deer with my pre-carve from hell Issacc Haines rifle because I only found out what it likes to be fed to shoot a tight group at the end of deer season last year. It is up to bat this year.

haines lock side.JPG
 
So far I have with my Kentucky .50 (now my oldest sons) and my GPR .50. I had a New Englander .50 that I sold to my brother in law before I ever got a deer with it. I still have a young family and funds are limited. So the guns that come in need to have a purpose in the hunting lineup. Working a a Chambers PA Fowler that will be my designated hunting gun as my next son will probably step into using the GPR this year.
 
I have taken deer with a former T/C .50 High Plains Sporter, a T/C .54 Renegade flint lock, a John Browning Mountain Rifle in .58, and a Lyman .54 Plains Pistol.
 
I've got about 10 rifles and have killed deer with only two of them. My old Hatfield mountain rifle in .54 has taken the most, with my custom SMR .45 coming in second. I think for me it's just a confidence thing, when I'm heading out I grab the ones I know will get the job done.
 
3 of mine have dropped one. Didn't get my 45 till after season was over. Next season I will rotate through starting with it. But I will always have my 1858 at hand in case a shot presents itself.

What part of Bama?
 
Only have one rifle right now and it’s earned it’s spurs. Beto of my tgree smoothies have done their job.
Before about 2000 all my deer hunting was with rifles.
I’ve had a few that never got a chance to hunt, but in general that’s what put the gun on my harem
 
I was thinking; as soon as I build a new deer caliber rifle or smoothbore I always hunt with it until I kill a deer with it. I have one .40 that is legal to hunt deer with in Alabama but I haven't used it on deer yet.

I have killed deer (lots of them) with my first build in .54, 12ga smoothbore, 20ga smoothbore, a gifted .44, the TC Hawkins kit I put together and random parts TC Hawkins have both taken deer.

I haven't killed a deer with my pre-carve from hell Issacc Haines rifle because I only found out what it likes to be fed to shoot a tight group at the end of deer season last year. It is up to bat this year.

View attachment 217916
I don't hunt but appreciate ethical hunters that use their harvest. It's a nice idea for an owner to know that he 'got meat' with his rifles; kind of puts icing on the cake.
 
One, my GPR in 50 cal. I only have two and one is just a severely abused CVA that I inherited which isn’t in shooting condition.
 
So far only one, my TVM late Lancaster kit gun that I built. It's a .54 caliber. I've taken 3 deer with it so far. Have shot at a few with my Lyman Great Plains rifle, but have not yet connected with it. Hit one with my TC Renehade years ago but never recovered that deer.
 
Every muzzleloader I own, or have owned, has taken a deer or so, except the .32. Squirrels with that one. I'm with you, Eric, this dog hunts and enjoys using these tools as intended.
Looking forward to your upcoming post when you share the success with the Isaac Haines rifle.
 
I should have trashed the stock on my Haines rifle because it had so many major flaws, serious flaws. As you can see it has some pretty spectacular wood so I forged ahead, I could have built three guns in the time it took me to fix or cover up the flaws in this TOW pre-carve gun kit that I bought 3rd hand. I paid $650 for the kit with a rice barrel, a deluxe Siler lock and that spetacular wood. I ran the numbers on the TOW on line order form and came up with $1100 not counting the wood upgrade, all of the dove tails cut and buttplate installed by Track, plus every drill bit, countersink and thread tap needed to complete the build.

I have posted this picture enough to make people sick of seeing it but here is the lock position in the pre-carve inlet.

100_4992.JPG
 
I was thinking; as soon as I build a new deer caliber rifle or smoothbore I always hunt with it until I kill a deer with it. I have one .40 that is legal to hunt deer with in Alabama but I haven't used it on deer yet.

I have killed deer (lots of them) with my first build in .54, 12ga smoothbore, 20ga smoothbore, a gifted .44, the TC Hawkins kit I put together and random parts TC Hawkins have both taken deer.

I haven't killed a deer with my pre-carve from hell Issacc Haines rifle because I only found out what it likes to be fed to shoot a tight group at the end of deer season last year. It is up to bat this year.

View attachment 217916
 
Over the 50+ years hunting deer in Pa. , and building multiple m/l deer rifles , I would do better listing the different calibers , than each rifle. Lets say......two .50 's , one .58 , three .62's. All these long rifles , and two were Jaegers , have killed multiple deer each. I current;y use a light weight .50,w/peep sight. Can't see well enough to shoot w/o a peep sight. My over all favorite , was a .62 cal. longrifle. It was a distance rifle due to the ball weight , and 38" long sighting plain. The rifle weighed in at just 8 lbs. , powder charge was 90 gr. FFG. Longest deer killing shot was with the gun rested on a rock , and was just under 200 yds. . Wish I had built it , when I was younger , but who knew , it would shoot so well. .......oldwood
 
Over the 50+ years hunting deer in Pa. , and building multiple m/l deer rifles , I would do better listing the different calibers , than each rifle. Lets say......two .50 's , one .58 , three .62's. All these long rifles , and two were Jaegers , have killed multiple deer each. I current;y use a light weight .50,w/peep sight. Can't see well enough to shoot w/o a peep sight. My over all favorite , was a .62 cal. longrifle. It was a distance rifle due to the ball weight , and 38" long sighting plain. The rifle weighed in at just 8 lbs. , powder charge was 90 gr. FFG. Longest deer killing shot was with the gun rested on a rock , and was just under 200 yds. . Wish I had built it , when I was younger , but who knew , it would shoot so well. .......oldwood
Pa. has a good game commission, I believe. The magazine is interesting.
 

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