Southern Rifle gets it done

[JBird]

Built this "poorboy" southern (.45) rifle back in 2018 and these last few years getting into hunting it's never been carried for deer until today.

I've always opted for the Kibler in 54, as I've had some reliability issues with this gun, too many pan flashes to be confident and ignition a bit slow, just a few days ago I sat it beside my colonial and realized how undersized the touch hole was in comparison. Drilled it out and went to the range yesterday and had 100% reliability and instantaneous ignition with Null b in the pan, just in time for Georgias Opening day of Muzzleloader

Was planning on still hunting until I found a spot to set up for the afternoon. It didn't take a great deal of time, half a mile down a logging road I came across a lot of fresh deer sign in one area crossing the muddy track. Following they're trail led me to a number of Beautyberry trees/bushes. The area looked promising and as cautious as I was, I bumped a few does around lunch. The wind was right and the abundance of berries told me to pick a spot and get comfortable for the long haul.

I was reading Treasure Island when I looked up around 3:30 and a small doe was standing 30 yards away feeding, very nearly downwind of me. Waited for a clean shot and threaded the needle. She ran into a thicket about 70 yards from where I was sitting and made a big crash seconds later.

Turns out it wasn't a clean shot I hit her right behind the diaphragm quartering away, (I won't be shooting anymore deer unless I can verify my aiming point) no exit wound and the entrance wound was plugged with the intestines. I never found a speck of blood. If it wasn't for the crash in the brush I wouldn't have been very hopeful. It took a bit of time but I found her within the hour by tracking physical sign.

Luckily she went down very quickly, the ball made its way into the vitals without puncturing the stomach

 

[upperplains]

I'd say as a fellow hunter that you did just fine with that one. Now sharpen knives and get ready to butcher and some fine eating. Nice job!

 

[IanH]

Quartering shots leave little margin for error on a whitetail. Too far back and you get guts, too far forward and you can glance off a rib and never get into the boiler room. Quartering to the left from the right side gives you liver to go in through and then diaphragm/lungs which takes them down fast. Anyway, she'll be good eating at that size.

 

[nchawkeye]

Good hunt, good job!!

 

[Bushfire]

Congratulations,

Don't feel rough, dead is dead and we are all an inch or two off now and again. Glad to see another still hunter out there!

 

[ETipp]

Congrats on some fine eating.

From much research on RB, I have found that a 70 yard run is fairly common, even with a good hit.

 

[user 31232]

Built this "poorboy" southern (.45) rifle back in 2018 and these last few years getting into hunting it's never been carried for deer until today.

I've always opted for the Kibler in 54, as I've had some reliability issues with this gun, too many pan flashes to be confident and ignition a bit slow, just a few days ago I sat it beside my colonial and realized how undersized the touch hole was in comparison. Drilled it out and went to the range yesterday and had 100% reliability and instantaneous ignition with Null b in the pan, just in time for Georgias Opening day of Muzzleloader

Was planning on still hunting until I found a spot to set up for the afternoon. It didn't take a great deal of time, half a mile down a logging road I came across a lot of fresh deer sign in one area crossing the muddy track. Following they're trail led me to a number of Beautyberry trees/bushes. The area looked promising and as cautious as I was, I bumped a few does around lunch. The wind was right and the abundance of berries told me to pick a spot and get comfortable for the long haul.

I was reading Treasure Island when I looked up around 3:30 and a small doe was standing 30 yards away feeding, very nearly downwind of me. Waited for a clean shot and threaded the needle. She ran into a thicket about 70 yards from where I was sitting and made a big crash seconds later.

Turns out it wasn't a clean shot I hit her right behind the diaphragm quartering away, (I won't be shooting anymore deer unless I can verify my aiming point) no exit wound and the entrance wound was plugged with the intestines. I never found a speck of blood. If it wasn't for the crash in the brush I wouldn't have been very hopeful. It took a bit of time but I found her within the hour by tracking physical sign.

Luckily she went down very quickly, the ball made its way into the vitals without puncturing the stomach

Ben Gunn says I

 

[smokepolehall]

Fine tick toter , congrats.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

BRAVO!

LD

 

[jdw276]

Congrats from the Talking Rock BPShooters group. Where did you hunt? Private or WMA?

 

[JBird]

Congrats from the Talking Rock BPShooters group. Where did you hunt? Private or WMA?

I was hunting Redlands WMA

 

[Loja man]

Nice!!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Excellent, and extra points for saying how it really was!

 

[Thingamajiggy]

Nice job, congrats!

 

[ORBushman]

Congrats on bringing home the venison!

 

[Spikebuck]

Nice job on sticking to it even with no blood trail. Good scouting, good hunting and a great result with some fine venison there.

 

[Spikebuck]

From much research on RB, I have found that a 70 yard run is fairly common, even with a good hit.

Maybe I'm reading something into your post that isn't there. My experience has been that it's not the projectile type nearly as much as where the hit/wound channel is.

Member Roundball, who shot a LOT of deer, spent one whole season taking only the "high shoulder" shot with various calibers of PRB. Every kill was DRT. In a video from Brian Beckum he and his friend take numerous deer with the same shot with 50 cal PRB and all where DRT.

I've seen many double lunged 12 GA shotgun kills run 50 - 100 yards, same as round balls. I've shot PRB and Hornady slugs from my .54s and, on average, see no noticable difference in how far similarly hit animals run.

 

[19112tap]

Nice job and enjoy the backstraps.