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What's your weapon of choice, for the upcoming Deer Gun Season?

Wildlife

Denny
Supporting Member
5,248
191
Ross County, Ohio
Each one are ready to go!
20191125_094620.jpg

1992 - 12g Remington 870 Magnum Express w/ Deer Rifle Barrel & a Bushnell Limited Edition 3-9x40 Duplex Reticle MOA Matte Rifle Scope shooting 12 Gauge 3” 1-3/8 oz Brenneke USA Black Magic Magnum Ammunition Lead Rifled Slug.

AND/OR,,,

1990 – 50 Caliber Knight In-line Muzzleloader w/ Custom Paint that I did last Spring & a Weaver 3-9x40 Duplex Reticle Matte Rifle Scope shooting Federal Premium Primers #209, 100 Grains of Blackhorn 209 Black Powder, 50 Caliber Barnes Spit-Fire TMZ Sabot Bullets w/ 45 Polymer Tip Boat Tail Lead Free.
 
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"J"

Git Off My Lawn
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56,743
274
North Carolina
Just stopped and was BS’ng with a local gun shop. Can’t keep the .350’s on the shelf. Newest greatest thing.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
I'm awake now!
One of the five did not drop where it was shot. That one went about 30 yards. Of all the deer I’ve shot with a 12 gauge, only one dropped in its tracks, excluding spine shot deer. From my observation, 450 is an effective round.
 
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45-70 (carried since legal, yet to fire at fur) or Remington 1100 (has put the wood to quite a few). But with the number of deer I've been seeing lately (0) I might just carry an old Wham-o slingshot.

I can tell you in my experience, with a well placed shot of the 45-70, it tends to drop them right in their tracks. I’m sure many other rounds can do the same but I was impressed with how hard this round hits them.


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brock ratcliff

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So Brock, do you like the 45-70? :cool:(y)
Yes, but the gun I have is a lot heavier than the 450. The Ruger American is very utilitarian. Synthetic stock, just looks and feels like it’s made to be dragged through the brush. My 45/70 is kinda pretty but it does shoot well. The only deer I’ve ever shot with it was also dead upon landing.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
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Ohio
I can tell you in my experience, with a well placed shot of the 45-70, it tends to drop them right in their tracks. I’m sure many other rounds can do the same but I was impressed with how hard this round hits them.


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My Savage 220 dropped two bucks in their tracks. One doe ran 15-20yds. Son shot a button buck that made it 60yds on marginal shot placement. Had a doe make a 50yd run but it was pure adrenaline. Her feet were still going as her body piled up on a full Sprint. I think it has more to do with shot placement than anything. That said. . . 45-70 or 450 would increase the odds of dead right there. 😁
 
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My Savage 220 dropped two bucks in their tracks. One doe ran 15-20yds. Son shot a button buck that made it 60yds on marginal shot placement. Had a doe make a 50yd run but it was pure adrenaline. Her feet were still going as her body piled up on a full Sprint. I think it has more to do with shot placement than anything. That said. . . 45-70 or 450 would increase the odds of dead right there. [emoji16]

Gotcha. Hah this is true. Lots of power there. But yeah shot placement really is almost everything.


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Jal5

Junior Member
151
37
New England 45/70 with 2x7 scope. Second season with it maybe this will be the year. My handloads cast over Unique. Shoots good and recoil is somewhere between. 12 and20 ga slug. Joe
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
I have been gun-hunting with a Savage 220 for about 6 or 7 seasons now. I love the gun and have killed close 9 or 10 deer with it so far. That being said, I have been fighting the straight-wall cartridge urge for quite some time. Last season I was very tempted to buy a .450 bushmaster but I am really glad I didn't. IMO there are better options than the .450. I really dislike the loudness of most of them. The muzzle break on the Rugers looks horrendous IMO and results in unnecessary noise at the back end of the gun. They just do not seem "fun" to shoot. If/when I jump on the straight-wall train, it will be on a .350 Legend platform. If I can fight the urge for just a few more weeks I'll be in the clear. Until next year. LOL
I'm going to eat a bit of crow here. A buddy of mine brought over his CVA break-action in .450 Bushmaster to sight it in today. He won the gun at a raffle last season. It's nothing fancy... just a synthetic stock, single-shot break-action with a cheap Simmons 3-9x on top. He brought a box of Hornady 250 grain rounds. Zeroed at 50 yards, it shot about 1.5" high at 100 yards. The accuracy of this gun was IMPRESSIVE. All three shots at 100 yards were touching... sub-1" group. Recoil was comparable to a 20-gauge shotgun. And this particular gun does not have a muzzle break, so it wasn't obnoxiously loud either. So, are there better options than the .450 Bushmaster? Maybe. But this option is more than viable. It flat-out shoots. Better than my 220 actually.