Got it done with the Cap Lock

Well, we did not have any luck with deer walking out to us but got some moving by some light poking around the bush by my dad.

The first deer popped out within range moving quickly quartering away, this was Wednesday. My gun had been loaded since Monday and I guess the powder got a bit damp as I had a nice 1/2 second or so hang fire and missed, honestly thought I was not going to get a bang at all and then it went off.

Thursday we poked another spot, a big doe with 2 yearlings came down the trail but mom got wise at 60 or so yards and started off the trail, the patched round ball promptly found a nice tree in the way, it was not a super thick bush but as she was walking I guess I just did not see the tree.

I promptly reloading fully expecting my shot to blow any chance to getting anything.

Dad kept moving down the deer run and one of the yearlings strayed too far from mom and made an attempt to cross the path I was on. A quick bark and she stopped at 20 yards or so, the gun went bang properly this time and I saw the hit, I knew she was going to go down. The tracking job was pretty simple, bleeding from the outset, the shot ended up being a through and through hitting both lungs and the top of the heart, almost no meat damage, she traveled maybe 50 yards.

It was not a large deer but my first with a muzzleloader and with a cap lock and patched round ball at that too.

It was just the 2 of us hunting, 18lbs of boneless meat for me with the shanks bone in and 15lbs of boneless meat for dad, not horrible, I have taken home less from a group hunt with 4 adults down.

Attachment 39367

Awesome! Congratulations!

I've had the hang fire happen with my ML and it's a strange feeling. After the click there's two words that stroll through your mind then BOOM!

Glad you got your deer.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Nice deer congrats to you both

Well that's pretty cool. You're definitely not taking the easiest route there. Congrats.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

Well that's pretty cool. You're definitely not taking the easiest route there. Congrats.

---

God no, could have shot 2 and had both our tags filled if I had just grabbed the shotgun.

I left it at home 550kms away for a reason, I wanted it done with a patched round ball and gave myself no other option.

Congrats and great story!

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk

Good story,nice picture.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fox

God no, could have shot 2 and had both our tags filled if I had just grabbed the shotgun.

I left it at home 550kms away for a reason, I wanted it done with a patched round ball and gave myself no other option.

---

You're talking to a guy who watched a dandy buck walk away at 33 yards this year because he's committed to shooting traditional archery. Oh, I completely understand where you're coming from. haha

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

You're talking to a guy who watched a dandy buck walk away at 33 yards this year because he's committed to shooting traditional archery. Oh, I completely understand where you're coming from. haha

---

I hunted a few years with a 40lb long bow, never did get one in close enough. Watched a beauty doe wander past at 35 yards when hunting solo with my old crossbow as I was primarily hunting small game that weekend and left my Exomax at home.

Think about it though, if you did not restrict yourself you would not know if it were possible. Would I have kicked myself if I had no venison in the freezer this year, probably, but not I can say I have shot them with a crossbow, smoothbore shotgun and slugs, buckshot, rifled barreled shotgun, rifle and now patched round ball.

I did consider bringing the 410 along though :O, would have been limited to a similar range as the patched round ball.

Awesome work great read, enjoy the good eats .
Thanks for sharing .

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Nice going, congrats to the both of you

nice and tender stuff there buddy. better eating than that tough old buck anyways.

Well done. Venison is far better tasting then the paper tag.

Wtg guys.

Congratulations! What is your load? For my .50 cal cap & ball, I use 85 grains of FFG.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hollywood

Congratulations! What is your load? For my .50 cal cap & ball, I use 85 grains of FFG.

---

I did not want to adjust the sights (filing the groove deeper or shortening the post) so I went with the load that hit dead on elevation at 50 yards. That load was 100gr of Pyrodex RS, I went with Pyrodex as it is a propellant and not an explosive, so it was easier to get through my sources but very similar to true BP. I seated a Speer 0.490 round ball patched and lubed with Wonderlube. All that was touched off with a CCI magnum #11 percussion cap.

The barrel length is 33 1/2in, there is some decent bang when this thing goes off, ha ha ha.

Congrats

Good shooting!

Congrats on the deer!

That half-second hang fire is scary as hell. Glad all left the woods safely.

FYI a yearling is a 1.5 year-old deer. That's a fawn, born this spring.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by benjhind

Congrats on the deer!

That half-second hang fire is scary as hell. Glad all left the woods safely.

FYI a yearling is a 1.5 year-old deer. That's a fawn, born this spring.

---

We always said yearling, fawns have spots, but I know what you mean.

I shot a baby, not a problem with that for me.

Nothing scary about the hang fire, just keep it pointed in a safe direction, annoyed that I did not follow the deer while waiting though, she was well within range and not moving too fast.

No judgement here - I've killed plenty of fawns in my lifetime.

I will disagree with you on the hangfire though!! They are scary as hell as far as I'm concerned and have killed more than a few people. I had my first misfire with the muzzleloader last year and spent 5 minutes with my heart jumping out of my neck wondering whether the thing was going to spontaneously go off. Thankfully the second cap set it off in a safe direction.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by benjhind

No judgement here - I've killed plenty of fawns in my lifetime.

I will disagree with you on the hangfire though!! They are scary as hell as far as I'm concerned and have killed more than a few people. I had my first misfire with the muzzleloader last year and spent 5 minutes with my heart jumping out of my neck wondering whether the thing was going to spontaneously go off. Thankfully the second cap set it off in a safe direction.

---

You did not have a hang fire then, you had a misfire and yes, they can all be scary.

I think the only reason why someone was killed by a misfire or a hangfire was because the person holding the gun pointed it in an unsafe direction.

I have had hangfires with military ammo as well, does not get me freaked out. At our club the rule is 60 seconds before trying to unload, I know you cannot just unload with a muzzle loader but I would have tried another cap and waited at least a minute, had a couple misfires on the range with this gun but that was due to the learning curve on cleaning.

One thing you can do with a loaded and misfired muzzle loader, take the nipple and bolster cleanout screw out and then put that end in a bucket of water, you will destroy that powder and make it safe to pull the bullet and powder.

There are also these types of tools, I thought about getting one but have not yet.

http://logcabinshop.com/oc30/index.p...oduct_id=24787

Good job. No pictures?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by toddy

Good job. No pictures?

---

There was one on the original post, not sure why it is no longer there, I tried it here again but something weird is going on with the attachments.

Attachment 39420

I can still see the picture in the original post on Tapatalk.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk