Another Day With The .58

Semisane · 10-18-2010, 07:18 PM

You guys didn't see a shooting report from me this week because I volunteered to help another club member plant his food plots last weekend, so I didn't get in a range session.

But a little while ago I remembered I'd shot the .58 TC/Green Mountain barreled Hawken the week before and haven't posted the targets. So here they are (just for something to do because I'm trying to avoid falling asleep and having one of Chet's nightmares.)

The Gun:

And the Targets:

I opened the range session at 50 yards with my standard 95 grain load and shot two 5-shot targets.

After those two I went looking for patches and saw the .018 pillow tick patches I've been using were pretty beat up with rifling cuts from this fairly new barrel (about 150 shots out of it so far).

So I decided to try some .022 denim patches. I also set up the chronograph, then shot two more targets.

The denim patches from those shots held up real well - showing rifling marks but no cuts or blow-bys.

Then I decided to put a target out at 75 yards and up the charge to 110 grains, just to see what would happen.

Here's that target.

I walked down to check the target after shot #1 and was surprised how far left it was. I thought I was pretty steady for that shot with a 6 o'clock hold on the bull. So I took another very, very careful shot and got #2.

That made me grin big time. So I adjusted the sight to the right and took five more shots. I have no idea why #6 went where it went. Probably my fault, but I guess it could have been a badly out of balance ball with an air pocket. (That's my story and I'm sticking too it!)

The vertical stringing didn't bother me all that much because at that distance I find it difficult to align the top of the front sight exactly at the bottom of the bull. (Old eyes, ya`know.)

Anyway, because I adjusted the sight to accommodate the 110 grain load I figured I'd better check to see where that load would hit at 50 yards. So I shot one more target at 50.

This is the gun I plan to have in my hand for our 13 November whitetail season opener. I'll be sitting in a box stand looking at a small 1/3 acre food plot with a feeder out at 73 yards from the stand. I think I'm ready. But am planning on a few more range sessions before the 13th.

Here's the plot as viewed from the box. The far end of the plot is 97 yards out.

cayugad · 10-19-2010, 07:32 AM

Nice shooting!!!

Question? Why would you plant a food plot this late. Once the snow comes, we all know nothing grows.

Semisane · 10-19-2010, 07:50 AM

Well, I'll still get to hunt them until the snow comes - or Spring, whichever comes first.

mountaineer magic · 10-19-2010, 07:56 AM

Nice shooting. looks like you been listening to the weasel. Good luck come November. November,man that's a long way off. How can you stand it?

Semisane · 10-19-2010, 08:06 AM

Quote:

November,man that's a long way off. How can you stand it?

Taint easy Chet. I go to the camp almost every weekend though. Do a little work on food plots, trails, camp stuff, etc., check the trail cameras, do a little shooting, BS with the guys, cook something good and sip a little Scotch. It ain't bad, but it ain't hunting.

I cranked up the corn feeders last weekend. So next weekend if I have pictures of hogs coming to a feeder I'll at least get to hunt them. The problem is it's been so dry here with no rain for over a month, the hogs have moved out of our pine woods and over to a river bottom a half mile away. That's both good and bad.

Semisane · 10-19-2010, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chetmarks

My 9 year old girl informed me that for her birthday next year she only wants one thing. A deer tag! I thought , now that's my kinda girl. She turns 10 in August and Sept is when the mentor deer hunt starts here for ages 10 to 16. She is a good shooter with a pellet gun and a 22. She is starting with a 32 cal muzzy now . So I figure a deer tag next year would be a good birthday present. By then she should graduate to a .45 cal muzzy. I was so happy at her birthday wish that I am taking her with me on the refuge hunt tomorrow.

What could be finer than that?

oldsmellhound · 10-19-2010, 08:34 AM

Nice shooting! You sure that dinky .58 is going to be enough for those monster Louisiana whitetails? Better go for a neck shot just in case...

Semisane · 10-19-2010, 08:48 AM

I know it's a marginal caliber StinkyPuppy, but I'll be carrying my trusty .44 New Orleans Ace as backup.

oldsmellhound · 10-19-2010, 01:31 PM

Well then, you should be just fine. Personally, I would go with a .75 Brown Bess as a minimum...