270g Deep Curl
 

The last time i used these bullet was the last year i hunted 2 states. It was an impressive killer. Every deer dropped like a rock. Some dropped right now, and were not hit in bone other than ribs. It seems to me, it may have killed 7 deer that year.

These bullet are inexpensive, and seemingly easy to find.

Pictured are 3 photo of the same target shot at 100 yard. First picture was taken Wednesday. The second yesterday, and the last this morning. Rifle was the dream season with the rear sight replaced with the FP peep sight. Load was 90g BH, crush rib sabot, W209 primer. Each day, the first shot was through a cold clean barrel.

















Hopefully, if i draw a tag, i will be using this rifle and load early this fall in a muzzy only hunt. The groups aren't so worthy, but what mostly interests me is where the first shot on a cold clean barrel lands. The trigger puller is old, with old eyes, and has difficulty seeing the front sight. A fire made for difficulty shooting this target; the highway was closed, which necessitated back country travel.

Ron, I've never been able to get great groups with that bullet. But certainly good enough for hunting. I've never shot anything but paper with them, but pertty much assumed they would do well on game.

They seem to want to be pushed fast from my X7.

These bullet do far better than well on game when pushed by 105 g BH. This i know.

Just last week did i begin shooting this 90g load. More times out are necessary before i say i have 'settled' on it. Right now, i am liking it. It should have plenty of whomp for killing deer. It seems 90g of BH should result in about 1760 fps from an X7, and is a plenty for a rifle with iron sights. 1694 fps was measured at 17 yard, and 1594 fps was measured at 47 yard from my X7. The middle target is a 'group' shot on different days with a day in between. Conditions weren't exactly the same. I never measured the group size, but i just now scaled it on the monitor, and it seems less than 2 1/2".

Bye the bye, the orangeish, pinkish glow on the target is caused by the smoke from a 300 acre fire less than a mile away. This fire is why i skipped a day between shooting the target. Smoke was thick where the shooting was done, and even at the house 17 mile away.

Another calculation done using the 17, and 47 yard speeds was Ballistic Coefficient. Calculator say the bullet BC is 0.204. Speer say the BC is 0.193.

Nice shooting, Ron. Seems most people use the 300gr or 250gr version of this bullet. How did you settle on the 270gr?

For more than 40 year, we primarily hunted elk; this has me inclined to heavier bullet. Seems like i figured the 270g bullet would penetrate deeper than the 300g, because it doesn't have a hollow point. I don't really remember.

Back when i last used it for hunting i was hunting Montana, and possibly may have gotten a shot at an elk. However, testing on water jugs since, showed the 300g penetrated as deep or deeper than the 270g. Just in the last few weeks, i started shooting the 270g again for the first time in years. The 270g had been deadly on deer; really really deadly.

The 300g has a higher BC, so i thought it would be better for long range shooting, is why i quit the 270, and went to the 300. Now, i don't think that is so very important. Both easily shoot to 200 yard with accuracy.........both slow to near the speed of sound out near 300 yard.

The reason i am giving the 270g a try this year, is because i tried killing a deer last January with the ram rod, and a bullet simultaneous from the old X7. This made for a loose spot in the barrel. Right or wrong, i thought perhaps the thicker green sabot could handle the ruined barrel better than a black sabot.

Yesterday morning the rifles punched the target with the 270g Deep Curl. The dry summer is starting to make me nervous. It could be we will be shut out of the hills if the dry hot weather continues, so i am now getting my rifles ready for the early muzzy season. Currently the grass up there is moist and green.








Both rifles were cold and clean at the first shot. The top target was done by the old X7 with factory sights. The lower target by the Dream Season with the FP sight. Both these rifle have QLA. As before the load was 90g BH, crush rib sabot, W209 primer. Only two shots at 100 yard, was taken with each rifle.




This morning the same targets were shot by the same rifles from cold clean barrels at 100 yard.








Without the one way left hole in the top target, them target don't look too bad. Perhaps just a few more trial shots, and this will be the load used for hunting. The Dream Season has a trigger just so barely better than the X7. It seems to be a tad more accurate, but i don't think it is because of the trigger. The X7 may be inconsistent, because this last January, the hunter tried to kill a deer with a bullet and a ram rod. Now, just a head of where the bullet sits, there is a loose spot in the barrel. It is looking like the X7 will be the back up.

:s2: Did you get the deer?

No! Smart******** Shot was very very close too; had already killed one deer right there, and was able to reload, and shoot again. Recoil felt funny at the shot; way more recoil than normal. Obviously excitement overcame me. Had been hunting for a month with no chance at deer, and then of a sudden them deer stumbled right into me. I saw them coming and hunkered. Wind was exactly wrong, and i watched them wind me over and over through the binocular, but they just kept coming except one of them turned tail; didn't like my smell. I was quite excited, and really really wanted 2 deer in the freezer.

After killing the one, i should have calmed down, but didn't. I didn't fast nor did i do a sweat prior to the hunt. Surprised me them deer smelled me and kept coming. We eat deer just about every day; i figured they would all turn tail not liking my smell, and leave me sad, but they got closer and closer, and i got nervouser and nervouser. Didn't get sad until i went to reload again, and couldn't for the life of me find the ram rod.

Searched for the ram rod for a week; never found it. Had a good look at the deer; the ram rod didn't appear to be stuck in it. At least i got one of them, and only ruined one rifle.

Ron, why did you keep this a secret from us for so long? All ramrod firings should be reported at once.:biggrin::biggrin:
Is that the same rifle that you cut the qla off of?

The rifle without the QLA has a scope mounted on it and doesn't have a ruined barrel.









Doing what i did to the rifle hurt me. I have never talked about it with anybody; can't handle the pain. Today, i was able to write about it for the first time, only because the rifle still shoots reasonably well even though the barrel is ruined.

That day was one of a kind in my hunting life. Me hunkered whilst them deer came ever closer even with a perfectly wrong wind. I ruined the rifle being excited, but i think more so because i deviated from the norm. What i did was lay the ram rod on the ground beside me, thinking i might be able to reload more quietly if i didn't have to take the ram rod out of the thimble. Changing the habit of the way i reloaded led to my missing the last deer, and ruining the rifle. In a way it is kind of nice that i still get so excited when the kill shot looms.

Yes, i know ram rod firings should be immediately brought to the attention of the group; it took me seeing the rifle work OK before i could write/talk about it.

Perhaps as i mature, i will be better able to share future ram rod firings.

I have to confess, I dryballed once a couple years ago and never reported it to the "group". ;)

There's always the option to have the barrel lined. The liners aren't that expensive. Don't know what it would cost to have it done though.

How about a 1:20 twist .50 caliber? http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/638/1

This is from a post on another forum.

And this.

LOL...I will come clean on a TC.
 

Don't feel bad about shoot'n a ramrod. A few years back I had got lucky and drew a tag for BlueGrass Army Depot. This is a very well kept secret if you love to see huge buck deer and tons of turky. Anyway I had this little 136" buck come in to my stand. I had remembered at that point that I had snapped the metal ramrod of my TC Encore early that morning when I was loading. I shot the buck and he took a little swim in the creek. Thats when I got into trouble. I had 7 doe with 20 yds of me and I thought that I could reload quitely. Yep, I sure did. I loaded a 300 gr Hornady SST infront of 120 gr loose pyrodex P. You gotta love big loads. However, I pulled the trigger and the doe dropped in its tracks. Life was good. That is until I went to swab my barrel out and couldn't find the other half of my ram rod. So, I borrowed my buddies bore snake and hosed her down with windex and put her in the case. Oh yeah, a monster 147" walked by within 10 yds and I had a friend shoot him. I decide to clean my gun when I got home and thats when I discovered a huge ring all the way around the barrel at the forearm. its about 1/2 inch wide. So my feelings were really hurt. This is where the non-TC fans needs to stop...LOL... I called TC and explained that I was responsible and ask them to sale me a replacement. They said no they couldn't go that route and politely asked me to box up the barrel and send it to them. A week later, TC sent me a brand spank'n new 28" fluted barrel. Ya gotta love there service. So, I guess that makes me guilty but lucky plus a little more than that. Yall enjoy the reading. My meds are kicking in and I have been on a rant. Yall take care. Happy Birthday!!!!!

Semisane

Them liner would be a solution!