It is terrible waiting for the Big Game season to get here... So this morning I slipped out on a short Turkey hunt and then figured I would run to the rock pit later in the morning...

It is terribly dry here has been that way for a long time and no sign of any rain coming... on top of that we have been living in wild land fire smoke from all the fires in the area... It has gotten so bad thay have cancelled high school footbal games and other sports because the air is un-healthy to breath... In all my years fighting wildland fires for the Forest Service - I really do not remember them telling me that as a ground pounder... I do remember them telling me 'drink water'. Oh well.

Anyway after an uneventful stroll in the woods looking for some turkeys, but more looking for elk sign, I headed back to the pickup and headed to the Rock Pit.

It looks like I will be hunting with ole #71 this deer season. It is DISC Elite 45 cal with thumbhole stock and a Lehigh conversion installed. The other thing I wanted to do was shoot some different bullets just for drill, so I grabbed a box of Speer 40-180 grain Deep Curls. Thought it would be a good change of pace from the preferred Lehigh/Bloodline 40-200's DOA.

This little Speers are no slouches... driven with a 110 grains of T7 in a tan MMP sabot - they really do zip down range get on the target like an angry bee and sting something more like a great kick from a full grown Mule. They really do hit hard.

When I got to the pit it was already to hot to shoot, 80*, but I was there so I was going to shoot. Set up the bench and rests then headed down range with 7 clay birds + some one had set out two pumpkins. I really like that as I thought they still might be moist enough to give a really good show even with the little Speers. When I got down and placed the birds I noticed that the pumpkins were old and already had many bullet holes in them - so they seemed pretty dry.

I loaded up and took the first three shots... Shooting these Knight 45's can really be boring but it is fun to break things. After the first three shots the breech was really warm so I tought I would let the gun cool a bit.

During the cooling... trying to think of something to do besides standing and looking - I thought might as well check the 870 Turkey gun and I have the birds. So I placed birds at 28 - 44 - 58 yards. I placed 2 of them on the floor of the rock pit and the last in the branch of a bush in the bottom of the pit. I wanted it to be suspended so that I really had to hit to break it.

I had just mounted new TruGlo sights on the rib and thought this would also be a great opportunity to make sure they were going to do what I thought they should do.

Walked back to the truck and loaded up the Knight - took to more shots at the 100 yard birds on the wall. Then set it aside and got the Remington out of the truck.

Ran a shell into the chamber and sat down at the bench and decided to check out the first bird at 28 yards. Two things I can tell right off the bat... the trigger in the Remington not any where as good as the Knight... and after shooting the Knight the recoil of the 3" turkey load in the Remington - is one hack of a lot more that any ML that I have shot. It got my attention in a hurry... BUT... the hit on the clay pigeon was really powerful. The bird just vaporized... Next at 40 yards was an old half eaten apple I found on the floor of the rock pit and set up on a rock. I decided it was next... only this time I was more prepared for the trigger pull and the recoil. Preparation for the trigger pull worked great... I pulled the take-up out and then pulled the trigger and the shot went off. The recoil was just as stiff as it was the first time.

Went for the 44 yard bird and puff it was gone...

Decided to wait on the long bird and finish shooting the 100 yard birds with muzzleloader. Loaded up and completed the birds.
It really is my feelig that the Speer 40-180 grain bullet would be an outstanding bullet for deer hunting... Just to check I decided to get the pumpkins. I did not expect much to happen but when the bullet hit the first one it split the pumpkin and half and the pumpkin rolled of the ledge to the bottom - not what I expected but it was cool. Even though the barrel was hot I loaded up one more and took the last pumpkin - same results...

Back to the shot gun and the 60 yard bird. I know this is really to long to expect much but I really want to know if those #4 BB's could get there and do any damage. The answer YES! - it did not vaporize the bird but it did break it into several peices...

The pictures are terrible - cell phone camera - forgot my good one...





Good smokey morning...

STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! You guys are having fun and I can't go shooting until October 6th.

Good report Sabotloader.

You're right about those 180 grain Gold Dots. They shoot quite well in my .45 GM-LRH Renegade with a modest charge of GOEX. I've not shot a deer with them yet, but have not doubt they would do the deed. It will probably be the first bullet I try in the Swamp Dragon when I get that 22" .45 Knight Disc barrel set up for it.

Very nice shooting. Yes, those shotguns can get ones attention, in a hurry. I have some 180 grain 40 caliber bullets I will have to check out that load.

I remember the year I hunted turkey with my double barrel 12 gauge. I was shooting Remington 3 inch #4 shot. And I had this neat little stool to sit on and was very comfortable, except I was on uneven ground and had to be careful of my balance. Well in comes three toms to the decoy. I get a bead on a nice big Tom's head and I remembered... I had two tags, so I thought.. get two birds. Shoot one Tom near me, and swing over on the second one before it can fly or run off. And I set two fingers, one on each trigger.. took dead aim on the first Tom, hit the front trigger, the gun kicked, pushed me off balance, and the second finger then hit trigger two, so I got a double WAM!! Fell off my cute little stool, laying there on my back, and realized I think I fired both barrels. Well the first Tom was dead anyway.

I can not stop laughing and it started before I even read the whole story.... I can only imagine what Semi is going to do with this one.... I think I see an Elmer Fudd story coming....

that is great... worse part is very accurate too.

Semi you are really to good...

Love that Semi. SL you're right, busting things is fun. But not shooting a shotgun off the bench. When I was young and foolish (as opposed to being old and foolish) I tried pattering 3 1/2" 12 gauge turkey loads off a bench. I soon learned a few things: 3 1/2" load kick like a mule, shooting them off hand is much easier on your shoulder, and lastly, you don't need them to kill a turkey. I now use a little 20 ga.

Actually I purchased a Winchester 1300 pump 20 gauge shotgun years ago. It came with wind chokes you can change out depending on what you want to hunt. And if you put that full choke in it, and a 3" shell that thing will blow a hole through a pop can. And I mean a hole. Like you threw a golf ball through the center of that can. I always thought.. that would be a turkey gun. Especially with a blind where you could let them get close. But I use it for grouse hunting. I put a modified choke in it, and its nice and light and made a good walk around shotgun.

But Bronco, we have big turkeys... and that is the way they do it on TV....