I agree. I was shocked on how well that little guy performed. A couple posters are using that same load and like it. Now here is further proof it works.

We don't need monster holes, double holes and monster bullets to harvest deer. Plus, if people want to pound their shoulder into oblivion or Eenar shooting deer with magnum 110-120 grains of Blackhorn on deer (at under 100 yard harvests 90% of the time) , go right ahead.

Not me, said the offhand shooter. I like my 80-90 grains BH209 use. :woot:

It's not about "want" for me as far as loading high end pressure loads. My barrel just performs the best at 100 to 120 grains of BH. It's a teeth rattling experience with 290gr+ bullets too! At the bench anyway. I haven't found a bullet/sabot combo yet that would group better than 2.5@100 with less than 100gr BH or 95gr T7 loose. Imagine shooting one of my 350gr connies with 110gr T7 loose! Damn thing will loosen your teeth and ya bowels! But that load clover leafs at 150 yards! Sometimes it's not about want, because I sure as heck don't like having to go 10-15 yards behind me to retrieve my shoulder! It's about what your barrel performs best with. Main reason I'm looking around for something in the .45 club that I might even go smokeless with! Getting tired of having to reset my motor functions after every shot!

I wouldn't shoot a deer with any bullet less than 250 gr in a muzzleloader. CF is another story...
A bigger hole an make that two holes is gonna make meat everytime. You owe it to the animal to put it down quick as possible. I really don't like tracking if I don't have to.

I am from a different school. I never touch / adjust my open sights or riflescope sights after my 2nd shot at the range. The first two shots are what we all normally use and need while hunting.

I never look at pictured shot groups on this board, beyond that of #2 either. To me a group is shot #1 and then shot #2. Sure I may spend another two hours at the range shooting 18 more times with three different projectiles. But I never touch / adjust my sights after shot #2.

When I last go the range in early November, I'll pay my $10 entrance fee and fire eight shots..... two each coming from my two centerfires and two each coming from two muzzleloaders. I need to know where those first shots are going on paper. I need to know where my backup #2 shots are going on target paper.

That's it in a nutshell. I really don't need to document anything else that hits that target paper. And you know what?..... you can accomplish that and harvest plenty of deer using 80-90 grains of BH 209, unless you are of the 10% variety that harvest deer at long ranges beyond 150 yards regularly. Then more power / velocity are needed. But young kids are shooting deer at 100 yards these days using 60 grains of BH 209.

So again! If you want to rattle your body and shoot deer inside of 100 yards using 110-120 grains, go right ahead. Deer have a 8" kill zone and I'm plenty happy shooting 4" two shot groups off-hand. That's good enough for me and Bambi's big brother. There's no reason to need touching shot groups anyways, since deer are not going to stand completely still while you reload and shoot again.

T7, I group my barrels 1 shot, re-load, 2nd shot, scrub fairly clean and let cool, then repeat. It aint complete cold clean testing but it is fairly close.