meanmrmustard
Member
There are better rounds for hunting, this much is true depending greatly on that which one plans to hunt. There are worse as well.
My hunting for the last decade is primarily predator and whitetails; that's all there is here. Either can be taken effectively with the same chambering. I've taken both with many different cartridges, some better than others. One I've found that performed great on both for the ranges I hunt at is the .223 Remington. Light end of the spectrum for song dogs, medium to heavy soft points or bonded rounds for deer at moderate to short range.
Recently, I've been shooting the Mosin...a lot. I've a 1932 hex receiver 91/30. It's heavy, cumbersome, and lets face it, fun. The range of weights it can handle is covered greatly and the ammo, for the most part, is uber cheap. The gun is cheap, the ammo is cheap, what's not to like?
Practice, practice, practice. After several months of shooting different weights, at different ranges, in varying weather and elevation conditions had me making a sight tool out of S7 tool steel and sighting this beast in with 203gr Silver Bear soft points. Groups at 100 yards are inside a baseball. Goody.
Our opening day for firearms deer season was Saturday, November 10th. The day was at an abnormal high: 75 for the high, with southern winds in excess of 25mph and morning drizzles. Not great weather. But, deer are deer rain or shine. So, I climbed into a 30' elevated blind with wraparound porch (we hunt in style!) and sat awaiting the action.
At 7:30am, two large does tried sneaking across a CRP field from a woodblock into a creek bottom. I took aim with the iron sights, putting the larger doe down with a shot to the base of the neck (my only reliable kill shot due to the grass height), dropping her where she stood. The other deer retreated back from whence she came. The distance was 157 yards, neck pass through, and she weighed 178lbs on the hoof.
The evening hunt was even more fun: winds picked up faster, and I was stuck finding a new location. I picked a crick bottom stand, a creek with water in it and a slough of draws and ridges behind me and a whet field to the north and west. Bleating and grunting in between wind gusts up to 5pm, I had a buck in bow range with no open shot. 8 point, big bodied, and I'm hungry. He messed up: after racking on a cedar for several minutes, he walked into the wheat field and at 35 yards, took the 203gr through his right shoulder and out behind his left. The lungs and heart were all pulverized, and he just fell over. No running, no fighting, just one and done.
I've never hunted deer with a round this large (not necessary) but its cheap. I made the most out of practicing and knowing my abilities as well as the rifle's. it's also the first time I've hunted with irons only, with a rifle nearing ten pounds in weight.
For anyone who'd like to try stand hunting with the Mosin Nagant, practice, become efficient, and sight in for you desired round. It's inspired confidence in me while being the only one on my farm to take any deer this weekend (several mishaps), as well as our neighboring farms. A crappy opener turned into a great beginning for a freezer of meat, and a new friendship with an 80 year old war rifle turned deer slayer!
My hunting for the last decade is primarily predator and whitetails; that's all there is here. Either can be taken effectively with the same chambering. I've taken both with many different cartridges, some better than others. One I've found that performed great on both for the ranges I hunt at is the .223 Remington. Light end of the spectrum for song dogs, medium to heavy soft points or bonded rounds for deer at moderate to short range.
Recently, I've been shooting the Mosin...a lot. I've a 1932 hex receiver 91/30. It's heavy, cumbersome, and lets face it, fun. The range of weights it can handle is covered greatly and the ammo, for the most part, is uber cheap. The gun is cheap, the ammo is cheap, what's not to like?
Practice, practice, practice. After several months of shooting different weights, at different ranges, in varying weather and elevation conditions had me making a sight tool out of S7 tool steel and sighting this beast in with 203gr Silver Bear soft points. Groups at 100 yards are inside a baseball. Goody.
Our opening day for firearms deer season was Saturday, November 10th. The day was at an abnormal high: 75 for the high, with southern winds in excess of 25mph and morning drizzles. Not great weather. But, deer are deer rain or shine. So, I climbed into a 30' elevated blind with wraparound porch (we hunt in style!) and sat awaiting the action.
At 7:30am, two large does tried sneaking across a CRP field from a woodblock into a creek bottom. I took aim with the iron sights, putting the larger doe down with a shot to the base of the neck (my only reliable kill shot due to the grass height), dropping her where she stood. The other deer retreated back from whence she came. The distance was 157 yards, neck pass through, and she weighed 178lbs on the hoof.
The evening hunt was even more fun: winds picked up faster, and I was stuck finding a new location. I picked a crick bottom stand, a creek with water in it and a slough of draws and ridges behind me and a whet field to the north and west. Bleating and grunting in between wind gusts up to 5pm, I had a buck in bow range with no open shot. 8 point, big bodied, and I'm hungry. He messed up: after racking on a cedar for several minutes, he walked into the wheat field and at 35 yards, took the 203gr through his right shoulder and out behind his left. The lungs and heart were all pulverized, and he just fell over. No running, no fighting, just one and done.
I've never hunted deer with a round this large (not necessary) but its cheap. I made the most out of practicing and knowing my abilities as well as the rifle's. it's also the first time I've hunted with irons only, with a rifle nearing ten pounds in weight.
For anyone who'd like to try stand hunting with the Mosin Nagant, practice, become efficient, and sight in for you desired round. It's inspired confidence in me while being the only one on my farm to take any deer this weekend (several mishaps), as well as our neighboring farms. A crappy opener turned into a great beginning for a freezer of meat, and a new friendship with an 80 year old war rifle turned deer slayer!
Attachments
Last edited:
)> and yes I would be first in line to buy one.
