Ok gents, here is the deal. This past deer season, here in south east Texas. My step dad and I were hunting. The ranges we were setup at was about 120 yards TOPS!!
I prodded and prodded for my dad to use my 1894 Marlin in .44 Mag, instead of his older .22 Hornet which is a tack driver to about 100 yards. I know, I know its WAY TOO SMALL. My dad is a bit stubborn. He was raised outside Kingsville and has taken a many a deer with that rifle. All have been neck shots. Well, this year he decides to take a text book perfect broad side shot on a small buck. He says buck may have been 130-140 lbs.(Typical east texas deer size).
He heard it bleat as it ran off. Needless to say, lost it!! No blood trail, NOTHING!!
Small bullets = Small Holes.
He felt so bad and was so dang mad, I could not rub it in about using my .44.
BIG BULLETS=BIG HOLES=LOTS O’ BLOOD
Anyway, he says, “I’ll never do it again, I’ll never hunt deer with it again.”
Then he wants to go look at rifles. He lives about 40 miles from Conroe so we head to Academy. (Me, I’m all about simplicity and what works. I’m a .30 caliber guy and my hunting rifle is my model 70 coyote in .308 Winch. I took my first deer with it last year).
So we are in Academy, and he’s looking at all the .243’s. Don’t get me wrong, I like .243’s, but he was really eyeballing the Remmy Model 770 with the Bushnell 3-9 scope.
I kept prodding him to get the friggin 336 marlin in either 30-30 or the .35 Remington. Nope, aint having it.
He walked out with it paying like 408 w/tax. We get home, bore sight it, and it looks to be a rather accurate rifle..
His first day hunting took his first buck in years. Aimed for the broad side shot in the heart at about 70 yards. Dropped the buck where it was at. When he walked up to take a look, he blew away about ¼ of the backstrap. Yeah, that far off to the left. My dad is a retired DPS trooper and a fine shot. He can pop feral cats with his 22 mag, or 22 hornet, all day long at 120-150 yards. He used to own a .243 but his ex wife sold it. He took a many a deer with it too.
I have one of those nifty laser bore sighters and have used it to great success with my .308, my wife’s .308, and my .44. So I figured why not try it on his. Well we did, and it was way off from zero. We changed scopes, bore sighted, still way off zero. We’re talking almost HOURS OF ANGLE, not minutes.
My dad and mom live on a fixed budget and I really hate to think that he bought a piece of you know what, but that is what it is looking like. We will head back to the range in a few weeks, but I want to get some of your opinions.
I easily print 1 inch groups at 100 with my model 70.
My wife consistently kicks my butt and gets about .75 to .25 with her Savage 16 in .308.
Both of these rifles were bore sighted with my laser bore sighter, so I do not think that that could be the problem.
And by bore sighted I mean, bored at 100 with laser on bullseye.
Then first shot is about 3-4 inches off at 100 yards. When I say it took me a total of 6 shots of Hornady 150 SST Light Mags to get it dead on zero for both .308’s, I am not kidding. Man, I love that ammo!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I prodded and prodded for my dad to use my 1894 Marlin in .44 Mag, instead of his older .22 Hornet which is a tack driver to about 100 yards. I know, I know its WAY TOO SMALL. My dad is a bit stubborn. He was raised outside Kingsville and has taken a many a deer with that rifle. All have been neck shots. Well, this year he decides to take a text book perfect broad side shot on a small buck. He says buck may have been 130-140 lbs.(Typical east texas deer size).
He heard it bleat as it ran off. Needless to say, lost it!! No blood trail, NOTHING!!
Small bullets = Small Holes.
He felt so bad and was so dang mad, I could not rub it in about using my .44.
BIG BULLETS=BIG HOLES=LOTS O’ BLOOD
Anyway, he says, “I’ll never do it again, I’ll never hunt deer with it again.”
Then he wants to go look at rifles. He lives about 40 miles from Conroe so we head to Academy. (Me, I’m all about simplicity and what works. I’m a .30 caliber guy and my hunting rifle is my model 70 coyote in .308 Winch. I took my first deer with it last year).
So we are in Academy, and he’s looking at all the .243’s. Don’t get me wrong, I like .243’s, but he was really eyeballing the Remmy Model 770 with the Bushnell 3-9 scope.
I kept prodding him to get the friggin 336 marlin in either 30-30 or the .35 Remington. Nope, aint having it.
He walked out with it paying like 408 w/tax. We get home, bore sight it, and it looks to be a rather accurate rifle..
His first day hunting took his first buck in years. Aimed for the broad side shot in the heart at about 70 yards. Dropped the buck where it was at. When he walked up to take a look, he blew away about ¼ of the backstrap. Yeah, that far off to the left. My dad is a retired DPS trooper and a fine shot. He can pop feral cats with his 22 mag, or 22 hornet, all day long at 120-150 yards. He used to own a .243 but his ex wife sold it. He took a many a deer with it too.
I have one of those nifty laser bore sighters and have used it to great success with my .308, my wife’s .308, and my .44. So I figured why not try it on his. Well we did, and it was way off from zero. We changed scopes, bore sighted, still way off zero. We’re talking almost HOURS OF ANGLE, not minutes.
My dad and mom live on a fixed budget and I really hate to think that he bought a piece of you know what, but that is what it is looking like. We will head back to the range in a few weeks, but I want to get some of your opinions.
I easily print 1 inch groups at 100 with my model 70.
My wife consistently kicks my butt and gets about .75 to .25 with her Savage 16 in .308.
Both of these rifles were bore sighted with my laser bore sighter, so I do not think that that could be the problem.
And by bore sighted I mean, bored at 100 with laser on bullseye.
Then first shot is about 3-4 inches off at 100 yards. When I say it took me a total of 6 shots of Hornady 150 SST Light Mags to get it dead on zero for both .308’s, I am not kidding. Man, I love that ammo!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
