Shadow Man
Member
I went to a range with one of my father's friends, and they had a similar set-up. I was using an old Stevens bolt action .30-30 with some old handloads. (by old, I mean 1960's old) Rules were 3 shots, and they would score your target and send a card back with your shots marked and scored. Best score won the pot, about $50. When my turn came, I stepped up to the line and squeezed off one shot. When I went to cycle the bolt, it failed to extract the empty brass. Turns out that the handload had swelled when I fired it, and was now firmly lodged in the chamber. When they returned the score card though, that one shot had made a perfect hole between the target deer's eyes. If I had gotten the next two shots off and hit the deer anywhere, I would have had the winning score. Alas, it did not work out that way, and an older gent won the pot using a Lee-Enfield in .303.
Two valuable lessons were learned though: A; don't use those handloads, and B; since that shot was pure luck, I should probably not take a shot at a running deer. Coincidentaly, that was the last season I went hunting...just doesn't appeal to me anymore, for a variety of reasons.
Two valuable lessons were learned though: A; don't use those handloads, and B; since that shot was pure luck, I should probably not take a shot at a running deer. Coincidentaly, that was the last season I went hunting...just doesn't appeal to me anymore, for a variety of reasons.