Son harvests first buck with muzzleloader

[riddleofsteel]

I was sitting on opening morning in the 20 degree cold when I heard what sounded like 20 deer coming thru the woods. In fact it was a large doe pursued by her lover boy buck. They turned just before they got to me but they went past my 13 year old son who harvested his first buck that morning.
I heard a huge BOOOOOMMMMMMM and then silence. Then a resounding ALLRIGHT.

I walked over and he was busy stuffing a second load down his .50 Renegade. It wasn't needed though. 90 grains of Select Pyrodex under a T/C breakaway sabot holding a 200 grain .429 Hornady XTP hollowpoint was more than enough to do the job. This formula has been the ticket to harvest more than a dozen deer for me over the last 20 years and it feels great passing the rifle and load down to my son. I asked him what he shot and look on face and his response was worth $1,000,000.00 to me. He said "Dad he's a monster, the buck I been praying for!!"

 

[critter]

That's great! Bigger thrill than shooting one yourself isn't it? Congratulations to you both.

 

[asknight]

That's a good picture of a happy boy. Sounds like he has a great father too.

Reminds me of the old quote, "Take your boy hunting, and you won't ever have to go hunting your boy."


Now, about those XTP hollowpoints... I've been trying out the 240gr XTP myself, pushed by 100gr of Triple Seven. I've been getting about 8-10" of total penetration on shoulder shots with downright gory expansion and tissue damage. Now I don't always intend on hitting them on the shoulder, but with open sights, it happens sometimes. I always err towards the shoulder rather than the rib cage. Think I might be pushing them a tad fast though, considering I'm running them out of a 26" TC Black Diamond XR. I've not lost any deer to the bullets, but I have lost a good bit of meat. What say you? Think I might be running them a little hot, too?

 

[trickyasafox]

congrats! im a bit older than your son (22) and i harvested my first with my father last year. i can tell you he'll never forget it.

 

[JR719]

That's great, and he looks very proud too. Congrats on a bountiful hunt. Too bad a pic isn't posted of the proud papa's expression.

 

[riddleofsteel]

OK

For XTP hollowpoints

If we are talking .50 Caliber muzzleloaders;

The best all around load is a .45 300 grain XTP hollowpoint (not the .45 Mag version). You can push it from 1500 FPS to above 2100 FPS and it will expand on a lung shot or break a shoulder like a solid.
I shot a buck opening day with my .50 Savage ML using 45 grains of AA 5744 a short black MMP sabot and a 300 grain XTP hollowpoint that was moving at about 2100 FPS when it slammed into his lungs. The entrance hole was thumb sized, the exit hole was big enough to put your fist into.
I hit a front shoulder last year by accident, same load. We had to throw away the offside shoulder and the impact shoulder and neck was fit only for ground meat. But the deer cut a flip and never got up.

I have no experience with the 240 grain .429 XTP's

The reason we use the .429 200 grain XTP hollow point and the T/C breakaway sabot over 90 grains of Pyrodex has more to do with the fact I have around 100 sabots and 200 bullets left on the shelf. Plus our Renegade will shot MOA groups with open sights at 100 yards with this combo! Why change? I think the last time I chrono'ed that load it was pushing around 1700 FPS. I remeber it was producing around the same sppeds that my 6" .44 Mag was doing wiht the same bullet.
Performance; on lung shots the bullet opens perfect. Entrance holes the size of my pointing finger the exit holes the size of a soda can. On shoulder shots it does ruin a lot of meat. Suprisingly I usually hit high and back near the first rib more than shoulders when I shot that gun. I spine shot always knocks them down and the never get up although a coup de grace shot is sometimes needed.
I also have excellent performance with the Nosler .429 200 grain SJHP at the same speeds.

I hope that helps

 

[riddleofsteel]

I sat that same stand this AM and saw 15 deer before 12:00 AM. Three were bucks but none over four points. One of the most exciting mornings in a long time. Rut underway, full moon and a front coming thru tomorrow.

Oh yeah I saw a snow white albino doe this afternoon as well.