hunting with BPCRs

[mdeland]

Having exactly zero experience hunting with a BPCR I've wondered how one handles the first shot which I would think usually would mean from a clean bore. Here in AK it would not do to foul the bore then hunt in the rain all day long as you would surly have some rust going by days end. BPCRs often do not group a clean bore shot with the next round up so what is the technique for such a scenario ?

[jackrabbit]

You have to know your rifle. Shoot it at hunting distances and see how high it goes. Know you will have to hold under if it does go high. In my experience, at 50-100 yard ranges that I try to keep BPCR shots into, with specific loads my rifle does not go high enough to matter. Obviously in a match at 500 meters, it makes a big difference, but at 50 yards and specific loads, it is more like an inch or two and not enough to worry about. You will want to experiment with loads as some will vary between clean bore and dirty bore more than others. With my Shiloh, 350 gr cast bullets, and 65 grains of black, I hold low in the chest on deer and antelope at 50 yards with my barrel sights, right on at 100, top of back at 150, and if I am feeling confident and have a good rest, a bit over the back at 200. I don't try any further than 200, unless it is a coyote or prairie dog.

The old guys figured it out, I am sure you can too. I hope you try it out as hunting with a bpcr rifle is lots of fun.
Hope this helps, Cody

[powderburner]

Just get real close, dont miss, and use smokeless

[James]

You didn't say what you intend to hunt, if it's with in one hundred yards I wouldn't worry about a clean barrel. My Alaska hunt was a delight with my Sharps.
all 448 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

[Eric Johanen]

James very nice bear! What was you load?

[pacecars]

Find out where it shoots with a clean bore and sight in for that and then see where it shoots dirty. Use black powder and go forth and slay beasts

[mdeland]

I'm hunting caribou and black bear and where I usually get a shot is well over two hundred yards, one was almost 400 and I don't believe I could make the shot regularly in these conditions with a clean bore BPCR. I just will have to get closer and stop shooting across river I reckon. I have the gov't bullet mold Bill says works well so would be using that. I like duplex loads and have good midrange accuracy with the Schmitzer bullet which is not a hunting pill. I need to work up a good load for the 500 grain Gov't bullet in duplex.

[mdeland]

Nice bear James, looks well haired up. Was it fall or spring and was it on fish! I'd guess fall from the hair condition and foliage. I actually prefer black bear meat to caribou or moose if not on garbage or fish. I used some of my rendered bear grease to cook a couple of breakfast meals last week at our annual Territorial muzzle loader matches which is a camp out for me in my favorite pup tent.
I have quite a bit from the last bear and use it on burns. It tasted real good in my breakfast meal of fried potatoes, onions, eggs, bacon and cheese affection-ally know as "Gorilla barf " to my rafting and hunting pards. I noticed right off that it kept the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the cast iron skillet which does not happen with bacon grease. It is really one of the more important side products of a bear harvest. I plan on using it in my BPCR lube in place of the Neatsfoot oil.
A good camp recipe I've heard, when you get a bear down is to get a good amount of fat going in a cup or skillet and when the cracklins start floating throw in some cubed up bear meat and deep fat fry it. The crispy meat and cracklins are worth fighting over I'm told. I'm going to giver a try for sure next time. Probably need to get the back strap sinew as well for bow and arrow making.

[Michael Johnson]

I have taken taken deer and bison with a BPCR. With my 1874 Sharps I have used a MVA soule and aperture front with a post insert with whiteout on the post. Range of animals shot 50-160 yards. Usually hunt with my 100 yard zero and shade up or down as needed. Jones 480 grain flatness atop 70 grains 3Fg Swiss. With my 50-90 Roller, I have gradations scribed at 50 yard intervals out to 300 yards on the rough and ready barrel peep sight and have a Beach sight up front. My most distant shot on an animal was with the Remington on a bison at 262 yards. Jones 550 grain flatness atop 90 grains 1Fg Swiss. I use a Leica rangefinder and believe that knowing the range is critical. I generally would not take a shot beyond 200 yards on wild game, especially in thick cover. I feel there is too big a chance of wounding an animal and not recovering it. I have never not recovered a shot animal.Most of my hunting has been in timber (northwest Montana and Washington state). A white tail deer is a lot smaller target than a bison. When I hunt deer I usually sit leaning against a tree overlooking a clearing and wait for targets of opportunity. My two bison hunts were on the Rockin 7 Ranch in Wyoming. Open rolling land, easy shot at 45 yards with my 1874 45-70 one year, and difficult shot with my Remington 50-90 at 262 yards three years later. All of these were with my blackpowder hand loads. You do need to know where your first shot will hit out of a barrel. I always pre lubed my barrel with a patch as I do before a match anyways.Sometime Mike I need to talk with you about float trips in Alaska for Moose. My son and I are looking at floating the Charlie river for Moose using 40 Mile Air as the bush transport. They did a great job for us on Caribou. I will be using my Kimber Talkeetna 375 H+H, an awesome gun in bear country. - Mike

[mdeland]

Sure, I'll help in any way I can. It would be real hard for me to leave my 280-338 Mauser behind as it is a real killer and I trust it completely. 210 Nosers at 2900 fps do a real job as well as the 225 Hornaday's at a shade over 2800 fps. I use them both regularly for big game shooting.
The trouble with raft hunting is limiting the crap you carry as when you get loaded up with meat there is almost no room for the people. This was two bull caribou and one 400 lbs black bear.

[Michael Johnson]

Pretty full raft Mike! Impressive.

[mdeland]

We were just about loaded in the picture. Chris still needed to put some of his gear in , cover the meat with the blue tarp and set up on the meat pile. There is a 14 foot NRS raft somewhere there under all that crap we had piled into it. We must have looked quite the sight to a couple of other folks we passed on the river. We still had 7-8 hours to float to get back to the highway from where this shot was taken. This also is about where the bear just about got Chris! It was a great hunt and I just noticed I look happy setting there in the pilot chair about to push off.

[James]

That bear was taken with a 50x2 1/2" loaded with 105 grains of two fg Goex, one card, 475 grain cast 1/20 lubed with SPG and federal 215 primer. It was a spring hunt and the bear measured 6 feet nose to tail. The shot was taken at 30 steps when I came around the trail. Hit on the front right upper leg bone and exited at the left hip. No follow up shot needed.

[rdnck]

James, that is a really nice bear and a proper rifle and load. Congratulations on a clean shot and a good trip. Shoot straight, rdnck

[mdeland]

Here are two more shots of the caribou and bear. This one squared 6 foot as well and Chris and I couldn't lift him out of the water so rolled him up bank a bit and butchered him right there. He had a good 2 inches of fat all over him under the hide and was eating well.