BPC Shotgun deer

Share your tales (tall or otherwise) of hunting adventures.

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Ted Kramer
Posts: 316
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 2:01 pm
Location: Long Prairie, Minnesota

BPC Shotgun deer

Post by Ted Kramer »

Since I live in Minnesota's "shotgun only" zone, if I want to hunt deer here on my own land I have to use either a muzzle loader, a legal handgun or a shotgun firing a single slug. I won't go into what I think and have told the DNR about allowing a handgun chambered in .308 Winchester, 7mm/08 etc. in the shotgun only zone but not allowing the use of rifles that shoot pistol cartridges. Anyway, for years I have just used a flintlock and was content but thought this year I'd try some slugs loaded over a healthy charge of black powder in my 1897 Winchester.

With just the bead front sight and the shallow groove in the receiver the modified choke barrel printed decent groups of ~4" just a tad left of point of aim at 60 yards which is about the maximum distance of the shots I get here. It would consistently put all shots into a paper plate at 75-80 yards if I held a bit to the right. The load I settled on was 85 gr 2fg GOEX compressed a bit, then a 1/8" over powder wad, a 1/2" lubed fiber wad, then another 1/8" over powder wad with the 1oz. rifled slug on top all held in with a roll crimp in a 2.75" Fiocchi paper hull. (Chamber has been checked and it's 2 3/4")

This past Sunday afternoon, with just about 1/2 hour of light left, this little 6 pointer walked out at what I later stepped off at 118 paces. I knew he was a bit farther than I had planned for so I held the bead high on his shoulder and fired. It was dead calm so the smoke hung there and I couldn't see if he was down or not but a moment later he stumbled off to the left and dropped. The slug entered right behind the ribs on his right side and exited out his left shoulder, so he was quartering away from me at the shot.

Image

The 110 year old Winchester and good old black powder did a fine job.
Brent
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Post by Brent »

That is pretty cool. I don't have the courage (or disdain for life) to hunt in Iowa during the shotgun season, but I do have one of those 97 Winchesters.

What choke is yours?
Just straddling the hard line between "the arrogance of dogmatism and the despair of skepticism"
Ted Kramer
Posts: 316
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 2:01 pm
Location: Long Prairie, Minnesota

Post by Ted Kramer »

Hey, how you doing Brent?

My '97 has a 28" modified choke bbl. It's not the original barrel but still a Winchester. The original was cyl. but has bad pits and doesn't look safe to use.
Brent
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Post by Brent »

I'm doing okay, but I couldn't kill a goose with a paper patched load of #2 Bismuth this weekend. Gave it a go, but never pulled the trigger.

My 97 is a 30" full choke gun. It was my grandfather's and his brother. Then the brother took it to MT and bought hunting licenses from 1917-1923 and put them up the stock under the buttplate.

I don't shoot mine very often but it is a cool gun now and again. Should have used it this weekend. Anything would have worked :(

Brent
Just straddling the hard line between "the arrogance of dogmatism and the despair of skepticism"
bobw
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Post by bobw »

Ted congrats on a fine eating animal and the unique way you did it. Those old 97 are great guns and yours is still working ok to boot. Any ideas about the velocity of the load? bobw
Ted Kramer
Posts: 316
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 2:01 pm
Location: Long Prairie, Minnesota

Post by Ted Kramer »

Thanks Bob. We're looking forward to some good meals off him.

If I get the time, I'll shoot a few rounds over my old Chrony in the next day or two, see what it says and post the results.
Johnny B. Good
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Post by Johnny B. Good »

"PURE DEAD BRILLIANT"!! :wink:
ironramrod
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Post by ironramrod »

Ted K.,

What slug were you using? Casting your own? Congratulations on coming up with a neat idea, and making it work for you; a very nice deer, and that size should be outstanding on your dinner table.

Regards
Ted Kramer
Posts: 316
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 2:01 pm
Location: Long Prairie, Minnesota

Post by Ted Kramer »

The slugs are from Winchester 3" factory loads. A store nearby had 10 boxes of 5ea. of the Super-X 3" 1oz slugs that never sold in several seasons, so I got them for 1/2 price. Not having a 3" chambered 12 gauge, I carefully sliced them at 2 3/4" to remove the slug, then had 2 3/4" hulls for future reloads.
The slugs are a snug slip fit inside the Fiocchi paper hulls and the thickness of the paper hulls makes the jump from the hull to the bore less stressful on the slug (my theory). It seems to work well.
I had thought about getting a Lyman slug mold but they are reportedly way under bore size and need a plastic shot cup. The Winchester and also Federal 1 oz. slugs are right at .730", just right. I don't shoot many of them so when I run out of these, I'll just buy some more and take them apart. Unless of course I come up with some silly silhouette shooting game to use them on, then I don't know what I'll do......
Brent
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Post by Brent »

Sounds like you need a custom mould. :)
Just straddling the hard line between "the arrogance of dogmatism and the despair of skepticism"
Bad Bill
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Post by Bad Bill »

That's one heck of a long shot for a slug! I was impressed at the range with a guy hitting a paper plate consistently with shotgun slugs at 25 yds and you shot at over 100yds :!: With BP. :!:
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