Getting ready for deer season.

[Adam Helmer]

We have a week-long muzzleloader antlerless deer season October 15-22, 2005 and the Flintlock deer season December 26-January 14, 2006 here in PA. I have a few favorite muzzleloaders, both flint and cap, that will go afield for deer. To get ready, I have casted up ball and conicals from pure lead and hung some gongs in the woods here on the farm.

I walk my fields and woods and shoot at my gongs from various distances and positions to groove taking the shot during hunting season. I also time how fast I can reload round ball or conical and take a second shot. It is different reloading from a possibles bag rather than from a bench. I shoot just about everyday with the muzzleloaders and must admit I prefer the flinters.

Who else is hunting deer this Fall and are you getting ready?

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I don't know if I will be hunting deer this year, but I hope to be hunting ducks a time or two with my trade musket.....I hope I get a chance to get it to the trap range and practice a time or two.

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

I like hunting small game with my single barrel 12 gauge that fits on the .54 Renegade caplock and the .56 caliber smoothbore that fits on the .45 Hawken flinter.

Last Saturday we had a picnic here at the farm and my 14 year old grandson and his buddy shot a .54 Hawken flinter and a .50 Hawken caplock at gongs. They liked the muzzleloaders so much, they went and got PA muzzleloader licenses and will hunt deer with me in October.

Good luck at trap and ducks.

Adam

[fishdoggydog]

I will be heading west for muzzleloader deer season in CO 9/8/05 and have been shooting. Adam, please forgive my intrusion on this thread, but I will be shooting something other than my old style rifles. My brother is going the sidelock percussion, conical bullet route, it shoots better than his in-line. My biggest thing is beating up my heirloom quality rifles out there, I could care less if the in-line takes a beating.

[Adam Helmer]

fishdoggydog,

Thanks for the post; you are not intruding as we chat here about whatever seems appropriate. I like the flinters and caplocks, but will spend the entire day August 20 at Youth Field Day assisting 150 kids shooting inlines.

I do not own an inline, but shoot them occasionally. I understand what you are saying about saving the vintage arms. Good hunting out West.

Adam

[Drew_CarreyAB]

Hey Adam, I too am trying to get ready for this fall, after HAVING to take last year off due to an MVA. I have got some .457 450gr FN's I am itching to try out (as soon as I get a .454 sizing die). Would you have any suggestions/ starting points that would help me out??? I will be going after cow moose and over a half dozen deer (MD/WT). I have tried the 300gr Barnes and the SST's but I figure that I bought a .457 mould so I might as well try to do things a bit cheaper(basically a buck a shot for storebought rounds compared to hmmmmm 10-20 lead rounds for a buck) Any help would be appriciated, thanks. Brad P.S. Forgot to add that "as cast" they are 457-460ish so I have to use a .457, .454, .451 sizer dies (in that order) to get them into a .451 sized sabot(I realized now too that this shoulda been posted in the modern muzzleloader section but I couldn't resist when you posted LOL) Brad.

[quigleysharps4570]

I'm as ready as I'll ever be. We've 28 more days here.