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Post by bigbore5 on Nov 23, 2024 5:47:06 GMT -5
It's opening day for gun season here in my part of NC this morning. I'm sitting here waiting for the coffee to finish brewing and thinking back on 40+ years of worth of opening day.
When I was a kid, opening morning was a very big deal in the agricultural area I was raised in. All of the boys had clamored on about it the prior week. My old 30-30 had been wiped down every day with the assurance that a huge 12pt buck like I saw in the magazines would just walk up waiting to be taken.
Today I will be carrying my customized 45 Colt Blackhawk. It's hands down the most accurate revolver that I have ever owned. I'm especially proud because I am the builder. The only things I didn't do were to have 2dogs correct the cylinder throats and Chigs did the Elmwood burl grips that perfectly fit the Wells Hager BB5 gripframe. It's not finished completely out yet. The devastation from the flooding in the mountains has prevented me from doing the final polish and blue, but it functions and shoots exactly as intended.
My loads today will be carefully assembled handloads perfectly tailored to this gun I have spent many hours getting it to where it is. NEI 45 315gr swc on H-110. Linebaugh's big game load. Not really needed for deer, but it's the most accurate load I have found for this gun yet. Bullets cast from lead I got from axman. The mold also came from a member here, 45man maybe? My memory isn't the best. The powdercoat is from Trey.
The trigger job on this gun came out perfectly crisp and clean following instructions provided by Mr Bradshaw. 2 pounds pull on the nose.
So as I set out for my blind this morning, I am not really going alone. I am taking little pieces of many members of this great forum with me and I am appreciative to all of the wonderful people that are now a part of my life. Thank you all.
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Post by bula on Nov 23, 2024 5:55:51 GMT -5
Be safe, carry all of our luck with you.
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Post by creekbottom on Nov 23, 2024 5:59:34 GMT -5
You must be not too far from me. I too am heading out for opening day, but my choice this morning is a 41 mag Blackhawk that I did all the work on. It’s very satisfying to go hunting with a gun you have worked over and know inside and out. Good luck!
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Post by bigbore5 on Nov 23, 2024 6:03:20 GMT -5
You must be not too far from me. I too am heading out for opening day, but my choice this morning is a 41 mag Blackhawk that I did all the work on. It’s very satisfying to go hunting with a gun you have worked over and know inside and out. Good luck! Gaston county. |
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Post by creekbottom on Nov 23, 2024 6:10:27 GMT -5
You must be not too far from me. I too am heading out for opening day, but my choice this morning is a 41 mag Blackhawk that I did all the work on. It’s very satisfying to go hunting with a gun you have worked over and know inside and out. Good luck! Gaston county. I’m up in Wilkes County |
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Post by contender on Nov 23, 2024 7:53:53 GMT -5
Good luck my friend!
As noted,, our firearm season opens today. And I'll have to wait until the afternoon. I have to run a USPSA match at my range today first.
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Post by messybear on Nov 23, 2024 8:44:49 GMT -5
Good luck!!
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Post by bigbrowndog on Nov 23, 2024 9:51:23 GMT -5
Just like it was last week, I recall sitting around our little outdoor lunch area with my group of friends in high school. Talking of “our” hunting leases and what guns, calibers and ammo we’d be using, those whose parents reloaded would speak of bullets not yet available in factory ammo. I remember one buddy who had permission to carry his dad’s Diamondback 22 while hunting, and another whose dad had an xp100. At the time my “deer” guns were a Marlin 336 in 32WS and a Savage 99 in 300sav. That was the late 70’s and early 80’s, now the Marlin is my 50AK and the 99 sits in the safe waiting for its next use. Good times and good memories, Good Luck guys, stay safe and shoot straight.
Trapr
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Post by leftysixgun on Nov 23, 2024 14:21:51 GMT -5
TN and AL opened today and I was blessed to shoot a nice doe at 52yds with my custom 475 Linebaugh!! 🤠🤠
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Post by parallaxbill on Nov 23, 2024 16:01:54 GMT -5
From another Carolina boy, best of luck to you!
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Post by bigbore5 on Nov 23, 2024 20:45:53 GMT -5
Saw the bear that likes hanging around here, but it didn't give me a clear shot. No deer though. There's always tomorrow..
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Post by contender on Nov 23, 2024 23:07:21 GMT -5
I started deer hunting with a firearm at age 11. It took me until I was 16 to bag my first deer. (That was 50 years ago.) And in these last 50 years,, there have been very, very few opening days that I was NOT in the woods first thing.
Tradition.
Well, today,, I had to run a USPSA match on my range,, so,,, no early hunting. But once the match was over,, I went home,, changed clothes,, grabbed my Contender,, and to the woods I went. I didn't have time to go very deep in my area due to time. So,, I went to a stand near the gun range.
I'm allowed (2) antlered deer per season,, and (4) does. And having cameras all around my property,, I have a decent idea of what I may see here. Well, about 5:40 pm,, I caught silent movement,, and a young, but nice 7 pointer slipped into an opening. Not huge, but classically good looking. Gave me the kind of poses that we see in magazines. Upright, alert,, and picture perfect.
Knowing I have at least (4) other bucks bigger,, and actually hoping for a doe,, I just enjoyed watching him slip around & feed a little. It got dark soon enough,, and giving him plenty of time to be on his way,, I quietly slipped away myself.
It was a good day!
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Post by sixshot on Nov 24, 2024 2:04:12 GMT -5
Good luck to all of you, and remember, without photo's it didn't happen. Tyrone put that 7/30 Contender on the shelf, you've only taken 150 deer with it & grab one of those 200 Ruger revolvers & shoot a deer, I'm betting on you!
Dick
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Post by bula on Nov 24, 2024 7:13:41 GMT -5
Had plans to rifle hunt bear the days from the opener yesterday to Tuesday coming. Home for T-day, then back to camp Friday for the Saturday deer opener. But a recently brought home rescue dog chewed herself loose and has been lost since last Sunday am.. Bear hunting cancelled. Then just Tues last my wife's stress tests and EKG got us an urgent next day call, a procedure this coming Wed to fix. We are exhausted, loss of sleep, etc.. I've a nephew to come up from VA to hunt with me, a 1st time thing. He is hubby to fav niece. All want me to not cancel that trip. Sigh. My wife has has 2 procedures, one went well, the other, she was given a drug she was not supposed to have, nearly bled out and near an extra week in hospital at that time. IF NO ERRORS or complications, I may go to camp to hunt deer. I wish all here to be SAFE, and those here not hunting, to share, pool our luck, and channel it out to those afield.
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Post by contender on Nov 24, 2024 10:03:32 GMT -5
bula,, prayers up for your wife & hopefully things take a big upswing ASAP!
Dick,, I have taken a lot of deer with the Contender for sure. It's a trusted friend. And I've been carrying my El Dorado for bear,, only,, as I wan to make it's first kill a special one. Either an elk, bear, or mulie etc.
And I've also been trying to get my .357 Maxi back into a good feel in my hands. I took that deer last year with it,, and I want to do another one or two this year,, but I can't seem to settle down & get good groups since I put the RW g/f under it. I know it has to be me,, but I want to be sure that the operator can do it before I carry it afield. I just haven't had the time to settle down on the range & make myself happy with it yet. I KNOW what IT can do,, so it has to be the operator.
I'm going to be butchering up my deer from the other day this afternoon. Back to the woods Monday!
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