Interesting thought, but it never crossed my mind. I hunt with fixed ammo, but I see no reason a guy couldn't breech seat before he started his hunt, and then simply shoot the gun at the end of the day if he didn't see game?
Of course you'd have to make sure the first shot counted! But that's a good idea anyway.

Unless you're hunting prairie dogs at long range why bother? I doubt that the accuracy difference between breach seated and fixed means anything when hunting big game and shooting at reasonable distances.

JS

Well I was thinking having fixed as back up if needed.

I use a wad or filler sometimes which stops the powder spillage.
Extracting the case and replacement is not a hassle.
I have a piece  of copper tube Filled with lead that knocks out the bullet or the odd tight case when let free fall from the muzzle.

I don’t shoot dangerous game.
Maybe a pig.
Yes dancing around trying to breach seat a bullet while dodging slashing tusks might not be all that fun.....except for the onlookers.
I’m more of a sampler of tasty morsels than big game hunter.

Schuetzenmiester wrote on Jul 6^th, 2018 at 2:06am:


In my case, rationale was based on following:
1) Only once in decades of rifle hunting have I needed a second shot. And that was with a turnbolt, which can be easily BSed by removing bolt, so 2nd shot could be as quick as normal.
2) Breech seating is often touted as way to get higher velocities than can be obtained with fixed, while maintaining acceptable chamber pressures. This could be useful if hunting in areas where longer shots at game are likely or if heavier loads are required or more suited. 
3) Reloading with fixed will take no longer than normal, even with single shot rifle.

In practice, especially given that I have two hunting rifles, I take the one offering 200+M range, instead of 150M max, if longer shots are likely. However, longest hunting shot was only 150M max, most are 70-80M or less.

Schuetzenmiester wrote on Jul 6^th, 2018 at 3:51pm:


Maybe, maybe not. In either case, I never had to deal with that cause the group sizes favored fixed ammo quite decisively. 

In real world of my hunting, if target was a turkey, that could easily be a criteria favoring fixed ammo because of small target area of turkey, unless you are willing to ruin the breast meat. For deer or elk shot in heart/lungs, there is not demand for same level of precision. 

Perhaps more important, I have never had time for second shot on deer or elk because they nearly always ran away immediately after shot and collapsed shortly thereafter. SOP is to get off good shot and give shot critter time to fall and die (sometimes 5-10 min) after running less than 100M, sometimes less than 20M, and often no longer in sight. Kinda like using muzzle loader and smoke obscures what critter did.

marlinguy wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 12:08pm:


After over 20 deer & elk, never had that happen. Never heard of it happening from outfitters or hunting buddies. Have shot sleeping foxes that hardly moved after single, instant killing shot.

Well I've only taken 3 elk, but one did the stand there routine, and then finally dropped. Taken over 50 mule deer and had a number of them stand there like they heard a shot, but didn't know what to do until they finally dropped.
Maybe I'm just lucky? Or maybe others are just unlucky? I've never had very many deer stumble off either after being hit? Maybe 3 or 4 that did so. Most just dropped stone dead at the first shot, or maybe kicked and rolled downhill into a draw. Always hated dropping a buck on a steep hillside and then after a clean kill have them kick a little and roll 100 yds. deeper into the draw they stood on!

marlinguy wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 3:36pm:


I once confirmed my cardiac fitness by dragging such a buck about 200M up a very steep slope all by myself. It was an "all 4s" kinda task.

BP wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 4:30pm:

That is one thing you learn quick on the west side of the Cascades, do I really want to do this here? 

svartkruttgris#369 wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 5:49pm:


Western Cascade forests are plenty thick, enough so that when still-hunting through them, shooting light in the mornings is delayed by about 30-45 minutes in the timber, as compared with the open cut areas... and the evening shooting light in the timber disappears by about that same 30-45 minutes earlier than in the open areas.
Cover is also closer in the thick timber, and animals normally don't have to move more than a handful of yards to be hidden.

Closest shot I never got to take was in an elk herd in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The brush was thicker than I expected to get into.  Down low, I could see elk legs all over the place    No way to tell if any of them were legal bulls    No way to get a shot before they were gone if I had known   

Sometimes the snow and ice would get packed so hard between the scope and action I was hunting with a single shot whether I wanted to or not.  Couldn't even unload it at camp until it thawed out. Maybe road hunters have the right idea 

Schuetzenmiester wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 8:06pm:


On a spring trip into mountains in southern Colorado long ago I encountered a sizable herd of elk in a thicket so dense I could see parts of elk all around be but nothing more of them. There was almost no air movement but I was amazed that largish herd would feed all around and past me so close but never sound alarm as they passed. Seemed like they knew I was no threat so far outside hunting season.

Bob,

When out glassing open areas, I've watched animals lock up and freeze, and let people walk right on past very close by them, and without the people ever seeing them, and then watched some animals turn and start following along behind as if asking themselves "What's that human doing?".
Guess at particular times when they're feeling pretty safe, animals just get real curious too.   

At various times of the year when driving on Hwy 12 between White Pass and I-5, there has been heavy fog and elk will come out of the timber to graze close by along the sides of the road. Those times make me glad I don't drive some low-riding plastic/aluminum beercan peanut of a car. If one suddenly ran out in front of you, and you took the legs out from under it, it could come over the hood, through the windshield, and end up in your lap.   

Long ago, while hiking in a relatively high mountain area, we stopped to rest maybe 10M off main trail. Part of reason to stop was a noisy Boy Scout mob behind us. After the BSers had gone by we were surprised and happy to see a herd of Mtn Sheep start peeking up the trail, watching last of BSers go out of sight. Then they slowly crossed maybe 30M away from us. So, we had an interesting half hour or so watching the entire herd go by, including several quite small. Wind was in our favor.

Had we not gotten well off trail before BSers passed, I wonder if we would have seen any of those Mtn Sheep.

Most of my deer and elk hunting has been in Eastern Oregon where there's little or no timber. But shots have been at all ranges from as close as 30 yds. to over 360 yds. 
The first year I began hunting with antique single shots I figured I wanted to get as close as possible, so when we spotted 3 bucks in tall grass, I knew it was going to be tough to get close! 
We were 500 yds. away, and my brother and I got on our bellies and slithered through 3' tall grass for probably 45 minutes! When I felt I was possibly close enough I turned on my back and turned my feet towards the direction we crawled. I readied my rifle and as I sat up I cocked the hammer on my Ballard, only to see 3 bucks staring at me 30 yds. away! 
I quickly picked the one straight in line with my sights and took a shoulder shot. The buck dropped, and the other two trotted off, but stopped to look at their deceased partner as each passed by him. Strangest reaction I'd seen from other bucks in years of hunting. They usually bolt as fast as they can go!
That big buck I had roll down into the draw after what I thought was a perfect shoulder shot, weighed over 200 lbs. on the hoof! Even after field dressing him I wasn't able to drag him up the draw by myself, and my niece's husband wasn't much help except to carry both guns. Every time I stopped he'd start to slide back down, and it wasn't until my brother and my nephew arrived that we were able to drag him to the top where it was all downhill to the truck about 2 miles away!

Here is a picture across from our camp in Slater Creek Colorado showing but a few of the elk herd that hung out there daily. It took three individual frames to capture the entire herd. All though I was hunting with a Ruger #1B I in 6MM Remington I was also only hunting for a real nice mule deer buck. The herd was always there for about the last three years I hunted there but it would also have been like shooting a typical range cow just out feeding in the pasture. So I never bothered to buy an over the counter Cow tag at the time. It just wasn't fair chase hunting to me plus we we're typically gifted a cow from a large family in our group who always killed more animals combined legally than they could actually eat of both elk and deer. The 30 Super H&H flanged was made me think of posting this picture. 

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JLouis

I ate a lot of frog legs myself. Only injury I ever saw my dad get came one night while he was out for frogs. No, he didn't poke himself with the frog gig- he fell off a wet log and broke his arm. He was one helluva bird hunter, too. 
Rabbit is fine, but no squirrel.

Thank-you gentlemen.
Turned into a bit of a off shoot.
But thanks.
I think I’ll shoot breachseated if I feel like it.
First shot anyway if the situation and conditions meat up.
For me it is easier to get better bullet fit and alignment.
I prefer not to work my brass if possible in a couple of guns anyway.
My little ‘ol 310 cadet I have no dies for but I have worked around slightly sizing the necks to thumb seat the heeled bullet for consistent alignment.
One day I’ll enlarge the heel to a proper fit in the case necks ......but it shoots so good breachseated that I’m reluctant to change anything.

As for my high velocity small caliber wonder gun (30-30)
A PP’ed 150-180 grn wizzing along is pretty flat to 150 yards.

A breachseated 120 ,150, 165,170,180 grn grease grooved lubed bullet is pretty good for most anything up to a reasonable stalking distance  on unknowing creatures moving along at a more modest speed.

I mostly shoot paper just for the hell of it these days.
And to keep my eye in.
I am amazed at what can be done with cast bullets at distance.
But I’ll keep the 300 m shots and shooting Rouge soft drink cans as far possible trick shooting to the range where a muffed shot means nothing.

When I grow up I wanna real nice barrell in 30-20 maybe and shoot bug holes at 200yrds.
And all with a 5lb rook and rabbit rifle.
And a cheap 22lr that shoots better than Eley 10x in a brechrest gun with dirt cheap ammo.

Then I wake up

When I prune my bullet trees, I'll send each of you some cuttings.

I won't eat no giant lizard. Never seen a mullet that wasn't some clown's hairdo. Try the frog legs- get enough and the serenade will quiet down.

Cliff Henderson shot a Mule Deer, a Whitetail Deer and a Black Bear with his 205 grain Paul Jones Spitzer in his 14:1 gain twist RKS barrel on a .32 RKS 1885 Winchester High Wall.