Season is 1 week away and I finally found time to sight in my old Winchester 1885 in 32-40. I've worked up a ladder of loads for the rifle but time didn't allow for trying them out. In the back of the ammo locker was 2 boxes of Load-x 32-40 I bought to get the brass. The first 2 shots were 2" low and 2" left. The next 5 were stacked in the bull, about 1 1/2" group at 50 yards. That's about as good as my old eyes will do with a cheap Marbles tang sight. The 180gr slug crossed the crony at 1700 fps, perfect whitetail medicine for the short range Wisconsin northwoods. My 45-70 will have to sit this one out. This 130 year old rifle is going to the stand with me this year.

I was at my nephew's small farm yesterday helping him wire his new house when we saw a really nice Blacktail buck outside about 25 ft. from the barn just grazing in his apple orchard! After the buck left he told me next weekend that second season deer hunt will start, and his area requires only shotguns or muzzleloaders. He had bought a modern muzzleloader last year, but never knew how to set it up, load it, and get it sighted in. So we stopped work and set up a target at 100 yds., and I showed him how to use his new ML rifle. It's scoped, which is legal for this season coming up, and he had sabot .50's that are around .45 caliber. 
Once we bore sighted it with the breech plug out, we reassembled it, and I fed it a 100 gr. charge, and the 250 gr. sabot bullet. It put 3 shots at 100 yds. in a 1.5" group, which impressed the heck out of me!
Now if that nice 6x6 buck just cooperates and returns anytime Saturday or later! A doe is also legal, but that buck would be a nice mount!

I have been in my deer stand this weekend for our ND opener. Been the slowest year ever after a terrible winter last year. Spend half the time staring at the Hepburn DST 32/40 Rem. that I am hunting with this year. Missed a magnificent fox yesterday at 207 yards, wind got me.

JKR what is your load for that 300 gr cast bullet

Wild thing. The load was 42 grains of Swiss 1 1/2 compressed with a .060” p wad. Bullet was seated a bit short of the lands for easy loading. 
Neil. Yes, that’s big woods in that area. Years ago I built a log cabin on the Chip for a doctor from Eau Claire. I believe it was on Old Bridge Road. Wild country for sure. What’s the Wolf situation there? Do you ever see any of those Clam Lake elk?
JKR

JKR that is almost the same load I shooy. I use 43.5 gr of swiss 1 1/2 with a 310 gr out of a Hoch mould


   

JKR wrote on Nov 12^th, 2023 at 7:45am:


Same here with our place.  I am in Trempealeau county so... Western Uplands and not the Great North.   

I inherited a couple German hunting rifles built on Mauser actions (not really single shots) and will be taking them out this year.  The 45-70 trapdoor will stay inside, but I may take out the 1871 Mauser for a walk or sit at some point.

Jack,

The family farm is on Ryan Radio Road and agree the dèerare abundant.

Charles