OnHoPr

Deer hunting is like golfing, you need many clubs in the bag for each shot on the course. But, the all around tools would be the 06 and the 12 ga for rifle and shotgun zones respectively.

Irons if required and for nostalgic reasons. Scope for any other hunting because of low light day, morning, evening, brush, range, and identification with point restrictions. Irons can get pretty hard to see with at pass a 100 yards in woods with bifocals.

A ballistics table wouldn't transfer from pasting with word so a couple of phone pics.

Hornady 12 ga SST 300 gr FTX Slug (sabot) Box ballistics Muzzle 50 yds 100 yds 150 yds 200 yds 2000 fps +2.4” +2.7” 0.0” -6.7” These ballistics are for scope axis 1.5” above bore center. The BC of the 300 gr FTX bullet is .200 With the cantilever, the scope axis on my 835 with the rings is a touch (a few thousands) over 2” to the bore center. The winds while shooting at a 100 yds from the 4:00 angle were generally about 8 – 9 mph though 5 – 12 mph laxed to gust from 12:30 to about 4:00, about 4:30 the winds ceased dramatically. Target distance 200 yards, only 3 shots fired at the target so no other explanations would be necessary. If you notice the wind drift of 2.3” at a 100 yards, if that wind drift wasn’t there my bullets would of struck center target. If the wind was the same as earlier the whole length of the 200 yard distance, my bullets would have struck about 5” to the left of center. Group size 2.850” at 200 yards. So with these ballistics, aim point would be at the top of the heart just pass 50 yards to 125 yards. Then from 130 yards to 180 yards aim point would dead on. From 185 yards to 205 yards aim point would be at the high shoulder. Then to about 230 the back hair line would be the hold. That is why I aimed at the top of the orange sticky to hit center bull for the 6.7” drop, roughly the top of the deer’s back so as to drop down in to midsection. I centered my scope for 0 winds to adjust according to the wind under different season conditions. Different height cantilevers would have different ballistic tables along with different ammo. SteveC – basically with your 8.5” is correct in a way. If you look at the 100 yd and 200 yd trajectory table you will see a +2.9” at 100 yd and a -4.9” at 200 yd giving a total of 7.8” of point blank range at 200 yd Maybe you should do better; I have hypertension and wear bifocals. Hornady Ballistics Calculator: Your Input Variables Ballistic Coefficient 0.200 Velocity (ft/s) 2000 Weight (grains) 300 Maximum Range (yds) 300 Interval (yds) 25 Drag Function G1 Sight Height (inches) 2.05 Shooting Angle (degrees) 0 Zero Range (yds) 161 Wind Speed (mph) 9 Wind Angle (degrees) 80 Altitude (ft) 600 Pressure (hg) 29.53 Temperature (F) 80 Humidity (%) 0.85 RANGE(YARDS) VELOCITY(FPS) ENERGY(FT.-LB.) TRAJECTORY(IN) COME UP IN MOA COME UP IN MILS WIND DRIFT(IN) WIND DRIFT IN MOA WIND DRIFT IN MILS Muzzle 2000 2664 -2.1 0 0 0 0 0 25 1911 2433 0.2 -0.6 -0.2 0.2 0.7 0.2 50 1826 2220 1.8 -3.3 -1 0.6 1.1 0.3 75 1743 2024 2.7 -3.4 -1 1.3 1.7 0.5 100 1663 1842 2.9 -2.8 -0.8 2.3 2.2 0.6 125 1586 1676 2.4 -1.8 -0.5 3.7 2.8 0.8 150 1513 1524 0.9 -0.6 -0.2 5.4 3.4 1 175 1443 1386 -1.4 0.8 0.2 7.5 4.1 1.2 200 1376 1262 -4.9 2.3 0.7 9.9 4.7 1.4 225 1314 1150 -9.4 4 1.2 12.8 5.4 1.6 250 1257 1052 -15.2 5.8 1.7 16 6.1 1.8 275 1205 967 -22.4 7.8 2.3 19.7 6.8 2 300 1158 893 -31.1 9.9 2.9 23.8 7.6 2.2 Your Input Variables Ballistic Coefficient 0.200 Velocity (ft/s) 2000 Weight (grains) 300 Maximum Range (yds) 300 Interval (yds) 25 Drag Function G1 Sight Height (inches) 2.05 Shooting Angle (degrees) 0 Zero Range (yds) 161 Wind Speed (mph) 9 Wind Angle (degrees) 80 Altitude (ft) 600 Pressure (hg) 29.53 Temperature (F) 80 Humidity (%) 0.85 RANGE(YARDS) VELOCITY(FPS) ENERGY(FT.-LB.) TRAJECTORY(IN) COME UP IN MOA COME UP IN MILS WIND DRIFT(IN) WIND DRIFT IN MOA WIND DRIFT IN MILS Muzzle 2000 2664 -2.1 0 0 0 0 0 25 1911 2433 0.2 -0.6 -0.2 0.2 0.7 0.2 50 1826 2220 1.8 -3.3 -1 0.6 1.1 0.3 75 1743 2024 2.7 -3.4 -1 1.3 1.7 0.5 100 1663 1842 2.9 -2.8 -0.8 2.3 2.2 0.6 125 1586 1676 2.4 -1.8 -0.5 3.7 2.8 0.8 150 1513 1524 0.9 -0.6 -0.2 5.4 3.4 1 175 1443 1386 -1.4 0.8 0.2 7.5 4.1 1.2 200 1376 1262 -4.9 2.3 0.7 9.9 4.7 1.4 225 1314 1150 -9.4 4 1.2 12.8 5.4 1.6 250 1257 1052 -15.2 5.8 1.7 16 6.1 1.8 275 1205 967 -22.4 7.8 2.3 19.7 6.8 2 300 1158 893 -31.1 9.9 2.9 23.8 7.6 2.2 I haven't heard of anybody doing that with a smoothbore and fosters. TeeBugBS

I'll give that one a thumbs up in the Savage 99, rem pump, or bolt action in good condition. You could still pick them up in the mid 300's. They are one step above the 30-30 in power, distance, and accuracy, plus you can shoot spitzer style bullets out of them for defying the wind. A handloaded 300 savage is a fine woods rifle that can harvest deer at the moderate ranges across the 150 yard gully on the side of the next ridge. 300 yard shooting is not out of the question with a 165 gr Speer BT at 2600 fps with a sight in at 1.5" high at a 100 yards and a 11" drop at 300 with still 1642 lbs of energy (twice the amount than the 30-30) and at the hunting camp they are always eyed when leaning up against a tree in respect for 100 years of service in the whitetail woods. But the price of ammo is about double than the 30-30 though the ammo usually is a bit better in components anyway. The barrels are usually still OK because its not really a blistering round and has mild recoil (just a tad bit more that the 30-30) and most have less than a thousand rounds through them. It wouldn't be out of the question to keep them in a 6" paper plate at 300 yards with one either. Since he is a new shooter it would be a fine weapon for whitetail and have been used on antelope in its heyday with success. I'll say one thing that a 99 that was made in the early part of the last century is still very serviceable today. I still stress the reloading aspect of any weapon though.

Just a bit more confusing info for you Ethan not that I want to since your trying to pick your first deer rifle, but in general the 30-30, (which is not really a bad choice), if you are really trying to get real accuracy for it ( less than 3") out to and just pass a hundred yards might be difficult with most factory ammo offerings. That is if your gonna try to bit a stickler about how you want to shoot. Your just trying to grasp info and make less experienced decisions at this point and you will still ponder when your 60 . There are hunters of all types and each has their own personal preference on how they hunt and what type of terrain they hunt and what types of shots they will take. So in essence you are so to say just starting your own personal data base for your particular style of hunting. If you have good tracking ground and keep your stands where shots don't get much further than a hundred yards then it is a decent standard to learn with. Maybe bubba could elaborate a bit more on the subject, he has a touch of grey in his beard. Culvercreek hunt club also mentioned the availability of reduced loads for your initial inquisition.

Hey Ethan, when I was 14 I picked out an 06. I was 5' 11" and 180 lbs and it was to much to start with, even with shooting quite a bit of clay pigeons with the shotguns. I really didn't get accustomed to the gun until about 18. I went out and bought a 30-30. There are more differences in the way the stock fits you than the debate over which of the 270 or 06 has more or less recoil. I would like to suggest the 260 rem or 7-08 just so you don't pick up bad shooting flinches especially if you use factory ammo. But, if you decide to start learning (recommended) to reload THEN THE 30-06. You can take a softer bullet like the Speer 150 or 165 gr BT and load it to about 2600 to 2700 fps and the recoil will be quite manageable (just a touch over a 30-30), lower than the 308 factory. Then when you get more familiar with YOUR rifle you can crank it up to max loads. Just for example, take a look at the ballistics of pushing just a regular standard decent bullet like the Speer 165 gr BT 2900 fps (maybe not the best bullet for under a 100 yd shooting at those speeds but the aforementioned speeds) and then of the 270 different types of factory ammo that you would get at a walmart like establishment. In that case the 270 isn't flatter or really faster and doesn't hit as hard and really doesn't have that less of recoil with decent stock fit, especially if you can't hit a deer at 300 yards. Throughout the years with the 06 in overall shootings in different scenarios you will have less tracking. Just for the heck of it hopefully without getting pressure to change your choice of gun from outside influences what is your choice of weaponry. I really don't mean to throw you off with the 30-06 / 270 decision with the 260 or 7-08 but if you take a thought about those then maybe the gun that you had in mind might be of to long of action for those chamberings and something of the like could be thought of.

Experience is not necessarily all "that" because of region to region deer differentiate depending on the herd, terrain, and pressure.Hunters with only a few notches in their gun stock but hunted in hard hunted public land their whole lives with "experience" and seen newbies take game easily and yearly because of the land they hunted on was game rich. So who is to know. There are some things that can be favored in particular scenarios.

Gun not for sale but Accuizing Slug Shotgun Kits. The kit will make YOUR gun shoot better. http://www.oneholeproducts.com

Well, went to Ortonville Range (MI) yesterday (10/4/13) to do a little shooting with the slug gun. The wind was from 4:00 about 9 mph fluctuating from 5 to 12 mph. Did a bit of shooting at the 50 yd range then I went to the 100 yd range. I tried a few different ammo types during the afternoon. The range closes at 5:00, last shot 4:45, so just before 4:00 I moved my gear down to the 200 yard range and then put up a target. About 4:30 I took three shots, the wind settled down and with the trees on the right side of the range it was quite calmer than earlier in the day. Here’s my first three shot group at 200 yards with the Mossy 835. The scope was set up for a 2 MOA wind drift at 100 yards from the right. I was expecting a little more drop compared to the ballistics on the Hornady ammo box. Equipment: Mossberg 835 with Trophy Slugster barrel Gander Mountain Guide Series 3 x 9 Scope Hornady 12 ga 300 gr SST One Hole Products Accurizing Slug Shotgun Kit Model MOSS001

Fresh backstraps, good job.

It might not be pretty but I just electric taped a couple of pieces of heater hose and a piece of soft foam pipe insulation to bring my cheek weld up to the scope.

It's decent rifle for deer hunting. The 170 gr bullets will do well, and a touch better than the 30-30, but hardly enough to tell the difference. You can put a scope on it with a Weaver side mount without harm. Just don't get into the real thick water terrain because tracking might be difficult.

A fresh can of Coppenhagen straight cut if there's a fresh can I can find during gun season will be in the backpack. It will last all season. Good stuff, but the only time I chew anymore is during gun season. Yes, it has the possibilities of spooking deer at times,but so does a lot of other stuff like 3 day old underwear. The five point I shot last opening day was laying on the ground as I smoked a cig above it about to do the field dressing chores and another buck of a scraggly 6,7, or 8 pts (even with scope I really couldn't tell at 45 yd) came slipping towards me. It didn't really even notice me standing there in hunter orange bibs and smoldering cig on the ground until about 40 yd when it did the stop and stare routine for a bit until gingerly pranced and loped off.

When you're done at the range give the barrel a few wet patch passes. Once you get home and do the full cleaning program I heard that WD40 will help take out the water moisture in the wet barrel then apply our oil, grease, or lube. Shooters Choice rust preventive does a decent job and I've used Precision Lube 2000 before. I've been thinking about using white gas, AKA Coleman fuel, or the Anti Gas line freeze for your car stuff because it absorbs and has water deplacement properties.

Well, IMHO that is what I have notice in the areas where I hunt, hard hunted public land. On bright moons I will see less deer in the evening compared to dull moons where the deer seem to move more after the sun goes down but still light and until you can't see your pins well enough. It also depends on where the studies were made. They could have been made in one of those fenced college or game commission study compounds and not on public hunting ground. I will agree with you that weather and actual fall time lines as for example the rut has more to do with sightings. Also, day and night duration has more to do with certain activities regardless of the weather.

Use a lead sled while testing and sighting in for the 12 ga. It will generally provide more range more power and repeat shots faster and can be just as or just about as accurate the H&R. I believe there are more different types of ammo available for it also, especially more in the line of velocity and the recoil spectrum. . I also think that shots on game are not noticed like they are from the bench. There are definitely more reloading consumables made for it.

Why don't you give one of these a try to tighten up your groups on your slug guns. My new website

Just for the heck of it, when you go to the range with your slug gun and sight in what is your process? Obviously if you have a favored load you use that to sight in with, but what if your load has been discontinued like the rem buckhammers, the product has changed like the SST's a year or two ago, or out of stock in your area and you take couple or multiple purchased loads to the bench to test. Do your try to sight in for bullseye with each one or just use a large piece of paper and a single bull to test for groups sighting at the single bull and measuring groups from each load no matter wear the individual groups might be. Then your gun chooses the best load and you sight in with that particular load.

They do make a Mossberg 535 combo with three barrels, the two you mentioned along with a cantilever slug barrel.

Afternoons mostly during the whole season, a few morning hunts on the weekends, and during the rut along with certain weather conditions and moon phases, midday will come into play.

If it has enough meat or stock at the breach end then you could maybe have it drilled & tapped for a scope mount base to put a simple 4x scope on it for some type of sighting system just like the USH. With federal truballs it just might make a decent 50 to 75 yard slug gun.

That's some fine shooting to decipher an inch at 30 and 40 yards. I wish I could keep my bow arm that steady. I have definitely seen good groups at those ranges though. Do your pins have to be lined up vertically or is that a sign of a well tuned bow. I know I've always had a slight angle to the vertical on my pins as the distance increased. Or could that be a sign of improper form or some type of limb cant, bow problem, or arrow problem.

Roughly twenty years ago while bow hunting in early November, I was sitting in a tree stand rattling & grunting every once in a while. It had just started snowing that morning and I put on the Game Tracker equipment. In fresh snowing with the possibility of melting, drizzle, off and on light rains, and approaching bad weather I used that equipment back when I bowhunted more often. It might not work picture perfect all of the time, but it is definitely helpful. At twenty yards with a 70# bow and 550 gr arrows the Game Tracker string had little effect, but at 30 yards the drag effect started to show as I found out with even the top bows at the time. About noon I caught movement off to my back right hand side and turned to look. It was a Good buck for the area, which went to a scape and did his pissing and licking branch thing. When he started to walk away at about 29 good paces I let one fly and seen the arrow breeze just right below him next to the front leg. He did the the quick bound a few times and stopped and started looking around. I then saw that my Game tracker string was laying on a slightly jiggling jackpine branch about the size of the ink tube inside a pen about 20 feet in front of me. The arrow flew straight and I used the correct pin, it was just the string started to lay with the arc of the arrow and caught the branch dragging the arrow speed down enough to miss. Darn, I would have like to got that one.