Had a shot with my 1895 45-70/350 RDFN

[Steelbanger]

After years of carrying a 45-70 on hunts, I finally had a shot this past Tuesday. A small 5 point trotted through the woods I was watching. I stopped him with a sharp whistle as he prepared to cross a small woods road. At a distance of 25-30 yds. I held on his chest and started the squeeze for the shot. As the rifle boomed the buck turned back and bolted about 100 yds to the rear where he entered heavy brush. I was stunned as I expected the deer to fall over dead at the shot, or did I miss?

As I quickly thought the situation over I decided to get down from my stand and check the area where the buck stood for the shot. As I moved to descend I saw flashes of white where the buck had run and to me they looked like death throes. I made my way down the slope, reached the spot where I began to look for sign. With the exception of torn up ground there was no sign of a hit. My phone began to vibrate and it was my son. "Did you get him?" he asked. I told him I wasn't sure and was looking for sign. Then I glanced down and there was a small tuft of long, white hair. To me that meant a low hit possibly at the bottom of the chest. There was some blood, not much but a trail for sure. By this time my son joined in the hunt as we followed the trail. A few more yards and we saw him, piled up beside a windfallen tree. He was dead! I fired at this right side and there was the hole of entry, about 7 inches up from the edge of his chest. We pulled him out and there on the opposite side was the exit hole, also showing an exit on his left shoulder. Turns out that his left foreleg has white hair on the inside and that's where the tuft of hair came from. Now comes the best part, Mike gutted the deer and we autopsied some of the internal organs. The bullet hit and shattered the top of the heart, fragments of whatever was flying around the chest tore both lungs, the bullet exited the right side and then ran through the foreleg. Unfortunately, no bullet or fragments were found.

Looking back at the few deer I have killed with cast bullets, all have dropped on the spot or taken a step before dropping but never anything like this 45-70 reaction. Back in October I killed a doe with the 38-55 that simply fell over dead, then slid to a stop on a steep mountainside. The 45-70 has been the rifle I wanted to kill a deer with and finally it has happened. Maybe these PA deer are too lightly constructed for the projectile used but at any rate I'm finished hunting with it. One shot was enough.

[RBHarter]

I had a similar experience with a load and rifle set up for an ideal shot at 300 yd . The bullet didn't even open up until it was all most out . The end conclusion was that the bullet was just too tough .

The same may be true of your 45-70 . WW isn't always the best choice ,small flat point wont help matters . At even 100 yd I wouldn't expect even a 1-40 bullet to stay inside even a huge deer.

[oscarflytyer]

I am not surprised that it ran when yo said it was a heart shot. Only ones I have had run on me are ones that the heart was hit. All ran farther than any other type of shot.

[RBHarter]

I should also say nice score on the buck.

[Ranch Dog]

Well done Steelbanger! Hard to say what a deer does. I do know that the bullet has a huge flat point. The bottom-line is that you did what you needed to do and followed up!

[Steve]

Good work steelbanger.

[62chevy]

The 45-70 did the job but how many yards did it run.

[Steelbanger]

That buck ran about 100 yds. The strange thing is that he never put his tail down and ran with the white flag showing for his entire speeding away.

[Ranch Dog]

I fired at this right side and there was the hole of entry, about 7 inches up from the edge of his chest. We pulled him out and there on the opposite side was the exit hole, also showing an exit on his left shoulder. Turns out that his left foreleg has white hair on the inside and that's where the tuft of hair came from. Now comes the best part, Mike gutted the deer and we autopsied some of the internal organs. The bullet hit and shattered the top of the heart, fragments of whatever was flying around the chest tore both lungs, the bullet exited the right side and then ran through the foreleg. Unfortunately, no bullet or fragments were found.

That buck ran about 100 yds. The strange thing is that he never put his tail down and ran with the white flag showing for his entire speeding away.

I think the lesson learned here is what you did after the shot and that is that we always follow up with the "follow up" being more than looking around in the area the critter was standing and calling it a miss. I always want to move along their route of travel at least 100 yards, all the feral hog shooting I've done has taught me this, as you will see something if it was a hit if not the critter itself.

The shot you made is my favorite, right across the top of the heart cutting the aorta and clipping the bottom of both lung lobes. The fragments that created additional tissue damage are typically chips of bones.

Our little Wal-Mart just started selling guns again, after a 20 year hiatus, and sitting right there looking at me was a Marlin 1895. I almost bought the durn thing just because I could. I've never been able to buy a levergun in my hometown.

[62chevy]

Walmart selling guns again in a location they had not is a good sign sort of. No 'Black Evil' rifles or hand guns but they still sell the ammo for those gun cheaper than most other places.