My son’s first rifle

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The boy and his new gun got their first deer tonight. So proud of him. He has practiced a lot the last few weeks. We saw this buck at sundown 250 yards out and he wanted to shoot but he was never still and I was worried about the distance. He went to cover along a creek and 15 minutes later came up the creek in front of us. Isaac was on him and shot at 160 yards. He hit the top of his heart and both lungs! The deer went 40 yards.
View attachment 377123

@MAdox.
Who was happier you or him.
I bet it was YOU.
Well done young fella first of many.
Bob

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Nice deer for the young man! What load did he use, and how did you like the performance. I ask as I have the long barred version of that rifle.

 

[Tra3]

Very nice first deer! Good work!
Next step, lessons on how to cook venison.

 

[WAB]

Well done dad!

 

[Ridgewalker]

The boy and his new gun got their first deer tonight. So proud of him. He has practiced a lot the last few weeks. We saw this buck at sundown 250 yards out and he wanted to shoot but he was never still and I was worried about the distance. He went to cover along a creek and 15 minutes later came up the creek in front of us. Isaac was on him and shot at 160 yards. He hit the top of his heart and both lungs! The deer went 40 yards.
View attachment 377123

Excellent! Congratulations to your son and to you for taking him hunting!
The heart lung shot was perfect!

 

[MAdcox]

@MAdox.
Who was happier you or him.
I bet it was YOU.
Well done young fella first of many.
Bob

It would have been a toss up I think. It might of been me when we found him, because I wasn’t sure he hit him. But he was 100% confident and called his shot. He knew we would find him and I was just hoping. There was no blood for the first 30 yards of the track but he kept telling me he hit him on the shoulder. 15 yards further he was dead in the trail shot right through the heart. I was pumped!

 

[MAdcox]

Nice deer for the young man! What load did he use, and how did you like the performance. I ask as I have the long barred version of that rifle.

We used the 123 gr Hornady SST. Performance was perfect. He slipped the ribs on the on side and hit rib on the off side. Quarter sized exit, hole through the top of the heart and lungs were jelly. Deer was 40 yards from the shot.

 

[cls]

Excellent, congrats to all on a job well done.

 

[WAB]

We used the 123 gr Hornady SST. Performance was perfect. He slipped the ribs on the on side and hit rib on the off side. Quarter sized exit, hole through the top of the heart and lungs were jelly. Deer was 40 yards from the shot.

Excellent load. We use it on hogs and it absolutely hammers them. That load shoots sub 2” groups at 300 yards in my AR.

 

[walk-in]

Very nice.

I started both of my sons out with an old pre-64 Winchester 94 in 30-30 with a peep sight. It keeps them honest. They say that here in Alaska the farther from Anchorage you get, the smaller the rifles get. There is a lot of truth to that. Within its limitations, the 30-30 is a fine caribou, moose, and black bear gun, and almost anyone can shoot it well. I'll move my younger son up to a 30-06 next year. He has already killed a caribou with the 30-30, and he'll take it out for spring black bear.

The picture is the younger son's first caribou. It was a general season any bull hunt. We were in the middle of 250-300 caribou with no other hunters in the area....ideal conditions. There were lots of bigger bulls, but he chose 1 that he had a good shot at within his own limitations and with no chance of accidentally hitting a cow or calf behind it. All in all, a very good day.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The boy and his new gun got their first deer tonight. So proud of him. He has practiced a lot the last few weeks. We saw this buck at sundown 250 yards out and he wanted to shoot but he was never still and I was worried about the distance. He went to cover along a creek and 15 minutes later came up the creek in front of us. Isaac was on him and shot at 160 yards. He hit the top of his heart and both lungs! The deer went 40 yards.
View attachment 377123

@MAdox.
Who was happier you or him.
I bet it was YOU.
Well done young fella first of many.
Bob

 

[MAdcox]

Excellent load. We use it on hogs and it absolutely hammers them. That load shoots sub 2” groups at 300 yards in my AR.

I was really shocked that his little short barreled, out of the box rifle shot these so well. Off sand bag at 100 yards I had a 3 shot group that all touched with this load. I wouldn’t have guessed that little rifle to do that. I’m very happy with it and he loves it. Especially now.

 

[walk-in]

I was really shocked that his little short barreled, out of the box rifle shot these so well. Off sand bag at 100 yards I had a 3 shot group that all touched with this load. I wouldn’t have guessed that little rifle to do that. I’m very happy with it and he loves it. Especially now.

He will probably be convinced for years now that the Grendel is the best deer cartridge in the world. My son was the same with the 30-30 after killing his caribou, and I was at that age after killing my first deer with an '06.

 

[WAB]

I was really shocked that his little short barreled, out of the box rifle shot these so well. Off sand bag at 100 yards I had a 3 shot group that all touched with this load. I wouldn’t have guessed that little rifle to do that. I’m very happy with it and he loves it. Especially now.

That is awesome! I’m happy for both of you! May that little rifle be the start of something really great!

 

[kevin masters]

@MAdcox That is awesome! so happy for you and your son. That is the GOOD STUFF!
glad to see the next generation following the footsteps!!!! p.s. Dang nice deer!

 

[MAdcox]

@MAdcox That is awesome! so happy for you and your son. That is the GOOD STUFF!
glad to see the next generation following the footsteps!!!! p.s. Dang nice deer!

Thank you Kevin.
You should have heard the conversation about what we would be doing with it. He said he wants it mounted and I kind of already decided to do that for him, but mom was not eager to spend the money and have another head on the wall. I talked to him about a euro mount or a horn mount on a shield.
His only response was, "But Dad, you mount everything you bring back from Africa."
What do you say to that!
He is being mounted.

 

[typilotguy]

The boy and his new gun got their first deer tonight. So proud of him. He has practiced a lot the last few weeks. We saw this buck at sundown 250 yards out and he wanted to shoot but he was never still and I was worried about the distance. He went to cover along a creek and 15 minutes later came up the creek in front of us. Isaac was on him and shot at 160 yards. He hit the top of his heart and both lungs! The deer went 40 yards.
View attachment 377123

CONGRATULATIONS! It is a memory that will stick with both of you for your lifetimes.

 

[kevin masters]

Thank you Kevin.
You should have heard the conversation about what we would be doing with it. He said he wants it mounted and I kind of already decided to do that for him, but mom was not eager to spend the money and have another head on the wall. I talked to him about a euro mount or a horn mount on a shield.
His only response was, "But Dad, you mount everything you bring back from Africa."
What do you say to that!
He is being mounted.

Fair is fair dad!