Getting kind of bored with modern rifles and fretting to take a group from 3/4" to 1/2". Seems like just about any quality modern bolt rifle will turn in a 1" 3 shot group with a decent scope and ammo and with a little reloading often pretty easy to shrink that. Seems I spend considerable time getting set up to shoot 400 yards and usually shoot my deer at under 200. So with that in mind I'm considering taking a step or two back and trying some single shot rifles with open/peep sights.
I have an itch for something like a Winchester 1885 Traditional hunter in a classic caliber like 38-55. 45-70 seems to be the standard but it would be nice to have something a bit smaller and more economical as well as less punishing to shoot. A Sharps is not off the table but I think I'd rather have something of reasonable weight where I could actually pack it for a deer in the fall as well as have fun plinking with it during the spring and summer. Some of the 1885's, Rolling Blocks and Sharps etc. I have seen have been chambered in 45Colt or 44-40 - those may be fun. I don't think I want to go the BP route but it would be nice to keep as an option.
Cost is a hurdle in this possible effort. There does not seem to be many options to test the waters economically. So I'm asking around before I jump in the deep end.
Anyone else been down this road? What did you discover? Pitfalls? Worth doing or am I nuts?
It is entirely possible that it's the middle of winter and I'm bored and daydreaming about guns again.............
I'm way late to this..
But I found this civil war musket issued to NJ troops. Had been bored to smoothbore after the war. I have all the modern stuff but I bought this for fun. .62 bore basically. Patched round balls. No rear sight. Deadly on deer/pigs out to about 40 yards as is. IF it goes off which it doesn't always do. Just would like to find someone that could make the ignition right. I shoot shot charges in it at times too.
Nuts. Nope. Just having fun.
We have shot game with just about anything you can think of short of a spear. And I"ve tried that on pigs but they were not bayed up, we were stalking, I don't throw fast enough evidently... And thats from spitting distances and we have gear and have done game to almost 1000 yards too. All exciting in their own ways.
