Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Cast Boolit Dead Critter Thread?

I tend to do things backwards now and then and my experience with CF lead began in such a way. My beginnings with lead bullets was fairly typical I'd guess. Purchased some and tried them out with a couple different guns with abysmal results. Moved on for several years and just about concurrent with my purchase of a 77/44 I read Paul Matthews' book "The Paper Jacket".

While the 77/44 shot OK with jacketed bullets I was determined to do better and began delving into the affair. Ordered some bullets from Montana Precision Swagging for which they did not have the swage dies, so I fiddled around for a spell and finally they arrived. 300 grain, two boxes, one a flat base and the other a cup base. Right out of the gate they shot well. Only problem was the cup base tended to fare poorly above 1200 fps whereas the flat base was clinking along at about 1600 fps. Seemed like a good load and I stuck with it.



Some time passed and after I retired I had occasion to go hunting in a local game management area and crossed paths with a pack of porkers. First shot hit high shoulder at about 20 yards on a young boar of about 125#. Boom-Flop, case closed. It shattered the shoulder blade, spine and many ribs before devastating the hip and offside ham bone. Came to rest under the skin.


More time passed and I wound up headed to Mississippi for a deer hunt. Went to the range to verify zero and I was pleasantly surprised to see that old ammo loaded 9 years prior still worked.


Arrived at the camp and set about chasing deer. On the evening of our second day it was raining and I figured WTH, the gun is S/S and has a waterproof red dot sight so I went to the woods. Herd of does emerged for my consideration and the largest was about 80 yards out. Lined up and let it rip. Boom-lunge-Flop. She weighed 165# before I put a knife to work. Broke the foreleg going in, 2 ribs, cut the heart in half, 3 ribs on the way out and the offside leg bone before stopping under the hide. Retained weight is ballpark 290 gr.


I've killed a couple of small pigs with the .30 Sneezer and over 150 with .22 RFs, mostly CB shorts. Don't have worthy pics of the Sneezer kills and I've posted the other pigs pics too many times. WTH....


Lead works, don't leave home without it.