Old reloads perform

[PapaG]

Back at the turn of the century, this one, Illinois legalized handguns for late season deer hunting, with certain restrictions. I immediately started working up loads for my Model 29 and arrived at a 240 grain jacketed hollow point (small, shallow cavity) and 21.5 grains of old Hercules 2400 powder. My gift to myself at retirement was a chronograph. These hit about 1300 fps. The last time I loaded any was 2004.
Flash forward to this year. Now we can use single shot rifles with straight wall cases. I found most of a box of these old loads. CVA Scout, 3-9 scope and I'm getting just under 1600.
Yesterday, about 4 pm a buck is dumb enough to show himself on the hill behind my tower, which my son and I built about ten years back and which he and the nephews graciously closed in, insulated and put windows in for their old benefactor. 68 yards out I had him in my crosshairs, he stepped into an opening, John Boy grunted him to a stop and I shot. Fifty yard run and down. John saw the hair fly from the spot I'd chosen. Double lung, through and through, half inch entry, one inch exit and a hole through both lungs you could (and he did) put a fist through.
I've got about a dozen of these left but I think I've got part of a box of the bullets too.
19 year old ammo, new gun, ancient hunter, luck and success.
Next year, January, I'm hoping to have a load for my NEF 45-70.

 

[splattergun]

Great outcome! That's why we reload; to do the best we can with the tools we got.
I might add, venison killed with our handloads always tastes better.

 

[sparkyv]

Nice assist, John Boy! I consider 2400 my 44RM nostalgia powder. Worked great back in the 50's, still good today.

 

[PapaG]

I still have a few square 1# cans of Hercules 2400, Unique and Bullseye, all sealed and properly stored. Data maintained for my boys who, I'm afraid, will have to figure out what to do with it in a few years.

 

[41 Mag]

That's a good load, I've shot buckets of em through my Redhawk. Congrats on tha venison as well.

I picked up a Henry in 44mag year before last. I settled on the 240gr weight as well. I'm loading over some pull down powder from years back but it shoots good and accurate..

To date I have not used it on anything but paper. The oldest grandson took a nice hog not long after we worked up the load, and the middle one got a nice buck off a 10acre plot we have last year,

 

[geo57]

Back at the turn of the century, this one, Illinois legalized handguns for late season deer hunting, with certain restrictions. I immediately started working up loads for my Model 29 and arrived at a 240 grain jacketed hollow point (small, shallow cavity) and 21.5 grains of old Hercules 2400 powder. My gift to myself at retirement was a chronograph. These hit about 1300 fps. The last time I loaded any was 2004.
Flash forward to this year. Now we can use single shot rifles with straight wall cases. I found most of a box of these old loads. CVA Scout, 3-9 scope and I'm getting just under 1600.
Yesterday, about 4 pm a buck is dumb enough to show himself on the hill behind my tower, which my son and I built about ten years back and which he and the nephews graciously closed in, insulated and put windows in for their old benefactor. 68 yards out I had him in my crosshairs, he stepped into an opening, John Boy grunted him to a stop and I shot. Fifty yard run and down. John saw the hair fly from the spot I'd chosen. Double lung, through and through, half inch entry, one inch exit and a hole through both lungs you could (and he did) put a fist through.
I've got about a dozen of these left but I think I've got part of a box of the bullets too.
19 year old ammo, new gun, ancient hunter, luck and success.
Next year, January, I'm hoping to have a load for my NEF 45-70.

Congrats. Pics ?

FWIW, on your hopeful 45-70 load, I too had an NEF Handi Rifle in 45-70. It never saw a factory round. I had great success with a 300 gr. JHP on top of 50.0 grs of IMR 30-31 and a 405 gr. JSP on top of 34.0 grs. of IMR 4198. Those recipes accounted for 8 head of whitetail. This was my best 45-70 buck and was taken with the 300 gr. load.