I shot my first big-bore air rifle this afternoon. A friend (Eric Henderson
Bigbore Airguns.com ) promotes Big-Bore air rifle hunting. He offered to meet me here at the farm and let me shoot his rifle(s) and then if I wanted, he said he'd take me out for a whitetail hunt and film the action.
It was a bit cooler today (it's predicted to snow some tonight) with rain and drizzle so several guys I'd invited to come shoot the air rifles did not make the trip. Scott, one of our county Game Wardens/Conservation Agents came by and shot the guns very well! I also shot the guns and did great at the range.
Like me, Scott had never seen a big-bore air rifle and wanted to see how they worked, what "noise" they produced (no, they are not a poacher's dream gun...they are about half as loud as a muzzle-loader), and to know how to deal with one of these rifles since Missouri has legalized the use of these guns (.40 caliber and larger) during the firearms season. BTW...Missouri is only one of three states that has legalized their use on large game.
After a successful trip to the range, Eric and I took to the field. About 4:30pm a decent buck came into view. I was able to make a good shot on the deer at 91 (range finder) yards. It went about 20 steps and went down. I used a 200gr. muzzle-loading (pure lead) bullet that was found in the opposite shoulder, just under the hide. I'm very happy with the gun and the bullet penetration. I used a Quackenbush long action Outlaw. A 500fpe .458 caliber hunting rifle. It's got beautiful a beautiful Missouri Black Walnut stock and the workmanship is outstanding. Made right here in Missouri by Dennis Quackenbush, Urbana, MO. I'm going to order one with a left-handed action & stock.
Here's a couple pics. I am looking forward to another air rifle hunt! The entire hunt was caught on tape. I'm looking forward to having a copy of the video!
Bob
Air rifle(s)...for deer? You bet!!
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