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+--- Thread: How'd everybody do last season? (/showthread.php?tid=20877)
How'd everybody do last season? - Plainsman - 03-22-2020
My Howa wasn't ready to go in deer season so I had to use a .308. (Yeah, heresy.) Curious about how Grendlers did, what loads they used, and how they performed. Mine's ready to go now, plus I added one of the Ruger American Predators in 6.5G. Won't be caught napping next time!
How'd everybody do last season? - Drillboss - 03-22-2020
I can't help you much on this season. My wife started deer hunting about 10 years ago. She's taken a couple nice young bucks, but she's really been looking for a trophy ever since. She managed to put this one down this year (albeit, not with a Grendel). http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?20952-Not-a-Grendel-kill-but
We're blessed with having a quarter section with a really good whitetail population with quite a few nice bucks showing up. We just picked up another quarter that looks like it has a lot of potential. That said, I've spent the last few years working really hard on getting her a wall hanger. The crazy thing is, she bagged it when we weren't hunting together. Still, that made me happier than anything I could have shot with my Grendels.
For the last four years though, I've taken a whitetail doe every year with a Grendel AR. I used factory Hornday SST's on all of them. Two ran about 100 yds, one made it about 5 yds, and one dropped in place.
How'd everybody do last season? - FLshooter - 03-22-2020
The RAP will make a good hunting rifle. If you handload try Hornady 129 grain SST.
How'd everybody do last season? - Plainsman - 03-23-2020
I think the RAP will hunt better than the Howa which is heavier and doesnt carry well. Ive also got an extra 2 of bbl to give me a wee tad more FPS. Im loading 123 and 129 Hornady SSTs and 90 gr Nosler HPs and so far am very satisfied with the RAPs accuracy performance. Dont laugh but Ive put an EOTech on it!
How'd everybody do last season? - 1Shot - 03-25-2020
Hunting season was not really good for me this season. I was hunting a new land in the mountains of TN and just learning the land and where the deer move etc. The weather was bad all season. Record heat during bow season and then rain or high wind many days during rifle season. I did manage to catch a doe one evening about 30 minutes before dark come strolling down an old logging road where I was set up. I can sit on my 4 wheeler and watch a hollow below the road that has a laurel thicket that the deer bed in as well as see an intersection where 4 old logging roads cross that the deer travel. I was shooting my AR with 18" Oden Works barrel in 6.5 Grendel. I was shooting a load that consisted of a Hornady case, CCI 450, 28.5 grs. IMR 8208 pushing a 120 Sierra Pro Hunter COAL 2.250 which averages 2550 fps. Deer came walking down the patch into my view at about 80 yards. It finally turned broadside at about 60 yards away intending to head down into the hollow. When I first saw her I cranked the 1 to 8 Primary Arms scope from 1 up to 8 power and slowly raised the rifle to my shoulder. When she turned broadside I was already tracking her in the scope and when she stopped I slowly started my little circle movement I use with the sight point mark as I squeeze the trigger which makes me more accurate while shooting off hand. At the shot she hit the ground like a sack of concrete. I hit her about 1 1/2" higher up on the shoulder than I planned which got the spine good. I was in a hurry when I got her home to process her because it was cold and would be late before I got done so I did a gutless process. I did see that the bullet penetrated the upper onside scapula took out a couple vertebra but did not exit the offside scapula. Since I was in a hurry I did not look for any bullet. From previous usage of this bullet in my 6.5x55 at this velocity range hitting that much bone it most likely completely expanded with the core separating from the fully expanded jacket. I did loose about 2 inches of the tips of the back strap.
I also took a doe during the muzzle loading season. I had a previously agreed to commitment that took me out of town during all but the last day of muzzle loading season. I went to the property at noon the last day and sat in a ladder stand on a ridge where I could watch a logging road as well as the ridge and a hollow to my left. It was a really nice windless warm fall day and the rut was on. I just knew I was going to get a buck that day. I sat in that stand and saw nothing, not even a squirrel, all afternoon. I could not stay in the stand the last about 15 minutes before dark because my bladder felt like it was the size of the Goodyear blimp. I did not want to stink up the hunting area so I got on my 4 wheeler and hurried out to the field where my truck and trailer were parked. As I came out of the woods into the field I look up to my right and there stood this doe about 80 yards away. I stopped the 4 wheeler quickly put on the brake lock but left the engine running because I have learned never turn the engine off and deer usually will not spook much of the time. If you turn it off they spook and are gone. I pulled my old Knight T-bolt magnum 50 cal. out of the gun rack on the front of the 4 wheeler and brought my left leg to the other side so I could sit side saddle. I cranked the scope up to 9 power got on the front shoulder with my little circle movement while starting my trigger squeeze. BOOM went the 80 grs of FFG Triple 7 sending the saboted .452 Hornady 250 gr XTP on it's way. When the smoke cleared the doe was laying dead as a hammer. Perfect shot to the front shoulder. Those Hornady 250s have been wicked on deer for me for over 30 years.
How'd everybody do last season? - Plainsman - 04-01-2020
Nice report. Thanks. Whats the little circle movement?
How'd everybody do last season? - 1Shot - 04-01-2020
Plainsman Wrote:Nice report. Thanks. Whats the little circle movement?
I was coached and taught many years ago by an accomplished high power over the course marksman when I was getting into this style of match shooting about the circle movement. When shooting off hand there is no way that you can keep from having the wobbles. It is impossible to keep the sights steady on the target. So you learn how to minimize and control the movement. By setting you sights for a center hold point of impact instead of a 6 o'clock hold like you can from a supported position which is much more steady you can shoot more bulls eyes. With your sights set for a center hold point of impact you can start a little clock wise circle with the sights held in the center of the bull while at the same time starting your trigger squeeze. When the weapon fires as the surprise it should be you will hit in the bull because your sights were still inside the bull. Thus you have controlled and minimized your sight movement. Another little tip for shooting open sights that I was taught was to take some white paint and put a thin line down the center of your front sight. I placed tape on both sides and leave just a fine line in the middle uncovered to get that thin line. Then as you concentrate on your front sight you concentrate on this little thin white line. Thus it helps you "aim small miss small." Both of these work for rifle as well as pistol shooting.
How'd everybody do last season? - Plainsman - 04-01-2020
Thanks for the explanation.
How'd everybody do last season? - Constitutionalist - 04-04-2020
Shot my first Grendel deer last fall.
A 150lb doe at 125 yds quartering away and standing. Bullet went in the left side breaking the 2nd and 3rd ribs from the back. Out between the right shoulder and the neck with three broken ribs. Dropped in her tracks and slid about 20' down the hill in the snow until she fetched up against a down log. The lungs and blood vessels above the heart were shredded. Once I opened up the the diaphragm I was able to pull the heart and most of the lungs out without cutting.
Load:
Hornady 123gr. SST
CCI 450
27.0gr IMR8208XBR
Hornady brass
2.267"
2440fps
LOVE my Grendels!
John
How'd everybody do last season? - A5BLASTER - 04-04-2020
Let's see.
1st doe/howa mini/85 maker handload/DRT
1st buck/16 inch ar grendel/federal fusion/DRT
2nd doe/16 inch ar grendel/85 maker/DRT
3rd doe/16 inch ar grendel/federal fusion/DRT
2nd buck/ 25 inch cz grendel/129 ablr/ DRT
7 yotes/combo of at and bolt grendels/ combo of 85 Maker and 123 eld-m handloads/DRT
2 bobcats/12.5 inch ar grendel pistol/ 120 gold dot handload/ DRT
11 hogs/ 12.5 inch ar grendel pistol/120 gold dot handload/ DRT
Couple of snakes and a dillo are two as well.
How'd everybody do last season? - gnumadic - 04-09-2020
Like 1Shot said, it was so hot down south that I didn't have a good start come mid-September when bow season began. I did eventually take two does with my crossbow--one in late October and another on Thanksgiving morning. The first was a 40 yard heart shot from a ground blind. The second was a 20 yard double lung hit from an elevated blind. I had kept bow hunting because I was so busy with work that it was easier to hunt small suburban tracts. Then on Jan 2nd when I was able to take some time off work, I took a buck with my 18" AR Grendel at about 100 yards. He was DRT and I was very thankful, because it started raining hard while I was field dressing him. I gave at least one of them away because I ran out of freezer space. Never made it out for small game. And turkey season has been put on hold due to this coronavirus panic.
How'd everybody do last season? - AussieCZ - 04-09-2020
Well we dont have specific hunting seasons here in Australia but before the CV -19 pandemic had us locked inside i managed 11 pigs with my CZ527 MTR using speer 90gr TNT's and starline nickel plated brass backed with 26 grains of 2207 and mag primers. All but one were head/neck shots and DRT, the other was a sow about 55kg that took a shot just behind the shoulder and then ran about 75m.
How'd everybody do last season? - BILLY10MM - 05-03-2020
Using my 18.5" Alexander Arms rifle with a 4-12x40 Nikon I harvested 4 mature does this is season. I used Hornady factory SST's. 2 were at 125 yards, 1 was at 165 yards and the last at 183 yards. All 4 were heart shots. None went further than 20 yards with excellent blood trails.
How'd everybody do last season? - oyster - 05-05-2020
90 hogs and due to depredation permits for some farms way more deer than I feel comfortable posting. Most were shot with 123 AG, then 123 ELD's, 123 SST's and PPU 120's. Shots were from 15 yrd's to 300 yrds avg shot was 100ish, 99% were at night. ATN thermal and Silencerco suppressor. 18" SS AR15Parts.com upper and RRA lower.
Jay