Gunner500 Broken Antler Buck

[Gunner500]

Well Gunner nine feet of penetration through tough muscle and probably a grass filled stomach using the .50 sure dispels the notion that the .50 does not penetrate.

Good going!!
Kurt

Thanks Kurt, and you better believe it'll penetrate, I mashed my little pea brain to bits on figuring out a bullet shape that I thought would penetrate, and penetrate straight in my 22 twist 50-90, sent the drawings up to Steve Brooks.

He cut me a beautiful mould that was right on the money, with six grease grooves and a meplat of .335" it flys amazingly well to 400 yards so far, which is as far as I've correlated the buckhorn barrel sights on my 50.

It weighs 750 grains and leaves my rifle at 1365 fps with 110 grains of OE 2F, I was floored at the level of penetration, you see, this animal was not standing, I believe meat and bone [hanging] or standing with gravity doing what it does makes a bullets job of penetrating easier, kinda pulling everything apart if you will.

If we can try to imagine the "compacted forces" on the meat and bone of an 1800lb animal bedded, then have a bullet enter a compacted ham and completelly traverse thru the animal only to be stopped by the hide of the off shoulder, that's the part that blew me away.

The recovered bullet is sitting right in front of the keyboard I'm typing this reply on, it measures 1.178" long with a .770" expanded nose.

Cant wait to find more heavy game in coming years to use it on, I've got this hunt on video and in pictures, and will relive it many times over.

[Kurt]

If that bullet flies good to 400 yards it will fly good to a 1000.
I will never get to a hunt like yours anymore, but if I did go my .50-90 and the .44-77 Shiloh would be the rifles I would reach for.

Now I'm hunting for the pictures you have hidden.

[Gunner500]

10-4, good to know about the longer flight Kurt, If I can hold good to five or six hundred that will more than enough to cover any game animal I'll ever point that rifle at.

At those ranges, the animal better be BIG, BROADSIDED and standing STILL.

I know someday I'll have to slap some serious leather if I ever find the right 'original' Sharps in 44-77, have read a lot about the cartridge.

If you'll PM me an e-mail address or cell number I'm betting my Wife can retrieve some pics to send you.

[Kurt]

I would like that Gunner. Check your PM.

[Gunner500]

Got it, will see if she can find a couple to send right quick.

[Gunner500]

Pics headed to your e-mail Kurt, dang, my Wife makes sending pics look so easy, I tried to follow along.

[Kurt]

And here is some more of Gunners hunt. And my hat is off to Gunners Wife for experiencing the hunt with him.
Here's a couple pics of the Eland and the Sable, Wife had a blast on this trip, note the hole in the left side last rib of the Eland, that's the second shot I ran up and put into the bull, it was leaking a greenish liquid from a half inch hole, telling us that indeed the first shot went through and wrecked the stomach contents on the way to the shoulder.
       

[Gunner500]

Thank You Kurt, my hats off to my Wife too, my next hunt will be in Mozambique, Buffalo and Leopard will be on the menu, that camp has historically been 'no women allowed' after my PH saw the way my Wife navigated this hunt, she was cordially invited by my PH to join us in Mozambique, I'm very proud of her.

Thanks again for posting the pictures.

Gunner

[Gunner500]

What a great hunt. It’s nice seeing other hunters out using these guns for what they were made for......efficient killing.

It just never gets old does it?

Stephen

Oops, I missed this post Stephen, and NO SIR, it never gets old, in fact, when I gave all my Sharps rifles a good cleaning after season and was loading them back in the safe I felt a depression coming over me, yessir, I'm depressed.

I'll get the holidays out of the way and work caught up, then hope for an invite to RDNCK's place for another weekend of casting bullets and shooting steel out to 500 yards all the while enjoying some his fine Wifes excellent cooking.

[tarbe]

Late to the party, but this thread is worth reviving!

That is one seriously old Eland bull! Well done!

I doubt there is a third safari in store for me, but if there was, I think it would be uber cool to do it with the Sharps!