38-55 + Antelope = backstraps

[2X22]

Well, I'm back folks! We had things planned to do for a couple days after we LIMITED OUT(!) but my daughter went into labor a week early and gave birth on my 15 hour trip home going as fast as we could, to my 2nd Granddaughter. Got home 5 a.m. and was up cuddling and kissin' on her by 10 a.m. Mother and baby (and dad and sister!) are home now and doing well!

Since my son hasn't got around to sending me any of our pictures yet, here is a link to a short article he wrote up on his favorite website.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index ... 895.0.html

Our buddy is the top fellow on his first out of state hunt ever. To that point all he had ever taken was a spike deer and a calf elk. To say he was excited before, during and after this hunt would be an understatement! He used a .308 Winchester using a 165gr Speer BT that I load for him at about 2750fps. He made a great shot at an estimated 150 yards. At the shot the buck was down without a twitch.

The second picture is of our buddy on the left, I am on the right. And of course, I'm the next one down with my Marlin .38-55. To expand on my my sons version, I stalked him from about a 3/4 of a mile away to get within 300 yards. From there I belly crawled(!) through cactus to get within 230 yards, using my sons range finder. I gotta tell you, that was absolutely a blast! Laying in the cactus on my belly I was VERY certain of my shot and I held about 2" down from the top of his back. At the shot the doe took off to my right and ran about 50 yards and then stopping with the buck staying right with her. I could see blood spraying out from his side. He stood there a few moments and then fell over, not moving. I got up and started toward him and when I got within 100 yards I'll be darned if he didn't raise his head and look at me so I put a quick one through his neck, I sure didn't want to see him suffer. My rifle was sighted in for 1 1/2" high at 100 yards at 650' above sea level and we were hunting at about 5000'. I would guess my bullet dropped about 8". Horizonally it was perfect. The bullet took him right through the top of the heart.

My son stalked his buck from around 2 miles away. It was great to watch! What looked flat as a pancake turned out to have just enough folds in the ground to let him get within less than 200 yards. From there, using a 270 SM it was a cakewalk. And of course my son is the one in the bottom picture.

Though my son gave me grief about taking the 38-55 it was great to rub it into him that *I* made the longest shot of the 3 of us! Of course, I also do the most amount of shooting of the 3 of us, probably 20X as much as the both of them put togather, and was very confident in the rifle, the load and my own abilities with it. It was 30 yards past what I planned but I do a lot of shooting with it out to 300+ yards. I was very very pleased with the Lyman cast bullet. While the buck was only 13" tall it is a record to me because of how I took it.

[C. Cash]

Excellent and congratulations all around.

[86er]

Congratulations - that sounds like a great hunt

[Don McDowell]

Great hunt, thanks for sharing.
I couldn't agree more, the size of the horn doesn't make the trophy, it is the hunt itself that determines the quality of the trophy.
Looks like you must of been hunting up around Buffalo?

[KirkD]

Excellent shot with the 38-55. Glad to see that old cartridge still bringing home the meat.

[.45colt]

Terrific. .

[Nath]

Thats a good way with such an antiquated rifle/cartridge combo

Proud of you.

Blessings to you family.

N.

[2X22]

Thanks guys!

It was very important to me to take it with a levergun. I like doing about 98-99% of my hunting with a levergun and I didn't want this to be any different. At first I had planned to perhaps use my .44 Marlin Cowboy since that is my first love and shoot them so much that I am very very comfortable at fairly long ranges. However, even I will admit that going to a 'long range' levergun over the .44 was a relatively smart move, though I did put the sneak on one that I was close enough, prob'ly 50 yards, that had my .44 Ruger Flattop cocked and lined up. He was just a bit on the small side, maybe 11" so I let him go.

Now for a bull elk out behind the garden with my 444 Marlin, a deer in my home state with a .44 Marlin CB, and maybe I'll be taking my 38-55 back to Wyoming for the late season deer tag I drew

2x22

[Old Savage]

Good work there -- did I miss it on the way through here - what was the bullet and the load?

[Dave]

Looks like you all had a huge time! Congrats!

[2X22]

Thanks, Dave!

Good work there -- did I miss it on the way through here - what was the bullet and the load?

No, you didn't miss it. I used the Lyman 264gr 375449 which weighs 280.5grs from my alloy, ready to load. I use about 75% WW's to 25% pure lead which expands out to .70 in an elk, the only bullet I ever recovered! 32grs of 3031 gives about 1850fps and the last 3 groups I shoot at 100 yards on paper the day before I left were 1 3/4", 1 3/8" and 1 3/8" about 1 1/2" high at 100 yards.

2x22

[Old Savage]

Thanks for the info, that info should be just about right for my 375 Win in a Marlin 375 which I think is the same chambering actually used in your 38-55. More properly stated I believe they chambered the 375 for the short version of the 38-55.

[Griff]

Great! Thanks for sharin'! Congratulations!

[FWiedner]

Wow! Beautiful country.

Good pictures. Looks like you had a terrific hunt.

[RIHMFIRE]

congrats on the backstraps....230yard shot with a 38-55....pretty darn good!

[Whit Spurzon]

Excellent! That is hunting done right, levergun, cast bullet, stalking and an accurate shot. Too cool.

What diameter does that bullet drop from the mold with that alloy?

I've been looking at that mold for a while but wasn't sure it would drop big enough for my 38-55 CB.