- Joined
- Jan 5, 2022
- Messages
- 522
- Reaction score
- 791
My father had this rifle made over 40 years ago, and it had never been fired until last year when he gave it to me and I started shooting it. I took it with me last season a few times but never had a shot at anything. Finally, today was the day. After filing down the front sight about 1/5" I had it dead on at 50 yards. This morning in N IL was a perfect morning- about 20 degrees, and virtually no wind. I saw four deer at about 100 yards through some brush about a half hour after light, then another three about 30 minutes after that following the same trail. At that point I decided to move off the hillside I was hunting on and cut the distance in half. I climbed up in one of the stands on the property and had a doe and her fawn come in around 9:00 AM. She was headed right at me, but fortunately there was a big tree she walked behind, so I had the opportunity to fully cock the hammer without her looking at me when the hammer clicked. Ended up taking what ended up being a perfect shot when she was approximately 40 yards away. She was slightly quartering to- my round ball went in her shoulder and out her lower, opposite side. She ran about 30 yards and went down. I couldn't have been happier if I had shot a big buck. My primary goal this firearm season was to take a deer with this beautiful, custom ML. Thanks to my Dad, and to my neighbor for allowing me to hunt his property with him.