# the Razorback strikes again!



## nickE10mm (Nov 14, 2010)

Hey all... just thought I'd post a pic of a nice buck I snagged here on opening day here in SW Missouri.  

I had been in my climber about 15 feet up on a ridge in the deep woods in my hunting area since about first light, maybe 6:15am.  It had been a slow morning with not much forest activity other than some gusty winds.  I hadn't seen a single squirrel or any other animal all morning.  Around 8:30-8:40am, all at once, I caught the fleeting glimpse of a line of five to six does running from my 2 o'clock to my 10 o'clock about 50 yards out through lots of brush.  Behind them was a buck with a decent sized body and a smaller rack (common here in this area (due to lack of nutrients or simply total deer numbers, we believe).  My heart started pumping and I cursed to myself that I hadn't seen them come up in the draw and over the ridge I was on.  I quickly grabbed my grunt tube and let out a few grunts brrrrp bbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp brrrrrrrrrrrrrp brrrrp brrrrp and quickly let go of my call to ready for any potention new shot in the next few minutes or hours.  Not 5 minutes after all of this, I spot a deer coming towards me through the thick brush about 45 yards over the ridge to me.  Heart REALLY pounding now, I extend my arms a bit and snick off the safety to my Dan Wesson Razorback and settle in a bit just in case I get a good shot.  I tell myself.... CHILL OUT, BREATHE SLOWLY... concentrate on what I've been practicing at the range for the last two months... breaathhe...... by now the buck that's coming in is walking slowly and putting his nose down to smell... but he's coming almost directly at me!  At about 25-30 yards he stops and turns broadside.... once again, my heart is pounding so hard at this point that I can see it in my vision. He slowwwly takes steps moving to my right, broadside and stopping frequently.  I find a hole in the brush and place my front Fiber Optic sight on his front right shoulder and concentrate on both IT as well as the hole in my brush and the buck's movement (and any pauses in that movement).  At just the right time, I veryyyy easily start rearward pressure on the trigger and wait on the surprise break and following recoil.  At the report of the Doubletap 200gr XTP 10mm load, my 1911 recoils hard and, when it returns to battery, the buck is down hard and has dropped like a stone with this shot to the upper chest lower neck area.  Not a perfectly optimal area but apparently, quite effective in this case. I take some more breaths and try to catch my breath and steady my hand due to the rush and sit there another few minutes to calm myself before even ATTEMPTING to pull out my phone and call my hunting partner to let him know of my harvest.  I ended up taking one more shot because I saw the buck try and lift his head about a minute after the first shot.  The second shot, placed as carefully as the first, impacted in the center of the chest. After about 10 minutes (and seeing no movement) I took my time climbing down the tree I was in and walked up to my deer.  The first shot appeared to have exited, however, the first shot did not (at least that I could tell).  Honestly, I think I might switch to Doubletap's 200gr Beartooth WFN load as I want all of my shots to penetrate and exit EVERY TIME.  While the XTP did a fine job putting this decently sized deer down, I'm concerned that his heavier bone structure might have stopped the XTP short (on the second shot) just a tiny bit. (Normally, I dress, skin, quarter, and butcher my own deer, however, this year I was unable to hang this guy anywhere and had no time to do the butchering so we took him in to be processed.  I probably won't find out where the bullet went because of this).  Still, it's important to note that the XTP did a fine job. I just want an exit every time, even through bones.

Here are a few pics... hope you enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicke10mm/5174571752/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicke10mm/5174571740/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicke10mm/5174571762/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicke10mm/5174571780/


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## HandgunHTR (Nov 14, 2010)

Good story Nick, however I can't see the pics.  Just the red "X".


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## ranger374 (Nov 14, 2010)

ohhh the dreaded red "X"


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## nickE10mm (Nov 14, 2010)

HandgunHTR said:


> Good story Nick, however I can't see the pics.  Just the red "X".



Sorry there, guys.... I've corrected the links.  Hope this helps.


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## midwayman (Nov 16, 2010)

congrats on your buck man. My wife/santa claus bought me a delta elite last year for christmas and I killed my first pistol deer a couple weeks ago. I load the double tap 230g WFN over a healthy dose of blue dot and it seems to do the job quite well.  I shot my deer quartering in the front of the shoulder and had a nice exit at the back of the ribs on the other side.   I bought some 200g xtp's and some 200g WFN but have yet to try those.


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## nickE10mm (Nov 16, 2010)

midwayman said:


> congrats on your buck man. My wife/santa claus bought me a delta elite last year for christmas and I killed my first pistol deer a couple weeks ago. I load the double tap 230g WFN over a healthy dose of blue dot and it seems to do the job quite well.  I shot my deer quartering in the front of the shoulder and had a nice exit at the back of the ribs on the other side.   I bought some 200g xtp's and some 200g WFN but have yet to try those.



Thanks and good deal on the Delta!

I'll probably switch to the BTB for this week when I go out again... I want more penetration! Giggity


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## midwayman (Nov 16, 2010)

side note on the xtp's, I hunt primarily with an old ruger 44 carbine and all i shoot through it is the 240g xtp's.  I shot a 200lb sow last year with it in the shoulder and it did not exit.  It folded her up pretty good and the lungs were mush, but no exit.  No prob with deer though, its killed a pile of 'em!


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## nickE10mm (Nov 16, 2010)

midwayman said:


> side note on the xtp's, I hunt primarily with an old ruger 44 carbine and all i shoot through it is the 240g xtp's.  I shot a 200lb sow last year with it in the shoulder and it did not exit.  It folded her up pretty good and the lungs were mush, but no exit.  No prob with deer though, its killed a pile of 'em!



Yep... them XTP's have been good for me in 10mm and 44mag both.  I have no doubt that the XTP is almost perfect for whitetail because of the expansion, however, a nice wide flat nosed Beartooth load running at full-tilt-boogie is what I'm using for the rest of the season... just in case.


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## 7dawg9 (Nov 17, 2010)

*Razorback*

What's the max distance y'all would use that 10mm?


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## nickE10mm (Nov 17, 2010)

redurham said:


> What's the max distance y'all would use that 10mm?



Good question. It would all come down to how far I could accurately make my shots. The 10mm, hot loaded, could feasibly take deer sized game at 100 yards, but making humane and accurate hits at that distance at that range is another story. Keep in mind that the point of handgun hunting is getting close to your quarry ... Like bowhunting range, so keep this in mind. 

I personally know that I can keep all of my shots within a 6" circle from field positions at 50 yards ... And I practice a lot. I actually try to keep my range to less than 50y. Most of my shots have been 15-35 yards, and I try for that distance. 

Think like a bowhunter!!


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## midwayman (Nov 17, 2010)

I agree with nickE10, it has the energy for a humane 100yd kill. However, I would prob limit my shots to 50yds or so. I have a set of crimson trace laser grips on mine, so I can put the dot on 'em and see if I am steady enough to take the shot.  Smith&Wesson makes a revolver, mod 610 i believe, that is supposed to be super accurate.  I would imagine one of them with a good scope would be a 100yd pistol with the right man behind it.


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## Dub (Nov 19, 2010)

That's great, Nick.


Glad you killed another one with your 10mm.  

All those leaves on the ground must be nice.  Early warning hearing them moving around!!!  I'm hunting pine thickets.  Those suckers can move up on you silently and be out of position and gone before you can get your rifle or handgun in position.





Have you ever tried the DoubleTap Barnes loads?  I would think penetration would be good on them?  They also have fairly deep open "cups" up front that look as if they'd open up forming large petals.


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## nickE10mm (Nov 19, 2010)

Dub said:


> That's great, Nick.
> 
> 
> Glad you killed another one with your 10mm.
> ...



Hey there... Thanks! 

I have tried the Barnes bullets and yes, I think they are a great load: for HUMANS but not deer. I would stick with 180-230gr loads for deer, preferably over 200gr. 

As for where u are hunting, I totally understand about pine thickets. Got my first deer with my Razorback still hunting a pine thicket... Fun stuff.


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