Hunter26
Handloader
- Jul 10, 2024
- 315
- 791
I recovered another ABLR, this time in 7mm from a 7mm PRC. I do an annual hunt trip to Alabama to hunt with one of my best friends at his hunt club. We hit the rut just perfect and we saw tons of rutting activity. Two nice 8 pts were shot earlier in the week and one of the properties target bucks had also been seen, an old 6 pt they call Unibrow. Unibrow was becoming a bit of a legend. He had been shot at four times by three different hunters in the weeks leading up to this. Two of the shots were by a kid and another was by someone who gets the shakes super bad whenever he sees a deer. I was shown pics and videos of Unibrow among others, but liked the old warhorse. He had pretty distinct antlers, heavy big forks.
My very first sit was on a food plot, with pines to my left & a thick creek bottom to my right. The deer were moving! I saw two spikes down in the creek right after daylight. I got to watch one make a rub and then saw a really nice 7 pt in the creek but couldn't get a shot. A little bit later I thought I heard something behind me and to the left. I peered into the pines and saw a deer walking parallel to the food plot. I threw up the binoculars, saw antlers and recognized Unibrow immediately! He was only 60 or so yards away but it was quite thick and he was walking away slightly angling to the food plot. I was hoping he'd come out and I'd get a shot. I already had the gun on him. For whatever reason, he suddenly changed course, took a hard left and started walking away but slightly angling back towards where he came from. I had a good rest and when he got to a small opening, I shot with the buck steeply quartering away. I heard the bullet hit and the buck spun 180 degrees and was facing me but just standing there. With this buck's reputation, I chambered another round and plugged him in the chest and he was down!
The first bullet hit him just in front of his left ham and was found under the skin right behind the offside shoulder. Shot distance was 80ish yards. I didn't recover the 2nd shot because the buck's insides were a mess, but it did not exit. Super impressed with the ABLR's! The first shot penetrated over 24 inches and weighed 108 grains with beautiful expansion. Load was 168gr ABLR blems, Hornady brass, Ramshot LRT and Federal mag primers. Chronoed right at 2900 fps out of the 20" barrel of the X Bolt 2 SPR and TBAC Ultra 7. Overall the group shot six bucks and four does over three days. It was a helluva weekend!
My very first sit was on a food plot, with pines to my left & a thick creek bottom to my right. The deer were moving! I saw two spikes down in the creek right after daylight. I got to watch one make a rub and then saw a really nice 7 pt in the creek but couldn't get a shot. A little bit later I thought I heard something behind me and to the left. I peered into the pines and saw a deer walking parallel to the food plot. I threw up the binoculars, saw antlers and recognized Unibrow immediately! He was only 60 or so yards away but it was quite thick and he was walking away slightly angling to the food plot. I was hoping he'd come out and I'd get a shot. I already had the gun on him. For whatever reason, he suddenly changed course, took a hard left and started walking away but slightly angling back towards where he came from. I had a good rest and when he got to a small opening, I shot with the buck steeply quartering away. I heard the bullet hit and the buck spun 180 degrees and was facing me but just standing there. With this buck's reputation, I chambered another round and plugged him in the chest and he was down!
The first bullet hit him just in front of his left ham and was found under the skin right behind the offside shoulder. Shot distance was 80ish yards. I didn't recover the 2nd shot because the buck's insides were a mess, but it did not exit. Super impressed with the ABLR's! The first shot penetrated over 24 inches and weighed 108 grains with beautiful expansion. Load was 168gr ABLR blems, Hornady brass, Ramshot LRT and Federal mag primers. Chronoed right at 2900 fps out of the 20" barrel of the X Bolt 2 SPR and TBAC Ultra 7. Overall the group shot six bucks and four does over three days. It was a helluva weekend!
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