Backcast88
Beginner
- Sep 15, 2012
- 51
- 79
This a longer post so please bare with me.
In February 2023 my grandfather passed away. Dad and I were planning to take some time off work to hunt with him for opening of muzzleloader season in 2023 but that obviously never happened. Grandpa hunted with many different shotguns over the years but his go to deer rifle was a Remington 700 in 30-06. My dad remembers grandpa getting the rifle, loading Hornady 165 BTSP bullets for it, killing a pile of deer with it, and he and his brother were never allowed to shoot it. It was grandpa's 4th kid essentially. The day after the funeral, dad and I helped his brother and sister get the guns from the house so there wasn't an issue with people knowing he passed and try to break in and take them since my grandmother was now living alone. Dad has a 270 win and said he didn't have a need for grandpa's old rifle and my uncle has a Win model 70 so he also said he didn't have to have it. None of the guns were getting sold, just trying to figure out who was taking certain guns so they were all accounted for. Being the only grandchild that hunted with him, I asked if anybody had an objection to me having the rifle. My dad, uncle, and aunt all said since I was the olny one hwo hunted with him, it was perfectly fine for me to have it and they were happy I asked to have it. Since then I worked on some handloads and changed scopes on it, but that's all for another time.
The rifle is Remington 700 ADL and based on the barrel markings, was made in October 1967. I swapped the factory trigger for a TriggerTech trigger so it felt the same as what is on my Seekins, eventually ended up with a Vortex Viper HD 2-10x42 and the handload that shot the best was 58 grain h4350, Winchester Large Rifle primers, Starline fired brass, and 165 Speer Grand Slam with a BTO of 2.68".
I hunted with the rifle last year a few times and never connected. Killing a deer, especially a nice buck was the goal for the rifle. It will always be something I will always have. It will never get sold. I wont hunt with it a ton but it will go out a few times each season when the weather is nice and up until today, I had not been able to find the right buck or any deer for that matter to take with the rifle and continue grandpa's legacy.
My buddy has just shy of 100 acres and he invites me up a few times a season and I am very grateful for it. He has taken some nice deer off the property and we did a lot of work leading up to season and when he said come on up for a Sunday hunt, it was impossible to pass. We had patterned a buck we had named Herman to a piece of the farm. He tended to freshen a scrape just out of frame from the trail camera about 730a-8a and then would be gone looking for a doe for a day or 2. Well, he hit that scrape Friday morning so we had high hopes he would come by Sunday to repeat the cycle.
It was a slow morning on my side of the farm. Just 3 doe out cruising, doing doe things. My buddy was getting run over by small bucks chasing a doe but none of our shooters appeared. I hate wearing gloves so just after 830a I am trying to find the pockets on my vest to warm my hands up when movement catches my eye. 45yds in front of the ground blind is the trail camera overlooking a small creek. Out steps Herman. Once I knew which deer it was I took no time getting on him because I knew he wouldn't give me long to do anything so I didn't have much time to admire him.
At 840a grandpa's Remington barked and Herman hit the dirt. The 165 GS entered just in front of his right shoulder and exited just behind his left shoulder dropping him in his tracks. Herman neve moved a musle and passed quickly without suffering. I said a little prayer thanking grandpa for sending me the deer that I have been after for a couple years, gathered myself up and went to get hands on him. Not going to lie, I was pretty emotional once I knew the deer was down and couldn't belp byt remmeber all of the great times I had hunting with grandpa over the years. I have no euro or shoulder mounts but this one had to make my first mount. It was far too sentimental. So after we took some pictures and drug him out, I raced to the processor to have him caped and turned into lot of good burger, cube steak, and stew meat. Then it was off to the taxidermist to get the mount started.
The last live photo of Herman. Just over 1 min after this picture was taken, Herman would be down on the ground forever part of my life and the memory's of grandpa's rifle.
This buck was definitely a warrior. He had puncture wounds/scrapes/scares all over his neck, shoulders, and head. He got lots of looks at the processor and taxidermist and there have been many congratulation texts and messages from friends and family. This far from the ending of this rifles legacy. It is just another chapter in its existence that I am proud to have written. I look forward to the chapters ahead and sharing them with those around me.
In February 2023 my grandfather passed away. Dad and I were planning to take some time off work to hunt with him for opening of muzzleloader season in 2023 but that obviously never happened. Grandpa hunted with many different shotguns over the years but his go to deer rifle was a Remington 700 in 30-06. My dad remembers grandpa getting the rifle, loading Hornady 165 BTSP bullets for it, killing a pile of deer with it, and he and his brother were never allowed to shoot it. It was grandpa's 4th kid essentially. The day after the funeral, dad and I helped his brother and sister get the guns from the house so there wasn't an issue with people knowing he passed and try to break in and take them since my grandmother was now living alone. Dad has a 270 win and said he didn't have a need for grandpa's old rifle and my uncle has a Win model 70 so he also said he didn't have to have it. None of the guns were getting sold, just trying to figure out who was taking certain guns so they were all accounted for. Being the only grandchild that hunted with him, I asked if anybody had an objection to me having the rifle. My dad, uncle, and aunt all said since I was the olny one hwo hunted with him, it was perfectly fine for me to have it and they were happy I asked to have it. Since then I worked on some handloads and changed scopes on it, but that's all for another time.
The rifle is Remington 700 ADL and based on the barrel markings, was made in October 1967. I swapped the factory trigger for a TriggerTech trigger so it felt the same as what is on my Seekins, eventually ended up with a Vortex Viper HD 2-10x42 and the handload that shot the best was 58 grain h4350, Winchester Large Rifle primers, Starline fired brass, and 165 Speer Grand Slam with a BTO of 2.68".
I hunted with the rifle last year a few times and never connected. Killing a deer, especially a nice buck was the goal for the rifle. It will always be something I will always have. It will never get sold. I wont hunt with it a ton but it will go out a few times each season when the weather is nice and up until today, I had not been able to find the right buck or any deer for that matter to take with the rifle and continue grandpa's legacy.
My buddy has just shy of 100 acres and he invites me up a few times a season and I am very grateful for it. He has taken some nice deer off the property and we did a lot of work leading up to season and when he said come on up for a Sunday hunt, it was impossible to pass. We had patterned a buck we had named Herman to a piece of the farm. He tended to freshen a scrape just out of frame from the trail camera about 730a-8a and then would be gone looking for a doe for a day or 2. Well, he hit that scrape Friday morning so we had high hopes he would come by Sunday to repeat the cycle.
It was a slow morning on my side of the farm. Just 3 doe out cruising, doing doe things. My buddy was getting run over by small bucks chasing a doe but none of our shooters appeared. I hate wearing gloves so just after 830a I am trying to find the pockets on my vest to warm my hands up when movement catches my eye. 45yds in front of the ground blind is the trail camera overlooking a small creek. Out steps Herman. Once I knew which deer it was I took no time getting on him because I knew he wouldn't give me long to do anything so I didn't have much time to admire him.
At 840a grandpa's Remington barked and Herman hit the dirt. The 165 GS entered just in front of his right shoulder and exited just behind his left shoulder dropping him in his tracks. Herman neve moved a musle and passed quickly without suffering. I said a little prayer thanking grandpa for sending me the deer that I have been after for a couple years, gathered myself up and went to get hands on him. Not going to lie, I was pretty emotional once I knew the deer was down and couldn't belp byt remmeber all of the great times I had hunting with grandpa over the years. I have no euro or shoulder mounts but this one had to make my first mount. It was far too sentimental. So after we took some pictures and drug him out, I raced to the processor to have him caped and turned into lot of good burger, cube steak, and stew meat. Then it was off to the taxidermist to get the mount started.
The last live photo of Herman. Just over 1 min after this picture was taken, Herman would be down on the ground forever part of my life and the memory's of grandpa's rifle.
This buck was definitely a warrior. He had puncture wounds/scrapes/scares all over his neck, shoulders, and head. He got lots of looks at the processor and taxidermist and there have been many congratulation texts and messages from friends and family. This far from the ending of this rifles legacy. It is just another chapter in its existence that I am proud to have written. I look forward to the chapters ahead and sharing them with those around me.
