Hunting with the old 38-72 (photos)

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:42 pm

Just a brief update, gents. I'm up on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario, hunting with a couple friends. We've all tagged out. Each of my two friends bagged a buck and I got a nice doe. Spent all day cutting and wrapping my meat for the trip back home tomorrow.

I shot the doe at 147 yards with my original Winchester Model 1895 38-72. Here's a photo ....

And here's a photo of us working on the deer. I'm on the left. Got all three deer cut and wrapped by the end of this afternoon ....

damienph · Post by **damienph** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:52 pm

147 yards with iron sights? Nice shot!! That is one beautiful rifle.

Mainehunter · Post by **Mainehunter** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:55 pm

Well done KirkD! Beautiful looking rifle!

When I was kid growing up I used go with my cousins (they lived in Barrie) fishing near or at Manitoulin Island. Nice Pics!

Mainehunter

cshold · Post by **cshold** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:00 pm

Well done

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:16 pm

Good work! It doesn't look very cold up there.

Post by **Old Savage** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:46 pm

Wow - great one there Kirk! Very interesting old rifle. Congrats on your success. More about the rifle.

But the forensics tell another tale - you clearly jumped the deer with the knife in your teeth cutting its throat on the full run thus ... the stains on the knees!

seriously - you should put together a thread with pics of the game you have taken with these vintage Winnies,

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:13 pm

Very nice. Beautiful rifle. Looks like a happy deer camp

Shasta · Post by **Shasta** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:43 pm

Great job, Kirk!

That is quite a shot you made with your '95!
In an earlier post you said that you were going to hunt with a gas checked cast lead bullet from an Accurate Mold pushed by 24 grains of 5744 powder. I don't see the bullet wound in your pictures, nor do I see blood-shot in the hanging carcass (that doe is twice as big as the bucks we have around here!) Lack of blood shot meat is a very good sign!
I would be interested in some details as to shot placement, how the deer reacted to your shot, and especially how your bullet performed? I took my own .38-72 on one of my hunts this past deer season here in NorCal, but saw nothing. You've got me all jealous now!

SHASTA

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:47 pm

congrats...love that shoot'n iron
definately a classy looking gun....

Glad to see someone having some good luck deer hunting!

Lastmohecken · Post by **Lastmohecken** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:51 pm

Shasta wrote:Great job, Kirk! That is quite a shot you made with your '95!
In an earlier post you said that you were going to hunt with a gas checked cast lead bullet from an Accurate Mold pushed by 24 grains of 5744 powder. I don't see the bullet wound in your pictures, nor do I see blood-shot in the hanging carcass (that doe is twice as big as the bucks we have around here!) Lack of blood shot meat is a very good sign!
I would be interested in some details as to shot placement, how the deer reacted to your shot, and especially how your bullet performed? I took my own .38-72 on one of my hunts this past deer season here in NorCal, but saw nothing. You've got me all jealous now!

SHASTA

I believe I see either the exit wound or the entrance wound located a little far back on the left side of deer. Being a cast bullet at 147yds it could be either. Nice doe and a darned nice old model 95.

earlmck · Post by **earlmck** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:10 pm

Lastmohecken wrote:I believe I see either the exit wound or the entrance wound located a little far back on the left side of deer.

Yes, I see it too. Looks like Kirk made one of those "raking shots that punch through to the boiler room" like Elmer Keith talked about, that ability to achieve being one of his criteria for a good elk gun.

Good job, Kirk. And thanks for the pictures. Fun to see the different areas that us levergunners get to hunt.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:23 pm

Well done sir.

Post by **Hobie** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:48 pm

That deserves two thumbs up!

Ji in Hawaii · Post by **Ji in Hawaii** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:56 pm

Congratulations Kirk on your successful hunt!

Beautiful rifle. Is that picture in your calender? If not she can be Miss November 2014 next calender, great picture.

1894c · Post by **1894c** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:45 am

Hobie wrote:That deserves two thumbs up!

+1 ... :)

jh45gun · Post by **jh45gun** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:52 am

Congrats on the successful hunt and nice rifle.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:17 am

Great job sir! No better feeling than shooting game with an old rifle. It adds so much to the experience and enjoyment of the hunt.

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:34 am

Very Nice Kirk.

. about six years ago the Wife and I made a trip around Lake Huron and spent a night on Manitoulin Island.what a Beautiful place. Congrats on a Great Hunt.

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:44 am

Nice one Kirk

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:43 am

Wow! It is great to see an old Winchester still getting out there

EdinCT · Post by **EdinCT** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:50 am

Looks like the load development Paid off. Winchester sure knew how to build a nice rifle. I had my Grandfathers 1892 38 WCF out for a walk yesterday and this morning. They make todays rifles seem clunky.
And what a shot! That would be a very long poke with my old eyes. You did very well!

grouse · Post by **grouse** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:18 pm

Congrarts on the Deer! Glad to see that grand old Winchester up & running.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:24 pm

That is the way it`s done. Congrats!

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:38 pm

Dave wrote:Wow! It is great to see an old Winchester still getting out there

+ 1....Congratulations.

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:05 pm

Very cool shooting under pressure at distance with a classic rifle..!! Hard to top the whole pic enhanced post for cool!...

Nath · Post by **Nath** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:34 pm

Excellent work Kirk and a big thanks for sharing and keeping the flame alive

Nath.

Post by **Old Savage** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:44 pm

Here is the rifle load info: http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=44207

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:36 pm

Congratulations Kirk!

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:11 pm

Kirk,
Great! That is a nice looking '95. I'd sure like to have it.........please? I was an abused child and my parents were druggies..please?

For real, its a great feeling tagging a nice deer with a nice
old rifle, especially when other guys are using 12 mm shiska--boomers with 18X sniper scopes.

Oh! I noticed you have blood stains on your jeans. I bet you won't be walking into your nice clean office with those babies on.

--------------Sixgun

86er · Post by **86er** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:29 pm

Classic hunt in all regards!

abcollector · Post by **abcollector** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:23 pm

Kirk, job well done! Fine looking doe and great looking 1895.

Are you having a mild winter up there? No snow...

Thanks for sharing!

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:15 am

Gentlemen, I drove home all day yesterday. It is good to be back with a load of venison. The three Whitetail Deer averaged a little over 50 pounds of de-boned meat each. I brought home most of it, 138 pounds, with the other fellows only keeping 20 or 30 pounds.

Shasta: The doe went down within about 10 feet of where it was hit, but the bullet just kept on truckin', so I wasn't able to recover it. Judging from the exit wound (a bit smaller in diameter than a dime), I'd say there was little if any expansion. It was made of pure wheel weights. The bullet was the gas checked Accurate Moulds one, that dropped from the mould at 263 grains. I could probably soften up the alloy a bit by adding more stick-on wheel weights, so that some expansion would happen. My load was 22 grains of 5744 plus cotton filler, to give 1,512 fps. I had given the original cast bullets another try before the season, but this time with cotton filler. Still they wobbled and gave large groups, so I went with the Accurate Moulds bullet.

Ji: Yes, that old '95 is in the 2013 calendar. The rifle was entered into the warehouse in 1904.

Borregos: Looking forward to your visit.

Sixgun: One of these years, the way my mind is going, I just might break down and give away an old Winchester or two.

Regarding the bloody pants, that evening, we got together with about a half dozen Anishnabek natives for a good visit and feast. Of course, we all came as we were dressed, complete with bloody pants. I felt right at home.

abcollector: This week started off quite mild, but a cold front has moved in and we are expecting snow off and on over the next six days or so.

The evenings were spent eating and sitting around the campfire relaxing and talking. Here's a shot of the campfire, feet propped up on a stone (but not for too long so they don't get baked). ....

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:31 pm

Hey Kirk I am looking forward to the visit too, should be fun.

JerryB · Post by **JerryB** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:46 pm

Very good Kirk, real proud for you and that fine rifle. We are eating good too, my 19 year old grandson Joe got his first deer last Friday, a big doe and lots of meat.

samb · Post by **samb** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:43 am

Congrats Kirk, didn't recognize you without the beard. Way to go getting that beautiful rifle shooting straight and bringing home the bacon.

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:07 am

samb wrote: ... didn't recognize you without the beard.

My daughter talked me into loosing the beard for 'Movember'.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:25 am

Excellent.

Hombre · Post by **Hombre** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:14 pm

As always when it comes from you, very, very interesting.
Thanks, Kirk!

/Stefan

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:56 pm

Very nice pard, congrats.

Hunting with the old 38-72 (photos)

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