Additions to the Deer Battery

I have two new additions to the official shamanic deer battery. Both are customized Mausers from friends. One is a 8X57 K98 that I picked up from SuperCore, who was downsizing his inventory over the summer.

Mauser 25-06

The other is O.T’s deer gun. My buddy O.T. is call it quits this year– just too old and tired to go schlepping through the hollows any more.

O.T. had an early-model 2X Aimpoint on the 25-06. Even though O.T. is in his eighties, his eyes are are considerably better than mine for distance work. I am also a good head-or-so taller than him. I tried every way I could to warm up to that scope and couldn’t get my face right. I switched it out for a 4-12X Bushnell Banner and medium rings and it came right up like it had known me all its life.

I’m currently working up a load with 117gr Hornady BTSP’s over H4895.

Mauser 8X57

SuperCore was cleaning out his gun closet and I decided to help out with this K98.

I stumbled on a deal with brass, bullets and dies for this out on the web. The bullets were 125 8mm Kurz– same as the Mauser, but only 125 grain. I’ll see how well they shoot out of this one

Lyman Deerstalker .50 Cal
But wait! There’s more. Back last summer on of my in-laws let me have a muzzleloader of his. It is a long, hairy story. I will wait to give you the details until I have had it out to shoot this year. Suffice it to say that I had intended on hunting with it last year and that it spent a good part of the intervening months out at the gunsmith. The last I heard, the gunsmith was in jail. As I said, I ain’t saying no more. Here is a pic of the thing. It is an awesome piece of machinery.