When Indiana changed the deer hunting regulations to allow the use of rifles I immediately perked up. It was clear that the idea was to allow the use of shorter range straight wall pistol type cartridges in shoulder mounted firearms. My wheels were spinning. The equipment list I have used in the past, to harvest Indiana whitetails includes compound bows, traditional muzzle loaders, modern inline muzzle loaders, revolvers, single shot pistols, smooth bore and rifled bore shotguns. But to use a metallic cartridge loading in a long gun would be a first for me. I have a long history of having to try new things when it comes to firearms. I have a habit of fixing things that are not broken. This is an affliction for which I make no apologies. It just keeps things interesting to me. If the truth was told, and I started my deer hunting career 30 years ago and stuck with a Remington 870 12 gauge with a smooth bore and iron sights, .50 caliber T/C Renegade cap lock muzzle loader and my first compound bow, a PSE Sizzler with a fixed 50 lb weight, my success in the deer woods would probably be similar than what is has been with all the new modern gadgetry and experiments. But what fun would that be?
When I first considered a cartridge choice for my new project I studied the Legal Firearms section of the Indiana Hunting Guide. Bullet selection has to be .357” or larger. Minimum case length is 1.160” and maximum case length is 1.625”. I wanted something that was straight forward that did not require special gunsmith skills, case forming or custom made dies. Being an avid reloader, rolling my own is not only an option for me but a desired preference. That is one thing I have always disliked about hunting with shotgun slugs. While reloading for slugs is not unheard of, it is generally not considered a common practice. Instead, like many other shotgun hunters, I just paid the high price for premium sabot type slugs that I found acceptable. Unfortunately, the cost of these slugs, were running about $2.50 per shot! I found that with scope mounted rifled tubes, I was able to achieve 2-3” groups at 100 yards. I also found that the recoil from these slugs would shake my fillings loose when shooting from a bench. Before you call me a sissy, how many of you really enjoy shooting 12 gauge slugs? A show of hands please? My point exactly! Unless you are a sadist, they just are not much fun. Not much fun at all! Seriously, how many foot pounds of energy does it require to bag a whitetail deer?
Years ago, early in my reloading career, I met a doctor who was an avid shooter and hunter at my shooting club. He was preparing for a trip to Africa to hunt Cape buffalo. The rifle he was shooting was chambered for the .375 H & H Magnum. I was impressed with the size of the cartridge and knew the recoil had to be substantial. He told me that from a felt recoil standpoint, he would much rather shoot the .375 than a 12 gauge slug.
My requirements were fairly simple. I wanted a rifle that would shoot flat enough, accurate enough and generate sufficient energy to take deer out to 200 yards without having to make serious elevation compensations. I want to load my own ammunition with readily available components and be able to buy a rifle that does not require special gunsmith talents to produce or require a second mortgage to finance. Finally, I would consider it a bonus to have a rifle/cartridge combination that did not pound me the way the premium sabot shotgun slugs do.
