Vintage Hunting and the 1876

[Pitchy]

Suppose i could of took the head off one of these today at 125 yards. 
Had the 76 in hand.

[dusty texian]

Have used Goex fff 60 grn. and 56 grn.-cast lead 210 grn . size .406. Pyrodex ff ,Pyrodex select ,all with win. mag primers ,in the 40-60wcf. Original rifle with oct. bbl. cut down to 19.5 " .Lyman tang . Handy little rig ,but not doing it for accurate .Best i am getting is 4" @ 50 yd. and 8 or bigger @ 100 . Thinking on going to same bullet in .408 . barrel slugs @ .405 , but is circa 1884 and has some pitting . Hunting season is getting close if this dont do better ,its gonna be the 45-75 wcf. she will do 2"@50yd. and 4"to 6"@ 100yd. Should have old reliable stamped on her bbl.But sure was looking forward to useing the little 40-60 ,plenty of power for Tx. Wt.and wild hog .Thinking on trying some Swiss or KIK from Powder Inc. Not giving up ,Any thoughts .Dusty.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
I have shot KIK and Swiss , the Swiss was the BEST in my 45-60 . I hope Powder Inc. will load the 45-60 in their Vintage ammo line .

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[dusty texian]

Thanks Rowdy,I think I will give the Swiss and Kik  a try . Might be just what it takes to get that 40-60 shooting . I will bet my 45-75 would like it also . Have only used Goex and Pyrodex in these so far . Getting any cooler up there .Got kinda cool down here for a wk. Now back to hot .

[larryo_1]

Dusty Texian:
I use 76 grains of Swiss 1½ in my 45-75 with absolutely no problems whatsoever.  It shoots very clean compared to the other types of Black Powder but it is a wee bit more spendy however well worth it.

[dusty texian]

Thanks Larry_O. I think I will give the Swiss and the KiK a try .Was thinking on 2ff but will get some  1,1/2 also should be good in my 45-120 C.Sharps  also .

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
You will like the Swiss in your 1876 it works good in my 45-60 . I used 2f and a 350 grain bullet . Where I would use the 76 most shots will be under 100 yards probably closer to 60 yards . But every now and then you  get that 20 yard shot . The first Buck I killed using black powder in a 76 was a middle of the day buck , coming to check on a scrape . I decided to move a ground blind to a different part of the farm . The plan was to move the blind and to come back the next morning and hunt the day . After setting up my blind I decided to get in and see what was stirring around .I had sat there for about 30 minutes and ole big boy came to check his scrape , he was at about 60 yards when I shot him .
Have you ever wondered why we can't use these Vintage Guns in black powder season ? All the muzzle loaders produced or most of them are scoped out 200 yard + weapons . They are a different weapon compared to say a Hawkens 

[dusty texian]

Hey Rowdy,Tracking says I should get my 10 lb. of 2ff Swiss Fri. afternoon. Looking forward to trying it in a day or two. The old 76 shoots pretty good with Goex ,but I have heard nothing but good about the Swiss . Might tighten up the group a bit .In four wk. the General season will start here in Tx. That is when I can hunt with my BP. cartridge rifle. But not in BP. season TP&W will only allow muzzel loaders in BP. season. And this season starts after general rifle season ends in Jan. Go Figure . I know guys shooting modern muzzel loaders with scopes leagal in BP. season that have two times the range I think my 76 is good for in a hunting situation . Wish I could hunt in Oct. with the BP. CARTRIDGE RIFLE . Need to start writing letters to Austin . Dusty.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
Maybe it's time we try to promote the Vintage Hunting ? The worst thing that could happen is for them to say no .

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy
Does your state have a Vintage Hunting Season . Hunting with a 1876 is truly a Vintage Hunt , What your opinion  

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
Any thoughts on that letter to Austin ? I guess you could head up the Texas Vintage Hunting Association to petition for a Vintage Hunting season . If you can  work with Texas and I can work with Kentucky ,this could be the beginning of a GREAT  adventure .

[dusty texian]

Rowdy you bet I am, Going to my local gun club the (GTGC). We have about 3500 members ,I will ask them for support .I am writing a letter to the TP&W IN Austin. I will try to get it started . Never know just might catch on. I have been considering making it Vintage hunting only on my West Tx. ranchs . Have been thinking about doing a Spring Turkey hunt with bp. cartridge rifles  on film  in 2013,it is leagal to hunt Turkey in West TX.WITH CENTERFIFE AND RIMFIRE RIFLES .I have a ranch in the San Angelo area that has loads of Rio Grande Turkey .After filming the hunt with bp.will send a copy of it too TP&W . Rowdy let me know if you are interested in helping with this hunt film project on the Turkey you can try out your 44wcf on a Turkey and wild hog .It aint that far from Kintuc to San Angelo . I am already booked up for mule deer season and WT. season . But will try to document my vintage hunting this season .Dusty.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
That sounds Great . Between your Gun Club and your Hunting Video's that will be a BIG help . I would love to Video a WT hunt this fall , but it will have to be a Doe hunt cause I used my buck tag Saturday . I was wearing a old pair of Moccasins and was I  glad I had them . They are great for slipping through the woods QUIETLY . And I lucked out to have the wind in my favor .

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy
It's almost rifle season , are you ready ? Have you shot your rifle lately ? Plan on shooting my 45-60 today . Hope everyone has a  successful  and safe Hunting season .

[dusty texian]

Hey Rowdy, Gun season starts on Nov. 3rd. here  in Tx.for Wt. and Turkey ,got the 76 Winchester tuned up.72 gr.2ff Swiss and pure lead 354gr. bullets .Thats big medicine for deer .Ill have the C.Sharps 45-120 scoped for any long range work .Like you I  hope everyone has a safe and productive season. Dusty.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
Are you ready for Deer season ? Wish you the best of LUCK . Hope everyone has a safe and successful hunt . Don't forget the pictures . We love to look at every critter Hunters harvest . Rifle season is just about a week and a half from opening . I can't wait .

[dusty texian]

Rowdy you bet Im ready. For the first time in yrs. I am excited about hunting season. I think deciding to hunt only with my Bp. Cartridge guns this yr. has put a fire back in me . Having taken deer with everything from a homemade recurve bow and wood arrows to a .300 Wby. mag. Now at 53 yr. of age I m hunting with a 100 + yr. old Winchester and a Sharps rifle . Dressing like it was 100 yr. ago. Having nothing but fun . If I get lucky Ill post pic. when I get back. Look to be out at the ranch for a wk. or so . Good luck to all my fellow hunters . Keep the fire going . Dusty.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Dusty
Glad to hear the Vintage Hunting has rekindled your passion for Hunting . I know what your going through , there's something Special when you take a animal with weapons and ammo from a century past . When you would rather wear buckskins than the latest Mossy Oak camouflage clothing . But this is what makes us so unique .

[wyldwylliam]

Howdy boys, just a quick word to encourage you guys on getting some kind of sanity back into vintage hunting or primitive weapons or whatever you want to call it.

Up here in B.C. the modern, scoped, plastic fantastic inline ml's put an end to ml hunting, which still chaps my a-- no end. I've hunted with old time ml's, self bows, bp cartridge guns and nuttin' else for a whole lot of years, complete with the appropriate togs. I can't abide blaze orange or camo. That kinda stuff just gags me.

Anyhow, didn't really want to get up on a high horse and throw a fit, just offering encouragement and "way to go" to you guys who wanna do it the old way. God bless and good luck.

Ps. Sure as heck am enjoying getting my '76 .4575 sorted out. Preliminary results are quite encouraging, but have yet to get just the right load built. Sure is fun trying, though.

[dusty texian]

Thank You All Veteran's for your service to our country. I have had some luck hunting with my old 1876 Winchester this past wk. On Sat. the 3rd. I got a 140 lb. hog ' the old 45-75 WCF ' put him down on the spot . Shot was about 70 yd. On Tue. the 6th. I got a 9 pt.  WT. about 145 bc. with the old 45-75 WCF. shot was 138 PACES . It was a good clean kill . My load was 354 grn. pure lead bullet out of an original Winchester mould , 72 grn. Swiss 2ff ,standard Win. primer and loaded in original Winchester 1880 hand tool . There was not much wind for West Tx. during my wk. long hunt ,so the smoke blocked my view after both shots.Felt like hunting in 1880 as I was on a cattle ranch that has ran this brand since the late 1800's . Will post pic. as soon as I can. Dusty .