“You are one and a half inches high at a hundred.” Said David Cotton who was spotting my
shots. It was where I expected Mossberg Patriot Predator with a 20-inch custom Avient Rapid
Heat Releasing barrel, 7mm PRC topped with a Stealth Vision SVL 5-20x50 scope, shooting
Hornady’s 175-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter ammo was supposed to be. “Two shots nearly in
the same hole.” He added, “Got enough ammo to shoot at the 350-yard and the 500-yard
steel?” referring to two targets out in front of the ranch’s lodge.
“Yes Sir I do! By the way this 50-pound bag of cotton seed makes for a solid and comfortable
rest!” I responded.
“Nothing but the best for our friends!” I was grinning as I nestled my rifle a little deeper into
the conforming sack of cottonseed laying on top of our impromptu picnic table shooting bench.
“Mind the wind!” David cautioned. A steady strong, as in 15-mile per hour quartering wind
blew from left to right. I cranked my Stealth Vision scope’s turret to where I thought would be
the proper setting for the 350-yards distance.
“Holding about 2-inches into the wind. May be a little too much, but we’ll see!” I said before
taking a deep breath which I totally released before pulling the trigger.
Soon as I shot I heard David say, “About a half-inch of dead center of the bullseye!” I was not
surprised. I generally call my shots, meaning I pay extreme attention where the intersection of
the crosshairs is when the shot goes off. I felt I had pulled the shot a slight bit to the right,
which to me accounted for not be exactly dead-center.
“Shoot the 500-yard steel.” suggested David.
I cranked my turret to 8, which with my particular rifle/scope/ammo is the setting for 500-
yards. I knew the target was 24-inches in diameter. Based on the wind and where my bullet hit
the 350-yard target, I suspected the bullet’s wind-drift with the quartering near 20-mph wind
should be very close to 6-inches. “Going to hold half way between left edge and center of
bullseye. That should me pretty close. I took several deep breaths, pushed the Mossberg’s
safety to fire, took one more breath, let it all out and started putting pressure on the 2-pound
trigger. I stayed on target and heard the solid “thud” of my bullet hitting steel.
“Dead center!” said David. I was pleased, but also knowing my rifle/barrel/scope/ammo
combination was capable of such accuracy having shot numerous times at 500 yards and much
longer range. I had done so recently at the Choctaw Hunting Lodge’s
(www.choctawhuntinglodge.com) extremely fine 1,200-yard range where I shot two 3 ½-inch
shot group with my Mossberg Patriot (www.mossberg.com), Stealth Vision
(www.stealthvision.com) and Hornady (www.hornady.com) combination at 1,200 yards
essentially destroying the 3-inch bullseye.
“Nice shooting!” complimented David. “Going to use it this afternoon? You know we’ve got
two more does we really need to take before tomorrow evening when the MLDP season ends.”
“Actually… kinda! I’ll have it with me along with my old .300 Savage, Model 99 Savage topped
with aWeaver K4-60B scope. I’ll have it loaded with what remains of the box of 150-grain
Winchester Silver Tip ammo, I used back in November 1970 to take my first mule deer with that
combinaiton just north of Kent, Texas. Back then the rifle belonged to my dad, Lester and
brother, Glenn. The Weaver scope belonged to me. My only rifle at the time of my first mule
deer hunt was a Savage Model 340 bolt-action .30-30 Winchester. I did not believe it sufficient
should I need to take a shot beyond 125-yards. I returned the rifle wearing my scope after that
successful trip.
Occasionally over the past fifty years I asked my brother about that rifle. He assured me he had
secured in his gun safe. Then this past summer I got a call from Glenn, “Meet me out at the
place! Got something for you!”
“The Place” meant the rural property where he and I grew up and has been in our family for
150-years. When I got there, he handed me a gun case. “This has a whole lot more sentimental
meaning to you, than it does to me!”
I opened the case and found the Savage Model 99 .300 Savage topped with my now ancient K4
Weaver scope, I had used to take my first mule deer. I was speechless! “Daddy hunted with it a
couple of times after you shot your mule deer. I think he may have shot a little forkhorn with it.
And I hunted with it couple of times and shot one small buck with it as well.” He hesitated then
added, “You’re going to have to shoot something with it once again..a deer, a hog, whatever!
That’s part of the requirement of me giving you the rifle.”
“The rifle, based on it’s serial number was manufactured in 1949. I looked it up a few days ago.
In the near 20-years before Daddy and I got it, it was obviously used quite a bit. Much of the
bluing is worn off, especially on the receiver. It’s been years since I’ve even shot it. Back when
I did, it was reasonably accurate, certainly enough to shoot a deer out to a hundred yards.
When I pulled it out of my gun safe I opened the action and looked down the barrel pretty
closely. It’s in great shape, no pitting or rust inside or out. Even your old K4 Weaver is still in
pretty good shape, considering it’s pretty old.” Glenn then added, “
I laughed, “I bought that scope in 1962 with money from a hog I sold at our annual FFA show
and sale.”
Fast forward to the present… At the Cotton Ranch I shot my .300 Savage lever-action rifle at
their range. My ancient K4 Weaver scope proved to have some “limitations” but allowed me to
shoot a bullet into an 8-inch circle at 100-yards, sufficient to place a bullet into a deer’s vitals at
that distance and less.
In a deer blind overlooking two food plots, where I had also put out four piles of Vineyard Max
(www.vineyardmax.net) the afternoon passed slowly. Not much was moving shy of a few
cardinals which provided color. The sun slid behind trees to my west. I was beginning to think I
was about to experience my first afternoon hunt on the Cotton Ranch without seeing a deer.
Then things changed. I saw my first deer, actually three deer, shortly after sundown. Using my
Stealth Vision 10x binos I could see all were fully grown does and not shed-antlered bucks or
eight month old buck fawns. All I needed now was for those does to get closer to where I felt
comfortable taking a shot with my .300 Savage lever-gun.
I lowered binos and soon had my Model 99, loaded with a 150-grain Silver Tip round and
pointed in the direction of the deer. The 60-years old Weaver K4 was truly a contrast rather
than a comparison to the Stealth Vision SVL 5-20x50 scope on my Mossberg.
Light was quickly fading. Fifteen minutes of legal shooting light remained. Finally, one of the
does started walking my way toward a pile of Vineyard Max. I steadied the rifle, pushed the
next to the lever safety to fire. Then settled the K4’s crosshair just behind the shoulder,
allowing for possible 3-inches of error. It took some effort to pull the likely 8-pound trigger
without pulling the crosshairs off of target.
At shot the doe kicked high her hind legs, then ran into the woods to my right. I felt assured my
shot had been on target, but there also was a tiny bit of doubt…
I crawled out of the deer blind, loaded a fresh round into the 99’s chamber, then strode toward
where I thought the doe had run into the woods. Looking into the darkness of the trees and
brush I thought I saw a deer’s white belly. Only a couple of steps into the woods, there was no
doubt. She had run less than ten steps.
I whispered a prayer of thanks, took some quick photos of my Model 99 .300 Savage topped
with my old Weaver K4 scope, then dragged the four-year old doe to the edge of the food plot
where when David arrived with the ATV she could easily be picked up, but not until I had asked
him to take some more photos of the doe, my “vintage” lever-action and scope combination
and me.
Later that even around a campfire I told my story several times, starting way back when I had
taken my first mule deer with the same rifle and scope, and using ammo from that same
original box of shells I bought for my mule deer hunt.
I dearly love my modern, as in today, traditional looking hunting firearms; bolt-action, single-
shot, lever-action rifles and revolver handguns. But, I have to admit recently shooting a deer
with the rifle/scope/ammo I used back in 1970 to take my first mule deer, was special, at least
to me.
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