Well, opening day of this season finally rolled around here in Wyoming. I have been excited about taking a Goat with the .243 AI that I got this summer. I have been tuning it in and shooting out to 700 yards the past month or so. It is a shooter ! That is no doubt. Here is a 200 yard target off of bags at the range. This is shooting 115 DTACS at 3178 fps at 4800 asl.



Anyways, back to hunting. It was opening day, Oct. 1st 2007. I have 2 buck tags for this area, so the first one, I just want to see how the .243 with the DTACS will perform. Not hunting horns, just a good shot around 400 to 500 yards.

6:30 am, load up the Dodge and head out to my area about 9 miles from my house. Grab my hunting buddy Kirk, who is spotting and running the video camera possibly, and head out.

We get to the area, and drive down the draw, park the truck and head out. We head east to the closest ridge and peer over. Right in the bottom, off to the south about a 1/2 mile are 4 coyotes passing through a herd of black angus cows on the neighbors land. Bummer ! Have to remember this spot and come back in a month and call !

Drag out the bino's and start looking around. To our left is a small herd of speed goats. One small buck working a hot doe, and some other does and fawns. There are cuts and little draws in the main draw we are scanning over with our glasses. Out of a draw about 550 yards pops 2 better bucks, one bigger buck and a hot doe.... This one will work. I guess him at 14 or so inches and close to the range I was hoping for. I range him at 537 yards and closing in as they are working the doe and sparring with each other.

Well, I tell Kirk to set up and we will try to take this buck. I get the steady-stix set up and a round chambered and range find him one more time. He is now broadside at 423 yards. Little side wind out of 9 0' clock, so I hold 3 inches for wind, dial in the NF 3.5-15x56 3.5 MOA and settle in. Squeeze the Jewell trigger and send one perfect through the lungs. He staggers down hill about 12 yards and tips over.

The 115 DTAC makes a good hit and a clean kill. Exit hole is about 2 1/2 inches on the off side. Here is a pic of the goat. One tag down, one to go.

423 off shooting sticks? NICE! S1 has been trying to get me to go out west, now you really got me thinking about it.

Grizz, I called them steady stix, actually same manufacturer, but it was Explorer tripod by Stoney Point. I have been shooting out to 600 yards with them for over a month in preparation for hunting season and coyotes.

I feel very confident out to 600 with them.

I will try to pull some stills of the video we took and post them. Never tried it, but I think I can do it.

Good shooting, what was your zero before the adjustment?

Way to go! nice job.


Don

S1,

My zero was at 200 yards. I debated on 3.75 to 4 MOA and could have shot the 3.75 as I was about 1 1/2 to 2 inches lower than what I would have really liked.

Upon dressing him out, I found both lungs and from the slight angle he was standing, part of the liver gone from the fragmentation, I assume, of the DTAC.

One concern was the cold bore shot.... see target in my original post. Was wondering if it would be low and to the left. Maybe the wind helped me a little on that too.

What are your thoughts.

Thanks,Scott

I would like to know if your first shot on the above target was a cold bore shot with a fouled barrel, or a cold bore/clean bore shot?

fouled barrel.... had ran fifteen shots the day before season out to 500 yards.

I think your cold bore shot on the above target is fairly typical of a clean bore first shot. It seems really out of position for a fouled bore cold bore shot.

Have you tried cleaning it, and just fouling the bore with two shots.....letting it go totally cold and then seeing where your first shot hits?

I will try that.

Thanks S1

Yotes,

Great Pics, great shooting!

You did that NINE miles from your house?

You suck

Sorry Steve,

I could have went 400 yards south of my house, but it doesn't open until the 15th of Oct..

LOL

Ya, I am fortunate for the place I live in.

Nice hearing from you Steve.

Grizz.

here is a Pic. I pulled off the video. Small but shows my shooting sticks.

Great pic, thanks. It looks like the opportunities for long shots are limitless in that terrain.

Nice goat Yotes2call.Where in Wyoming are you?I've got some land in Sweetwater,north of 80.Was out there last year from May thru August seen alot of good buck antelopes,hope to get out there nextyear.

DonD,

I am in Buffalo, which is 65 miles West of Gillette and 33 South of Sheridan.

DonD, I've still got a lease on that property of your's don't I? Is there any limit to what I can kill there? teele1

Teele1,the only limit is what the law allows and you have tags for. Bring your 6cm and I'll bring mine.Can't miss after seeing what a 115 DTAC does on a goat. Bring your 300 U.M. for a cow elk.

Yotes2call,Been to Gillette twice working.Stayed in Buffalo at the koa on the way back to Rawlins,that's where we worked outof.Nice area you live in.