Friggin' awesome harvest with a handgun smoker! Great shot too. Unfortunately only shoulder-fired MLers permitted in my state otherwise I'd give it a go for a new challenge.I was fortunate to be able to take this doe Friday after Thanksgiving with my Traditions Trapper .50, .490 ball, .015 patch lubed with TOTW Mink Oil, and 35 grains of Goex 3F. She was 20 yards from me and only ran about thirty-five to forty yards then went down.
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I use my Optima pistol quite often and take as many, if not more, deer with it than a long gun. I too subscribe to the idea that waiting for the right shot, rather to chance a shot, is the thing to do and also feel that extends into rifle use. I won't shoot at an animal if the pistol is not on a firm rest. And I will not pull the trigger on an animal that is walking or running. While I have shot my Optima out to 100yards accurately and with confidence I take most of my shots between 12 and 30 yards simply by waiting an animal out.I believe the absolute requirement is to wait for the right shot, obviously this applies to all guns etc., but more so with a pistol.... I also had the pistol resting on my shooting sticks I use with my long gun, that made a huge difference in feeling confident about the shot placement.
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