Aim Small--Miss Small

[Hawken62_flint]

Taking this quote from the movie "The Patriot" and using it over and over in my head when I was lining up my sights on a WV whitetail, gave me good results last Monday, the opening day of WV rifle deer season.  I took my best muzzleloader whitetail with one shot from my .62 caliber flint Hawken.  The 8-point buck dropped in his tracks.  I was using 100 grains of Goex 2F with a .610 round ball and a .020 pre-lubed patch and my pan was charged with 7F priming powder.  The shot was about 40 yards.  And the picture is not backwards, I am a left-handed shooter and my Hawken is left-handed.

[WadePatton]

Good un and good photo too.  Congrats!

[Don Adams]

Congrats on a nice deer.

[smylee grouch]

Good job. Where did you hit him and did you recover the ball?

[acorn20]

Congrats on a fine looking deer!

[wattlebuster]

Good buck. Fine lookin rifle

[Hawken62_flint]

Hit him just to the rigth of his throat looking at him.  The ball did not exit, but I didn't recover it, as I took him to a processor and had the meat packaged. Good news is that all the energy from the shot was expended on him.  He dropped on the spot and twitched a couple of times and that was it.  Wattlebuster, thanks for the comment on my rifle.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Ain't it wonderful when a plan comes together?  Congratulations on a really successful hunt.

[navygunner]

Congrats on a very nice buck. Good shooting.
NG

[Klatch]

Nice spread!    Congrats and keep after them!

[hanshi]

Beautiful buck and a very good looking rifle.

[wvbuckbuster]

Way to go fellow mt'ere! Dan.

[Micah2]

I love it.

[Osprey]

Congrats, that's a great one for WV!

[stude283]

      Have to ask, what did you aim small on a whole deer? A tuft of hair out of place? Or  does saying that to yourself just help concentrate on front sight and follow thru?

[HAWKEN]

Nicely done Hawken62!  A real nice buck taken with a beautiful rifle.  Keep yer powder dry.......Robin   

[hanshi]

My motto is, "aim small and miss all".  Maybe I need better glasses.

[navygunner]

Hanshi, 
That's why one uses double canister

NG

[nosrettap1958]

Great deer and nice shootin!!! Tells us more about your rifle.

[Old Ford2]

Nice buck, and fine looking rifle.
I swear by the .62!
Those pumkin balls wabble the knees no matter what it hits.
Most times critters give up when the ball flies by.
Please take a few pictures and show us more of that fine rifle.
Fred

[Hawken62_flint]

Thanks to all for the congrats and kind words.  Stude283---when I was saying "aim small, miss small" over and over, it made me concentrate more on my sight alignment and I always pick a certain spot, based on the position of the animal.  I find that sometimes I tend to hurry the shot and maybe not have the correct sight alignment, so this made me concentrate on a spot, but really made me make sure that my sight picture was as good as I could get.  

My rifle started life as a Pecatonica pre-carve.  Ed Rayl built the barrel specially for me.  It is 1" across the flats, .625 caliber (yes, for some reason, Ed makes them a half size bigger), 36 inches long with a hooked tang breech, installed by Ed.  Lock is L & R Hawken, L & R Hawken triggers.  Rifle was put together and lock engraved by a good friend of mine, Larry Bryner.  I did all the finish work--LMF browning solution on  all the steel, LMF Nut Brown stain and about 15 coats of hand rubbed linseed.

[Majorjoel]

I was told by someone (can't quite recall who) that the writer for the Patriot movie got his idea for the phrase "Aim Small Miss Small" from a sign that hung over a urinal at a highway truck stop!    Anyway,  Hawken62, Congratulations on a fine Buck no matter how you psyched yourself up for that shot!

[t.caster]

That's a great one! I also swear by the .62 for dear! If it don't drop in it's tracks like you did, it will surely leave an easy blood trail to follow. Although I usually see them drop within 40-50 yds!
I am always repeating "aim small....." in my head, too!

[Daryl]

Well done - it doesn't get any better than that.

[Ky-Flinter]

I was told by someone (can't quite recall who) that the writer for the Patriot movie got his idea for the phrase "Aim Small Miss Small" from a sign that hung over a urinal at a highway truck stop!  

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and the quote "Aim Small Miss Small" came up.  Friend said Frank House made a bunch of the arms for the Patriot movie.  The movie folks brought Frank out to the set to show the cast how to operate the arms.  The story goes that Mel Gibson's practice shots were all over the target, so Frank told him to "Aim Small Miss Small" and it worked, so Mel worked that phrase into the movie.

I think my vote is with the sign at the truck stop.  Also seen written on the wall above the next urinal over was this.....  "In the immortal words of our fearless leader, George Washington, You men with short muskets, Stand Close!".

Oh, great buck and a nice looking rifle too.  Congrats!

-Ron