The old Knight T-bolt still has what it takes.

[RT2506]

I have not hunted with a muzzle loader in a long time due to my previous hunting situation which I only had time off to hunt in another state during the regular rifle season. My situation has changed and now I will be hunting in my home area of TN. I bow hunted some but it was record heat most of the time and the deer just did not move much if any during daylight. I was out of town with work when the muzzle loading season opened Nov. 9 until Nov. 15 but did get to go hunting Sat. Nov 16 and Mon. 17th seeing nothing. Season closes tomorrow Nov. 22 at sun down and is supposed to rain all day. BUT, I did get to go this afternoon. My old Knight T-Bolt 50 cal. got a new scope a few weeks ago and I got some Hodgdon FFG 777 and found that it liked 80 grs volume with the old Hornady high pressure BLACK sabot and a Hornady 250 gr 45 cal. XTP. I used to use 3 50 gr. Pyrodex pellets with this same sabot and bullet when I had the old musket cap ignition system and it shot great but I found a 209 conversion kit really cheap a few years ago and it would not shoot well with the pellets any more. But with a Winchester 209, 80 gr 777 and sabot with 45 cal. 250 XTP it shoots really well. I went to my lease and got into a stand on a ridge overlooking a logging road and a hollow that bucks travel well during the rut. I saw NOTHING during my sit from 1:30 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. when my bladder would not allow me to stay in the stand for the next 15 minutes of light. I got down fired up the 4 wheeler and headed quickly out of the area so I could take a leak but as I was coming out of the trail in the woods into the field where I park my truck and trailer there 80 yards away stands a doe. She looks up at me and then goes right back to eating grass. I put the parking brake on the 4 wheeler leaving the engine running unlatch my rifle from the gun rack on the front pull my leg over to the right side to allow me to sit side saddle and shoot this doe off hand and drop her like a sack of potatoes. Perfect shoulder shot. The old T-Bolt still has what it takes to put meat in the freezer. Then I got to take a leak. Talk about relief.