Rusty Hall

Mule Deer at 630 Yards | Kylah Hall | Mule Deer at 350 Yards



Taken at 350 Yards




Taken at 630 Yards

I have used the Gunwerks .25-06 off and on all season. The first animal we shot was an antelope where Lyn Burleson from Kentucky made a great kill at 530 yards. I was able to get this hunt on film. After the shot the antelope continued walking and then stood up on its hind legs and tipped over. The Berger bullet did some major damage. Later, we used the gun on a mule deer hunt for my daughter, Kylah. This was her first mule deer hunt so she was really excited and determined to harvest a buck. We finally spotted a good deer that fed across an open hillside and then bedded in a small sage bowl with another buck. We made our way over to deer keeping a ridge in between us and the deer. We crawled up over the ridge and Kylah got ready for a shot. The distance was 350 yards. We made a fawn in distress call and the buck jumped up and ran up the hill before stopping to see what made the noise. Kylah was on him in the Huskemaw scope and asked if she could shoot. I told her to go ahead and she touched one off. The shot was perfect - right through both lungs. She really liked the gun - accurate, no kick and no muzzlebreak. She says this is her gun now. We shot a couple more management deer a little later in the season with the rifle. Hunters would arrive and be all over the place at 100 yards on a paper target. I would say, "You really ought to try this rifle." It didn't take long before clients were asking to use the gun. We had a lot of one shot kills and the Berger bullet's performance is nothing short of spectacular -with good shot placement the animal will not go anywhere.

Later, I went to Idaho and hunted the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. There is lots of opportunity to take a 600 - 800 yard shot up there so I was itching to try the gun out. After plenty of experience with the rifle all year, I knew I was capable of making a shot of that distance. This would be my first time to shoot the gun at a big game animal. I had my guide try the rifle out when we shot a few fouling shots after cleaning. He hit a small rock at 660 yards. That was the farthest he had ever shot and he was confident we could make an ethical shot at that distance. Toward the end of the hunt, we decided to make the camp record for the longest shot. We had a buck ranged at 630 yards. I had a good rest on some rocks and touched the trigger. It looked like a good shot as the buck turned and ran downhill. He didn't go far before piling up and rolling the rest of the way down the steep incline. We made our way over to him and found a clean, one shot kill through both lungs.

I can attest that your rifles are capable of making good, ethical shots at long distances. They can make an average shooter or a new hunter like my daughter shoot like a pro with a little preparation. The rifle is easy to clean. You don't have the fouling problems with the high velocity, big bore rifles. Top that with the Berger bullet and you have a combination that can't be beat! Thanks for working with us,

Rusty Hall Trophy Hunter Magazine                801-731-4156