“Are you using your Ruger №1 450–400 NE 3” again this year on your Sandstone whitetail hunt?” asked Neil Davies, when I visited him at the Hornady booth at the 2017 Dallas Safari Club Convention.

“I love that round and rifle, I used it to take two really nice whitetails on that ranch. It’s the same №1 I used in the Caprivi, Namibia to take a monstrous hippo. You know I don’t believe there is anything such as over-kill,” I replied, as Neil smiled. “Actually, I plan on using my 275 Rigby №1 this time. Right after I got it, I took it up to the FTW Ranch and shot it at their S.A.A.M. ranges with Hornady’s 140 gr InterLock SP loads. It took two shots to sight in, then I shot a fairly rapidly five-shot group and all shots were within less than three quarters of an inch at 100 yards.” Before Neil could respond I continued, “I get tickled when I hear Ruger №1s are not all that accurate, I guess they don’t use Hornady ammo.”

“My first hunt of this year at Sandstone, I shot an ancient buck at about 150 yards, as he quartered towards me. When the bullet hit the buck, he did a back flip and fell dead. This reminded me of when I was hunting with one of the original Ruger Model 77s in 7x57 using Hornady ammo, that was one deadly combination.”

As I spoke, I recalled that I bought that Ruger bolt action in Abilene, Texas shortly after the rifle was released back in the 1970’s. As a youngster, I had read about the 7x57 (7mm Mauser, also known in Great Britain, Europe and Africa as the 275 Rigby) how the Spanish used the round against Teddy Roosevelt and his troop when they charged up San Juan Hill. I also read how the round was used with great success by W.D.B. “Karamojo” Bell in Africa on elephants. It too had been a favorite of Eleanor O’Connor, Jack O’Connor’s wife, which she used with great success in Africa, but also on tigers in India during the middle 1900s.

One thing I knew about the 284 caliber round, beyond it’s notoriety brought about by writers of a by-gone era, was it was a quick killer. Over the years I shot numerous whitetails and other big game animals throughout North America and elsewhere with it. Those animals when shot with Hornady bullets died extremely quickly.

It seemed only natural I should use my 275 Rigby Ruger №1 for my last whitetail hunt of the 2016 Texas hunting season.

Once on Sandstone, Chris Treiber, a great friend who also happens to be the operation’s hunt/ranch manager, said “The rut is pretty well over, the bucks are starting to form bachelor herds once again and a few have already cast their antlers. I think we need to hunt near where we have Tecomate food plots.” It sounded like a great plan to me.

“I’ve got several set ups, but I suspect you’ll want to return to ‘The Wall’.” I smiled. Of all the places where one could hunt on the expansive Sandstone Mountain Ranch, I was continually drawn to what we called ‘The Wall’ because of the wall-like rock formation which formed a perfect, natural blind. It was here the previous year I had seen numerous excellent bucks and where I had taken what I have often described as my most handsome whitetail buck.

I hunted hard for two days and saw numerous bucks, including those over which I wished my life away, bucks I could hardly wait to see what they would look like next year, or the year thereafter. Late the third hunt, sitting behind ‘The Wall’ two big bucks walked out of the brush to feed on the remains of the Tecomate food plot and mistletoe I had scattered in the field for a natural bait, perfectly legal in Texas.

The first of those two bucks was an extremely tall tined ten point with a split back tine. His antlers likely scored in excess of 160 B&C points. I should have only looked at his antlers and not his body. When I looked beyond antlers it was apparent the possessor of that crown was still a youngster, likely only four and a half years of age, so I decided to pass him in hopes of finding him next year.

Behind the tall-tined buck walked a much older typical 12 point with a rather unique rack. Two of his front tines on one beam pointed inward, I was certain he was one I almost got a shot at last year. Using my Nature Blinds Stalking Shield I had gotten within 25 yards of him, but thick brush prevented me from shooting, but this time, I had a clear shot. I glanced back at Chris and my cameraman for our “DSC’s Trailing the Hunter’s Moon”, Dustin Blankenship and both gave me thumbs up.

I settled the crosshairs on buck’s onside shoulder, took a deep breath and released all of it as I had learned at the FTW’s S.A.A.M. hunter training, then gently tugged the trigger. The 140 gr Hornady SP bullet hit the buck hard. He fell in his tracks, rolled over and laid still. I quickly reloaded and got on him but there was no movement of any kind.

After photos and properly taking care of the venison and cape, we returned to the ranch’s ‘bunkhouse’ where we started making plans for my next return to Sandstone.

Photo credit: Larry Weishuhn Outdoors