Last Thursday, I took my very first deer and with a S&W 460 XVR / Burris 2x7. I've hunted several times a year over the past 4 yrs but have not pulled the trigger. I've been target shooting a bunch and my most accurate load was 50.5 gr H-110 / 200 gr FTX bullets chrono'd at 2200 FPS.

I finally got comfortable enough with the gun to take a life. Not something I take lightly. I've been a S&W fan for years. When I started deer hunting, One goal of mine was to become skillful enough with a handgun to take a whitetail.

The deer was an odd ball with 3 points on one side and a big curved "cow horn" on the other. He had to go. I was in a ground blind, sitting on the ground and resting the big X-frame on short shooting sticks. I was also wearing ear muffs. The cuncussion inside the "tent" was enormous.

The deer ran 30-40 yds and piled up dead. I marked off a 90-100 yd shot. The 200 gr FTX bullet whent through the ribcage taking out the lungs. Entry was finger sized and exit was perhaps golf-ball sized. All I found of the bullet was a small piece of jacket material.

I gutted the deer that night and let it hang through the night. I took the straps and tenderloins and de-boned the rest to be made into burger and sausage. The hide is at the taxidermist to be tanned.

It was a great experience. I hope to take anouther one someday, but the first one was certainly special.