The low rolling plains and hills north of Phoenix are classic northern Sonora Desert. While the images of dunes come to most people’s minds with the word desert, this is a beautiful swath of colorful brush, canyons, and slow-rolling hills. It is also home to one of the most sought-after game animals in the Southwest, the javelina. Resembling a small wild pig, these stealthy creatures pose a great hunting challenge. Like pigs, they have an exceptional sense of smell. A brief change in the wind has thwarted many a well-laid-out stalk, and the javelina is taking notice of your approach. Then, in an instant, they scatter and disappear into the brush. The hunting with a P.O.F. Tombstone drew me to this place one early morning.

Hunting with a Tombstone

Jeremy Selting, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at POF, told me he would take his young son Gage out to get a javelina this season. I was invited to come along and enjoy the day with them. I also got to see POF’s new Tombstone rifle in action. The Tombstone is a unique 9mm lever action rifle that uses a modern double-stack magazine. It is a bit of “the best of both worlds.” On the surface, the Tombstone operates like a traditional lever action rifle. While the basics of the rifle are similar to a hundred years ago, all the other aspects of the gun are unique.

In place of the traditional tubular magazine, the Tombstone utilizes a proprietary detachable magazine that first appeared with the 9mm Phoenix pistol. Like the Phoenix, it comes in 10, 20, and 35-round capacity versions, and a 20-round mag is supplied with the Tombstone rifle. Action-wise, the gun is much smoother than other lever guns I have run. The lever is beveled and offers a large loop design for added comfort and control, especially while wearing gloves. It also has a modern flat-face trigger that is equally smooth. It has a clean, clear break at 3.5 pounds and lends itself to excellent accuracy.

9mm Lever Gun

The Tombstone also comes with many modern features, including a Magpul SGA polymer stock. These stocks have become very popular on defensive shotguns, and the SGA is ideal for a rifle like the Tombstone because it offers two inches of LOP adjustment with stock spacers. The stock’s comb is also adjustable, which allows the shooter to properly align their eye with the sights.

Speaking of sights, the rifle comes with adjustable XS ghost ring sights and has a rail allowing the installation of an optic. POF has chosen to use a 16.5-inch fluted barrel with ½ x 28 threads and a dual chamber muzzle brake on the Tombstone. Surrounding the free-floating barrel is a POF 10.5-inch Modular Receiver Rail (MRR) that offers M-LOK attachment points at 3 and 6. And 9 o’clock positions and two-inch rails at the 12 and 6 o’clock positions. QD attachment points make attaching and removing a sling an easy task. There is also enough real estate at the front of the rail to add a light, bipod, or other accessory.

Hunting with a Tombstone – Javelina

As the Tombstone has moved into the market, I have noticed countless people customizing this unique rifle. When Jeremy’s son Gage showed me his Tombstone for the hunt, I quickly noticed it had been personalized. It had wood grip inserts in the MLOK rails and a leather ammo carrier set around the butt. It was a good-looking gun and something I would personally do. Rifles were zeroed and gear packed.

Soon, we were setting up on a ridge glassing for the javelina. These animals are traditionally hunted in a spot/stalk fashion. The hope obviously is to see something close and slowly make your way towards them on foot. After a long, dry spell of seeing little more than the young deer or wandering coyote, we caught sight of a pack of five javelinas casually making their way along a far ridge. They were more concerned with eating than the odd-looking humans across the valley. “What do you think?” Jeremy asked Gage. Like any serious hunter, Gage didn’t even hesitate and said, “Let’s go.”

Arizona Hunting

Gage checked his rifle and quickly slung it over his shoulder. In short order, we were rigged and heading along the best route we could manage. We would go up and down tough washes and hills and quickly lose sight of the animals. Fortunately, Jeremy had friends who would stay behind and watch everything unfold through spotting scopes. A call every so often to confirm things were still good, and we pressed on.

When you are on foot in rough terrain, it can be difficult to gauge distance. My best guess is that we covered about a mile before we were just below a rise leading to where the javelinas were feeding. As they moved up, I could see the look of disappointment on their faces. The javelina had obviously moved, and it looked like the stalk would be chalked up to a brisk walk for our health. However, Gage was able to see fresh tracks, and an effort to salvage the stroll began. The saying that persistence pays off became a fact that morning. After some whisper-quiet movement through the low brush, Jeremy caught a flash of brown about 50 yards away. The javelina had moved, obviously, but to our luck, it was only a few hundred yards away.

Five in a Pack

I took a knee behind the duo as they evaluated the pack of five javelinas. Quick discussions on which one to shoot happened quickly. They moved to flank the pack a little just to get a better shot unobstructed by brush and fence. The decision was made to take a large one that was standing broadside at about 50 yards. All the animals were partially covered by brush, but this one had the greatest exposure. Jeremy produced a shooting tripod, and in short order, Gage was setting up his shot.

Watching this young man set up, I could feel the excitement running through him. The thrill of finding our game, pursuing it, and finally getting set up to take our shot. He balanced his Tombstone on the tripod and got down behind the rifle. As he began to take the slack out of the trigger, the javelina did what javelina did. They decided it was time to move on. In a reflexive “now or never” moment, a rushed shot was launched in the general direction of the pack with a hope for the best thought. As is always the case, the round impacted the base of a bush, and the javelina took off.

Good Hit

To my surprise, Gage didn’t lose his cool and swung the rifle and shooting tripod toward the running pack while running the lever action. Quickly, individual animals were cut off this way or that, and the target-rich environment got thinner and thinner. Another shot rang out, and the departure was not interrupted. Gage then leaned onto the tripod with determination and got his muzzle on the final animal, making a break for it. In a relaxed, calm manner, he tracked and led the javelina. Now, at about 70 yards. One final shot broke, and dust exploded downrange. The javelina was tumbling head over tail, reeling from a well-placed 9mm hollow point. A collective sigh went out from all of us, and we stood quietly waiting before we moved forward to check.

Animal Down

Once we were sure the javelina was really down, we moved forward to check Gage’s handwork. It was a good-sized animal with a clear entry wound just behind the ribs on the right side. While some consider 9mm sub-optimal for hunting, fired out of a rifle such as the Tombstone has a muzzle velocity of over 1400 fps and produces over 330 ft/lb of energy. There are several game animals that can be hunted with the likes of the Tombstone. The look on the young man’s face, as well as his proud father, was a reminder of how enjoyable hunting can be.

Hunting with a Tombstone is Fun

The right attitude, the right location, and, of course, the right gear affect the results of your hunt. I had the pleasure of testing the Tombstone before it launched and immediately saw a multi-use rifle. It was accurate, easy to run, and, most importantly, fun to shoot. The mix of modern and classic in this rifle is a winner, and seeing it used in a hunt like this only solidified my belief in that.

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POF Tombstone Specs