hunting with 357,44 mag,454,500

[tomcat]

anyone hunt with there hand guns?what ammo,scope and gun combo
do you use...pics are good too

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[dennis682003]

Am curious as well. I as got my first 44mag.

 

[Jamie6.5]

Don't overlook the .41 mag. With the 180gr pill @1600fps, it's trajectory is very impressive.

 

[chainsaw]

Afreind has a freind that elk hunts with a lever action .357 mag and is quite successfull with it.I will be deer hunting with my .44 mag this year if I draw a tag.

 

[tuckerha]

I have been hunting with a 44 magnum for several years with my Ruger Super Blackhawk. The last load I was using was a 230 or 240 grain bullet.

 

[shotgun-2]

I have a Marlin 1894 FG, and a Ruger Redhawk, both in 41 mag I plan to hunt mule deer with, doing research on loads now. When I get a few load combos together I'll do some testing, the rifle will be primary choice unless a good, close shot presents its self for the revolver.

Anyone have some good load suggestions that I could try in 41 mag?

 

[Scott]

When I clear the stupid black berries in the summer there are tons of mice that need some training. Carry a .44 to taget practice on them running. They are a little fast and I am about 20 for a 100. No bad for trying to hit a golfball sized mouse on the run.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Don't overlook the .41 mag. With the 180gr pill @1600fps, it's trajectory is very impressive.

Have em both,, the .41 and the .44 mag. Both are excellent choices. I should add that both are Rugers.

 

[DeanMk]

Anyone have some good load suggestions that I could try in 41 mag?

The quintessential .41 MAg load is a 210 gr. jacketed bullet leaving the revolver's barrel at 1500 fps.
Out of a rifle barrel it tends to be 50% faster (using data from .357 and .44 mags).
Sounds like that should be good enough medicine for pretty much anthing with antlers.


Dean

 

[Spitpatch]

Have taken whitetail and antelope with the .357. With proper shot placement, it is a swift killer. 140g bullet out of my Colt's Trooper MKIII 8" barrel, Leupold 2x for the antelope at 110yards. My first whitetail with pistol was with a iron-sighted Ruger Security Six. Running at 60 yards, smacked him just ahead of the shoulder. Down and done. Have taken Antelope and Mule Deer with my Smith 57, .41 magnum, 8" (8 3/8 actually). Again, a Leupold 2x on top. Antelope was at 85 yards, facing me, a 210g Hornady XTP over 22.6g of WW296, Federal 150 primer. Into his brisket, down and done. 4-point (western count) Muley was at 75 yards, hit him in the shoulder, and he hit a dry wash below me stumbling, and I got another one between his shoulders from above.

Practice, Practice, Practice, especially from sitting position, elbows on knees. This is your fastest position to acquire, and very steady. Know the limitations of your chosen weapon and place your shots to get the bullet in the ribcage cavity, preferably breaking the facing shoulder. Field of view acquisition on a pistol scope is at first difficult, but with repetition it becomes second nature.

Having practiced extensively, figure your range limit for such guns at 100 yards. (I pushed it a bit with my first handgun antelope and the .357). A scoped quality revolver in these calibers should produce 2.5-3" groups at 100 yards.

 

[svtrc51]

I have hunted in a "restricted unit" for the past couple of years and with a shooting sticks its hard to beat. I agree with Spit. If it has horns a good 140 gr Speer, Hornady gives the best ballistics. I shot a bear this year at 20 feet with a 8" .357 with BB'S 180 gr gas checked LFN's. One shot drop. Although recoil is close to a .44 you cant beat them.
As far as your question. The wheel gun you can shoot the best. I could have hunted with a .44 but with my .357 i'm very confident in placement.

 

[turq]

Shotgun-2 look at the hodgdon Lil'Gun the speed it up and pressure was lower than the other highest speed powders. Be cautious though because starting was 20.5 and max was 22.5 making it all happen fast in development.Good Luck

Oh my model 92 in 357 is a blast to shoot. I'm working on a Horn 140FTX load. The new Sonic Cleaner is working GREAT!

 

[Spitpatch]

News flash: Just chronographed a .44 Magnum load out of a Marlin 94 carbine: 240g XTP over 24g ww296: 1800fps!!! Very consistent standard deviations (7-10fps). Very accurate. This turns this little carbine into a miniature .45-70!

 

[44 Flattop]

News flash: Just chronographed a .44 Magnum load out of a Marlin 94 carbine: 240g XTP over 24g ww296: 1800fps!!! Very consistent standard deviations (7-10fps). Very accurate. This turns this little carbine into a miniature .45-70!

That sounds about right. From my 24" Marlin Cowboys I get 1740 with the same bullet and 23grs of W296. They will stay inside 2" most all day at 100 yards. With 24 grs I was having a tough time staying at 4", 23.5 gave me 3" and it tightened right up at 23.0.

I've hunted big game with revolvers since the mid '70's. Started out with .357's and worked up to the FA 50AE. I found that dead is dead and since I was after elk as much as deer, the .44 mag got the job done for me, 100% of the time. It is pretty simple with the .44, any good 250-300gr cast bullet with a 'fairly' large meplat traveling anywhere from 1150 to 1275fps kills elk dead at a comfortable range. And if they kill elk, they are obviously enough for deer and black bear.

 

[DeanMk]

1800 fps from a rifle sounds about like all the stats I've ever seen for the factory loading for the .44 mag.
Also backs up my "50% rule". Out of a pistol - 1180 fps, out of a rifle - 1770 fps.
Spitpatch's load has a calculated energy of 1727 ft./lbs. at that speed.
Almost equals a .30-30.
44 Flattop's load is not far behind at around 1614 ft./lbs. of energy.
Either load should be excellent medicine on deer.



Dean

 

[44 Flattop]

Not excellent on deer Dean, fantastic! Usually I use a cast bullet with the same powder load but both have killed a LOT of deer for me and it does a great job on elk too. I've taken quite a few elk with mostly cast bullets, but a few jacketed, with .44 mags.

 

[BFR45/70]

I carry my Magnum Research BFR 45/70 it has a Bushnell red dot on it and its loaded with either Winchester 300gr hallow points or up elk hunting I use Hornady monoflex leverevolutions in it
I have shot 2 deer and a mountain lion last year elk hunting with it , still hoping to get my elk .
I have it sited in at 100 yards and put all 5 rounds in the kill zone now just need to get thelk closer this comming season .

 

[2506]

I used a 44 Super Blackhawk for years (and still regret selling her) until I started reading/researching/reloading for the 45 Colt. Bigger hole, heavier bullet, more skookum.

 

[44 Flattop]

anyone hunt with there hand guns?what ammo,scope and gun combo
do you use...pics are good too

I guess I should answer the question directly.

I've hunted with pistols since 1978 when I took my first deer with a Colt Python using open sights. A 140gr Speer and 13.5grs of 2400. I don't think I ever shot one a second time. I used the same load in my Savage 24 357/20ga with great results.

Then I moved on to a S&W M29's. An open sighted 4" model that I used a 255gr SWC and 9grs of Unique. Also used an 8 3/8" M29 with a 2X Leupold, took a lot of deer, elk, a few bear and lots of small game with Lymans 429244 and 18grs of 2400.

About this time I figured out that the S&W wouldn't stand up to the volume I liked to shoot and the loads I used for hunting without regular gunsmith visits so I switched to a 7 1/2" Ruger Redhawk wearing a 2X Leupold. I used that pistol for at least 10 years before I gave it to my son who then used it to take his first buck taken with a pistol. I used a fairly stout load that never failed me and that gun just loved. The 429244 and 20 grs of 2400. Velocity was about 1325 and would shoot 2" and less groups at 50 yards. I took 11 elk with that pistol/load. Just a fabulous combo. One bull was a nice 5 point at about 125 yards. When I pulled the trigger his nose hit the ground and didn't even roll to his side. Instead he laid on his legs like he was about to get out of his bed, with his nose resting on the ground. I've killed a lot of elk, but not one that died quite the quickly!

After I gave my Redhawk to my son, I spent about 8-10 years hunting with a 4" Colt Anaconda and an 8" version, both with open sights. Boy did I take a lot of deer, small game and varmints with that 4" version. I used a .44 special case, a 300gr cast or JSP with 15 1/2 grains of AA#9. Perhaps the most accurate .44 load I ever came across. Too heavy for a light framed 44 special revolver though.

Then the Ruger Flattop bug bit me. I went to a 6 1/2" version, one that I cut back to 4 3/4" and also a 7 1/2" version. I took a LOT of deer and a couple elk with the 44 special case load. Pretty stiff recoil for such a light revolver though. It would take off the skin from the inside of my thumb unless I wore a bandaid before I started shooting. In the 7 1/2" model I found that magical load everyone looks for, it shoots a 1 hole group at 30 yards on a very constant basis. A 240gr JHP or JSP and 22.5grs of W296. Does a great job on game too. One bear I took through the shoulders (with a JSP) at 75 yards that went down at the shot without a twitch.

Now days I've switched again. Now I'm using Rugers new little .44 Special Flattop! So far I've only taken 1 deer, last season, using a 255gr SWC and 7 1/2grs of Unique. I have one for my 'perfect packin' pistol', the 4 5/8" version. Very small and accurate and fairly powerful with this load. The other one I just got back from my 'Smith where I had him install a 7 1/2" barrel for a hunting rig. With the same load it is very accurate, around 2" at 30 yards. But the load that it REALLY likes is about any 240gr JSP and the same 7 1/2grs Unique. Groups shrink down into the 1" range.

So there you have 33 years of hunting with revolvers, though a few years in there I also hunted with the .44 in rifles!

 

[DeanMk]

Hey Flattop,

LOL! You had me worried for a second there.
That 255 gr. bullet over 7.5 gr. of Unique was Skeeter Skelton's favourite load.
Out of his model 24 it clocked around 950 fps, which translates to 511 ft.lbs. of ME.
He liked using the old Lyman 429421 cast bullet. I forget the tin/lead ratio.
I know you didn't mention it, but just wondering if you ever got to try out a T/C Contender?
I would think you could really build some hot rod loads in that gun.


Dean