.458 socom bullets for......cows

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LoonWulf

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Yeah, im going cow hunting......
Again actually, states been running a hunt to remove feral cows from the forest reserve so its actual hunting.
Ive gone a few times now, every time ive taken a 7mm, this time im taking my .458.

So i have a couple choices in bullets, 300grn hornady jhp, or 300grn nosler muzzleloader balistic tips. I do have some 405 cast bullets but i have to keep the speed way down or they foul.

Ive never shot anything that big with the .458, but i assumed either would be ok.
My question is would one of them be a bad choice? Or a better choice?
 
I'm speaking a little out of turn here since the only cow I have ever killed was of the elk variety.

However, I'd follow the same logic. Something that penetrates deep. Seems like that would rule out the 300g JHP.

I have no experience with the .458 specifically, so I'll leave my commentary there.

So what do you do, follow the kettle bell? Kidding, of course, but I'd enjoy hearing more about the methodology for hunting a feral cow.
 
Lol, feel free to keep the cow hunting jokes comming.
The hunting area is open year round, but the closest access is about 5 miles thru very rough terrain. This special hunt lets u (with dlnr supervision) drive within a bout a mile with trucks, and the guys have atvs to help haul people and meat, but dont actually participate.

Its rainforest hunting so shots are 100yds and in, but its bordered by non-huntable ranch lands, and the cows know where safe is. Also if they cross that boundry we cant recover them.
Dlnrs been fencing since the last time i went so our tactics may need a change.

Usually we worked in pairs to do a moving push and post in the am, then still hunt the afternoon. The cows are surprisingly allert, fast, and agile for something that weighs near 1klbs. Had some guys try with bows but afaik no ones taken any.

Were not scheduled till late oct, so if need be i can work up another bullet and load with something heavier.

And for the record feral bulls are bloody scary....
 
If using a 300 grain bullet I'd go with a Barnes TTSX. The Hornady JHP (like the Remington Version) will often break apart if shots are close.

The TTSX WILL give controlled expansion every time...if impact velocity is above 900-1000 fps.

My favorite bullet in the SOCOM for large game is the 405 gr. Remington 'bulk' Soft Point.

Here are few recovered bullets of both varieties (300 gr. Barnes and 405 Remy).

405_300_comp2.jpg

405_300_comp1.jpg

405RemyCNC_zps81757526.jpg


If you are not already member, join us here for load data and other info about your SOCOM:

http://458socomforums.com/

If the situation allows....I would 'neck shoot' an animal as large as a cow.

Best of luck on your hunt.

Flint.
 
I have some Remington 405g jacketed SP that I have ran to 1600 fps out of a 16" barrel using H110.

I can send you a few of the bullets if you want to try them out.

I haven't seen thousands of cows shot but the two fellows behind the now gone B&B foods store used an old Winchester .22 pump action rifle, DRT before they lifted them up to butcher.

Been many years since you could get meat so fresh at a store that it was still warm...
 
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I actually did one of these hunts last year while my wife and I live on Hawaii. I took a Socom 16 with 180gn Federal soft points. They seemed to work great. I dropped one cow at about 75 yds with a shot to the head, and then dropped one more when they started charging after the first shoot. Took about 3 shot to dropped the second one. It dropped about 10 yds ahead of me (pretty scary). I would pick a load that you can get quick follow ups with. Out of the 5 my group got the day only one dropped with one shot. Those things a tough.
 
LoonWulf,
If your having a problem with those 405's fouling, cascheck them and load them to 1300-1500fps. Typically fouling is caused by gas blowby from an improper land/groove/bullet fit of the barrel. Sounds like they are either not properly sized, or they are to hard which doesn't allow the bullet to properly obturate. What brand of cast are they?

My experiences are with the 45-70. So my recommendation is to listen to Flintknapper. He's been using a .458 for awhile.
 
Thanks guys, i appreciate the input. I looked a the 405s when i first got my .458, but figgured i didnt need that much bullet. I Think you guys are right tho, ill order some rp or other 405s and work up a load for them.

anyload suggestions?

Thanks for the offer of bullets i appreciate it, but ill just order a couple boxes. I probably should have a while back anyway.

Havent been charged yet, much prefer to keep it that way. Good shooting to drop the thing, they are surprisingly quick.

This will be the fourth time were doing this hunt. So far ive taken my stw every time.
Last hunt my buddy had first shot, and he proceeded to shoot a decent size bull in the foot. I ended up chasing that thing a couple hundred yards and hitting it with 5 more rounds before it finally gave up. Thats the most rounds ive seen one take, but a couple of the guys weve gone with have dumped magazines into them on other hunts.
If any of you happen to be in hawaii and wanna chase cows, your welcome to join us, our crews only 5 or 6 last i checked.

The cast bullets im shooting are off the shelf mbcs. I dont have the gear to make my own unfortunately. They shoot pretty well but 20rnds and i have a shinny sewer pipe. If anyone wants them let me know.

And sorry if my post kinda confusing, cant seem to get quotes working from my phone.
 
Remington 405 @ 2.160". CCI 300 LPP in Starline brass.

Not sure where I put my other data right now but what I have loaded up are mostly subsonic.
14.3gn HS-6 avg 1006fps
15.5gn HS-6 avg 1107fps
15.4gn HS-7 avg 985fps

This last one you would want to start out a few grains (not tenths but grains) low and work up but in my rifle (16" RRA upper) 34.5 gn of H110 gives 1680 fps. Will put 5 in an inch and a half at 100 yds using a 2 MOA red dot Aimpoint though.

If you can't find any in stock send me a PM and we'll get you going. They are "limited production" so they can be hard to find but I bought a bunch in bulk way back when.
 
Thanks for the data and offer of bullets, ill work up carefully just to make sure i dont break anything. very much appreciated, ill look soon as i can take a break from work and let u know!
 
Lol, feel free to keep the cow hunting jokes comming.

From what I understand, they are truly feral...and have been for 150 years. Folks need to understand they are not your standard milk cow. You, I'm sure, already know this. You also probably know more about hunting them that most of us here and probably have a good idea of what gun/bullet combo you need.

With the .458, I'd assume any legitimate hunting type bullet meant for big/dangerous game would do the trick, even on a 2000# bull.
 
Buck, your right some of these guys are feral. They have been loose in that forest reserve for a very long time.
There are a good number of first and second generation ferals. The ranchers that had the properties above and around the forest reserve lost/discarded a fair number of fairly nice meat cows, when they moved out of the area.
The old ferals are usually smaller in stature, probably 500-700lbs give or take, with much wider heads and horns, and shorter legs...they are butt ugly, and mean, had one square off on my truck while on a different road.
The "normal" ones are usually 600-900lbs, with big bulls running well over that (couple we got in the early hunts 4 of us couldnt move).

So while Ive hunted these guys quite a bit, and i know the conditions etc...im not very familiar with actually putting lead in something this big. Again my 7mm stw shots were pretty much bang/flops, but i was singling out smaller cows.
That bull my buddy shot took 3 rounds tru the ribs, one in the should, one to the foot, and one in hip to finally quit runnnig away. The other guys i was with had mixed issues, with mostly similar rifles.
Moving to the .458, Im both unfamiliar with large bore guns, and what to expect from bullet performance, so any and all help is much appreciated.
 
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Nice Vid jm, those guys are hunting a different area than we will be. We will be in the actual forest reserve....i think that might actually be on private property, or leased land, above the area we hunt.
Those are basically what were shooting at tho.

Oh, Hey thanks for the reminder Flint, i ment to check on regestration on the socom forums. Had issues when i first tried, ill check again.
 
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Hahah, no mounts. ill post some pictures if we get anything...mu buddies wife decided that the skulls made good canvas to color on...ill grab some pictures of those too.
 
I don't know the conditions under which you will be hunting.

These Feral Cows might be something you shoot anywhere you can shoot them, but IF conditions allow, I'd be looking for a 'Neck Shot' or a 'High Shoulder Shot'.

There is quite a bit of room for 'error' with either shot and still put your cow down right there. Medium velocity Big Bore bullets are tailor made for crashing through to get to the spine (Central Nervous System shot).

cow%20skeleton_zps87jycvlb.jpg

Good luck, have fun and be safe out there.

Flint.
 
Thanks Flint ill keep that shot placement in mind, ive always gone behind the shoulder but makes sense to break stuff if i can.

Lol, Nature Boy, only cut i know is the .... uhmmm....
 
I always hunted with the 300 gr Nosler Silvertip and the 325 gr Hornady FTX when I had my 458 SOCOM. They were bad medicine on any animal that they were used on.
 
Ive looked at those bullets Tx, at some point id like to try both of those but i already got some 300-400 300grainers already.

Come visit! Just beware the damn paradise tax...its worse to live here lol
 
Do they still have Feral Bull/Feral Cow Hunts on the Parker Ranch on the Big Island?

Yeah, that could be pretty exciting to face 1000+ pounds of disgruntled male bovine in the jungle :).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
I dont know for sure about parker, the few people i talked to about it a while back didnt think they were anymore. I was looking for cheap meat, not to actually hunt them at the time. I can find out tho.
 
I've never hunted cows but I've fought them in close quarters and executed terminal critters and head shots are easy unless you're being charged, 9mm and 357 have worked just fine, defending myself from charging bulls has led to this bit of advice, hit em right above the eyes head on and they'll stop/swerve/fall fast enough. The skulls are thick but not angled like a bear. I would have no issues with a 100 yd brain shot on bovine sized critters with any of the bullets you've listed. I don't shoot 458 but if a .243 can do the job then you should be fine.just my own experiences.
 
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