Revolver caliber for whitetail deer and hog.

[CraigC]

150yds is a very tall order for a revolver. It's not just about the shooter's skill in aiming but also estimating range and holdover. The issue is not the cartridge's power, it is the trajectory. Not trying to sound elitist but if you're here asking us what gun to use, then you're a long, long, long way and tens of thousands of rounds away from shooting at game at 150yds. Those who think it's easy have never done it.

 

[trapper500]

Deer & Hog Revolver

The 44 mag or the 500 S&W Mag would be the beat choice IMHO

 

[StrawHat]

CraigC ...150yds is a very tall order for a revolver... Those who think it's easy have never done it...

Or been doing it so long they forget how hard it was to get there.

I am used to lobbing lead out that far and further but confine my hunting shots to under 100 yards and prefer tham to be half that. Still hunting affords me all the chance I need to get close and so far no shots past 80 or 90 and on that one, I really wanted to be closer but a doe made it her business to find out what I was doing. I needed to take the shot (on another doe) or watch as she spooked the rest of the deer. That was years ago and with a 45 long Colt. Today, I would probably watch them take off and come back another day.

 

[CraigC]

Shooting at inanimate object is a whole nuther story. I shoot revolvers that far and further all the time. I was referring to 150yd shots in the context of hunting.

 

[gspn]

IMHO, deer/hog cartridges begin at the .41Mag and it is a fine choice. The .44Mag and .45Colt will also get the job done with aplomb.

Since you're first starting out, your maximum effective range is not 150yds or 100yds, not even close. Your shooting will tell you how far you should take a shot on game. Handgun hunting is not something that can be taken lightly. It takes a lot of dedication and practice to be proficient enough with a sixgun to be able to hunt with it. Several thousand rounds a year are in order. Your maximum range is the range at which you can place all your shots on a paper plate and it will take some time before you can do that at 50yds. Difficulty increases exponentially as range increases.

Very well said.

 

[sgtstryker]

Back when I hunted with a handgun, it was a Ruger Super Blackhawk 7 1/2 bbl. With Pachmayr grips, it wasn't too bad. I hunted whitetail and most range was 50 to 80 yards, no beanfields. I think the .44 mag will do what you want, as mentioned, practice is the key. Which means shooting full power loads and ranging your shots. Good luck with this.

 

[Smokey in PHX]

CraigC has given some good advice. I have shot a lot of deer with handguns over a fifty year period. Several with a .357. I do not believe any were over 50 yards. Most were under 30 yards. Includes one cow elk at a range of 7 feet and then I was carrying a rifle and had another hunter backing me up.

Shooting deer at or more than a 100 yards requires an expert shot. Never saw the need to shoot that far myself.

 

[willypete]

Not saying it lacks the power to get it done

No, but the post I quoted was. Here's the full quote:

.44 Magnums are marginal at that distance even in the hands of a skilled shootist.
Add to that the fact that few production revolvers are even accurate enough to place a kill-zone shot at 150 yards, again, in the hands of a skilled marksman under ideal conditions.

I don't think there's anything "marginal" about a .44 Magnum at 150 yards. Perhaps the shooter's ability to make reasonable hits at that range (varies with shooter), but the cartridge itself is sound at that distance.

I also find the second statement regarding accuracy to be a fallacy. Production revolvers tend to be far, far more accurate than the shooter. It is the man who must measure up to the machine, not the other way around. Put a gun in a machine rest and see how well it groups with good ammo, and you will find this to be the case. The man is the weak link, not the gun.

That's like talking about what you can do on the basketball court and saying, "There's this guy named Michael Jordan. You should Google him."

Not really, because the post was referring to the .44 magnum's ability to harvest game at the distance of 150 yards. Elmer Keith, one of the best revolver shooters out there, has demonstrated again and again the ability of the .44 Magnum to take deer at ranges far exceeding 150 yards. Perhaps we all can't shoot like Keith, but the cartridge is sufficient to the task should our abilities prove equal to its capabilities.

 

[DWFan]

<deleted>

 

[MCgunner]

Quote:
That's like talking about what you can do on the basketball court and saying, "There's this guy named Michael Jordan. You should Google him."


Not really, because the post was referring to the .44 magnum's ability to harvest game

You have to HIT the game, do you not? The .44 is dropping like the Obama's poll numbers at 150 yards. I'll keep my flat shooting and scoped .30-30 Contender for those sorts of ranges. My name isn't "Keith". I consider any revolver a 100 yards affair at best. I'm not really familiar with the .460 and .500, though.

 

[MCgunner]

You can't always find a rest. Sometimes none are available and sometimes you don't have time.

This discussion ain't about single shots.

If I can't find a rest and it's beyond my range of ability off hand without risking a wounded animal, I'll let the animal go. Won't be the first time. This is why handgun hunting is tougher than rifle hunting. Have you ever shot at game with a handgun off hand at 150 yards? I hope not, for the animal's sake. Or, hopefully it was a clean miss or a lucky lethal hit.

No, this is not a single shot thread, but it's a single shot answer to the OP for sure. He wants a 150 yard revolver and I believe that's not available. Maybe, just maybe an X frame in .460 with a good optic, don't know a lot about 'em, have no interest. But, if you just GOTTA use a HUGE revolver, it might be the one that works at this range.

 

[USSR]

The whole concept of hunting is, getting as close as possible to ensure a clean kill. Deliberately extending the range at which you are attempting to shoot game at, simply for bragging rights, is both foolish and inhumane to your quarry. That being said, my deer this year was shot offhand at about 50 feet with my unscoped .45 Colt.

Don

 

[336A]

Uh huh, that's Midway. Go find .41 Mag at Wally World or a LGS that's cheaper than equivalent .44 Mag.

I have purchased a 20count box of .41 mag Speer 210gr Gold Dots recently and the price mirrored those on Midway. Like the prices listed on Midway the .44 mag was more expensive, so yes huh

 

[OldCavSoldier]

Deer/hog is .357 and up. I've used .357 on several hogs and deer successfully. Keep the range 60 yards and in and use a heavy bullet hot load like Buffalo Bore. I handload a 180 grain bullet to 1400 fps. Only thing a .41 or .44 will give you is more effective range. Heck, I shoot a .30-30 Contender with a Nosler 150 BT at 2050 fps when I want range, good to 200 yards and more accurate than a lot of rifles.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=629617

Oh, and my grandpa taught me to always shoot from a rest. You get no points for style shooting off hand. There are plenty of good monopods on the market if you're hunting on foot.

+1 on the .30-30 Contender. That's what I use on feral hogs. Of course, my mama raised no stupid sons, so, I have a .45LC Blackhawk for back-up.....

 

[willypete]

You have to HIT the game, do you not? The .44 is dropping like the Obama's poll numbers at 150 yards. I'll keep my flat shooting and scoped .30-30 Contender for those sorts of ranges. My name isn't "Keith". I consider any revolver a 100 yards affair at best. I'm not really familiar with the .460 and .500, though.

Just because you can't shoot out to a certain range doesn't mean others suffer under the same handicap. For rounds that have so-called "rainbow" trajectories (e.g., .45-70, almost every pistol round, .444 Marlin) elevation becomes a critical adjustment after a certain range. Practice at measuring distance and knowledge of a load's external ballistics are essential. Also, when one compares your "flat shooting" .30-30 to a .30-06, the rimmed round suddenly seems to "drop like Obama's poll numbers" after 200 or so yards.

I have purchased a 20count box of .41 mag Speer 210gr Gold Dots recently and the price mirrored those on Midway. Like the prices listed on Midway the .44 mag was more expensive, so yes huh

Good on ya. My experiences do not mirror yours. .41 Mag tends to be at least one or two dollars more than an equivalent 20 round box of .44 Mag, and .41 Mag is an inconsistent find, at best. I don't shoot .41 Magnum, but I have friends who do, and they have me call them and ask if they're interested in buying whenever I stumble across a box of .41 Mag.

 

[Prosser]

Odd no one has mentioned the .475 Linebaugh. It's MUCH bigger case gives you a lot more powder then either the .44 or .45, and it hits a LOT harder. Same with the .500 Linebaugh.

Seems to me Dustin L. took a bear at 150 yards with a .475 or .500 IIRC.

I don't see why a 275 grain HP in a .475, at 1600-1700 fps wouldn't be flat, and hit like a 12 gauge.
Heck, my minimum loads of AA9 go 1560 fps with that bullet.

Meat damage would be my only concern. For hogs 325 flat points would work for me, at even a slow 1500 fps: Got around 1000 of those loaded.

Revolvers are capable of 2-3 inches from .44 up, at 100 yards, in the right hands.

Don't forget the .500JRH, available in a BFR regular length revolver, or in a
FA 83, custom, by JRH Advanced Gunsmithing.

I've watched hogs soak up a LOT of lead, even from a big gun, like the .475.
How big are your hogs?

 

[MCgunner]

Just because you can't shoot out to a certain range doesn't mean others suffer under the same handicap. For rounds that have so-called "rainbow" trajectories (e.g., .45-70, almost every pistol round, .444 Marlin) elevation becomes a critical adjustment after a certain range. Practice at measuring distance and knowledge of a load's external ballistics are essential. Also, when one compares your "flat shooting" .30-30 to a .30-06, the rimmed round suddenly seems to "drop like Obama's poll numbers" after 200 or so yards.

I know of NO ethical hunter, no matter how good with a handgun, that would attempt a shot at 150 yards with a revolver off hand. It's not a matter of hold over, it's a matter of steady hold. My practical off hand limit is 75 yards, I know this from lots of shooting, and I'd prefer to keep that under 50. I ALWAYS look to rest the gun even at 25 yards, if a rest is handy. I ain't out there to impress YOU and I want a clean, merciful kill or I won't shoot. Now, if I'm eradicating problem hogs, that's different.... A hog wounded will be a dead pest...sooner or later. I've done that, though. Most of the hogs I shoot are at about 2 feet. Gotta get close enough to shoot through the wire on the hog trap. I do that off hand with whatever I'm carrying that day, usually either .38 special or 9x19 +P. I HAVE done it successfully with a .22LR NAA mini revolver. Ain't tough to make a head shot when he can't sink his teeth into ya.

Anyway, normal revolver rounds have a might much hold over even rested and while they might still have the energy, 4MOA is excellent accuracy for a revolver. My Contender shoots 1.5 MOA and gives me more room for error. You don't have much room for error with 6" groups on a 12" target (avg vital area of a deer) at 150 yards.

 

[Prosser]

If you could rest the gun, I just noticed that a lot of loads from Buffalobore only drop 7-8" at 150 yards.

I'd reverse engineer this:

Pick a caliber and bullet weight you are comfortable with, then look at the tables for bullet drop on buffalobores' website, and decide what you are comfortable with shooting.

350 grain .475 drops 8 inches at 125 yards, but 17" at 150 yards, for example.
His deer grenade .44 magnum drops 8 inches at 150 yards.

Pick something that is adequate, and as flat as you can get.

 

[MCgunner]

If you could rest the gun, I just noticed that a lot of loads from Buffalobore only drop 7-8" at 150 yards.

I'd reverse engineer this:

Pick a caliber and bullet weight you are comfortable with, then look at the tables for bullet drop on buffalobores' website, and decide what you are comfortable.

350 grain .475 drops 8 inches at 125 yards, but 17" at 150 yards, for example.
His deer grenade .44 magnum drops 8 inches at 150 yards.

Pick something that is adequate, and as flat as you can get.

I would add a restriction, that the gun/load be capable of 2MOA. 4MOA is NOT adequate at 150 yards. 2 MOA gives you a 3" group on a 12" target at 150 yards and if it shoots flat enough and you are good enough with it, perhaps. Personally, for that shot, I'd want a 10" or better yet, 12" barreled revolver or, or perhaps AND, an optical sight on it to give me the sighting accuracy I would need to make the shot. A 4" or even a 6" gun don't have much sight plane to work with.

Once you've put a couple thousand rounds down range at various yardages, have a laser range finder with you when you're hunting, have your drop tables taped to your scope, well, perhaps.

Or, ya know, you COULD get closer before attempting the shot. Folks don't make 80 yard bow shots, either, ya know. It's called deer HUNTING, after all. If you're going to restrict yourself by using a handgun, you need to know your limitations and stay within them. I do. I've killed 7 deer so far with a handgun, 2 with a .357 and 5 with a Contender, several hogs, too, and passed on a few shots due to range and lack of a rest. It's all about hunting, not shooting.

And, yeah, I shot IHMSA for a short (bored me, I quit) and was shooting about 35 of 40 with a stock 10" 7mmTCU Contender and TC's IHMSA rear sight adjustable via click, numbered wheel for elevation. The 150 yard turkeys were the hardest, usually had my misses there. The 200 yard rams were easy. Weird. But, steel is not a flesh and blood game animal. I can hit a ram in the horn and score.

 

[willypete]

I know of NO ethical hunter, no matter how good with a handgun, that would attempt a shot at 150 yards with a revolver off hand.

Statements like that are illogical bollocks. If the hunter is good enough, the ethical 150 yard shot won't be a problem. If he's not good enough, he won't take it. Obviously, you've selected a platform that will allow you to take ethical shots at 150 yards. Would it be reasonable for you to say that you know of no single shot scoped pistol hunters that would consider a 300 yard shot ethical? Hmm, looks like they'd better get a scoped rifle...

It's not a matter of hold over, it's a matter of steady hold.

And yet you're the one who brought up bullet drop at 150 yards.

Look, there are varying levels of skill among shooters. Some can pull off shots you personally wouldn't take. The equipment usually isn't the limiting factor, it's the shooter. While upgrading to a scope or a rifle will help in a lot of circumstances, there will always be some person, somewhere, who can pull off that crazy shot that you thought couldn't be done, and they'll do it with boring regularity. They just happen to be a bit rarer than the average shooter.

Anyway, back on topic, if someone wants to try taking 150 yard shots at game animals with a revolver, they better practice practice practice.

 

[StrawHat]

After reading all this, I am seriously not equipped to shoot deer with a handgun. I better open the freezer and let them all out.

Lasers, ballistics tables, reversed enginnering???

Take the revolver out, load it, shoot it at various ranges and learn what YOU can do with it. What I can or can't do won't matter as it is you squeezing the trigger. It really is that easy.

 

[CraigC]

This thread has taken a turn for the weird.

 

[USSR]

This thread has taken a turn for the weird.

Yeah. I'm afraid I'm out of my league, since I can't make offhand shots out to 150 yards.

Don

 

[MCgunner]

Would it be reasonable for you to say that you know of no single shot scoped pistol hunters that would consider a 300 yard shot ethical? Hmm, looks like they'd better get a scoped rifle...

THAT makes logical sense. Rifles are the preferred tool for long range shooting. Or, they can use a handgun and try to get closer.

 

[Gun Geezer]

Guys, I thought I'd get maybe 10 replies regarding the CALIBER I should consider for my purchase. At any rate, thanks for all the reponses.

I'm going with a 44 Mag revolver. Likely a S&W 629 Stealth Hunter. I'll mount a nice scope and use a bi-pod (or sand bags) to put down a few hogs. The bulk of my shots will be at an exact known distance (blind to feeder is exactly 110 paces) so the range finder and the bullet drop calcs won't be necessary except on the target range getting things all worked out. Wind is no factor since there is pine trees on both sides.

This rig is going to be a tad pricey for me, so it may a be a while before I can post pics. But once I have Lucille (yes, she already has a name) I'll post a few pics.

Thanks to all.