Your Pig/Deer Hunting Rifle(s), Caliber/bullet weight, > Range you would shoot?

[Random 8]

have u had any problems with h110 in the 44 in winter.

Haven't shot the .44, but I do shoot .41 and .357 with H110. I've tested both to significantly below zero (because I'm crazy and live where it gets that cold). Following the usual H110 advice..full power loads and a solid crimp with magnum primers, I've had no 'serious' issues such as delayed ignition or "soft" feeling shots. I do suspect I was losing some significant velocity colder than -10 as the POI shifted and burning got significantly dirtier. Was somewhere between -20 and -30F that morning, so definitely not typical hunting conditions.

 

[FL-NC]

This little gun drops deer, turkey, and hogs with ease using Hornady 75 grain BTHP match. Under the right conditions, I would take shots to at least 200 yards- the limitation being the energy of the 223

US Army rebuild program M24 SWS, 308. Excellent performance with Federal 175 grain edge, easily a 600 yard gun- unlikely to be used here, unless I get to hunt power line easements.



I have high hopes for this Del Ton AR10 (308) that has been lightly customized. I just finished it last week, and I hope to shoot it over the next week or 2 to figure out what round it likes and what i will be able to do with it. Hopefully it makes it into the ground blind in the next week or so for some hog eradication as a test-run.


This RAR in 308 does well with WInchester power points in 150 grain. I would feel confident pushing it to 400 yards, the scope being the limitation.
Another RAR in 300 B-O. Strictly a "swamp gun". The new Hornady 190 sub-x, 50 yards. Its a quiet, hard-hitting round, but its a "lawn dart"- 6" drop between 50 and 100, and velocity drops to 900 FPS at 100.

Not pictured is my Mossberg MVP Thunder Ranch (223). Its a 1 MOA rifle with the same 75 grain Hornady BTHP rounds as the AR, and has proven as capable with deer and turkey.

 

[Random 8]

Like those rifle pictures. Here's my .280, named "The Death Ray" in it's natural habitat, open Northern MN hardwoods. The gray skies don't let the oil finished walnut show off much, but there's some figure there, not exquisite, but just pretty enough to have something to look at in the deer stand. It's sanded to 220 grit and buffed out with burlap and turpentine so it doesn't show off to game. Unfortunately I don't hunt this woods anymore. It was an isolated hidden 80 acre gem of industrial forest, now the victim of mobile land mapping apps...the dumbasses found it and occupied it in force.

 

[FindANewSlant]

No picture, but I have a Howa 1500 in .308 named Helen. I use 150gr Federal Non-Typical as I take them within 75 yards. Still need to buy a scope.

 

[Varminterror]

have u had any problems with h110 in the 44 in winter.

Never for me. I’ve hunting winters in ND, MN, MI, and WI with 44mag, 475L, and 454C revolvers loaded with H110/W296, with magnum primers, it goes bang and flattens anything it runs into.

 

[someguy2800]

I bring a 20 ft fish house to deer camp and hunt 9 days straight so since I have lots of room for guns and plenty of opportunity to carry different things I take lots of different stuff to keep it interesting. I take whatever I feel like each morning depending on where I decide to go, and sometimes bring two.

This year I will be taking along all of these,

Tikka T3 25-06
handi rifle 444 marlin
Marlin guide gun 45-70
TC encore 270
TC contender pistol 357 maximum
Ruger SP101 357 mag
1898 springfield 30-40 krag
Type 99 arisaka 7.7x58 jap
Mosin Nagant
AR15 7.62x39

Some guns like the nagant I want to get one deer with it and then I retire it from the rotation. I have successfully hunted deer with the sp101 but now I just bring it as a tracking sidearm. The AR15 I don't really have any intention of hunting with but I will bring it anyway. I'm most excited to hunt with the 1898 krag.

 

[someguy2800]

have u had any problems with h110 in the 44 in winter.

Never for me. I’ve hunting winters in ND, MN, MI, and WI with 44mag, 475L, and 454C revolvers loaded with H110/W296, with magnum primers, it goes bang and flattens anything it runs into.

Ditto, I've tested H110 at -30 F and it does great. I've tested it in 357 mag, 357 max, and 300 blk and it was not adversely affected in any of them.

Contrary to popular legend it actually does better in my testing in the cold than extruded rifle powders like 4350 and H4831.

 

[Varminterror]

@someguy2800 - I made my post before my plane lifted off this morning, so I was reminding myself to come back and make that same point:

If it’s cold enough to give H110/W296 problems with a magnum primer, then you’re going to have problems with most powders.

 

[Gtscotty]

I'm going 100% sneaky this year.

Plan A: Knock over a bull in a few weeks using my Mission MXB-360 as seen below. Crossbow 100gr Slick Tricks on top of custom 23.5" Spynal Tapps, ~430gr all up @ ~340 fps.
Max range: 60yds


Plan B: If that doesn't work, break out the rifles, newly chopped and muffled this year for Elk, Muleys and Antelope.

First up
Browning X-Bolt .30-06 18.5"
Nikon Monarch 5 2-10x42 ED BDC (not in the pic)
180gr Accubonds @ 2,690 fps
Max comfortable range with low wind and a stable position: 400 yds.



Kimber Montana 6.5 Creed 20"
Leupold VX-3i 2.5-8x36 B&C
140gr Accubonds @ 2,735 fps
127gr LRXs @ 2,840 fps
(POI on both loads happens to be such, relative to each other, that the reticle is spot on out to 400yds without adjustment for both)
I'll probably use the Accubonds primarily for Elk and Mule deer, but may try the LRX out on Antelope.
Max comfortable range with low wind and a stable position: 400 yds (maybe a bit less on elk).


Tikka CTR .308 20"
SWFA SS 3-9x40 mil/mil
178gr ELDXs @ 2,610
Max comfortable range on Muleys with low wind and a bipod: ~500 yds .


Normally I wouldn't want to lug the Tikka around the countryside during hunting season, but I have a private land tag for Mule deer and my friend/coworker is going to let me hunt his property. There probably won't be too awful much walking and there is a promising overlook where the Tikka's excellent accuracy might outweigh it's ... Weight.