quote:

Originally posted by sixshot_01:
Took a few with a 357 maggie but was always a little nervous about the end results, it worked but I like a bigger hammer.
A 357 Maximum with 180's or 200's is nasty!

Dick

Dick, just picked up a couple .357's that'll get used in some closer range affairs this year - a scoped 8 3/8" Model 686, and an 8" Dan Wesson 357 SuperMag. Gonna run 180's and up in both.


But I agree - the bigger hammers will get more play time!

I took several deer with a Rossi 357 mag and didn't know I was under gunned until I started doing a little research.

Most of my game has fell to a Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag and the 45 colt is trying to catch up.

quote:

Originally posted by cottonstalk:
I took several deer with a Rossi 357 mag and didn't know I was under gunned until I started doing a little research.

Most of my game has fell to a Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag and the 45 colt is trying to catch up.

Just wait till you hammer a deer or bear with your new .500 JRH!

When standard factory loadings are used I believe the .357's best role is a secondary weapon in deer hunting, as a finisher. It's really perfect for that. That's why I carried mine. But the times you wind up with a deer that needs finishing at close range are extremely rare. In fact, I don't remember ever using it for that.

And one day I moved to the .41 and .44 and they became the primary. That's really how handgun hunting evolved for me. First, .22s for small game. Then a .32 pocket Colt as a finisher, then the .357 and the .45 ACP, and finally the guns that were really built for big game hunting. The rifle goes along now as "insurance" and for the longer shots or ones that can't be made without a scope.

Hunting's just a lot more interesting with a handgun. And it's fun seeing the amazement in others that you can even pull this off (when describing it, always make like it's no big deal...that adds to the effect)

I LOVE this post. I'd bet I've taken as many animals as any of you. With my trusty .22, I must've shot a thousand rats and mice, hundreds of squirrels and bunnies, a dozen or so snakes (good or bad ones didn't matter much to me) and more than my share of cats that I can't talk about. Aren't CB caps the greatest? LOL

quote:

Originally posted by george roof:
I LOVE this post. I'd bet I've taken as many animals as any of you. With my trusty .22, I must've shot a thousand rats and mice, hundreds of squirrels and bunnies, a dozen or so snakes (good or bad ones didn't matter much to me) and more than my share of cats that I can't talk about. Aren't CB caps the greatest? LOL

George, I am wanting to know if I'm the only here who has shot a Cape Buffalo with a sling shot.

quote:

who has shot a Cape Buffalo with a sling shot.

...it's all about shot placement...

quote:

Originally posted by Shack:

quote:

who has shot a Cape Buffalo with a sling shot.

...it's all about shot placement...

I've shot one with a slingshot. Didn't do much but raise the dust off him.

..well, then you obviously didn't have enough kinetic energy on it...right?

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:

quote:

Originally posted by Shack:

quote:

who has shot a Cape Buffalo with a sling shot.

...it's all about shot placement...

I've shot one with a slingshot. Didn't do much but raise the dust off him.

Must have been using some of that inferior 44cal slingshot ammo..... If only you had used 45cal......

quote:

Originally posted by george roof:
I LOVE this post. I'd bet I've taken as many animals as any of you. With my trusty .22, I must've shot a thousand rats and mice, hundreds of squirrels and bunnies, a dozen or so snakes (good or bad ones didn't matter much to me) and more than my share of cats that I can't talk about. Aren't CB caps the greatest? LOL

I've racked up quite an impressive number of chipmunks with CB caps and you are right that they are wonderful!!

I guess this one is handgun hunting. Sort of. At an Arkansas duck club I was in we used to spend time in the evenings in the barn, sometimes working on decoys or four wheelers or just messing around with shooting rats that were attracted to the place. We used one of those pellet air pistols. I don't remember the brand, but it was the one you pumped up the air pressure on. We took turns using it and plucked rats off the rafters as they scurried around. Competition shooting at moving targets you could say.

Kind of entertaining. Of course, it also tells you how high class the joint was.

The place was 1,200 acres of duck hunting paradise and eventually got sold out from under us. It seems thru out my hunting career that happens just about every time I find a really, really good place to hunt...

Shack, I killed a bundle of rats with a CO2 pellet pistol that was made by Smith & Wesson (actually made for them but badged as a S&W). It was good practice!

Whit, I've shot a pile of "tree rats" (squirrels) with my scoped 10" Buckmark and CB caps. You have to single load them, but they kill better than any pellet gun. Add a few possums and raccoons to the tally as well.

Beretta 9mm--One wild dog.

When I was stationed in 29 Palms living out the back gate, my dog broke her leash and ran off with a wild dog that'd been hanging around. I had her tied next to me while I was changing the oil on the truck, so I ran after them through the desert for about an hour, because my lab was in heat.

When they came back before dark, the wild dog hung around even when I tried to chase him away. I remember him chuckling as he sat there and smoked a cigarette; well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.

So I shot the father of all those puppies.

Other than that, I've only killed a few Cape Buffalo with a single shot Colt derringer in .22 Short. That's only when they're out of sling shot range.

quote:

Originally posted by skl1:
Beretta 9mm--One wild dog.

When I was stationed in 29 Palms living out the back gate, my dog broke her leash and ran off with a wild dog that'd been hanging around. I had her tied next to me while I was changing the oil on the truck, so I ran after them through the desert for about an hour, because my lab was in heat.

When they came back before dark, the wild dog hung around even when I tried to chase him away. I remember him chuckling as he sat there and smoked a cigarette; well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.

So I shot the father of all those puppies.

Other than that, I've only killed a few Cape Buffalo with a single shot Colt derringer in .22 Short. That's only when they're out of sling shot range.

Ah yes, the Stumps......did one CAX out there....

My Bowen customized Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt

One of the boars in Argentina....




My Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum

Without question my old M63 Smith. Loads of rabbits and squirrels and the like.

quote:

Ah yes, the Stumps......did one CAX out there....

Whitworth,

When I first drove out from Lejeune, I came onto the base and saw that lake that's in the middle of the base. Thought it was something MWR'd built for rec purposes for folks stationed there; then I smelled the sewage. We used to do the run portion of our PFT's around that large sewage pond.

quote:

Originally posted by skl1:

quote:

Ah yes, the Stumps......did one CAX out there....

Whitworth,

When I first drove out from Lejeune, I came onto the base and saw that lake that's in the middle of the base. Thought it was something MWR'd built for rec purposes for folks stationed there; then I smelled the sewage. We used to do the run portion of our PFT's around that large sewage pond.

Haha! 29 Stumps left an indelible mark in the hearts of everyone it touched! LOL!

Semper Fi, jar head!

Ill be adding this one to the mix this fall.



Just got it today.

I lost a good deer with a 357 a few years back. I hit him in the center of the lungs from almost broadside, we blood trailed him over a quarter of a mile but lost him. Bullet was a hard cast 158 gr. semi-wadcutter. I've also seen 357's fail to penetrate a wild hogs head. This has been 30 years ago, but I quit hunting with a 357. Maybe with today's improved bullets it would do better, but I still think that it's borderline. I have some friends that have done well shooting 180's out of a short barreled lever action, so maybe 180's out of a 10" bbl. would do good.
I've always had good results from 41 and 44's when using heavy bullets.

quote:

I lost a good deer with a 357 a few years back. I hit him in the center of the lungs from almost broadside, we blood trailed him over a quarter of a mile but lost him. Bullet was a hard cast 158 gr. semi-wadcutter. I've also seen 357's fail to penetrate a wild hogs head. This has been 30 years ago, but I quit hunting with a 357.

For deer I see the .357's role with standard factory loadings being a secondary weapon for close range finishing shots.

One little buck with an old Smith 38 Special and the rest have all been with 41's of one persuasion or another. Half the handguns in my safe of af the 41 family. They range from little 41 Specials, 6 shot 41's, 5 shot 41's and a 5 shot 414.

Let's see. That makes 12 now who use the 41. We got a lot of genuine pistoleros here...

....so am I number 10?











My problem is I have so many hunting rifles that I like to get them some field time also... Hunted all last season with two .41s but the only two good shots I had were just out of the comfort range. The deer I have taken were a .44 Magnum and .357....maybe this season....

As to the original question on what guns have you harvested the most game with...a S&W Model 53 .22 Jet...a small truck load of small game. One memorable shot was at 60 yards...a 5' water moccasin right through the head. Shot so many Jet rounds through the gun had to replace the barrel....





It was my only .22 handgun from 1974 to about 1989 so it saw a little use...

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
I lost a good deer with a 357 a few years back. I hit him in the center of the lungs from almost broadside, we blood trailed him over a quarter of a mile but lost him. Bullet was a hard cast 158 gr. semi-wadcutter. I've also seen 357's fail to penetrate a wild hogs head. This has been 30 years ago, but I quit hunting with a 357. Maybe with today's improved bullets it would do better, but I still think that it's borderline. I have some friends that have done well shooting 180's out of a short barreled lever action, so maybe 180's out of a 10" bbl. would do good.
I've always had good results from 41 and 44's when using heavy bullets.

Same EXACT thing happened to me using a .357 with a cast bullet.... Deer died somewhere but it was way off the ranch we were hunting on as it was seen 400 yards from the hit jumping the fence to the ranch next door where we didn't have permission to go...10 point..20' for the shot and I am still sick after exactly 40 years this fall....Bob

RJM, I like your choices in weaponry. I've never owned the Model 53 but was sorely tempted to buy one in the late '70s and was always very intrigued by it. When I see jet ammo on rare occasions at gun shows, I still take time to look it over and wonder what that'd been like..

Terrific shooting with the others, especially the 55 yds unsupported sitting. I notice no fps listed on those. But 22.0 grains of H110 with a 255 sounds indeed like the "ultimate 41". I can't imagine anything you couldn't take with that.

I'll have to look up the velocity but I am thinking mid-1300s with the 255/22.0-H110/5.5" barrel. The 300s from the same gun are doing mid to upper 1200s...

You are right...thee isn't anything that I can't take with that load...so now the question is why did I just buy a FA .475....the answer...NE450No2 made me do it....

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
You are right...thee isn't anything that I can't take with that load...so now the question is why did I just buy a FA .475....the answer...NE450No2 made me do it....

Bob

Now Bob...we're all friends here - and some of us FA junkies as well...so "just 'cause" is acceptable too!

And Shack - tack on a couple more .41 harvests to be added to a rapidly increasing tally on my M97. Love that gun!

...and a .41JMP is what?

Carolina...NE and I go back 30+ years. When I lived in Texas we shot a lot together. He bought up every .44 Magnum around leaving me nothing but lowly .41s.

Nice kill on those pigs. When I lived in Texas you couldn't find a pig...now they are overrun. What bullet did you use and how long is your barrel?

Just orded some cast bullets this morning for the .475...once I decide on the weight the gun likes I'll get a mould.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
What bullet did you use and how long is your barrel?

Bob

Bob, it's a 7.5" barrel on that FA - I was (am) shooting factory 210 gr Speer GDHP's. I acquired the gun during the great .41 component shortage of 2009 and my preferred XTP's were nowhere to be found...so after confirming silly accuracy with the Speer factory load, I purchased a case of them. Since then, I acquired a bunch of different .41 projectiles, but the Speers just keep working.

In .41 Magnum the 210 gr is the "standard" or "traditional" bullet weight. Much like 240 is "the deal" in .44.

What I use in the Model 57 is a 210 @ 1350. It's Cor-Bon's middle of the road .41 load. They've got a 170 but I think it's more for personal defense. And a hard cast 250. I tried that once on deer, and went back to the 210 jhp. It's a deer smasher.

The rated 1350 is out of a 4" barrel. Not sure how much it adds to that out of my 8 3/8". Another 100 maybe?

It seems like I've heard they make their own bullets.

I have shot medium game with the following.

LAR Grizzly
Wildey
Ruger Security Six
Freedom Arms .454
Smith 629
AMT Hardballer Longslide
Desert Eagle
Ruger Super Blackhawk
Contender
Safari Arms 1911 40 Super

But by far, the most game taken has been with my various Auto Mags.

Very nice, Tony!

I'm a fan of the 41 Mag also. I have Blackhawk, Smith 57 8 3/8 and Mountain Gun. Never used it to hunt with. Just carried the Blackhawk for many years. Killed lots of feral pigs though with it and the Mountain Gun

quote:

Originally posted by TonyRumore:
I have shot medium game with the following.

LAR Grizzly
Wildey
Ruger Security Six
Freedom Arms .454
Smith 629
AMT Hardballer Longslide
Desert Eagle
Ruger Super Blackhawk
Contender
Safari Arms 1911 40 Super

But by far, the most game taken has been with my various Auto Mags.

Ouch, I had forgot those things were so well.........ugly!