Hi to all. Just wondering what kind of bullets do you use and like to hunt with in a revolve.Bullet grain weight and type of bullets used.And what kind of big game animals have you taken with a revolver with good results .What kind of yardage was the shots taken at.And what was the out come did you get the animal or animals that you shot what was the results of the bullets performance did you like it ??Did you use open sights or was it with a scope on the revolver ??

one shot kills when you hit the mark-----> (x)

Idaho Bob

oops had a typo.

[ 01-17-2003, 12:23: Message edited by: bullseye44 ]

The last dear was with a .44 SRH, no scope from a distance of 30 yards. For longer shot I have the Encore in 257 Roberts. Welcome aboard. Slim

Started out using 170g Sierras and 210g Sierras and Speers. My hunting load was 19.5/2400/210 Sierra for a very long time. Killed many deer, 13 pigs, 9 goats, and one feral bull. I now use 250g GC hard cast bullets from CBPT or BareTooth. I changed after an exciting experience with a 300+ lbs feral sow. My hunting load is 18.5/2400/250g CBPT. I have never had to shoot more than once and have never had to reach more that hand�s length to recover an animal. I shoot for center of front shoulder so the animals fall in place. I haven�t ever recovered any of the 250g bullets from the again many deer, 9 pigs, 3 goats and 2 more feral bulls actually one was a steer gone wild. Big animals 1500+ lbs. These hunting loads were developed for the .41RemMag and .41GNR (wildcat round). Shoot them in a stock Ruger BH (.41RemMag) and a Reeder Custom Guns Ruger SBH (.41RemMag and .41GNR). I still use the 170g and 210g loads in my carry gun (Taurus Tracker 425) just don�t use them as hunting loads anymore. The SBH is scoped, the BH and Tracker aren't.

Bullseye - I've never hunted big game with pistol, not because I haven't had every opportunity, but simply because when I go after deer and such I'm deadly serious about bringing one home...and also looking for excuse to shoot my rifles. Certainly anything from a good strong 38 Special load on up, well placed, will take a deer, and the bigger pistols naturally have taken larger game yet.

But to answer your question about hunting with pistols, I've always enjoyed shooting varmits (rabbits, coyotes, badgers, fox, etc) with pistols) and have done it with good success using 38 Specials on up to 44 Mag. My favorite is the .41 Mag with 215 gr cast bullet. I just load mine with 17 gr of 2400 simply because my gun loves this load and so do I. I've never shot anything with this load that didn't die on the spot.

Longest shot was buzzard at 75 yds. Gobs of rabbits between 50 - 75. Been there and done all this with all the above pistols.

Hunting with a good 45 ACP is a lot of fun to, although range is best kept to under 50 yds. I like to try to walk up on a jackrabbit as close as he will let me (Hopefully at least 25 yds) and when he drops it in gear and takes off I try to drop him with 45 on the run.

In short, hunting with pistols is a blast. Probably more fun than with rifle. Most rifle hunting is simply a matter of spotting the game. The shot is often anti-climatic.

OH, I never use pistol scopes. I never scoped but one pistol and hated it. I'm an iron sight kind of guy...although I'm getting so blind I should probably hunt with a seeing-eye dog.

I've used a 44Mag. on some fairly big stuff up to 600 lbs or so. The bullet type depends on the game being hunted - some require JSPs or HC bullets for penetration because of their size - where a JHP may not penetrate sufficiently. I like a 200-240 gr JHP for deer sized game but any 44 bullets will take out a deer at reasonable ranges. I have used hard cast bullets in the 300+ weights to shoot zebra, wildebeest, impala and warthogs. The warthogs would be better shot with a 240 - 300 gr XTP or similar expanding bullet. Nearly everything I've shot with a revolver has been under 100 yards intentionally. The zebra was shot at 89 yards and the wildebeest was shot between 50 & 60 yards.

Oh, everything has a scope. 2x is fine for larger game but I prefer a bit more power for deer. A 2x6 B&L Elite 3200 is a nice scope for a revolver and will let you work on everything from small varmints on up.

I've done all my revolver hunting with a .41 Mag. Initially it was a Ruger Blackhawk then traded it in on a Smith & Wesson Model 57.

The first big game animal I killed was a mule deer buck in 1967.

I was hunting the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico south of Weed. I was hunting opening morning with my Remington Model 600 in .308 Win. We re-grouped for lunch and went back to the trailer. I was hunting with five other guys including my brother-in-law and his dad. After lunch they wanted to lie down for a while. That about drove me crazy.

I just took my Blackhawk (with open sights) and climbed the mountain behind the trailer. I started moving along the crest of the ridge. A buck and doe jumped up below me about fifty yards. He stood broadside. I put it on his chest, behind the shoulder and let fly. He and the doe spun down the mountain and to my left.

I stood there trying to keep them in sight, but lost them. When I could hear them any more I moved down to the spot where he had stood. I couldn't see anything. I followed their tracks for about 100 yards down through the trees. Luckily there was still snow on the north side of the mountain under the trees.

Where there was no shade, the snow had melted. I got this feeling in my stomach that I'd seen the last of him, and hoped I'd missed.

I was looking at my feet, trying to figure what to do next when I saw what looked like a spot of blood in the snow. I picked up on that track and about twenty yards further found two drops of blood close together.

I kept looking down the mountain ahead of me and saw nothing. I wanted to puke. A wounded buck, and not much chance of catching him.

A chipmunk, about 25 yards below me, moving on a log caught my eye, then it dawned on me it wasn't a chipmunk. It was a deer's tail moving behind a blow-down log. My heart-rate tripled, I stopped breathing, and started searching the blowdown for something with hair on it, other than that tail. I couldn't even tell which way the body of the buck was pointing.

I didn't move a muscle. Then suddenly I focused on his rack through the limbs. He was prone behind a log. He slowly raised his head until his eye cleared the log, and he stared at me, then lowered his head slowly. My brain was racing to come up with a plan. He raised his head on me once or twice more. He knew where I was, I knew where he was; no advantage.

I decided to move around, above him a litle better so he wouldn't have a clear run at me. I tried to ease through the snow and limbs without taking my eyes off his rack.

I hadn't taken three steps when a limb gave way under the snow, and snapped. The buck was up, like he'd never been hit, and bounded down the mountain directly away from me. On the second bounce his head came up in my sights and I pulled off the round.

210 grains, and a lot of luck, hit him square in the back of the head where it joined his neck; he flipped forward, and slid to a stop, stone dead.

I wanted to scream, I was so excited. I could not believe it. I looked at him, looked down into the valley, listened to the wind blow through the pines, looked back at him; sat down and just sucked the whole experience in. I wanted a picture in my mind of that moment. He was a nice 8-point plus two 2" brow tines.

I checked for the first shot. It was where I'd sent it; right in the lungs behind the shoulder.

I cleaned him, dragged him to an opening, hung my orange gloves on his horns, and headed down the mountain.

By the time I made it back to camp, the rest of the guys were a little aggravated about me delaying the afternoon hunt. Then I dropped the bomb on them. Their mouths fell open. One guy (who I didn't like) said that I must have killed it with my rifle, until my brother-in-law pointed out that the .308 was still in the trailer.

No one went out hunting. Everyone piled into trucks to go see how full of shit I was. I climbed in the back, and we drove until I saw the two orange dots on the mountain, and banged on the cab.

I was feeling 10' tall for at least the next week. That is the one you'll remember. The first one.

Since then I've killed probably a dozen buck (whitetail, mule deer, axis, sika); and a half dozen turkey with a .41 Mag. It's dropped nine or ten javelina, and enough jackrabbits to fill the back end of a pickup.

I think I even "shot" myself one time. A friend and I were plinking at rocks in a canyon. I fired and seconds later was hit in the chest hard enough to take my breath away. It left a bruise. I guess it was a piece of rock, or a ricochet. Scared me good.

I don't shoot at big game beyond about 75 yards. I always use a bullet of 200 grs. or better. The results are always the same. Lung shot, the deer will move off about 50 yards and keel over. The axis buck dropped at the shot, and two whitetail did the same.

I have total confidence in that Smith & Wesson, particularly since I mounted a 2X Leupold on it a few years ago. If the game or target is within 75 yards it is going to pay the price. I surprise myself sometimes. At 25 yards I can keep a can moving for the full six shots.

With someone else's pistol I'm lukewarm at best, but with my gun, we're one deadly combination.

I use an Encore 15 inch in 25-06. Scope is an Elite 32. I am very pleased with this combination especially with Nosler Balistic Tips 115 gr.

My newest is a Ruger Super Redhawk in 44 mag. 7-1/2 inch barrel. I am still learning this gun but plan to hunt next whitetail season with 240 gr xpt or similar.

Thanks to a bad heart valve and a little bit of open heart surgery I will be going back to handgun hunting this year. Actually looking forward to it, the long guns have lost some of their glitter over the last few years. Will be using a bolt single shot in 308 and 7mm08 for deer and a 308 repeater bolt for elk. predators will be done in with a 243 and 22-250 in repeater and single shot. As always the Ruger 45 LC short barrel will be at my side. Slim, how do you like the 257 roberts in the short gun? Been thinking about having one made! Also need an accurate 22 pistol, any suggestions? Good forum, look forward to sharing hunts and info.
TC

I have used a ruger redhawk .44 to kill several deer, from 15 to 100 yards. 240g hornady xtp over 24g w296.
I also killed one buck with my smith 587 .357 mag at 20 yards. that was with a hornady 125g hollowpoint over 18g 2400.
about 50% of the deer I shot with the .44 dropped at the shot, and none ran more than 100 yards.
the buck with the .357 mag dropped right there.

that is a very nice buck!

Hay Muleshoe
"nice buck" that you got there .So who shot it? you or your son . It looks to me i would say your boy got it right.just think he will be showing you up in a few years right.better keep up the good shooting and hunting.

one shot kills when you hit the mark---> (x)

Idaho Bob