I'd like to get some ideas on where the "common sense" line is drawn for various game with various calibers. We'll assume the average dude, I am small by Texas standards, 6' and 200lb, but sounds general enough for an average.

45 caliber
-> 200gr @ 2000
-> 255gr @ 1500
-> 300gr @ 1500
-> 325gr @ 1200

And maybe any game that deserved a smaller caliber. Kind of lookibng for the window here.

With proper shot placement game of even large size can be killed with very small cailbers. I think that the cailber size has a lot more to do with where you hunt how much time you have and how much money you have spent.Small for game cailbers take a lot more time passing up not so good shots and waiting for the perfect one then do large for game cailbers.

That is a given. Assume that it is a "takeable" shot, meaning both humanely effective and fairly certain of hitting where you want it.

This should be good for hogs (I assume). Would it be any good for whitetail? What about exotics? Coyotes? Cougar? What about smaller game? Probably not a very good choice for squirrel , but what about racoon? bobcat?

It will work on whitetail with proper shot placement and will leave a good blood trail..I'd pick a bullet in about the middle of that selection of simi wadcutter hard cast shape myself....

Hopefully you are some skilled at tracking as they will make a few tracks from time to time when shot with big slow bullets...

No ray, no skill here, but I can always learn. And target practice is something I can do on my own for now.

Thanks for the input. I was wondering what you could reasonably hunt with this sort of cartridge. "Reasonably" meaning way more confidence and experience than I have. I don't plan on doing too much hunting alone for now. But I am lining up a couple of different trips from people who can walk me through things. I'll end up buying the beer, I'm sure

I don't think they have any wild game in Texas that you couldn't take with a load like you described, given decent marksmanship and understanding of range limitations.

Scott - It would help a bit if you would name a specific cartridge...but going with the info you've given here and ASSUMING a good hit in the right spot with a good bullet from any of the loads listed...you would be fine for anything in Texas except perhaps some big hogs. Even some of the smaller ones would likely run a bit.

IMHO 95% of all Americans are grossly OVER-gunned for 95% of everything they will ever hunt. It doesn't take a 243 or 270 to kill a prairie dog or a .375 to kill a whitetail, etc.

Our forefathers killed everything out there with a LOT less than we have...so I don't get really worried about this "power thing" or the "big bore stuff." I think a lot of that is mostly "one up manship." My gun is bigger than your gun sort of stuff but it really has no basis in what's necessary for hunting.

99% of the "kill factor" is decided by shot placement and some sort of reasonable bullet performance. All the rest is mostly hype.

So, sure you could hunt all over Texas with what you are considering. Just know your limitations and the GUN'S. Such a rifle is going to have some very problematic trajectories if used at any range.

Whenever I have hunted with such rifles, I treat them almost like I was bow hunting. I get in close and only take certain shots...and the game under those conditions the animal us usually dead before he hits the dirt.

Hope this helps

Definitely, it is all good. Thanks!

The above loads are just guesstimations for a 454 casull from a handgun. Or possibly a carbine set up for a handgun caliber, like the 44 lever action, or similar.

I am about a month away from getting my new rifle. It is downright painful!

I'll probably start off with hogs in central TX.

I suppose the loads listed above are legal but I think it's common sense to have one that's more than minimum. To say that I am overgunned makes no logic unless the load is so powerful that it causes aiming or rifle weight problems.

I find no pride in using borderline loads on game.

www.mindspring.com/~ulfhere/ballistics/wounding.html

My wife's abuelo (granddaddy) killed everything (incl. elk), he needed for himself and a large family with a .22 Hornet while working on what is now Vermejo Park in south central Colorado, and now owned by Ted Turner.(Gag!)

A good friend of mine who posts here under the name Rawhider, is acquainted with an older man who reminisced about the only firearm on their homestead on the wet side of the Cascades, a 32-20 rifle. (once a common cal. used by many "sons of the soil")
They got elk on down with hard cast very heavily loaded handloads that probably approached .357, (at least out of a long barreled pistol.)

Judging by the performence of factory 240 gr. h.p.'s on blackbear out of a .44 Marlin with ACOG Compact 2x, and friends who are reliable in their observations, the following opinions are expressed:a .357 rifle with the proper load is equal, or nearly so, to a factory 30-30/150 gr., and greatly superior as a varmint round when loaded with hot 125 gr. bullets.
.44 cast is superior to most jacketed ammo for deer and up.(Penetrate thru the skull, neck, length of the back clear to the root of the tail on needed-to-be-slaughtered beef. Call it 6 or 7 ft. of meat and bone...)
The proper bullet for the "mission", at a given vel. will do the job (nearly) regardless of cal. (if you are close enough and can hold hard.)
"Punkin rollers" kill deer about the same, regardless of cal.(.44 mag., 44/40, 38-55, 45-70 etc.)(latter two at black powder vel.)

During deer season, or if I am expecting a blackbear, I carry a NEF .357Max w/16" barrel and 200 gr. JRN at 1,700 or 1,800 fps, a 20" barrel Ruger #3 .38-55, or an Marlin 1894P with ACOG Compact 2x and 240 gr. Rem. Core-Lokt at 1,800 fps.
Rest of the time, (when there is a chance at feral dogs, coyotes, cougar and very slim posssibility of bear/deer, I pack .357 rifles, 32-20, Hornet or lowly .22LR (SGBed 60 gr. Aguila in a Norinco JW-15 that will shoot 1/4" @ 50 yds.)
Horseback, the very short and handy NEF or Rossis are my choice nowadays, and I carry slung or hand carried.
I only carry a pistol to deal with feral two-legs. (Like the slim chance of riding onto some meth "tweekers".)
I prefer a short pistol cal. rifle, (nearly as convenient to carry as a pistol), for game or defense against feral 4-legs as it is more apt to be carried or ready to hand by me.

Dave 32-20 / Inland NW

Great site, don! Lots to absorb.

I doubt I'll ever get to the ToddE level of proficiency where I can take cape buffalo with a lever action 30/30 and matchkings, but I eventually should be able to get 2-3MOA consistently, even under a little pressure. Maybe.

What would 3MOA be at 1 yard, anyway?

Thanks for the link.

ScottB My first "deer" rifle was a Ruger 44 Mag. semi-auto. I killed many deer with 240gr.HP and SP, both factory and handloads. My longest shot was about 125 yards. Very few deer took more than a couple of steps. I still have a lever 44mag and my niece killed a @ 225 lb. hog at 20yds with a 250 Nolser partition Win. factory load. Hit the pig high in the shoulder and he dropped like a rock. I have used the Speer 270 gr gold dot and my own cast bullets with good results also. A 44mag. rifle would make an EXCELLENT rifle for Deer and Hogs, especially If you like to get close.

Don Martin29
Yes the loads ScottB are suggesting to use are not only legal they are more then adequate for just about every thing in TX!! The Biggest animal he will shoot will be Hogs up 500 lbs so using the 300 grs in either the 454/44 will take even the biggest hog cleanly. Thier is no need for the Big Magnums in Texas!!!

Here are the two bullets I am shooting now in my 454:

255gr kieth
325gr RNFP

Both lyman molds with gas checks. I can send the 325 to 1400+fps but that is approacing the limits of the Taurus frame, at least in my mind. The 255 in a similar hot (too hot) load has given me 1800+fps.

I'll probably use the 255 @ 1500, roughly speaking. Either that or the 325 @ 1200. The rifle I have my heart set on should duplicate this, or close to it, in theory. Actually, I guess a 20ga slug gun would be pretty close?

Actually your .454 in either a handgun or rifle will be much more effective than any shotgun slug. you have to consider the accuracy acheivable and the sectional densities of the projectiles.

If you are talking about a .454 carbine, my opinion is that for all but a handful of game species your only concerns anywhere would be range and bullet selection.

Fireplug

Not a carbine 454, but something close enough. It will be my pleasure to share the details with everyone when I get it

ScottB
So you have a 454 now I take it an want a good companion carbine? I fixed that problem I had when I purchased my Win 94 in 45LC. If you get either a 454/45LC carbine you will be well rounded in power department for TX hunting. I have to yet quite master the full house 454 rounds so I'm limiting myself to no more than 60-70 yd shots. So I got the 45LC Carbine as a companion to it so I could take the further shots out to 150yds( Always been a better rifle shot then a pistol -but I'm working on that)!

pretty much nailed it. I prefer a pistol, but I decided I needed a rifle just because. I assume I will get better with a rifle faster than with a handgun. And I have been invited to tag along on a hog hunt, but handguns are frowned on (might hit a dog).

At one time I had a lever-action on my short list, either 45-70 or 444, maybe something smaller, but I found something way cooler. Better? probably not. But definitely within the realm of coolness.

I'll be posting all about it in about a month, I'm pretty sure, as long as the very generous person selling it does not spoil the surprise