I have two of the Winchester big bores in 375 win.I have loaded the 220 gr bornady using aa1680 powder alot.I have also tried the speer 235 gr .375 bullet for the first shot.Has any one use the barnes original 255 gr bullets?I think the 220 gr hornady is too soft for moose.Has any one else used any bullets in the 375 win for game bigger than deer or hogs?

I've never zapped a moose, myself, but I wouldn't be so quick to sell the 220-gr. Hornady bullet short.

As for the 235-gr. Speers, Paco Kelly simply takes a hammer and taps the noses flat, thus allowing a tube full of the buggers if that's what you desire.

If I were you, I'd post this on the leverguns.com forum for some informed opinions: www.leverguns.com

RSY

Kind of defeats the "point" if you flatten the nose don't it ?

Nice catch, CW.

I was only really being semi fecetious. If you whack the tips with a hammer obviously they are not all going to be the same. You could have seperation issues, jams and disasterous results from a burr on the tip of one of those rounds in the tube. Besides, once you flatten the tips what's the point ? A few extra grains of lead ? There are a lot of people who claim a lot of things on forums. I dropped in over at Pacos place this week to see my favorite clown slapping himself on the back with his alleged shooting ability. He now claims to have " taken a turkey on the wing " with a 45-70. Maybe so, but that don't make it smart and it's certainly NOT legal in his homestate of Texas. Some times a good dose of common sense goes a lot further and straighter than sage advise.

I agree that 15 grains of bullet weight is nothing to get wrapped around the axle about. That's why I'm perfectly happy with the Hornady 220s.

As for the turkey shoot you referenced, perhaps not advisable, but perfectly legal in the majority of Texas, the exceptions being the eastern counties. Nothing wrong with on the wing, but roosting is, indeed, a no-no.

RSY

I guess that must have been the area I read the regs for. I remember thinking that it would be good fun to take the 32-20 along on a deer hunt for turkeys. I thought I recalled only scatter guns being legal now. I still wouldn't shoot one with any centerfire rifle on the wing. I would think it dangerous. Besides what's left to eat ? Interstingly enough I recall reading in one of Teddy Roosevelts books that during christmas in Menard near the turn of the century the entire town would go out at night and shoot Turkeys on the roost for Xmas dinner. But those were different times. I think the pointed bullet might give some edge in accuracy at further ranges but I would just turn the old gal into a two shooter. This should serve even for a moose hunt, although it would not be my first choice.

I'm sorry. I meant to say Eastern turkeys, not counties (though it amounts to basically the same thing). You cannot shoot them with a rifle, but you can take Rio Grande's with anything you desire, and they make up the overwhelming majority of our turkeys. I'm going to start taking a .22LR along with my scattergun, after having a tom hang up on a fence about 80 yards out this Spring. Had I had that .22, I would have had a turkey, and legally.



Last year, I suddenly came upon a big group of birds while deer hunting and snap-shot one on the deck with my .270 Win. Probably won't try that, again, unless I have a rest (turkey jerky, anyone?). No more shotgun shots with a scoped rifle, unless it's "the Buck", of course.



RSY

yeah I'm thinking if you whack even a monster Rio on the wing with the 45-70 you won't have much left to clean. I've seen some real monsters while deer hunting over by Eldarado.

How the heck did we get to .45-70s and turkeys from .375 WCFs and moose???

Topic drift never ceases to amaze me. My apologies to dgr416.

RSY

Well, it's all lever gun related. Besides the 45-70 is what I would pack if I was taking a lever gun. Primarily because I could scope a Marlin. Even a self guided hunt theese days will set you back a good 5k with residuals. That's not a time I want to miss. I also like the bullet selection over the 375 a tad bit better. Either way like you said initially I sure wouldn't sell those Hornady's short.

I think the purpose of tapping the 235's out to work in the magazine was not to gain an extra 15gr, but to get a better ballistic co-efficient (and the extra 15 won't HURT, as a plus)
I think if I were going for moose with my big-bore, I'd be really tempted to shoot hard-cast, for penetration. My Lyman drops bullets at 272gr, lubed and checked. This has great sectional density, and ought to penetrate until this time tomorrow....
I imagine if you thumped ol Bullwinkle in the right spot with it, he'd drop like Slick Willie's zipper....

....oh, yeah.... rifles are perfectly ok on Texas turkeys... and the K-Hornet is borderline perfect. I imagine a lever in 218 Bee would be just as good.... and would keep us solidly on topic......

While the .375 Winchester (mine is a Marlin) is one of my favorite lever guns it would not be my first choice for moose. If I were taking it I would build a hot load of AA1680 under a gas-checked lead bullet from Marshall Stanton's Beartooth Bullets or something of similiar quality, and I would shoot for the shoulder as one would with a bear. Having said that, the Hornady would still not be a bad choice, only my shot selection would be behind the shoulder.

I tend to agree, in principle... I've never been one to get a 30-30 and try to turn it into a 308.... but I'm not against trying to improve something, as long as it can be done safely.... sorta like my 22 K-Hornet... when loaded with LilGun powder, it is a low end 222 Remington... and I don't load it to max... my cases are still going strong after about 6 loadings each. I can also load it down to "regular" hornet velocities, or even on down to 22lr ballistics. I guess my point is, that if my only "big bore" rifle was a 375 levergun, and I wanted to go for moose, I'd try to gain all the ballistic advantages I could... safely. I personally would like to see a bullet mfg bring out a heavier jacketed bullet for the 375 Winchester... something in the 260-275gr range.. but I can get there already by casting, so I'm not holding my breath.