Max hunting range w/30 cal cast boolits

[1Shirt]

I am interested in the opinions of those who have shot sucessfully with 30 cal cast boolits beyond 100 yards, 150, 200, 250, etc.

I am interested in what ctg, what boolit, what voll? Am also interested in weither or not the cast boolit was a soft nose/hard base, a wide meplat, or hollow point. Would also be interested in performance of boolit.

I am a believer in the old addage of some old African Elephant hunter who said, "get as close as you can, then get 5 yards closer.

Doubt I would take a shot much beyond 100 with any cast, due to old eyes, and a reality check.
Thanks in advance to all who respond to this thread.
1Shirt!

[largom]

For the past 15 yrs. I have not shot any deer past 125 yds. and most were under 75 yds. I have killed deer with 30-30, 308, 35 Rem., and 45-70. All boolits were flat nose cast with 55% lead & 45% WW with 2% tin added, lubed with FWFL. Velocity for the 30 cal. was 2000 fps, #5 Rem. = 1900 fps and the 45-70 was 1800 fps which I am going to lower [kicks too hard]. All boolits passed thru with good terminal damage. One deer ran 30 yds with a hole thru it's heart and the rest died with-in a couple yards.

I fully agree on getting closer because that's the real challenge of hunting.

Larry

[DIRT Farmer]

The last deer I shot with cast was 47 steps, with a pure lead round ball. Worked well.

[quilbilly]

My rule of thumb:
The longest distance you can keep your boolit on a 10" circle and still have a terminal velocity of 1100 fps. I have been a muzzleloader too long to be impressed by high velocity of a projectile that has the same (roughly) weight of a 45 round ball (135 gr approx) or 50 caliber patched round ball (170 gr approx.).

[Blammer]

311284 ww alloy air cooled Vel of 1850 fps
150yds shot through the heart.

[runfiverun]

the rcbs 165 silhouette boolit from 4/6/90 alloy using my ar-30
hit a ground squirell at a paced out and eyeballed 200 yds called that one Mr. Floppy
hit him through the chest he flopped and flopped till i walked over and mud stomped him,worst "b" movie death scene ever.
the cow elk i took at 120 yds with my 45 colt so she don't count.
little girl took two deer with her 7.65 argie, one at 40 yds that was a bang flop, and one at 50 yds that was a bang stumble flap.
there was the yote at 150 yds but that was with the 223 so no bearing on this thread either.
there was the doe that i took with the 30 carbine revolver at 70 yds but i was using 32-20 brass and a 313 98 gr boolit so that may,or may not count.
if it does i'll add in the rock chuck with that same revolver at 125-130 yds,that was more like a cheeew,,,,, slide.
and then there was that buck at about 150 wait no that was with the 8 mauser...
hmmm it looks like the 30 cals don't get out too much.

[Crawdaddy]

Cant contribute much to your question. My longest kill with cast was 40 yards and my shortest was 10 feet or so. Both with my muzzleloader and both with 463 grain .458 boolits.

Both Mulies and DRT.

[Larry Gibson]

I cast my hunting bullets soft (.30, 31, 8mm, .35 and .375), HP them and drive them at 2000 to 2300 fps for hunting. Accuracy and the retained velocity are the limiting factors to my maximum range limit. For deer I want to put the bullet into an 8" circle every time at the max range and still have 1400 - 1500 fps for adequate expansin and terminal effect. That's just become my own criteria based on many years and many deer experience. Others are successful with other criteria for local, deer size and hunting conditions.

In .30 cal while I've used numerous other bullets the Lyman 311041 is my favortite. It is an HP of which I've shortened the HP stem so the expansion petals are not so radical and seldom slough off. Proper alloy use is very important. That bullet has the weight and design to provide excellent terminal effects out to 200 yards if the accuracy from the rifle is there. I've used the 311041HP on deer in numerous cartridges and rifle types from the 30-30 up through the 30-06. There are similar designs that should do just as well and I've tried several of them, just keep coming back to the 100+ year old trie and true 311041.

BTW; I also try to "hunt" to as close as I can. However, where I hunt sometimes getting "closer" is not possible and if I, the rifle and the load are capable of a 200 yard shot then I personally see nothing wrong with taking the shot.

I have been considering using my Palma .308W with 14" twist with the 311466. It has the accuracy and retained velocity to be 400 yard capable on deer. Considering in all my years of hunting in the "long range" west I have only shot 6 deer, antelope, elk and a sheep past 200 yards. Most have been on the short side of 100 yards, truth be known. Probably won't use it because unless I set up for a longer shot (which I'm not prone to do) I probably wouldn't get to shoot past 200 yards anyways.......

Larry Gibson

[1Shirt]

My longest deer w/any rifle was a whitetail doe at a bit over 135yd w/243 105 gr. blt. Took a nice 4x4 muley at over 100 w/58 cal round ball over 85 gr. of 2F. Last one with a 7x57 (J), was a lazered 123 yds. . Closest was maybe 50 yds or so. Only one kill w/cast on a russian boar with 45-70 at about 60 yds, bang flop, 4 legs in the air.

Really don't like to shoot much over 100 yds on deer size animals anyway regardless of what I am shooting. That said, w/7x57 Jacketed in Africa, I took 2 red heartabeasts at over 450, one bang flop, the other took a second round.
I didn't want to shoot at that range, but you do what your PH tells you to,
and that is why you pay him.

Closest, I had on anything in Africa for plains game was about 150 on a wart hog. I believe I read someplace that a survey was taken on actual average distances for whitetail kills, and it came out to something like 62 yds or so.
Would bet however that mulies would probably average out better than 150 or so.

The older I get the closer I want them anyhow. Believe it was John Taylor's recommendation on shooting elephant to get as close as you can, then get 5 yards closer before you shoot.
1Shirt!

[selmerfan]

My longest kill was a lasered 163 yds. with a .357 Maximum sending a 215 gr. Lyman 358627 out at 1800 fps at the muzzle. Big whitetail doe dropped like I hit her over the head with a sledgehammer. Hit her high in the chest cavity, quartering away. In through the rib, out through the opposite shoulder, traveled just under the spinal column, hence the drop on the spot reaction. But always tells me there was plenty of energy delivered on the target.