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Thread: 44 special load test on a domestic sheep

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    44 special load test on a domestic sheep

    It's butchering time, so I decided to see what my 44 mag plinking loads would do to a sheep. The load is a Lee 200 RNFP, ACCOWW, over 6 grains of Red Dot in a 44 mag Case. I don't remember chronographing the load but it should be around 900 fps out of my 6" 44 mag. From 20 yards or so, I placed the shot behind the shoulder. The 100 lb sheep ran 10-15 yards and laid down. I walked up to cut the throat and the entrance wound was still pumping blood nicely. The boolit passed completely through without hitting any shoulder bones, just ribs. I know sheep aren't nearly as tough as a whitetail, but I was impressed with the big bore performance, none the less. No pics, not much to see, just two holes.
    Last edited by Silvercreek Farmer; 08-25-2017 at 01:14 PM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

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    Sheep are well known for their lackluster will to live!

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    I used to shoot rabbits with about the same load. 6 of Red Dot over a 210 swc. Shot a fat doe at about 100 yards with the load. Hit her in the heart. Boolet went in the left side turned and came out the left side. She went about 20 yards and piled up. Outside of heart had two hole on its left side. The inside of heart was destroyed, all tissue between the chambers was damaged. No blood would pump. Last time I used the load on anything bigger than rabbits.
    Steve

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silvercreek Farmer View Post
    Sheep are well known for their lackluster will to live!
    Yet a 45 acp round nose at the wrong angle will glance off the forehead. They are hard headed
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  5. #5
    In Remembrance
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    My experience with domestic sheep, is hearing the hammer drop on an empty chamber stands a good chance of killing them. lol

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    My sheep are a bit wild and I usually have to snipe the one I want out of the herd (and despite being sheep, they know what a rifle looks like). I once had one start limping after the shot on another. Only thing I could figure was that I had shot it by accident, but not quite sure how as I was positive I had a clear shot on my target. Now that it was limping, I was able to catch it to see how bad it was hit, but could not find a drop of blood or scratch on it. I released it and hoped for the best. The next day it was fine. The only thing I could figure is that it pulled a muscle at the sound of the shot!

  7. #7
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    Lefty SRH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silvercreek Farmer View Post
    My sheep are a bit wild and I usually have to snipe the one I want out of the herd (and despite being sheep, they know what a rifle looks like). I once had one start limping after the shot on another. Only thing I could figure was that I had shot it by accident, but not quite sure how as I was positive I had a clear shot on my target. Now that it was limping, I was able to catch it to see how bad it was hit, but could not find a drop of blood or scratch on it. I released it and hoped for the best. The next day it was fine. The only thing I could figure is that it pulled a muscle at the sound of the shot!
    Im sorry, but thats just funny!
    "In GOD We Trust"

  8. #8
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    the worst beat down I ever got was from a ram that looked like it was just about needin a walker, but I needed him to breed with a few of the does I had.
    I backed the truck up to the pen and went in to get him.
    I got thrown around and mud stomped for about 10 minutes before I was able to get the upper hand, ride it to the ground then grabbed it and flung it into the back of the pick-up like a sack of wheat.
    I felt every minute of the encounter for about 2 weeks.
    it would have been a lot longer if I hadn't of been in my early 20's at the time.

    no it was not the first sheep I had ever been around.
    he gave me a wide berth every time I walked out in the pasture so he must have learned his lesson too.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy

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    Quote Originally Posted by starmac View Post
    My experience with domestic sheep, is hearing the hammer drop on an empty chamber stands a good chance of killing them. lol
    The snowflake of animals.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by runfiverun View Post
    the worst beat down I ever got was from a ram that looked like it was just about needin a walker, but I needed him to breed with a few of the does I had.
    I backed the truck up to the pen and went in to get him.
    I got thrown around and mud stomped for about 10 minutes before I was able to get the upper hand, ride it to the ground then grabbed it and flung it into the back of the pick-up like a sack of wheat.
    I felt every minute of the encounter for about 2 weeks.
    it would have been a lot longer if I hadn't of been in my early 20's at the time.

    no it was not the first sheep I had ever been around.
    he gave me a wide berth every time I walked out in the pasture so he must have learned his lesson too.
    If I were that ram you would have had to fight to keep me from jumping in the truck to go get bred . I would have been jumping in to every truck I saw after that .

    Eddie
    Grumpy Old Man With A Gun....... Do Not Touch !!

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    My experience is a 22 short at close range out of a 4 5/8" ruger can completely penetrate a fat lambs skull. I was close. I doubt that a 45 acp will not penetrate a sheeps skull and bounce off of a solid hit. If you shoot between the eyes you are too low to hit the brain, so they bleed out the nose a lot and suffer needlessly. Draw a cross between the eyes and base of the ears and hit the x. It seems to work on most animals.
    Bang, flop usually.

  12. #12
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    I had Shetland sheep. Tough little buggers. The rams went 125 lbs, ewes around 60 lbs. a coyote female got in the pen and killed a 40 pound Cotswald lamb, the coyote pups tried to take down a Shetland ewe of 40 lbs unsuccessfully. Her lamb (about 10 lbs) was uninjured! Mama sheep had a "taco neck", and had rips on every square inch of her body. She lived another 10 years. My large dogs ran off the coyotes, after the attack. Grrr!
    Luvtn

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Sounds like the load worked fine. One shot, down quickly.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    Shooting too low, through the snout, is probably the most common failure to put down hogs with 22 LR. Placement, placement, placement.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master pls1911's Avatar
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    Can't comment on sheep but a Boer ram I raised must have remembered the wrestling we did until he was an adult and got too heavy to heave like feed sacks. Whenever I walked into the pen, he ready to rassel!
    Finally he was the last one left of 30+ critters. He was lost to a wandering Cougar in January.
    Coyotes, bobcats, and cougars drove me to beekeeping.
    I can't afford to feed the wildlife at today's prices, $200-300 a head.
    Salvaging old Marlins is not a pasttime...it's a passion

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lefty SRH View Post
    Im sorry, but thats just funny!
    Yes it is!!
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same......." - Ronald Reagan

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  17. #17
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    SSGOldfart's Avatar
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    Wait until it's time to share he's wool. We got to know more about this Ram.
    I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
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    Looking for a Hensly &Gibbs #258 any thing from a two cavity to a 10cavityI found a new one from a member here

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