what cb do you use when hunting and what range?

[tdoyka]

i've been following my own http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?306815-pistols-for-deer, and i thought what gun and yardage do you get while hunting cast boolits?

i use 3 guns(4 actually) that i use for deer.
1. 30-40 krag(bubbasized 1898 spr armory) with a 165gr(173gr actual weight) ranch dog that is a coww/12bhn that starts out at 1800fps. i limit myself to 150 yards.

2. 444 marlin(tc encore/ 23" MGM barrel) with a 280gr wfn gc that is lyman #2/15bhn. right now it goes 2000fps(.5" and less group at 100 yards)but i'm going to try 1800-1900fps to see if i can make it minute of whitetail. i also limit myself to 150 yards.

3. 44 rem mag(as soon as i get it, sbh with a 4 5/8" barrel) with a 250gr mihek hp that can get 900-1000fps. 50 yards is my own limit.

4. 45-70(handi-rifle/black plastic stock, ugly) it does a 405gr fbfn around 1400fps but i may try a 330gr gould around 1500+/-fps. it gets 100 yards limit, self imposed.

out to 150+ yards i go with my 6.5 creedmoor(tc encore/ 16 1/4" MGM barrel) with a 120gr j-word that goes 2700fps. i want to also try a 140gr nosler bt at about 2500+/-fps.

i use a laser range finder when i go to an old field that i hunt. the deer come in at 43 yards(deer trail/some brush), 93 yards(deer trail/bush) and 148 yards(group of trees). they can also go at 278-298yards thru a tree line. they can go where they want too, i had a real nice 8pt come by me during archery season. he stopped at 14 yards, broadside to me. i had the crossbow ready to fire but there still was(and is) a very, VERY nice 10pt, so i let him go.

[jhalcott]

I don't hunt with only ONE boolit or gun! I have used many calibers and guns to take deer and smaller critters. I used a 223 with cast 55's to take a few groundhogs. I Teflon taped them and got up to 2500 fps before accuracy went away. Various 7MM molds and guns have provided lots of amusement and venison for my family. Lately I am on the .308 kick. Since the 30-06 was so good I thought I might try it's little brother. My Remington 700 doesn't seem to like the same boolits though! At the same velocity and boolit, the 308 is no where near as accurate as either of my 30-06's. I CAN hit a deer at 100 yards with either of these guns, but ON PAPER the '06 beats the 308 easily. I have used 358JDJ and .35 Whelen to take deer, some times with dramatic results. I even use the ancient 45'70 to "harvest" deer. In a 14" Contender OR a Siamese Mauser, it is very effective!

[runfiverun]

I have places where I can either shoot into the next county over or into Wyoming.
both are about 50 miles away.
that doesn't stop me from using cast boolits in several places where I hunt so on day trips I will take 2 rifles.
usually the 30-30 or 44 mag or 45 colt with a rnfp boolit.
and a bolt gun with jacketed rounds. the 25-06, 7x57 Ackley or the 30-06.
last season the 25-06, 30-06, and the 30-30 were all used on deer.
the 25-06 was handy for the 330 yd shot across the saddle and up on the ledge where the buck was feeding.[store bought jacketed bullet]
the nephew used the wifes 0-6 to take a nice doe wandering up the side of a 45* slope.
[home made jacketed bullet]
and the 30-30 was used on a smaller buck that I stopped the truck for so it could keep walking across the dirt road just before dark.
the last one was with cast [the rcbs 30-150 fngc] and I was pushing it a bit too hard for the distance.
in reality anything could have been used on it, a spear out my window would have been effective.

[TXGunNut]

CB's are pretty much all I use for hunting anymore. My 35 Rem, 35 Whelen and 45-70 loads all use RD design boolits. My 45 Colt revolver is now loaded with RD boolits but very seldom use it, last time was a Lyman 452424 boolit. One deer last year was about 120 yds with the 35 Whelen, that's about as far as I've shot a large game animal in quite some time.

[35 shooter]

35 whelen @ 2200 fps. with a 280 gr. rn or a 230 gr. fn. The deer are usually shot at 10 to 40 yds. in thick southern woods, but i have a self imposed limit of 300 yds. for the open areas.
I don't like to shoot any further on big game even with jacketed, even if the rifle and load is capable....but that's just me.

[DougGuy]

Lee C430-310-RF in a 7 1/2" SBH is all that's needed anywhere I hunt. Thick woods, short shots, 24' off the ground in a climbing stand most deer never even look up.

Also hunt with a 4 5/8" birdshead Vaquero, loaded with the C452-300-RF.

I guess I will be bringing a medium framed .45 Vaquero into the fold as well. Have yet to decide on a hunting load but I am sure it will be an RF style boolit.

[rking22]

For me hunting is about getting CLOSE. If I just want to "shoot some food" I am comfortable out to 150 to 200 yards with my cast, 300 is my limit with anything. A deer can move enough during the bullets flight time to turn a solid hold into a miss or worse gut shot at long range. I have had ground hogs drop into their den just as a 52 gr BTHP got there from 400 yards! with a heavy rifle and enough scope you see the critters head then no head and a bullet splash in the dirt. Happened twice, we had a heck of a laugh both times, just was not his time :) That is why no matter how good the hold, I will not shoot at game at long distances. Look at the fancy ballistic calculator programs, look at the time of flight. At 350 yards it takes almost 1/2 second for my 308 165gr to get there. Even with a 3200fps/.4BC you hit one second of flight time at 700ish yards! Enough soap box, I shoot .35 cal with a scope out to 200 max but mainly open sighted rifles 30cal and up( including my flint and cap guns) to 100 or so. Revolver, open sights is all I do, to under 50. TC with scope(357H or 3030) to maybe 125ish. That is my self imposed hunting ranges, but I generally shoot for 1/2 that. The rifles get cast ,heavy for caliber at 1700or so fps. I love PRBs for muzzle loaders and the revolvers run standard weight cast at 1000fps or so. In over 40 years of deer hunting, I have fired 2 more rounds of ammo at deer than I have eaten deer! If I am not SURE of the shot , I don't take it. I shoot lots farther at coyotes and inanimate stuff' just to stay tuned up. Spent enough years shooting dots on paper in 3 position and Hi Power to last me. Reality is I like to be in longbow range before I shoot, way more exciting and it keeps me from filling the freezer to soon:)

[RU shooter]

My deer hunting is done with a 35 rem using the 190 RD bullet works perfect for my area my shots over the years average out to about 50 yds longest recent cast kill was 80 yds my combo works great for me and my situation .

[6pt-sika]

I have a trio of 444's of which two are micro and I use anything from 207 - 375 grains , the third is Ballard and that one shoots anything from 390-450 grains . And where I use these a 100 yard shot is about the extent of it .

[BrentD]

I use this bullet out to at least 200 yds,
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Moose/Moose%20Killer%20Bullets%20small.jpg



It works
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Moose/Moose%20and%20Ballard%20A%20small.jpg

[tdoyka]

I use this bullet out to at least 200 yds,
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Moose/Moose%20Killer%20Bullets%20small.jpg



It works
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Moose/Moose%20and%20Ballard%20A%20small.jpg

thats a nice gun!!! what caliber is it?

[BrentD]

It is an original .45-70.

[Wolfer]

Where I hunt it's pretty brushy and the longest shot I've had in the last several years has been about 100 yds. Way more less than 50 yds than has been over 50 yds.

In my 30 cals( 30-30, 30-06, 30-40) I shoot a Lyman 311041 with a small HP at around 1800 fps. Performance has been excellent. In my 338 cals I've been using the Lee 220 gr at around 1800 fps. Cast soft, round nose, no HP and performance has been even better than the 30 cals if that possible. A dead deer a few steps from where he was hit can only be killed so dead.

Meat deer inside 40 yds I try to take with a handgun. 45 colt with Lee 452-255 RF or 452-429 with a small HP. Both at around 1000 fps.
The Lee is more accurate in my gun but the Lyman leaves a little better blood trail. I generally see them go down anyway.

This year I've got the NOE 452-255 RF with the 3 set of pins. I have great hopes for it and the cup point.

Ive found if you put the little hole in the right spot it doesn't much matter what you put it with.

[Digital Dan]

I'm good with something between 15' and 50'.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/IMG_1423_zpsdbr1j7nk.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/IMG_1423_zpsdbr1j7nk.jpg.html)

[Blammer]

35 whelen 200gr cast bullet and out to 300yds. :)

[Blammer]

of course I've struck out everytime with this combo in the woods, (not seeing anything)

then I take my 44 mag handgun and plug one at 20 ft...

[Viper225]

I have been using a 375 grain WFN-GC cast from a Mountain Mold in my 480 Ruger Super RedHawk. A real deer thumper. I have been using White Label Caranuba Red. Starting in 2016 I will be using my home made gas checks made on one of Pat's Check makers.

I have been playing with a 13 Inch MGM 357 MAXIMUM Contender barrel and NOE 360-180 WFN-GC bullets. They weigh in at 188 grains ready to shoot. White Label Caranuba Red bullet lube.

I just ran my first batch of NOE 360-180 bullets sized .359 this morning to use in my 14 Inch 35 Bullberry Contender barrel. I am using White Label Caranuba Red lube, and Hornady Gas Checks. They should max out around 2200 fps +/-.

I also cast and load for my brother's 44 Magnum Super RedHawk. I have a custom Mountain Mold that casts 310 grain WFN-GC bullets. Again they are lubed with White label caranuba Red. My brother took a nice Missouri buck last season at a lasered 135 yards with his Super RedHawk, and this load. Optics are a 30mm UltraDot.

Bob

[Ron in PA]

My deer gun is a 1895 Marlin 45-70 made in 1972 with a RCBS 405 gc.

[Harter66]

I do walking hunts on a hog ranch with a couple of 92s in Colts the 452-252 was good the 1st yr the 2nd yr I chose a 454424 from feet to 50 yd the results have been about the same . 45 in .50 out and except for that 1 that was all juiced up and running dead in a heap . 3/5 didn't even twitch .

[dragon813gt]

MP 359640 in an 1894C out to 50 yards. In reality this is maximum distance in a lot of places I hunt. The swamps and woods are quite thick.

A NOE clone of the RCBS 35-200 for longer distances. But like I said I don't hunt areas where long shots are an option. I carry a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington for the concurrent deer and bear season.

I have loads worked up w/ a bunch of 30cal bullets but I never take them hunting.

[Just Duke]

I use this bullet out to at least 200 yds,
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Moose/Moose%20Killer%20Bullets%20small.jpg



It works
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Moose/Moose%20and%20Ballard%20A%20small.jpg


Where did you get the Moose?

[Just Duke]

35 whelen 200gr cast bullet and out to 300yds. :)


You have a PM sir.

[BrentD]

Where did you get the Moose?

The Yukon Delta, Alaska, last September.

[Dthunter]

I have used the 200 grain 311299's out to 275 yards on deer and bears.
Shot from a 308 win, at around 2350fps. Very decisive kills.