Close Range With My .44 C&B 12" Buffalo For Deer

[trapper44shooter]

Fellas I am wanting to know if my .44 C&B Revolver For close range during regular Rifle Season Here in VA. My load of 25 Grain Of Triple 7 shoots very well it would kill a deer at 25 yards or maybe a TAD i DO NOT want to just wound a deer & IT GOES OFF & DIES I COULDN'T SLEEP IF THAT WERE TO TAKE PLACE what do any of my fellow cap & ball shooters think let me know

[Edward]

I have a lot more faith in my stik bow/cedar shaft than my C+B at 25yds /just my opinion/Ed

[RoyEllis]

Only muzzleloading firearms .45 caliber or larger loaded (propellant and projectile) from the muzzle of the gun.
Muzzleloading firearms must be single shot, capable of firing only a single bullet or saboted bullet (.35 caliber or larger).
Flintlock, percussion, or electronic ignitions are permitted.
Muzzleloading pistols which meet the three restrictions listed above are legal

Copied from Va hunting regs......C&B revolvers aren't legal for deer there.

[Ozark mike]

Only muzzleloading firearms .45 caliber or larger loaded (propellant and projectile) from the muzzle of the gun.
Muzzleloading firearms must be single shot, capable of firing only a single bullet or saboted bullet (.35 caliber or larger).
Flintlock, percussion, or electronic ignitions are permitted.
Muzzleloading pistols which meet the three restrictions listed above are legal

Copied from Va hunting regs......C&B revolvers aren't legal for deer there.

I havent looked at the regs but he should be good because he wants to use it in rifle season not muzzleloader season

Ya should be fine as long as yours is accurate. Those 44s probably took more deer than the 44 mag cartridge dont underestimate that soft round ball it'll turn critters inside out especially if ya load it up a lil hotter

[winelover]

They will work , as long as, you do your part. Must use a conical in Arkansas.



ROA loaded with Pyrodex "P", Lee 220 conical, Oxyoke lube cookie. Bang flop at 15 yards.

Winelover

[Wayne Smith]

I havent looked at the regs but he should be good because he wants to use it in rifle season not muzzleloader season

Ya should be fine as long as yours is accurate. Those 44s probably took more deer than the 44 mag cartridge dont underestimate that soft round ball it'll turn critters inside out especially if ya load it up a lil hotter

Nope, those are the general rules for legal shooting. He can use it for turkey, not deer or bear in Virginia.

[Texas by God]

Close range and precise bullet placement will work. I've never used a cap&ball revolver but I've killed a doe at 25 yards with a .44 Kentucky pistol and a large 8 point buck at 44feet with my .54 Plains pistol. Both dropped right there.

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[Nobade]

The Kerr bullets from erasgone molds make a 44 c&b revolver considerably more effective compared to a ball. Basically a caseless 44 russian.

[koger]

I have found, that using the lee 220 gr conical, my Ruger old Army, is a lot more potent in the real world, than on paper. I have taken several deer, all under 30 yds, and had great results. I load about 35 gr of 3FFFg real black powder, with felt wad underneath the conical. The gun will shoot the whole cylinder in a 1" group at 25yds when I do my part. The first deer I shot, was a big doe, I shot her in the lungs, 30 yds, she turned and took 2 steps uphill and could go no farther. I didnt want her to suffer, so I put the second slug in her spine between the shoulders looking down out of my treestand. Bang, flop, bullet went thru the spine, out the chest, and into the ground. Another one was a gut shot doe my wife had shot, and we trailed her around in a briar thicket about 4 acrres. The wife climbed up on a blown down tree, and said she is front of you about 10 steps. I threw a rock over, and she jumped up, and I put a conical between eye and ear, she lost her mind. I have taken a small buck thru both shoulders with the same load, he ran about 30yds and flopped over. Just a few examples of my results with a cap and ball revolver.

[444ttd]

I havent looked at the regs but he should be good because he wants to use it in rifle season not muzzleloader season

Ya should be fine as long as yours is accurate. Those 44s probably took more deer than the 44 mag cartridge dont underestimate that soft round ball it'll turn critters inside out especially if ya load it up a lil hotter

when in doubt ..............

https://dwr.virginia.gov/contact/

[Castaway]

The “44” on the cap and ball refers to the bore diameter of the barrel. Actual ball size is 0.452” to 0.457”, that makes it a 45 in today’s nomenclature

[Nobade]

The “44” on the cap and ball refers to the bore diameter of the barrel. Actual ball size is 0.452” to 0.457”, that makes it a 45 in today’s nomenclature

Well, yeah...
The deer don't care. They still fall down dead.

[megasupermagnum]

Even with that long barrel, I doubt you are much over 700 fps. A 140 grain ball at 750ish fps isn't much. About a 38 special wadcutter target load. It will perforate lungs for sure, but I doubt the wound would be impressive.

[Edward]

And according to the regs it is not legal so it doesn"t matter ,shoot em with the 06 /same difference

[Ozark mike]

Get ya a lyman plains rifle if ya like muzzleloaders wont regret it for dear and elk season

[dverna]

A deceased buddy of mine told me about killing a good sized deer at 100 yards with one shot from a .22LR when he was a 12 YO kid. (Back then, poaching was common place to put meat on the table.) The deer dropped instantly. He was a good hunter and had trophies from across NA including a grizzly.

I admit to not understanding the killing effectiveness of bullets or boolits. One animal will drop instantly and another shot in the same place will run 50 or more yards. Interesting. My point is you can kill almost anything with anything. A marksman can place a shot better than the average guy. Field conditions differ from range conditions. Too many variables. The only "sure" instant kill is one that impacts the CNS but that is not an easy shot. That is why I believe in "enough gun". I would use a .22 LR if I had to feed my family but I have better options.

I made a good shot with a .308 on a 150 lb doe last year and it ran 70 yards uphill before buckling up. Thankfully, we had snow and it was easy to track. But there are areas here where the swamp is so thick it would be near impossible to find a wounded deer. Especially late in the day when the light is fading.

BTW that happened a couple of years ago. Two guys wounded a deer late in the day and followed the blood trail into the swamp. Lost the blood trail and got lost. It took them three hours to find their way out and we had vehicles on the road blowing horns to get them pointed in the right direction. One had sunk up to his chest in the swamp and thought he was going to die there. Luckily his buddy pulled him out. They decided not to try to find the wounded deer the next morning. The cidiot who had thought he was going to get sucked into the swamp packed up and went home.

If you have a better option, use it. If you want "bragging rights", or want the challenge, use the C&B and pick your shot. Make sure the gun is legal. Good luck.

[Tripplebeards]

I have used a 100 grains of triple seven Pellets out of my ML rifles along with a 265 grain saboted hornady .430 cal bullet with authority. A 25 grain load out of a pistol sure sounds like an extremely weak plinking round or squirrel and rabbit load. If it were legal imo it still wouldn’t be lethal.

[444ttd]

i use a 44 spl( ruger sbh in 4 5/8" barrel) and 255gr keith type boolit with a skeeter load(7.5gr of unique) and i think its going around 800fps(i never used my chrony). i have killed 4 or 5 deer with out 50 yards. 20-25 yards is average. the deer don't complain either.

[onelight]

71/2 grains of unique with a 255 Keith bullet should be 900 FPS + in most revolvers .
Much more powerful than 140 grain rb over 25 grains of Triple 7. The triple seven load is in the 38 special power range , with less penetration .

[Ozark mike]

71/2 grains of unique with a 255 Keith bullet should be 900 FPS + in most revolvers .
Much more powerful than 140 grain rb over 25 grains of Triple 7. The triple seven load is in the 38 special power range , with less penetration .

Do not put unique in a cap&ball gun this is bad advice