25 Yards - 100 yards more powder ?

[Tom A Hawk]

I love my .40. It is very pleasant to shoot, light on recoil and extremely accurate. 50 - 60 grains of Swiss FFF has good smack on the target. However, a .390 ball weighs about 90 grains and in my humble opinion that's a bit light for deer. A 22 long rifle will kill deer and I had an uncle who would swear to it. But that doesn't necessarily mean its a good idea...

 

[oldwood]

Of the four custom big bore round ball longrifles I've been fortunate to have had time to test out , three were Pa. deer hunting rifles ,and one ,a .50 , was a deer rifle and a competition rifle . All four rifles had one "sweet spot" load for all occasions. I just wasn't one to switch loads around for different occasions. To each his own. .................Now there is this ugly skinny 3/4 st. oct . brl , .40 cal , patterned after an old relic from the Cheat River Valley of Preston Co. W. Va. that has captured my attention . This rifle likes 35 gr. fffg for a light load , and 50 gr. , fffg for a more robust job. Here in the Pa. big woods , there are mountain lions , 700+ lb. black bears , red wolves, coyotes, and sundry other creatures to defend against , while taking a walk in nature. Bearing that in mind, the 50 gr. load is my go to load. Good shooting to ya.........oldwood

 

[Zutt-man]

How does that 40 caliber do on deer? The reasons I ask are that I'm probably going to order a Kibler in 40 and I have my ancestor's 40 caliber that he packed along on the Meek cutoff in 1845. It was good enough then but back in those days they'd never heard that ugly word "magnum".

Edit: "Where never was heard that ugly word "magnum". Now that sounds like the beginning of a good theme song for a western if I ever heard one!

I’ve never had a pass through, but all 5 deer I’ve shot with it have never gone more than 30 yds. I’ve been using it for over 15 years and it’s been nothing, but great to me. Our muzzleloader season in Kansas is generally mid September and I don’t really a like taking on a butcher project in 90° heat unless it’s a good one, so I don’t usually shoot many deer with it. I suppose it’s just like anything though... shot location is critical. Very effective on song dogs as well

 

[Zutt-man]

I love my .40. It is very pleasant to shoot, light on recoil and extremely accurate. 50 - 60 grains of Swiss FFF has good smack on the target. However, a .390 ball weighs about 90 grains and in my humble opinion that's a bit light for deer. A 22 long rifle will kill deer and I had an uncle who would swear to it. But that doesn't necessarily mean its a good idea...

See post above

 

[brazosland]

As far as .40 goes...I mostly hunt with .58 or .62 rifled guns. I have a gun with two fitted barrels, a Rice .40 and a Rice .50. Once I started shooting the .40 I really fell in love with it, the .50 barrel still hasn’t had the sight regulated... No hogs yet, but several of our Texas does (which admittedly field dress in the 80-90 pound range) and no issues what so ever with good shot placement. A .40 cal hole in one side and out the other leaks really well. A .58/.62 gives more margin for error, but I don’t have any issues using the .40 inside 75 yards.

My standard .54 load is a .530 over 85 grains of 3F for everything in two different guns. On at 25, 2” high at 50, on at 75, 3-4 inches low at 100.

 

[rafterob]

I sight in originally to get the best group at the highest point of impact on the target and then file and adjust my sights to point of aim at 25 yards. I use the same load for all distances and learn to adjust my sight hold accordingly. If you translate that to shooting in the field, it is much more expeditious than if you used multiple loads for different distances.

 

[Rudyard]

I have a an old flint 16 bore with a scelp barrel with a 44 liner . So the rear sight was no more than the shallow U or hollow on the false breach and by' knowing it' some thing like a bow it served just fine Way better than over elaborate barrel sights since there is seldom time to think about fancy sights . The gun was just made up of old parts its lock was by Dunderdale & Mabson it & the barrel about 1800 & the liner a gift from Kit Ravershear .I only made it for old sakes sake as the barrel was from the first crude flint gun I made but needing a rifle more than a ' smoky '16 bore I used up the liner . Rudyard

 

[Jim Nasium]

I tend to find my load that groups best, sight in for the best applicable trajectory and/or MPBR, and practice with that.
I would never, on a hunt, up and change my load after spending countless hours getting to know it so well. That adds a variable I don't personally wish to contend with.
As a teenager I used to think I had superior mental facilities and could manage all these intricate changes in the moment. After a couple incidents involving bow pins and adrenaline, I learned my lesson.

Upping the powder charge doesn't always solely change the vertical trajectory. It can throw the windage on a projectile as well.

If I do anything different, I may down load for a youth or first time shooter to lesson the felt recoil. Find what works for you and don't kid yourself or let anyone else do it for you.

 

[hanshi]

I'm another shooter/hunter that has only one load for each gun. Instead of switching loads I switch rifles/caliber.

 

[oldhunter1954]

You guys are so helpful I have to ask. I hope to hog hunt in Florida or Georgia. Should I site the gun in at 50 yards? I would not try a shot further than that.

 

[flntlokr]

I have a 54 caliber colonial. I have been shooting 25 yards. I am getting good groups with 75 grains of 2f, .530 ball and lubed patch. Does this mean I am good for 50 yards or 100 yards? I realize the ball will drop at the longer distance. But do you guys load more powder to shoot 100 yards.

Should be about the same for 50 yd., probably have to hold about 4-6" high for 100. I use the same load for everything; it saves hauling out the calculator for each shot on a trail. It takes a few sessions to figure out the drop beyond 50. I zero my guns for 50, and figure the rest out over time. Other folks do other things; whatever works for you is the best method.

 

[brazosland]

Look up Maximum Point Blank Range.

 

[Don Steele]

You guys are so helpful I have to ask. I hope to hog hunt in Florida or Georgia. Should I site the gun in at 50 yards? I would not try a shot further than that.

50 is a good place to be "dead on". That said...once you get that load established, shoot it at 20-30 yds because that's very likely the range you'll be shooting your hog from. One of my buddies down here in Florida shot his last hog at 7 yds. The pig walked right under his stand. Last one I shot was approx. 20-25.
Familiarize yourself with hog anatomy, especially from less than ideal "full broadside" angles. They aren't exactly built like a deer.