.40cal Experiment

[Herb]

If someone calls up that reference, the photo targets are hard to read. You can do CONTROL + to enlarge so you can see the detail. Control - reduces the screen image. Control 0 returns to normal. I think this is thanks to Brown Bear. Don't know what you do on an Apple computer.

 

[gmww]

That was a great post and thanks for putting in the time. I'm actually considering it since I do a lot of hunting from a blind where I wouldn't be jostling the gun around potentially moving the top RB.

 

[tg]

A friend of mine did pretty well with two .40 cal balls (actuallu .3900 in his gm barrel about ten years ago he was able to keep the balls at 2" or less at 50 yds and took three or four Deer before he lost interest, this was mostly due to the limited range as he had to let some nice bucks pass during his use of the DB technique but at smoothbore range it does add some whomp to the smaller cal rifles for sure.

 

[smo]

I think you will be surprized at what that double loaded .40 cal will do at 50 or 60 yards.With 80 grns it should have plenty of knock down /penetration power. I remember back in the 70's a friend bought a new TC in.45cal, that's when TC still listed the double load in the manuals.I saw him shoot it double loaded and they would print 1 to 2 inches apart all day long. Thats two holes thru the vitals almost 1/2" each.There ain't no doe going to far with that.

Necchi i will look i think i may still have one of those old manuals around some where. I'm not sure when they stopped putting it in them. But i think i still have one as well..

 

[roundball]

Oh my issue was not whether they'd be accurate / group well.
I've range tested T/C's double ball loads with .440"s & .490"s, and assumed the .395"s would be as accurate.
Just haven't had a chance to put the .395"s on paper yet so I didn't know where the POI would be if I took a shot at those Does at 50-60 yards.
Then there was the unknown about penetration of the little 92grn balls at that distance.

I'm going after some remaining Doe tags with the new .54cal smoothbore...then sooner or later I'll get to the range to check the double .40cal POI, and at least run a couple water jug tests...

 

[Rat Trapper]

Roundball,
You have everyone sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear how the .40 caliber test results turn out. Don't forget to post some pictures on what the little ball does to the vitals.

 

[George]

Then there was the unknown about penetration of the little 92grn balls at that distance.

It seems strange that the .45 is so well thought of as a consistent and reliable deer slayer and the .40 is not even considered a deer caliber. There's only a difference of about 35 grains in the weight of their ammo, and the .40 can be pushed up to MV approaching 2100-2200 fps. Sounds dangerous, to me.

Spence

 

[roundball]

In this case, the context was the unknown about penetration from a .40cal double ball payload...for me, with no first hand knowledge, passing was the responsible thing to do.

Personally, I've never considered the .45cal all that great of a deer caliber...a deer caliber being one that you leave the house with confident in 100yd capabilities as a general rule, not the exception.

For me, if a .50cal is a 100yd deer gun, a .45cal is not, and a .40cal even less so...it's even lighter and has less frontal area than a .45.
Have to draw the line some where...if not at the .40, then where...the .36? The .32? The .22?
:hmm:

 

[BrianL]

No projectile or caliber restrictions here in Michigan. All the rulebook says is that all muzzleloading rifles, shotguns, and handguns must be loaded with either black powder or a commercially available black powder substitute.

In WV the smallest ML you can use is .38 cal. Also, you can't use a swivel barrel or any other double and you can't use a converted ML such as a cartridge type single barrel shotgun that has been converted to ML. (Huh, kinda sounds like an in&%^$ don't it? :hmm: )

Actually the predecessor of the in%&$^. Back in the day, my father built a 12 gauge muzzleloader out of a Bay State single barrel prior to H & R's version. Got several deer with it before the TC Hawkens came out

 

[Swede50]

In this case, the context was the unknown about penetration from a .40cal double ball payload...for me, with no first hand knowledge, passing was the responsible thing to do.

Personally, I've never considered the .45cal all that great of a deer caliber...a deer caliber being one that you leave the house with confident in 100yd capabilities as a general rule, not the exception.

For me, if a .50cal is a 100yd deer gun, a .45cal is not, and a .40cal even less so...it's even lighter and has less frontal area than a .45.
Have to draw the line some where...if not at the .40, then where...the .36? The .32? The .22?
:hmm:

You did the responsible thing passing on a shot that might cripple a deer. :hatsoff: