Got my 40 cal roundball deer

[Herb]

OK, does anyone know of any .40 caliber conicals?

 

[gmww]

I've resorted to casting .40 cal. bullets as conicals. Check out the various mould makers for your gun.

 

[harryo]

A well loaded 32cal that punches a hole thru both lungs at close range will take down most any deer. How many millions have been shot with 30/30 in the past hundred years?

Not a valid comparison at all. A typical 30/30 bullet is much heavier and carries much more energy downrange than either a .32 or .40cal ball.

 

[Dave K]

I have NO fear of taking a deer with a 40cal. rd. ball within a 60yd. range. I have seen what that rd. ball has done to the skull of a ground hog at 65yds. If I place that ball in the boiler room,that deer will be having breakfast with that ground hog. I poorly placed shot, doesn't make a huge difference in the outcome.A ball that goes through both lungs will not only take down most deer, it will take down all deer. No animal can live without lungs. JMHO and I am sticking to it. :winking:

 

[leadball]

All our venison is gone . Gave some to family and friends and my three boys love it too much. No deer goes to waste here

 

[John Wasmuth]

Great job! If I had a .40, I'd use it. Hard to find em in a long gun, I've killed many deer with my .45 Kentucky and plan on continuing to do so. Enjoy!

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you learn to track footprints, instead of blood, you won't have any trouble following a wounded deer 150 yds.

 

[jimeckersley]

OK, does anyone know of any .40 caliber conicals?

There are several 150 - 225 gr pistol bullets that measure .40 - 401 and should stabilize in a 1-48 twist. The 38/40 bullet would probably work too. You'd have to have a faster twist for the longer bullets. Use pure lead and size down to .40 for reliable loading

I've got a couple of LEE 10mm moulds, one in 175 and another 225gr. I'm going to try them in my 40. It's still not legal in Colorado for anything above antelope, but If it works out, I may try it on my next Texas hog hunt.

 

[8905c]

Dave K -

I agree. I have seen many deer hit with a 12 ga. (.72 cal.) slug and not recovered by the hunter. This was a result of poor shot placement.
Awareness of both shot placement and range is the key to success.
As I have posted on this site before, I know a guy that hunted deer for several years with a .32 cal. ml rifle. This was an old original ml that he had done considerable work on to get it in shooting order. He was not out to prove a point about taking deer with a .32, this was the only ml rifle he had at the time. He harvested several deer with that old .32, some of them being nice size bucks. As funds became available, he built himself a .45 flint and retired the .32 from deer hunting.