Longest distance whitetail taken with .40cal PRB ?

[roundball]

In an effort to eliminate anecdotal claims of the .40cal's prowess as an all around, general purpose deer caliber for whitetails, it might be possible to get a better handle on the factual usage through a poll of actual field results.
Looking for 'accurate distances' that hunters have shot whitetail deer using the .40cal 92grn patched ball...'shot' meaning killed and recovered.

SPECIFIC QUESTION
What is the longest distance you've shot/killed/recovered a whitetail using a .40cal PRB?

CHOICES:
00 - 10 yards
11 - 20 yards
21 - 30 yards
31 - 40 yards
41 - 50 yards
51 - 60 yards
61 - 70 yards
71 - 80 yards
81 - 90 yards
91 - 100 yards

 

[John Wasmuth]

Although I had a .41 that shot a ball slightly heavier than the .40, how much it weighed I dont know. 46 years ago we didnt care aboout such BS as what people thought, we only worried about what the ball would do when it hit a deer in the neck or head, or a turkey, or an alligator, or a coon, or an otter. We didnt fantisize about such nonsense as to how much trmoil we could create on the internet, which wasnt around back then, but real rifles used for real reasons were. I find this post absolutely freakin hilarious.
We melted led in a latel, we poured what ball we needed, and we killed animals with them. Suprizingly it worked and we didnt have a clue as to how many foot pounds of energy the projectile had, all we knew was to hold and place a shot where it would kill somthing. We didnt pretend to be doing it, we did it.
Thank goodness that we now have such great intelectual minds to set us straight and revive all those animals that we apparently didnt really kill at all. Must been figments of our minds. How much does a figment of mankilium weigh? This is really really funny! :rotf:
But to answer your question, a little over 50 yards, in the deepest darkest part of the everglades.

 

[Tom Compton]

60-65 yards. Won't use a .40 again on whitetail, even the smallish ones in the hill country, as have larger flinter now. If was put in a position to use it, CNS (central nervous sytem) only as in Head or neck.

TC

 

[John Wasmuth]

If you didnt have anything but the .40 you used before, would you never ever ever use it again or say the heck with BS I'm gona shot a deer with it?

 

[fyrfyter43]

In an effort to eliminate anecdotal claims of the .40cal's prowess as an all around, general purpose deer caliber for whitetails

Ummmm...I don't recall anybody claiming the .40 is an "all around, general purpose deer caliber". Everybody that spoke in favor of the .40 and smaller calibers said that they are fully capable of killing whitetails if used within their appropriately. The same applies with any weapon. It is only as effective as the loose nut behind the buttplate. If a hunter cannot restrain himself and take only shots within the capabilities of the weapon he has in his hands, he shouldn't be in the woods at all.

A rifle is a tool for doing a specific job. No different than any other tool, it must be used appropriately. You wouldn't use an 18" pipe wrench to tighten your lock bolts, would you?

 

[Bill/Ms.]

About 12 years ago I was target shooting on the shooting lane I had cleared from my yard into the woods. It was during the deer season, but I had not gone deer hunting this particular day. I had a six-bull target on the fifty yard target frame and had already fired four shots on the target, a ten, two eights, and a nine. After I loaded for the fifth shot, I primed the rifle and addressed the target; there was a full grown doe standing in the shooting lane about three yards behind the target and off to the side, facing me. I shot her in the head and she fell where she was standing. The load was 55 grains fffg, .400 RB. My standard fifty yard target load out of a flintlock with a 42" Montana Barrel Company barrel. At the time, I had been using this rifle for squirrel huntin, deer hunting and all my competition shooting. This was the third deer I took with that rifle and was the longest shot. Tom, I am sure you probably remember this rifle, I shot competition with it for years and at that time, I was probably shooting it several thousand shots a year.
Be Well,
Bill Ridout

 

[roundball]

Everybody

Actually that has not been the case...if it had there would never have been any issues/discussion taken with those qualified claims...and the lack of qualifying limitations implies/suggests the .40cal is acceptable as a general purpose deer caliber...therefore on a par with a .50/.54/.58, etc.

If you're now acknowledging that all such claims should have had and now do have qualifying limitations for deer hunting with the little 92grn .40cal ball, that changes the landscape...but you probably can't speak for all .40cal deer hunters

 

[Anonym]

.44 cal is the smallest projectile we can muzzleload hunt with here in Indiana, so I doubt there's anything current to contribute to this thread from my state.

We don't have anything larger than whitetail here, so there's really no need for me to have anything bigger than a .50, unless it's just for the desire. I've always hunted with a .50, but I'm enjoying a .45 more and more and find that they are more than adequate for whitetail in my area. I'm sure my .36 could also take deer, but I won't attempt it since it's illegal.

I don't believe that anyone can claim one caliber is the universal caliber unless you also take in account the area in which they live. This supports the increase in calibers as hunters moved west. Since most mountain men and frontiers men had only one rifle, it was necessary for them to own one in the caliber that would safely take the largest game/predator their area had to offer.

Now if I lived in an area with mountain lions and grizzly bears, you can bet your boots I'd be finding the first sucker to trade my .40 caliber off on something bigger! Sure, it might take a whitetail, but it'd only get that grizzly mad at me!

 

[boar]

Here in Ohio it is.38 cal. I have killed a deer, 50 yrds, with my .45 with 40grs and RB. It went a ways,but a blind man could of tracked it, lots of blood. Have a .40 now,my first,but won't be using it for deer. Dilly

 

[roundball]

I assumed a poll might be a good means of gathering some objective information on the .40cal for deer hunting, given the different schools of thought on its distance limitations.

But so far the poll results are very interesting...that a number of "votes" have been tabulated about very long distances which some folks probably wouldn't try with a .45cal, yet those who claim to have made all those 100 yard shots with the tiny .40cal are strangely quiet from commenting about them...

:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

 

[Little Wattsy]

I assumed a poll might be a good means of gathering some objective information on the .40cal for deer hunting, given the different schools of thought on its distance limitations.

But so far the poll results are very interesting...that a number of "votes" have been tabulated about very long distances which some folks probably wouldn't try with a .45cal, yet those who claim to have made all those 100 yard shots with the tiny .40cal are strangely quiet from commenting about them...

:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

:hatsoff: :hatsoff:

 

[longcruise]

I assumed a poll might be a good means of gathering some objective information on the .40cal for deer hunting, given the different schools of thought on its distance limitations.

But so far the poll results are very interesting...that a number of "votes" have been tabulated about very long distances which some folks probably wouldn't try with a .45cal, yet those who claim to have made all those 100 yard shots with the tiny .40cal are strangely quiet from commenting about them...

The thing that is missing from the poll is some measure of wounding loss. Of course the poll was not intended to establish effectiveness of the .40 but rather the ranges at which it has been used successfully but it would still make for an interesting variable.

Those who have made those longer shots probably are reluctant to post, feeling that their personal armor is inadequate. :haha:

 

[tg]

The 70+ yd shot I entered was the exception not the norm, at the time I could consistantly hit playing cards with a silver dollarish size group and a still, broadside deer laying down and a solid rest and lots of time, knowledge of the area and distance from many years of taking deer in the same area, put the ball thru one ear and out the other, not a recommended shot but I felt 100% confident with no wind and had been shooting only one gun for quite a while, the only Deer I lost with a .40 was one that fell into the river off of a bluff when shot,my bad for not recalling the lay of the and better, most derer were taken in the 40yd range and did not travel over 50 yds.Once again the smaller bores are not likely a good starting place for new ML hunters or those who cannot spend a great deal of time with their gun.

 

[410-er]

Muzzy calibers are like wrenches......you gotta have one of every size and the adjustable wrench just won't cut it! :grin:

 

[John Wasmuth]

I wish they would speak up, or in this case type up. Its like this Amigo, if you cant stand the thought of some legally using a mouse gun, anything under a .45 cal, thats your opinion. And thats super, and if thats the way you see it great.
However there are some of us that know what we are doing, have been doin it since we were children and were raised doing it that way by people that knew what they were doing as well. That didnt all of a sudden thing Gee wilikers, I wanta play mountain man, some time in their late 20's or so, looking for whatever it was they missed in their youth. Our parents taught us at the earliest ages to know how to shot, know what to shot at, and know what limitaions the rifle in out hands could do.
Now I am going to have to build a .40 long rifle, go out and thump deer and hogs with it until I find a distance I feel unconfortable with a post on this again, geeze man, like I need another rifle. :thumbsup:

 

[dodgecity]

PA regulations have always mandated a minimum .45 for muzzleloading season, but, a loop hole in the law made it possible in years past to carry a muzzleloader of less than .45 in the regular rifle season. The loophole has since been closed so that a muzzleloader must be at least .45 cal regardless of what season it is used. In those past years, however, I often hunted deer with my .40 cal. It carries easily over the hilly wooded terrain I hunt and it is super accurate, and, I just like the rifle. I've killed well over a dozen deer with it inluding a couple of bucks that would weigh in the 140 pound range. PA regs have also changed to limit what size bucks I can shoot. They make it tough on an old man. My longest shot was 35 to 40 yards, in fact, it's impossible to place a good shot at much further than that given the heavy cover that I normally hunt in. I don't do head shots, instead I wait for the classic broadside shot where I can put a ball behind his shoulder. My .40 cal load for deer was always 55gr 3f. With that load and at those ranges, this is a thru the body shot. Today I hunt with a .62 (talk about going from one extreme to another), but if PA regs hadn't changed, I'd still be prowling my favorite hollows with my sweet .40 more often than not.

 

[PGTMG]

We can hunt in Maryland with a 40. I am one of the voters. I shot a four point at between 74-78 yards with my .40 caliber cap lock (my longest shot to date on deer).

I have written about it before on this forum. I heard the hit but you would not know it by the way he ran. He actually was only about 70 yards from where he was hit. Because of the curve he made he ran about a hundred in to a thicket where I found him. I could see him all the way until he crashed into the thicket. I was surprised the ball had got both lungs and exited. I thought I must have hit to far back considering the distance he covered. Also he did not bleed very much.

As have written before the .40 is a killer but it is not a stopper (on deer sized game). You must be able to track.

Would I use a .40 again on deer yes (if for some reason my .54 was not available). Would take another 70 to 80 yard shot (only if they were in a field again).

IMHO- I have found little to no difference between .40 and .45 on deer sized game with PRB.
:v

 

[ozark57]

A lot of my serious ML hunting friends are also bow hunters. If you want to compare projectile energy, the.40 RB at 1600 ft. sec. has well over 1000 ft. lb. energy. The average arrow from a 70 lb. bow has about 380 ft lb. Think about it.
I would not take a shot at a deer with my eyes and primative sights on my .54 at 100 yards off hand, but I would at 40.
It is the hunter. You can go magnum, but that is not a clean kill, drop in the tracks, garantee.

 

[larry wv]

A Bow puts a 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch hole through a deer on average. A bit more passing through the hide.( Not talking about expandable broad heads.) Thats some serious blood letting. Also 45-50 lbs is more than enough for deer. I would rather be hit in the lungs by a .40 rb than a bow. (nobody get any ideas) Larry

 

[John Wasmuth]

Aint got no problem with sending a RB from a .45 into a deer at 100 yards. Unless ya simply cant see that far, or just aint good enough to hit it....... :thumbsup: