PRB or Bullet?

[TCMonts]

500 grain conical and 100 grains of powder is minimum for Idaho deer! . They're tough out here.

220g of 3f t7 minimum. ;^)

 

[tenngun]

220g of 3f t7 minimum. ;^)

Idaho, old Indian word meaning ‘deer to big for ball- must use minnie’
I am always amazed how much meaning Indians could pack in one word

 

[Nuthatch]

I think the deer will be scared of both. I use PRB because it's what I practice with (cheap) and the recoil is very mild by comparison. A 300 gr conical is definitely a little more accurate for my main hunting rifle. But <100 yards, it's not enough to matter.

 

[Rat]

Now I won't shoot those 320 gr REAL bullets. Anymore. I have to put 110 grains of powder in my rifle to get a good group with them and that much powder and bullet smacks the snot out of me.

Truth, shooting the Hornady GP 385 grain bullet over just 80 grains smacks the snot out of me. But in the TC I have it's the most accurate load. Doesn't like RB very much.

 

[Rat]

As long as one is not hunting in Grizz country, I think the PRB is fine for deer.

 

[cynthialee]

Truth, shooting the Hornady GP 385 grain bullet over just 80 grains smacks the snot out of me. But in the TC I have it's the most accurate load. Doesn't like RB very much.

I have shot all of 1 of those Hornady 385 gr bullets. Loaded with 90 grains of 2f and I nopped out of any other shots. I melted them down and turned them into roundballs.

 

[TCMonts]

I shot a lot of those 385s over 110g of RS. Those loads are very effective but hard on wood stocks and the loose nut on the back of the stock.

 

[Rat]

I shot a lot of those 385s over 110g of RS. Those loads are very effective but hard on wood stocks and the loose nut on the back of the stock.

Yes, now that the rifle is sighted in, I won't be plinking with it. One or two shots pre-season will be enough punishment for the year.

 

[longcruise]

Something I seldom see spoken of is deer hunting with fifty caliber hollow base bullets.
There are some good design molds with off the shelf availability and custom designs too suitable for use with the now pretty much industry standard rifling and 48" twist.

I have been working a bit on the HB bullets in 50 cal. While I'm pretty much an rb hunter we do have a reg here in Colorado that does allow 50 for elk however, projectile must be 210 grain minimum. Lots of family members have 50 cal 1:48 guns so a conical is mandatory for them.

So far I'm looking at the 240 grain PA conical and the lee modern Minnie. The lee is a heavy at 360 grains but if it gives up the accuracy with bearable recoil for the shooter it will be an option for some.

I also have the 370 maxi mold which is favored by one grandson who is immune to recoil.

For myself, if for any reason I'm going to hunt elk with the 50 I'll use the PA.

 

[Rat]

For myself, if for any reason I'm going to hunt elk with the 50 I'll use the PA.

That bullet didn't do badly in my TC. It did okay, and I didn't experiment with powder charge. The 385 just did better, and since I don't shoot that rifle very often I can live with the recoil. I have a Lyman Plains Pistol, the PA is a good bullet in that. The PA is a tight fit, so for repeat shots it's not great, but for hunting that is not a big concern.

 

[TCMonts]

Does anyone know if you can purchase bullets similar to the PA 50 in .45 or know where to get a mold? Maybe a big bore airgun site.