I have two friends, man and wife. who used .40's to take their deer each year. never a problem. I'm in the process of getting a ,40. Less lead and powder and capable of everything I want to do.
John
John
Why .40 cal?
- Thread starter Walkabout
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My ? is why not, y'all have heard of the old .40-65. It was bad news on critters. .40's prb is a killer on deer pick your shot & slobber knock one. To me a .32 & a .36 are strictly a small game rifle up to & including yotes they will do the job. .40's will walk n talk just hit them lungs, heart shot we know kills. They being the deer will most of the time get some yards between you after the shot.
Gordoncourtney
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I have an unmentionable double 450-400 at 2125 ft sec . 4000 ft lbs. It’s great for elephant most loved gun of Africa, not to mention tigers of India But I cannot shoot deer with it in UK as I recall they need like 2600 ft sec I think pen pushers make up the rules . Nor can I used my BP muzzle loading .36 double as I can only get around 1700 ft.sec not that I am shooting theses days . Same applies to my 577-500 no2 black powder double at 2800 ft lbs great for india and water buff in Oz Western Australia goes a step further , you cannot hunt with a muzzle loader, poor guys. No bows either. Use like a .243 unmentionable , I don’t go to Oz anymore
My guns just hang on the wall , at 80 I am doomed to shoot pcp pump up air guns brill , knocked heads of squirrels, rabbits and birds to 50 yards but just no smoke and no charisma
I can see why people go to live in Alaska, but too much meat and I don’t like the cold. Just try to be happy I guess. I am by the sea in my old Motorhome and the rain tumbling down , I’ll stay in bed and write rubbish like this. Ha ha
My guns just hang on the wall , at 80 I am doomed to shoot pcp pump up air guns brill , knocked heads of squirrels, rabbits and birds to 50 yards but just no smoke and no charisma
I can see why people go to live in Alaska, but too much meat and I don’t like the cold. Just try to be happy I guess. I am by the sea in my old Motorhome and the rain tumbling down , I’ll stay in bed and write rubbish like this. Ha ha
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I picked up a 40 cal about 25 years ago, primarily because of its reputation for inexpensive target practice. While this turned out to be the case, I found that it well suited my late season squirrel hunting where I also have the opportunity hunt coyotes, same time, same place. Using a 40gr LRB, I can very effectively make head shots on squirrels out to 25-30 yards, and, kill a coyote to 60+…..same load. I have tried the 36 cal, which is fine for squirrels, but, IMO, lacks the ballistics for the longer shots on coyotes, and…..the 40 cal PLRB seems to be the smallest caliber that I can efficiently load in the field without the fumbling about.
There was a fellow in my neighborhood who would use a .36 on deer with a 120 grain Maxi-Ball, which is almost the same weight as a .440 round ball, but better ballistics. He hunted in rather thick brush, and didn't clear shots much beyond 60 yards. He passed on and his son uses the rifle, but only for small game and targets. He was being naughty to do so, but he'd get single shot bang-flop results.
LEE will make a custom mold for folks, and while it's not cheap it's not prohibitive. I got a bag of .40 conicals, 200 grain from a person who had such a mold made. I should probably check them out. When I run across them I'm rather busy, but when I've got some time..., can seem to remember where I stored them.
LD
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.401 bore drop-in barrel on a Lyman Great Plains Rifle.
Uses a rifling engraving die made from part of the barrel blank.
Oh, but it can't kill Indiana deer.
Uses a rifling engraving die made from part of the barrel blank.
Oh, but it can't kill Indiana deer.
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If a 40cal was legal they would do the job..401 bore drop-in barrel on a Lyman Great Plains Rifle.
Uses a rifling engraving die made from part of the barrel blank.
View attachment 301267
Oh, but it can't kill Indiana deer.
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Yes sir it surely would. Having moved to Indiana, having issues with my left eye and the stock configuration not being suitable for mounting a scope, I've been tempted to have the piece rebored to be a casual tomato can killer but there's just too much fun left in the rascal to do that.
I must have missed it in my reading. What twist are you using with the 310 gr bullet ? What has been your accuracy & what yardages.401 bore drop-in barrel on a Lyman Great Plains Rifle.
Uses a rifling engraving die made from part of the barrel blank.
View attachment 301267
Oh, but it can't kill Indiana deer.
For those who use .40 for deer, what powder charge are you using? I’m happy with 35gn of fffg for target work, but maybe that’s not enough for an ethical shot?
Using my 1:48 twist prb i use 45-55 gr 3f black powder. Using my 1:24 conical shooter i use 50-65 gr black powder. It's mostly about getting good accuracy. I would not hesitate to shoot a deer 50 yds & under with 45 gr
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