BIG, slow bullets on small game?

Silverado

Silverado

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Tell me your ACTUAL EXPERIENCES of using huge slow bullets on small game.

For example, out deer hunting with something like a .45LC, 357 mag or .44 mag carbine (or maybe a 444 or 45/70 even...). You shot a rabbit or grouse... what was the result? Do big slow bullets totally destroy small game or not?
 
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I attempted a head shot with my 30-30 on a grouse and hit the body, was a few feathers and alittle bit of blood, nothing else. I expect any high powered rifle would do the same.

Note, I have not attempted another head shot on grouse since.
 
actual experiences? hah this is CGN



I just got a Marlin 1894 in 44 RM, hope to whack something with it this year once I get set up to reload. Got some 270 gr Speer on order

I know I wouldnt want to punch a grouse with one in the body though!



shot placement is more key, this one got a 125 gr Partition @ 2900 fps. No damage to the meat
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I used a 220 grain bullet out of a 30-06 to take a rabbit(hare?). It was a light handload running about 1900fps. Hit it in the body and blew him to bits. I was pretty upset, one that I missed, and two that my supper needed a vacuum cleaner to collect....
 
I have shot gophers with a .45LC. Its funny, but they dont really do that much damage compared to a .223 or a 17 hmr.

There isnt enough mass to the gopher to upset the tougher bullet is my guess.

Dunno if that helps, but that is what I have seen.
 
Some time ago when I was a teen and was wabbit hunting on the weekend, we ran into a couple of Italians hunting with 12ga slugs. They had killed 3 bunnies but all they had was a bag of bloody pulp. Crap, they must have scooped up the sludge cuz there was nothing identifiable even as meat. The guy was real proud of his "kills".
 
In my experience a 300 win mag and a 168gr TSX provides adequate penetration to kill a grouse, a raven or even a squirrel.

I hesitated is all three cases, but in the end trusted shot placement would do it in the end over a perceived lack of power.
 
martinbns said:
In my experience a 300 win mag and a 168gr TSX provides adequate penetration to kill a grouse, a raven or even a squirrel.

I hesitated is all three cases, but in the end trusted shot placement would do it in the end over a perceived lack of power.
Click to expand...

.300 is not enough, you need the great sectional density of a .338 to reach the vitals of a grouse!
 
Silverado said:
Tell me your ACTUAL EXPERIENCES of using huge slow bullets on small game.

For example, out deer hunting with something like a .45LC, 357 mag or .44 mag carbine (or maybe a 444 or 45/70 even...). You shot a rabbit or grouse... what was the result? Do big slow bullets totally destroy small game or not?
Click to expand...

A 280 grain round ball out of a .58 call Hawken takes the head off a rabbit at 15 paces.
I would not attempt a body shot!
Cat
 
I'll give the report when I see a snowshoe hare.. I've been trying.

I load 340gr cast hp's to 1000-1300 depending on the load. I've been trying to make a nice quiet and dependable small game load for the 45-70. Tomorrow I'll see how the 10,9 and 8gr Unique loads work. I got great accuracy from 13 and 14gr of unique but I want to push it a bit farther down. I'm starting to hear bang and then a wack with the slower ones now. I'm sure they won't totally destroy small game when I get them under 1000 fps. if anyone else is playing with slow 45-70 rounds, I'd like to hear from you.
 
Man, that's one empty case you're talking about... maybe a powder like Trail Boss would get you what you want?
 
Shot a raccoon that was around the farm last year, something wasn't right with it. Used the Ruger .44 Carbine with 240 grn HP/XTP at about 10 yds. Lets just say that it came apart pretty good, and it needed a shovel to collect the various bits.
 
My buddy used some 255 grn cast bullets to shoot some snow shoe hares out of his .38-55 and it did not blow them up. I think that if you used a lead bullet at low velocity it would make an adequate bunny gun. For grouse just try to shoot their heads off. A body shot seems to be too destructive but might work with cast bullets.
 
I do a fair bit of reduced load shooting with my .375 Ultra. The following pics show the results of a 270 gr Hornady spire point on a couple of ptarmigan, damage is similar to that of a hi-speed .22. Chronographed velocity was 1200 fps. I have since got some very nice 300 gr cast bullets from MT Chambers for this purpose, which with the same load don't back out the primers and give better accuracy, but at 25 yards it doesn't much matter which I use.

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338 Win Mag does not blow up on Gophers and Groundhogs. It will take the headoff a grouse slicker than snot. Did not blow up on deer either. Like real estate - location location location . . .
 
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