Cast bullet hunting

[Craveman85]

Any of you hunting with cast bullets at all? Care to share any pictures? This year I'll be using mainly my Ruger #1 375 h&h with a 335gr cast at 2250fps. Or my super blackhawk 44 with 310s at 1100fps. Both designed to not expand much. Just punch big holes though things. I did some ballistics testing on a dead heifer and the 375 put about a solid 2" hole through it at 200 yards. 50 yards was pretty much the same. It will also go though both shoulder blades and exit at 200. I estimate the cow was about 600-700# the 44 mag will also go through and through easy at 50 yards. My goal is to get my first big game cast bullet kill and first handgun kill. I got a doe with my 260 last year that I could have easily dropped with my pistol but I had to act quick on that one.

 

[44hunter45]

I'm stuffing the .44 Mag Redhawk with a 230 grain hollow point variant of the Keith SWC. I got them from an estate sale in a bucket and I sized and lubed them with pure deer tallow.
I think they are out of an Ideal 429421 or something like it. I'm running them over a full charge of H110.
They are they best performing boolit I've ever put through this gun.

 

[Craveman85]

I'm stuffing the .44 Mag Redhawk with a 230 grain hollow point variant of the Keith SWC. I got them from an estate sale in a bucket and I sized and lubed them with pure deer tallow.
I think they are out of an Ideal 429421 or something like it. I'm running them over a full charge of H110.
They are they best performing boolit I've ever put through this gun.

Not a huge fan of 110/296 myself. Sometimes it gets pretty cold when I'm hunting. When it gets down below 10-15 degrees that powder gives me erratic velocities. Closer to zero will give me some hang fires. When I tested it at -15 I'd be better off throwing the gun lol. That was with a heavy crimp and magnum primers too. I'm glad I tested with that powder before I decided on a hunting load. I use 2400 mostly now.

 

[44hunter45]

Not a huge fan of 110/296 myself. Sometimes it gets pretty cold when I'm hunting. When it gets down below 10-15 degrees that powder gives me erratic velocities. Closer to zero will give me some hang fires. When I tested it at -15 I'd be better off throwing the gun lol. That was with a heavy crimp and magnum primers too. I'm glad I tested with that powder before I decided on a hunting load. I use 2400 mostly now.

Now I have an excuse to go to the range this winter for testing. Have you used Lil'gun?

 

[EastTNHunter]

I’ll be using 170gr Lee FNGC boolits in my 30-30 this season. Water quenched wheel weights with a little lino

 

[MThuntr]

I have molds for my muzzleloaders, 9mm and 45-70. The 45-70 is a custom mold that is designed for Marlin 1895s that have slightly larger bore diameter. I've not really worked with them yet but think they'd make some great timber rounds. I need to have a custom bullet sizer for my Lyman made so I can powder coat and get the .4605 diameter I'm looking for.

 

[Craveman85]

I have molds for my muzzleloaders, 9mm and 45-70. The 45-70 is a custom mold that is designed for Marlin 1895s that have slightly larger bore diameter. I've not really worked with them yet but think they'd make some great timber rounds. I need to have a custom bullet sizer for my Lyman made so I can powder coat and get the .4605 diameter I'm looking for.

Buffalo arms has a .461" in the lyman/rcbs sizer in stock. Unless you really really need .4605 I'd just get that one. I'm assuming they'd also have .460 which you could open with Emery cloth to .4605. I took a 430 to .432" in no time.

 

[Craveman85]

But if you're powder coating I'd just get a Lee and polish it out to size. I did powder coated in my lyman sizer and it just seemed like more of a pain than the Lee ones

 

[MThuntr]

Buffalo arms has a .461" in the lyman/rcbs sizer in stock. Unless you really really need .4605 I'd just get that one. I'm assuming they'd also have .460 which you could open with Emery cloth to .4605. I took a 430 to .432" in no time.

Actually have a Lyman sizer and was going to hone it out to to .460 and see if it likes those if not I was going to lap a touch more. Too much on my plate with 800 other expensive hobbies to mess with it while temps are above zero

 

[Craveman85]

Actually have a Lyman sizer and was going to hone it out to to .460 and see if it likes those if not I was going to lap a touch more. Too much on my plate with 800 other expensive hobbies to mess with it while temps are above zero

What did your barrel slug at?

 

[Anschutz]

I shoot primarily cast out of my Guide Gun and Ruger SBH 44. I've only shot one whitetail with cast. Performance was impressive to say the least. Some say that bullet is still travelling.

 

[BrentD]

I hunt exclusively with cast bullets and have for 25+ years now. Of those, 99% are using paper patched cast lead and blackpowder (mostly in cartridge rifles, but some muzzleloaders as well). I really have no use for copper.

So far the biggest animals I have taken have been eland (Namibia) and moose (Yukon delta, Alaska).

In this day and age, it is a different way to fly, that's for sure.