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January 17, 2010
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Anyone have experience and results of performance on big game with yer DW?
Bullet types and performance of said round?
I plan on using my .445 with 240gr sierra JSP on black bear and wild hogs. and either hornandy 180gr JHP or sierra 180gr JHC on whitetail.
Friend has been using his DW .44 with 180 JHP, i make for him, on deer for years. Never had to track any. His longest shot was about 90 yards. some heavy bullets we used early on weren't opening, so i went light and fast and now get lots of expansion. Although no deer got away, the ones shot with regular .44 and 300gr (slow) bullets were through and through and needed a second shot to finnish. the 180's loaded faster seemed to transfer more energy into the deer and killed faster. just the way i like it, humane, and the meat tastes better with less adrenalin in it also.
Myself and my father have had success with our .45 LC cowboy guns on deer and cast bullets. and i hope to open up engagement range alot with my newly aquired super. as soon as i find a front sight blade that doesn't cover an acre at 100 yards.
"experience is the hardest teacher, the test comes before the lesson"
July 5, 2009
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6point8,
I have only hunted Javelina in Arizona with a .357 Magnum loaded with 158 gr JSP. These little buggers are known for being able to take some lead despite their size, but I've taken two Javelina over the years within 60 yards without any trouble.
If any members hunt in Javelina country and have nottried varmint calling for Javelinas, you should give it a try. Within 100 yards, they respond very well to varmint calls. It's a real hoot when your the one being hunted.
While I do not have any specific recommendations for "bear" bullets, I personally would lean toward heavier, well-constructed bullets that provide good, but controlled expansion, throughout the velocity range that you anticipate during the hunt. There are other members who hunt with handguns and likely will have some good recommendations for you.
GG
January 17, 2010
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javelina sounds fun! i gots wolfish coyotes up here in the mountains of Pa. we usually call and have two guys, one with shotgun, one with rifle. some friends of mine run 'em down with dogs. i like sniping them. keeps ya real sharp. i only have a 445 so i dont see myself shooting a yote with it. they have been comfortable eyeing my decoy from 2-300 yards around here. thats where the sniper stick comes into play.
i am thinking the 220 sierra fpj is solid enough for bear yet provide ample velocity and accuracy to place a long shot if necc. your right, penetration is key on a bear. i have witnessed high velocity magnum rifles bullet's fail on bear. my biggest black bear was 475 and bounced and running, i put 3 8mm bullets into him to stop him, working a bolt rifle. i could have been able to plant all six out of a wheel gun?
i have confidence in the supermag for bear 'round here. i usually cary a handgun along with rifle for bear. it will feel funny still carrying my 45 as a backup handgun.....for a handgun.
there are alot of bear right close to where i live and when i'm hiking and camping i always tote a pistol. maybe now i will carry the supermag...if i can find a shorter barrel. and some coy dogs and feral dogs also. i may not be able to hit one coming at me with supermag but i'm hoping the crater the round will leave in the ground will be big enough to trip them up?
"experience is the hardest teacher, the test comes before the lesson"
Dans Club
May 17, 2009
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6point8, what do you snipe with? I have a Weatherby Vangard .270 win and am thinking about making it into a sniping rig.
Ed
January 17, 2010
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ha ha i tend to use that term loosly. Was a Marine sniper for 2nd bt recon, now sniping for the army. Just got back this Sept'09 from my fifth deployment, fourth combat.
I have a 7.62 short barrel rem ltr. and a 6.8 bolt rem all customed up w/ flutted barrel and major plaster's stock. i also did alot of the upgrades like tubb's speedlock firing pin and spring, polished inside of bolt, trigger spring upgrade and tune, tac bolt knob, and had the action trued. my 6.8 pretty much shoots hole touching hole at 100, printed a 2.4" group at 400 yards too. hit a chuck at 440. 7.62 has a dd ross base with a leupy M4 and 6.8 has an EGW base and nikon 4.5-12X BDC scope.
your weatherby should tune up nice, hardest thing is that all the mods, parts and shops do remmys. or pick up a used remmy at gunshop cause all you are gonna end up keeping in the end is the reciever anyway. and check out a local smith to do yer work.
or check out ironbrigadearmory.com or even mcgowan rifles. he does good work cheap.
some weatherbys shoot real well anyway. maybe just bed the stock, tune trigger, crown, and if not already...put some good glass on it. then print out a range card and go for it. if ya need i can send you a program for rifle ballistics.
"experience is the hardest teacher, the test comes before the lesson"
July 21, 2009
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I used a Model 15 (I think, it was 25 years ago!) to take a mule deer and about a pickup load of coyotes. Load for all of them was almost certainly a hot-loaded cast 358156 HP. Can't recall any performance problems, but everything was in bow-range so it wasn't like the shots were difficult. That load in solids or HP left a bit to be desired as a hog load; I think I had to track 2 of 3 shot with it.
Got a couple of whitetails with a 41 DW: hot-loaded cast 210 SWC. One was about 30 yards and DRT, the other jumped when some idiot MISSED him at 20' or so, finally got a shot at close to 100 yards. That one ran in a circle before falling over. One pig with the 41 and same load, no tracking required. Wish I still had that one.
I've taken one bear with a 1911 (not a DW); again, range was close. The bear was just a little guy, maybe 200#. Load was a cast 230 grain copy of the Hornady truncated cone at about 1,000 fps. Performance was adequate, would have preferred something bigger.
I've yet to take any significant game with the DW 44, but have enough experience with .44 mags on game to have no real concerns--right now I'm just fixated on finding the best load. If I don't have anything better, I'll head out this fall with a cast 240 grain slug at about 1400 fps and no worries.
If I remember right, my little brother used the 240 Sierra JHC on a couple of pigs; the only one he recovered was just under the skin on the off side, after breaking the shoulder. I don't have the velocity handy, but my notes say he loaded them with 20.0 grains #9.
February 6, 2011
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I think you should stick with the 240 for deer too. The BC is better, and you will have better down range energy and penetration for those longer shots. Your 445 should drive a 240 gr around the same speed as 44 w/180 gr. I like sierra bullets myself, and the 240 JSP in my 445 Supermag is one of my favorite loads!!
My father swears by the Hornady 265gr fn. He has told me the story a hundred times of his wild bore hunt in TN, where 3 other guys in his group were using 180gr hot loads in there 44's and had to shoot their pigs 2-3 times to kill them.
My dad took his black russian at 50 yds with his Desert Eagle loaded with his Hornady 265gr load, and rolled the pig with 1 shot.
It"s legs twitched for a couple seconds, and it was done. He has since taken 3 deer with that load and only 1 ran 30 yds.
February 16, 2011
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I`ve used my DW 744 on some boar , feral goats and small rams. Used Hornady`s factory .44Mag ammo shooting a 240gr XTP ....All shots were 50 yards and under. I used my 8" barrel topped with a disconntinued Redfield 2-6X. Penetration and expansion were excellent....
" I own more guns then I need but not as many as I want"
February 16, 2011
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" I own more guns then I need but not as many as I want"
February 16, 2011
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" I own more guns then I need but not as many as I want"
February 16, 2011
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" I own more guns then I need but not as many as I want"
November 14, 2009
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Nice. Connecticut just added a handgun revolver endorsement for deer hunting, cost $5.00 but you don't get any additional tags, you use a revolver instead of shotgun/rifle on private land only. I'll try again next year.
Happyness is a Hot DW and a pile of used brass!!! Rich
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