Southern Michigan Wildcat

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

If it's anything like indianas rifle laws, you won't be much better off than you are with an inline muzzleloader or a hot sabot slug. I use a 44mag rifle, and push a 240gr nosler hollow point around 1700fps. This gives me ballistics similar to a 30/30. It's plenty leagal and plenty deadly out to about 150yds, which is plenty for the whitetail brush around here.

 

[brant89]

That seems to be the general consensus. I did a quick CAD drawing and it looks like the cartridge I was thinking about would only have about 38.0 gr of water capacity so I don't think it would be any better than a 35 Winchester (not legal) and might even be worse. I sold my muzzleloader and slug gun and have been hunting with my Ruger Super Redhawk 44 mag for the past 3 years but with a pistol I'm only comfortable out to about 80yds. I like the idea of the 450 Bushmaster which should theoretically be a 300yd rifle if you look at the energy numbers, but I haven't heard of anyone shooting game at that distance and I've never shot one to know if the accuracy is there or not.

 

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

I went down the same road your on a few years back. It all depends on how much you want to spend. Check the rules, and measure the 454 casull, 480 ruger, 500 S&W, 460 XVR. Or just get ruger 77/44 or a good old lever gun in 44 mag. The 44mag is cheap to shoot and very effective. It's a "blast" to reload for. My load for my rifle also shoots great in my super Blackhawk. I love free handing milk jugs at 100yds with my lever gun. I've used it on deer drives, and smoked a coyote with it last year at a dead run. They get addictive.

 

[brant89]

I've had my eye on the 77/44, especially for my wife who is pretty small and recoil sensitive. Plus I already load for 44 mag so there wouldn't be any extra equipment to purchase.

 

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

Sounds like a no brainier. Time to make the purchase. Just go ahead and get it over with.

 

[Dr. Vette]

If it's anything like indianas rifle laws, you won't be much better off than you are with an inline muzzleloader or a hot sabot slug. I use a 44mag rifle, and push a 240gr nosler hollow point around 1700fps. This gives me ballistics similar to a 30/30. It's plenty leagal and plenty deadly out to about 150yds, which is plenty for the whitetail brush around here.

I currently use a 12 gauge with Hastings slug barrel or a muzzleloader for long guns, and have a S&W in 44 magnum strapped to my side. I looked at an Indiana style wildcat for the new law or possibly a 44 mag rifle, but as noted above the shotgun and muzzleloader do it better. As long as they stick with the current law I don't see much benefit in changing. YMMV.

 

[ATH]

Being a MI native, I was happy to see this law change. In my youth I turned to MLing due to my frustration with the accuracy, range, and recoil issues of slug guns.

If I still lived there, I'd be happy to just take the field with my Ruger Deerhunter in 44Mag. It's done fine with open sights to 140 yards. I can't see anything legal under the law doing much better; certainly not better enough to justify the effort.

In IN, where I live now, the bottleneck inclusion changes the story entirely. As does the acceptance of smokeless powder MLs. I have a .45 smokeless ML and a 358 WSM wildcat, both of which are legitimate 500 yard guns.

 

[Edd]

Since you are thinking Wildcat, have you considered shortening a 375 Winchester about a quarter of an inch? You could call it a 375 Michigan and have a decent lever action repeater to hunt with.

 

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

Seems like when I was looking around for ideas, I'm pretty sure I found a guy in indiana that made a bolt action rifle that was chambered right at the leagal limit. But to me it just wasn't worth the price. But like I said earlier, it all depends on how much you want to spend. After opening day around here the deer end up in the briars and honeysuckle thickets and long shots are pretty much impossible anyway. And besides, I can kill one almost any night of the week with my pickup if I wanted to.

 

[brant89]

There is a shop in Indiana building bolt action 450 Bushmasters on savage actions for around $700. I think I might go the 77/44 route and get my wife in the woods first, then think about a 450. I always have the Super Redhawk that I can use. Thanks for the insight guys.

 

[ENCORE]

There's already a .450 Bushmaster bolt action being built in MI. Its built by Ultimate Firearms Inc. The same business that builds the long range Ultimate muzzleloader.
Muzzleloader - Long Range Muzzleloader - Custom Muzzleloader: Ultimate Firearms

 

[SidecarFlip]

I went down the same road your on a few years back. It all depends on how much you want to spend. Check the rules, and measure the 454 casull, 480 ruger, 500 S&W, 460 XVR. Or just get ruger 77/44 or a good old lever gun in 44 mag. The 44mag is cheap to shoot and very effective. It's a "blast" to reload for. My load for my rifle also shoots great in my super Blackhawk. I love free handing milk jugs at 100yds with my lever gun. I've used it on deer drives, and smoked a coyote with it last year at a dead run. They get addictive.

Gee...I live in Southern Michigan as well and the 44 Remington magnum caliber (240 grain Noslers or Sierra's with 21.5 grains of Lil Gun in Starline brass works just fine), both in my lever rifle (Henry Big Boy and my 27 Smith long barrel), both quite capable of taking bambi's out to most any distance afforded by Michigan vegatation.

No point in reinventing the wheel. It's already created.

Inexpensive to load and shoot.

I'll be north on M46, mid december to fill my remaining doe tag and freezer. While north of the restricted zone, I'll still use the 44, it's that easy to cull with.

 

[J E Custom]

Last year, rifles meeting certain requirements were legalized for deer hunting the the limited firearm zone in southern Michigan (previously shotgun/muzzleloader/handgun only zone). The requirements are basically the same as the previous handgun requirements: min bullet diameter of .35, min case length of 1.16", max case length of 1.8" straight-walled only. I recently read on a forum (haven't personally verified this) that tapered cartridges are considered straight-walled as far as this regulation is concerned. So my question is this, what kind of velocities might one expect to achieve by cutting a .300WM case down to 1.8" and TAPERING the body down to accept a .358 200gr GMX bullet? Also, what problems might one encounter in doing this? Would there be any advantage over current 450BM offerings?

My vote would be the 450 Bush Master.
Within the new rules, it would be near the maximum cartridge you could use, with a big bullet (Up to 260 grains) And an easy change over by buying an AR upper.

I built a 460 S&W for my brother in law and the 450 BM will out perform it especially at 2 and 300 yards.

Ammo is available and so are the uppers, Plus if brass becomes a problem all one has to do is trim the neck and shoulder off 284 Winchester brass and make your own. (It is identical).

I have one on a AR lower with a green illuminator for hogs, and it is a hammer.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[brant89]

Well I bought a 77/44 in stainless, swapped out the synthetic stock for walnut, threw in a timney spring and sear, and topped it with a Vortex Diamondback then gave it to my wife and she fell in love with it at first sight. I have been stealing it and taking it out to the deer woods when she is working and was thinking about getting another in an identical configuration but the 300yd group out of that 450BM is pretty freaking impressive. In the farming area I live in there are plenty of places you can see well beyond the range of a 44 mag. I would agree that most shots would be inside of 100yds, but I like to be prepared for the "what-if's". Very nice work on that rifle.