What are you shooting?

[JD338]

What are you guys shooting for your hand gun hnting?

I am shooting a S&W 629 44 Mag for my backyard WT Deer hunting. Using the 250 gr Nosler PT which does an excellent job. Blood trails are short and heavy.

I also have a T/C Contender with a T/C barrel in 7x30 Waters. Using the Nosler 120 gr BT and getting well under moa accuracy.

My second barrel is a SSK in 6.5JDJ. I am loading the 120 gr BT and will give her a try on WT Deer this season.

My next barrel will most likely be a 375JDJ just for grins.

JD338

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I've worked up a new load for my Ruger SRH in 44mag. The gun seems to like the 300gr Hornady XTP bullet much better than the traditional 240 grainers.

I've also got a SRH in 454 but I can not shoot it as well as the 44mag and I really don't need all that UMPHHH for shooting whitetails with an open sighted handgun. I did use it to shoot a 325lb Riussian Boar. The 300gr Swift A-Frame bullet zipped right through the heavy grissle plate on the impact side, passed through the vitals and went sailing out the off side grissle plate to boot. I guess the 44mag would have been enough for this job too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Fiftydriver]

For close range shooting I use either my 480 Ruger or my new Magnum research 50 AE BFR revolver. I really like the 50 AE in the revolver shooting the 440 gr WFN to 1150 fps. Heavy roll in the hand but very confortable to shoot and hits like a freight train when it lands on target.

For medium to long range shooting my current baby for the last several years has been my self built 6.5mm WSM. It shoots the 120 gr Ballistic Tips into such tight groups I have never tried anything else. It was designed to shoot the 140-142 gr class bullets but why mess with a good thing??

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[yotefever]

I'll be taking my MOA in 6.5x284 for more open areas and my Encore in 500 S&W for more close in work, it's a 14" OTT barrel, loves the 440g LeadHeads. I shot a silhouette match with it once and did pretty good except for breaking a chicken at 50m, but man those chickens sure did fly that day.

 

[Ernie]

Hmm, where do I start /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
XP's:
6mm-284, 250 Sav AI, 6.5-284, and 7mm Dakota.
Used to hunt with a FA 454 7.5" Field Grade.
MOA:
6.5-284 and a couple of future barrels that should do even better.

 

[WSmitty01]

Contender 8.5" 357 mag small game, 8.5" 44 mag hogs, 9" 30-30 deer from tree stand, 10" braked 7-30 waters for deer from ground.

 

[Hired Gun]

Either my handy dandy 686 in either 4" or 6" depending if it is a primary weapon or not and when larger game is on the menu of possibilities, I switch to my 5" 629 classic with 240 grain XTP's loaded to 1350. Since my eyes went and I can no longer hold 4" groups at 100 yards I limit myself to under 50 yard shots and only use handguns mainly as self defense or "coup de'gra" shots. I have only killed deer with my 6" 686 and I used a 140 grain speer hollow point at max speed. Deer drop on the spot and the wound channels inside look as if a high powered rifles had made the shot.

I once shot a penned pig for slaughter with my trusty 6" 686 with a 158 grain speer soft point. It was a close range affair and the pig was taken head on. He dropped on the spot to a poorly placed head shot and the bullet separated on the impact with the jacket coming straight back and hitting the owner of the pig on the cheek. For tough game from now on I will only use the hardest of cast SWC bullets at moderate speeds. They penetrate much farther than anything I have found with a copper jacket on it.

 

[JD338]

I thought you guys would like to see my 6.5JDJ SSK barreled Contender with a Burris 2x7 scope.
I'm happy with the accuracy considering I'm a rifle guy! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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JD338

 

[41mag]

WEll from medium to big,

Ruger 100's - barrel under lug gets the heavier 140 - 180gr bullets, the standard barreled one uses the 125 - 146gr.

Ruger Redhawk in 41 mag. open sighted. Mostly uses the 200 and 210gr sjp and jhp's. From the bench it will hold around 2 - 3" at 100yds and has taken several hogs out to 75yds or so. However I do have an awesome load which uses the Speer 180gr Uni Core which was deisgned for the 41 AE.

Redhawk in 44 topped with a Leupold 4x, uses 180 gr Sierra JHC for deer and the 240gr Rem JHP for everything.

Ragin Bull uses the 250gr Gold Dot and a 260gr JHP.

Thompson Contenders - 7x30 I shoot the 140gr Nosler BT and the 223 AI I shoot the standard 223 Winchester 45gr Varmint PAck stuff. IT groups so well it's hard to argue with it. I also have a decent load worked up using the Wildcat bullets as well but haven't had a chance to do anything other than the work up.

 

[tmanners]

Well here she is. A tad vintage, not as pretty as she once was with lots of battle scars. But she has killed her fair share of deer over the last 20 years and still doing the job, one shot at a time. A MK40 in 25 br.
Thomas Manners, Manners Composite Stocks - The true choice of champions -

 

[Dan B]

Hhmmm. For T/C Contenders I have a little of everything from .22LR's to the mighty 45-70...around 23 barrels at last count. The most used over the last few years is the .338JDJ#2 w/ 180gr NBT's at nearly 2500fps from a 14" barrel. It's hammered a fair number of varmints and deer out to 300yds. It wears a 3-12x32 Burris. The 225gr Hornady's also shoot very well and do a number on elk (by a friends report when he borrowed my barrel). JD338...this would be a good one to try...the trajectory of a .309JDJ but nearly all the horsepower of the .375JDJ (which I also have!).

Over the last few years the Striker's and XP's are multiply in my safe. Strikers are in .270 OTTR, .338 OTTR (both OTTR's are based on the WSSM case), 22-250 and 7mm-08. For some reason I want to do another Striker in another WSSM...maybe a .257" or 6.5mm for LR deer hunting. XP's are in .222 Rem, .222 Rem Mag Imp (45 degree) and 7mm-270WSM built by our own APS.

 

[Ernie]

Tom,
Welcome to the forum and it is good to know you are a SP shooter/hunter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[gravedigger]

I have 11 encore and 9 contender barrels, whatever strikes my fancy that day, right now the favorite is .257 Roberts AI. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[JD338]

Dan,

I have had the 375JDJ bug for a while now. I had the chance to shoot one last year and it set the hook. I shot the 270 gr Hornadys at 50 yds and the 3 shot group went well under 1 inch.
I would bet that the 338JDJ#2 would also be fun. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

JD338