Handgun Deer Bullet

[AckleymanII]

The bullet that you can put consistently into the vitals is the best one to use. Anything from a Keith style cast semi wad cutter to most any hollow point or soft point. I have killed a number of white tail with 180 and 240gr jacketed hollow points of different makes as well as cast Keith style 250s and they work well. The newer bullets like the Speer gold dot/deep curl or the Hornady xtp expand well and usually hold together. Some like the 300 gr bullets but I have never seen the need for them on deer. One thing to keep in mind when using conventional pistol rounds it that they do not kill like high power rifles that impart high velocity shock. The conventional pistol bullet kills by drilling a hole through the vitals to impart blood lose. Deer usually will run off a little ways about like a arrow shot deer until blood loss causes them to die. Be ready to trail up your deer.

+1

I shot 100-140 lb deer with several kinds of bullets, 180g Sierra 26.0g of H110, 240g(22.6g of H110 Sierra), I used Win brass and Win mag primers which make a difference also.

Shot placement is critical, if you do not have the confidence in the angle and range, don't shoot. If you are hunting in a Jungle(South), I would not advise hunting late afternoons because the deer that I shot did not drop and I limited my shots to 75 yards. We could kill 12 per year here at that time.

I had a Ruger Silhouette Model with a 10" barrel on it that shot better than most 44 mag rifles, can kick myself for letting it go.

If Nosler still makes the 240g Partition, I always wanted to try them, also.

Pistols are at least as picky as rifles in how they like a particular brand of bullet, and mine would not shoot xtp's but loved Sierra's.

Sniper338's post is right on, I did not get a lot of exits of bullets. So, if you want to go down that route, I always thought that the 240g Nosler partition or a Hard Cast would help out in that regard, again I have no actual experience with them.

I would advise you to number your cylinders. Some cylinders will be way out of alignment of the bore and throw a shot, avoid that cylinder or align that cylinder to be your last shot...I can not stress this enough.

Diameters of pistol barrels are all over the map, which can be critical in finding a pistol that will be accurate. It is prudent to mic a particular brands of bullets with a micrometer to the 0.0001. It will be REAL obvious which brand of bullet your pistol likes. In come cases, you may have to have a custom caster size a bullet to fit your barrel, and on a hard cast bullet a bullet that is .001+ over bore dia usually be the most accurate.

One particular brand of a popular pistol maker may have the bore dia vary as much as .003. So, slugging your barrel or taking a Cerrosafe cast of the barrel will give you a good idea of the dia of the bullet you need in as far as a jacketed and cast bullet. Several of the pistol bullet makers have undersize bullets and it is not unusual for barrels to be over size, which would be a dog chasing it's tail trying to find accuracy.

Practice, Practice, Practice! Good luck!

 

[snert]

Or buy a contender....

 

[Iowa Fox]

Heavy, hard cast, big meplat. If possible; shoot through both front shoulders. Makes it hard for them to run off, and leaves a good blood trail.

You got it Pappy. I have used both cast & jacketed, will only use cast these days. Hard with a big meplat, they're not going far without air or blood pressure..

 

[snowpro440]

200gr XTP bullets ...

 

[Kenneth66]

Hard cast and me plat as said above . If you go with conventional bullets , keep your shots broadside . But even with heavy bullets , angle shots with a handgun are risky , another thing said , practice , and practice field shooting . Here is a site from a fellow who has a lot of handgun experience , read through the entire site . I know you are looking for reloading bullets , but a lot can be learned from the site .
Have bought some of their ammo in 44 mag and 45/70 , accurate and hard hitting , http://garrettcartridges.com/44mag.html. Also pricey , but you can practice with cheaper bullets and save these for the hunt .
Just thought I would throw it out there .
Kenneth

 

[Ironworker]

Hard cast and me plat as said above . If you go with conventional bullets , keep your shots broadside . But even with heavy bullets , angle shots with a handgun are risky , another thing said , practice , and practice field shooting . Here is a site from a fellow who has a lot of handgun experience , read through the entire site . I know you are looking for reloading bullets , but a lot can be learned from the site .
Have bought some of their ammo in 44 mag and 45/70 , accurate and hard hitting , http://garrettcartridges.com/44mag.html. Also pricey , but you can practice with cheaper bullets and save these for the hunt .
Just thought I would throw it out there .
Kenneth

Thank you

 

[Ironworker]

Thanks everyone !

 

[Ironworker]

Holy$hit a $100 bucks for 50 rounds.

 

[AckleymanII]

Here is a guy that is a good deer and hog hunter in Ga and molds some of the best pistol bullets that I have ever shot.

George will NOT lie to you, his word is good!

Here is a listing of his for you to contact him with:

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/697974252

 

[Kenneth66]

Holy$hit a $100 bucks for 50 rounds.

LMAO , told you they were pricey , you don't have to buy them , but if you read the entire site , there is a lot to be learned about bullet design and how and why certain designs work . Anyway good luck with your adventure .
Kenneth

 

[gemihur]

As long as you are using a handgun and a 44 caliber, use as much as you can.

Wishing to reduce recoil as much as possible.
Quite the thumper

 

[GotRDid]

If using cast,IME....the sharper (mould fill out) you can keep the meplat and fwd drive band edges the better.

Range,shot angle and abilities are part of this equation.....if not more so than this hunting bullet vs that.

I've had VG success with .44 180 g jhp on smallish whitetail.....but isn't what I'd recommend.Patience and dbl lung shots with velocity works.Deer ain't armor plated.But shot angles are critical.240g jhp or Lyman 429421( Keith) loaded up will do the job.Practice A LOT!

As long as you are using a handgun and a 44 caliber, use as much as you can.
View attachment 1200527

(Also doubles as indirect fire artillery support)
Now That is a Beauty!
GotRDid.

 

[gemihur]

Thanks, Gotrdid, my loads for the 444 ARE 180 gr. pushed by 20 gr. Blue dot.
Thanks for your advice.