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^^^^Originally Posted by Irving
Hard cast buffalo bore 357 mag will keep 1000 ft-lb out to 100 yards out of a lever. This is dependent on barrel length though. There's probably several other loads out there too.
My question in all this is why? Even if you can find a load that hits the min. requirements why error on that side of things and risk wounding animals and loosing them due to not having enough knock down power?
which is why I use a .375 h&h for deer hunting, even if I miss they die of a heart attack, j/k. I ask myself the same question whenever this subject comes up, thats usually when they tell you how they qualified expert and can kill a moose with a .22 lr because its all about shot placement.
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading."Thomas Jefferson
I don't get it. Unless you're the type of hunter that can be right in an animals back pocket and not take the shot because you didn't get the exact shot you need ( think archery type scenario) I don't believe in the small knock down power route hunters take. Ill be the first one to pull out my .45 colt that it loaded extremely aggressive when I get into 50 yard and less woods range. But I know past 50/60 yards with that gun as hot as I load it I won't take a shot with it and I feel fairly comfortable out to 100 yards with it.
Toeing the minimum line isn't (IMO) the route to go when hunting and going for a quick clean kill. Rather be a little over gunned than under gunned any day of the week.
The reason "why" varies by the hunter. Some want to challenge themselves with equipment that imposes some limits. Others just want the fun of taking game with a favored firearm.
Others just figure that if they are going to get skunked in the woods, might as well carry the lightest gun to get skunked with ...
The legal minimums are not particular guarantee of adequate power, just a set of rules for us to work within.
Sayonara
I generally tend to agree with you and am all for ethical kills. However, this is one of the hunting world's oldest pissing matches.
I've seen many whitetails dropped very cleanly with pistol and rifle cartridges that have energy levels falling well below the CO state minimum. Often the energy numbers are rather arbitrary. Energy just needs to dissipate into the animal.
Consider bow hunting where the typical arrow energy may be on the order of 50 to 70 ft-lb. Typically all of the energy is dissipated into the animal unless the arrow passes through. Often the animals simply bleed out due to massive wounding.
Consider a high velocity rifle like a 220 swift. A 60 gr bullet has well over 2000 ft-lb of energy but would likely pass straight through a deer imparting very little energy. Hunters just don't use them for deer for this reason (and min caliber reqs).
Consider now the 357 as so debated in this thread. If you have the right bullet expansion in the kill zone, often the bullet will be found on the inside of the skin opposite to the point of impact, thus imparting all 500 to 1000 ft-lb into the animal (depending on distance). The results are superior to either case presented above.
If a hunter doubts their ability with a certain round, they should step up. I personally find it very convenient to carry a light weapon in the woods and won't take an unethical shot. There's a lot of other hunters that unfortunately lack in ability and/or restraint when faced with that challenging and ethical shot.
Last edited by bogie; 05-28-2013 at 19:51.
I carried a lever .357 for elk one year. If there was going to be a shot, it was going to be less than 50 yards, probably under 30 yards. I was stopped by a game warden for a license check, and he asked about the rifle. I told him it was a 357, he asked if they were factory loads. I told him no. He never said anything else about it. I never fired a shot, and now I carry a 45-70 guide gun in that area. It is almost as light, with a touch more knock down power.
If you already owned the gun it would be a little different. If you are going to go out and buy the gun for this reason, why handicap yourself? Why not buy a 44mag or a gun chambered in a rifle round?
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