Practicing for sixgun deer hunt

[joelo]

Reading all your stories about hunting with a sixgun woke up the sixgunner inside me.

I decided to get a Blackhawk 357 mag but season was coming and couldn't find one to my liking locally so i settled for a S&W 19-5 that found at good price and with very little use.

This afternoon i went to do a little practice with the Federal 158gr JSP I will be using.
Since i don't remember seeing deer with a bullseye on the shoulder I though would be a good idea to shot at a plane piece of cardboard. I think i did good for being 50 yards!

Here I'm using one of the classic field positions.

Here's another 5 rounds at 50 yards. The red insert in the front sight doesn't help. I see it white-ish (i guess because is all open) but probably in the woods will show up well. Anyway i managed to shot OK.

I think i'm good to go, firearms season opens in 2 weeks in South Carolina, i hope to blood the Smith soon.

 

[Bountyhunter]

A S&W will never hit a deer. You have to have a Ruger. Everybody knows this. Wish you had posted sooner.


:lol: :lol: Good shooting! I think you'll do just fine, if you can find the deer.

 

[joelo]

A S&W will never hit a deer. You have to have a Ruger. Everybody knows this. Wish you had posted sooner.

:lol: :lol: Good shooting! I think you'll do just fine, if you can find the deer.

Hope you are wrong! but instead of knocking wood... I will get me a Blackhawk to redeem :twisted:

 

[Bountyhunter]

There you go.My next BH will be a 357 I think.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Nice gun, and good shooting! Any of those shots would have done the job if placed on a ribcage. Good luck to you. I've killed deer with .41 and .44 mag but not .357 yet. Planning to carry my old favorite flattop .357 some this year, maybe it'll get a chance to make meat. I will use 173 gr. Keith-type SWC homecast bullets over 2400.

 

[M'BOGO]

Nice score! Love those model 19's.

I've never connected with a revolver, hope you get that perfect shot.

 

[Cholo]

joelo, pretty good shootin'! I'd practice from different positions. Those pesky deer always seem to appear in the wrong place :wink: I've never gotten buck fever, but I did have doe fever once. Like you, I always wanted to kill a deer with a handgun. When the time finally came, it was a doe in heat at about 40 yds. She stopped quartering towards me and caught me with my pants down, standing offhand. My SBH went BOOM and she just stood there. I realized my hands were skaking like a leaf. Cholo, settle down, she's not that far away and act like you're at the range. Bullseyed her the 2nd shot. There weren't as many deer in '91 as there are now, so getting one in my self imposed limit of 50 yds. was a challenge.

I don't like those insert front sights either, too dull. You might want to try sitting in the woods as the sun goes down and see if you don't need more contrast. I put Testor's gloss orange on my SBH and it worked great! I don't hunt deer anymore, but I might try some lime green nowadays.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[joelo]

I was thinking about how to keep calm when getting buck fever, the only way i found to "practice" for that was trying to shoot calmly with the guy next to me shooting burst with his AR, that really challenges your concentration!

I really want to do something with that front sight insert, but i guess i'll wait until season is over to don't mess it.

Thanks to all and will keep you posted.

 

[Sam Summey]

joelo good shooting, looks like your target is around 8x11, good choice.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

The model 19 is a fine revolver and I have the one just like it but they are not the strongest 357 revolvers on the market. Be careful with heavy hunting loads commonly used as they can hurt your gun. Standard magnum loads should be fine although I would make it a point to practice with lighter loads.

 

[joelo]

Thanks for the heads up.

I'm using Federal Champion 357mag 158gr JSP. Federal says they leave the muzzle at 1240fps.

I'll probably start to reload looking for similar velocity just switching to Cast bullets in same weight.

 

[joelo]

Nice looking 19 by the way!

 

[Don Lovel]

I took a couple of deer with a 357 mag when I lived in Oklahoma. I would advise this, for the ammo you are using. You get one in range, doubletap him in the boilerworks. 357 is ok, but you need to put a good smack down on a deer to anchor them so you don't end up with a long tracking job.

Were it me I would handload 180gr ammo if I could get the projectiles

 

[David LaPell]

I have been practicing for deer hunting with a sixgun for almost a year now. Mine isn't a choice its a necessity since my left arm is nearly useless after an injury nearly two years ago, and I am not using a .357 but I have been working with my .38-44 Outdoorsman with some pretty hot loads of either 170 grain #358429 cast bullet or a #356156 hollowpoint with 12.5 grains of 2400. I have been practicing with my one good arm and shooting sticks at 65 yards which here in the Adirondacks is long range for even a rifle with a whitetail although I have shot them out to 100 yards albeit with a long gun in the woods. I second that the Model 19 isn't exactly the greatest hunting revolver out there because it was not designed for the hottest loads like that, it was a police officers gun by design but I knew a guy who bagged a few whitetails with his 6 inch Model 19 that wore a scope. I don't recall the loads he used but he had good luck with it. The .357 with the right bullets and kept within a practical distance will take any whitetail deer walking. I prefer my big N frames for the heavy work (or anything else for that matter) but I would use a K or an L frame if I needed to. I think my loads worked up to about 1,250 in my gun with .38 Special brass (don't try these in any other .38 Special except the big Outdoorsman).

 

[joelo]

That's a nice gun and pretty good shooting too.

I just ordered dies and some 158gr SWC cast bullets. I'm thinking on trying them with 6 grs of Green Dot. That should yield somewhere between 1,100-1,200 fps. Might try to bump them up a bit just for hunting.

Good luck.

 

[sebtool]

Nice shooting, and good luck on your hunt. I've taken a couple with my .41 mag Blackhawk, missed 2 as well, early on.... A fairly warm load of 2400 over a 210 gr. Hornady XTP did the trick, accurate too.

2 things as far as practice goes - squirrel hunting with a .22 revolver will definitely hone your skills! Can be humbling, too. No fair taking body shots, either - those can get your shirt tail cut off! :lol: It also helps considerably with stalking practice, and developing the patience to wait for the right shot. I always preferred to 'still hunt', as tree stands drive me nuts anyway...

I was taught years ago that a good rule of thumb is to use an 8" paper plate when practicing for deer hunting, the kill zone is approximately the same size. When you're confident that you can hit the plate reliably at a given distance on every shot, you've just established your maximum range, providing your caliber is capable at that distance. Cheap targets, too. 8)

I'd second the above advice on heavy bullets for hunting. 1 good thing about the .357 is being able to use .38s for practice. Cheaper by a good bit, and you'll never notice the recoil while hunting, muscle memory on the familiar trigger will take over.

Good luck! Therre's nothing better than thinly sliced fresh tenderloin 'flash' fried in a cast iron skillet in butter with a touch of salt and pepper after a successful hunt! Hope I get to go this year....

 

[joelo]

Actually, today is opening day for squirrel season in South Carolina. I don't think i'll be able to hit the woods during the week but on Saturday I'll surely be there with my trusty single six. Head shoots only!

Will keep shooting at paper plates. And agree with you on not noticing recoil when hunting.

"thinly sliced fresh tenderloin 'flash' fried in a cast iron skillet in butter with a touch of salt and pepper after a successful hunt!"...

you making me hungry! but i better kill it first and cook it later.

 

[Short Barrel]

My first handgun was a brand new 6" model 19.Beautiful guns.I never subscribed much to the paper plate theory.The reason being,shooting at game from odd footing or positions under stress,we just aren't as accurate as on the range-at least sometimes.I want to shoot half the size group on the range as I need in the field and then there is some margin for error.

I have mostly used colored inserts.These days,they are fluorescent yellow with an upside down,black "T" cut into them.The vertical line centers my blade and forces me to aim with a small spot,not the whole width of the blade.The horizontal part of the "T" is just reference if I want to raise the front sight for a long shot,but that's rare.

You could make a vertical mark with a very fine point marker and see if that helps.Be prepared for different positions.A walking stick can be a great help to brace off of,even from a treestand.Don't rest the gun directly off the stick but figure a way to brace your hands or wrist.

I get those ear plugs on a plastic band that I can wear on my neck and can get them in quickly before a shot on game.

The .357 isn't the most powerful deer cartridge but I think it can be done with a good bullet and a very carefully placed shot.I wouldn't take any marginal shots and as close to broadside as possible.Quartering away is OK but not too much of an angle.It is really imperative that you get both lungs or heart and lungs.

Good luck

 

[joelo]

Short barrel, thanks for the advice. That inverted "T" seems interesting.

Actually i just came back from the range. Only shot a few rounds because it was very busy (everybody is checking their rifles for deer season) but i'm having the same front sight problem. If I'm well inside the covered area, the shade let's me see the front sight well. When I go outside to shot seated on the ground the sights gets withe-ish and cannot aim well. I'll be hunting in the woods so it mostly will be shaded but i want to be ready for whatever light.

I think i'll give the "T" a try.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

If you like a 19, you'll LOVE a 6" GP-100! Makes a great "deer rifle" at 50 yards and doesn't kick much even with 180 gr. "deer loads." I got tired of lugging my old Bisley 7 1/2" .357, which is rock-steady because it weighs as much as an ocean liner anchor, and bought a late '80s vintage blue 6" GP with a half-lug barrel. Added a black palm wood insert from one of our members and a factory red ramp front sight insert. Shoots even better than my old Biz!

Schmidt und Wat????

 

[Joe S.]

them cardboard deer better watch out!

great shooting for 50 yards! not sure i could do that with my 357 rifle!

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I have only killed 1 deer with a handgun. I took a different approach than you. Handgunning a deer isn't rocket science but here are my thoughts. My deer was shot at 50 yds with open sighted 4" 500 S&W using hornady factory loads. From a 16' tree stand with a rail I used for proping my forearms on to make the shot. The shot placement was picture perfect just behind the front shoulder on the near side and stopping in the off front shoulder aganst the bone destroying the off shoulder completely. picture perfect bullet performance. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that after the shot I was expecting the deer to fall at the shot. Instead the deer ran. Being in the 16' deer stand I had a clear view and the deer ran past the stand at a pretty good speed. It was stumbling but moving pretty good after taking the perfect shot placement with the well above minimum caliber gun. Not what I was expecting at all. The deer fell about 30' past the stand and never twitched after he went down in full view of the stand I was sitting in. Using a rifle I haven't had a deer take a step after the shot in the last 20 years. With the big handgun I was expecting the deer to fall at the shot but it didn't. Deer react differently when shot with handguns so be prepared to track your deer shot with a handgun and don't think because the deer runs it was a miss and leave a deer dying or wounded deer assuming you missed the shot. To give you a idea about this the reason I killed this deer was that about a week before my son Killed a deer from the same stand at the same yardage. Using his 44 magnum he had the same results as I did except when the deer ran he put another 44 mag bullet into the deer as it passed under the stand. I told him my 500 would kill the deer in it's tracks so he put me in the same stand and I had the same results he did with the 44 except I only shot 1 time for my deer. where the deer were both picked up from wasn't 20 feet different with 2 hits from a 44 mag and 1 hit from the 500S&W. I have made several hunts since using only a handgun and have passed up on a few shots that were easy kills I just decided not to take them for one reason or the other. I have passed through the kill every deer I see phase of hunting and now I enjoy watching deer as much as killing them. I love deer meat and kill what I want but will pass up a deer in a heartbeat just to sit and watch them. After the shot the fun is over and the work begins. I have killed more than my share of deer in the past and kan have a great hunt and never fire a shot and sometimes I want to hunt and not kill. I enjoy every hunt weather it involves a successful taking of a deer or not.

 

[SAJohn]

I have only hunted in the West for big Mule Deer. My stock, old model .44 magnum Super Blackhawk is the only handgun I have ever used. I hand load it to top velocity with Keith 250 grainers. I practice at 40 to 50 yards with the gun in hand but not cocked. I bring the gun up as I pull to hammer back, put the front sight on the target and fire one handed. No pause, no trigger squeeze,no bullseye shooting stuff. This is the way it really happens when hunting through the thick stuff where tree stands are not allowed.

 

[Heliman]

I like the 19, but for a S&W hunting handgun in that caliber I'd prefer the 27, but your alright with the 19 if you don't go to hot. None of my real business, but I'd wear some eye protection when shooting that fine revolver.......JMO.

Dave

 

[David Bradshaw]

Joloe... Not bad idea with M-19 to stay a bit below loading manual maximum charges. Hodgdon Lil'Gun may give you the best velocity with 158 and 170 grain jacketed bullets. Lil'Gun also likely to be a better powder, should you try a cast 180 WFP.

The Sierra 170 JHC over 15.7/Lil'Gun should work out of your 6" K-frame Smith.

The Model 19 is the poster child for common sense "start low... work up" handloading.

Your practice technique at 50 yards is to be commended.
David Bradshaw

 

[joelo]

Thanks to all for help me steer in the right direction.

Since l don't want to push too hard on my model 19, I decided to load something close to factory loads. I've been shooting Federal 158 gr JSP rated at 1,240fps. So i got some 158gr SWC cast bullets and loaded them with 13.0 and 13.5 of 2400. That suppose to yield 1,200-1,250 fps, enough to knock down a whitetail without knocking down the gun. Will try those loads tomorrow after work.

Whichever load works best... will be in the gun this coming weekend for opening day.

Will keep you all posted.

 

[David Bradshaw]

Joloe... The Baughmann (sp?) red ramp sight was introduced on the M-29 .44 Magnum. The red ramp was available for installation at the factory on regular ramp sights. A dovetail was milled into the ramp and two small holes drilled in the base of the dovetail. Red plastic was melted into the dovetail. The plastic was then dressed and the sight was finished.

A white outline rear sight completed the picture.

Later, the M-29 red ramp/white outline sights were added to other models. It is the best all-around hunting sight for an iron-sighted revolver, especially in the woods when tracking deer, as it presents the contrast necessary for fast acquisition.

Black sights are the best for handgun silhouette. However, black sights become camouflage in the woods.

Fiberoptic sights provide excellent visibility. Alas, I have yet to see a set which remotely approaches the durability of the S&W red ramp.

Resist vandalizing the sights on your Model 19.
David Bradshaw

 

[Thumbcocker]

I have only had two deer drop at the shot from a .44 with Keith boolits both solid and hp. Both deer were spine/neck hits and both required a finnisher. A double lung hit will be fatal on a deer every time but they will run a ways. I had one large doe require a finnisher after a textbook heart shot. Don't panic if they don't drop in their tracks.