Preferred handgun hunting bullet?

[Slimfinn]

What is your preferred bullet for taking game with a handgun? I just picked up the garmin and have started to think more seriously about some testing and doing a handgun hunt next season, most likly for whitetail.(and no Ernie, not one of your type of handguns ) Choices I do have 6"GP100-357, 4"S&W 657-41mag, 6"DW Kodiak-10mm, 8"S&W-500.
Current bullet thoughts are Hornady XTP or Speer DeepCurl, but that is what I am looking for input on?

 

[truck driver]

A Elmer Keith style hard cast semi wad cutter in a revolver and a 68 H&G style in semi autos would be my first choice due to known performance on game animals from Bear to deer. If you can get the poly costed bullets to shoot accurately at 50yds they would be cleaner to reload. Semi wad cutters punch a big hole and the wounds don't close up easily to stop the bleeding like some jacketed bullets do. JMO

 

[JD338]

That S&W 657 41 Mag would be awesome for WT deer. I'd look at the Hornady 210 gr XTP. I would also find a coated hard cast lead bullet and load for practice and potentially use it for hunting.

JD338

 

[TackDriver284]

That S&W 657 41 Mag would be awesome for WT deer. I'd look at the Hornady 210 gr XTP. I would also find a coated hard cast lead bullet and load for practice and potentially use it for hunting.

JD338

I second this, I used to have a SS Classic Hunter 657 S&W with the 6 inch barrel, always used the 210 grain XTP hollow points and boy they do rock. I have punched a 350 lb wild boar lengthwise from the left jaw, into the neck and ended up under the hide in the rear hams. H110 was my preferred powder and they run about 1600-1650 fps with the 210's. Most of the boars shot broadside have exited cleanly, no bullet recovery and leaves a nice exit hole. I should have kept it, but felt it was too much gun to be carrying around, but sold it years ago.

 

[Nannyhammer]

For .357 I use MP Mold 359-640 that weighs right at 160 grains. For the 10mm I use MP 401-200 mold (Not sure on the number) that weighs 186 grains. The 44 uses a MP 432-256 SWC HP mold that weighs around 260 grains. All are cast with 50% pure and 50% wheelweight lead with around 2% tin. If I had to use jacketed, i would defer to XTP's in all three calibers.

 

[PJGunner]

I've done a few handgun hunts and a couple time for defense against critters. One bear with a .38 Spl. Two shots, dead bear. One very angry hog, again two shots, dead hog using a .357 Magnum Bullet in both cases the Lyman #358156, a gas checked 158 gr. SWC. Two deer with the .44 magnum, one with the 240 gr. Remington soft nose and the other with Elmer Keith's 240 gr. SWC over his load of 22.0 gr. H2400. Unless otherwise noted, all were one shot kills.
I have however carried mostly the .44 mag. with the Keith style bullet and load as possible bear and Mountain Lion problems on the many hikes I did in the local desert or mountaains. Frankly, I saw more bears out in the desert than in the mountains, usually crossing from one mountain range to another in the distance. Sometimes the handgun was a Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt with a 250/260 gr. cast SWC loaded to .44 mag levels.
The .38 Spl. was an S&W 38/44 Outdoorsman and the round was a hot loaded .38 Spl. closer to the .357 Mag. than standard .38 Spl. ammo. The cartridge was the forerunner to the .357 mag. way back when.
Paul B.

 

[Blkram]

I have never looked, but Deep Curl (bonded bullet) would be an awesome bullet in the 41 Rem Mag, if they offer it. Do they make it 210 gr, or offer a heavier option? A 240 or 265 gr bullet would be even better!
I know I really like the Winchester 240 gr Platinum Tip ammo in my 4 5/8" barreled Ruger NMBH!
I haven't tried the Buffalo Bore 230 gr Keith SWC as yet for accuracy in my Ruger.

As for the 10mm, the Buffalo Bore 220 gr Hardcast has successfully taken Cape Buffalo, so should be a winner for you in your DW, if it shoot accurately for you.

Unfortunately, I do not have any on-game performance experience as we cannot hunt with handguns here in Canada. Perhaps I will get a chance someday on a hunt in the US.

 

[trapper10]

A Elmer Keith style hard cast semi wad cutter in a revolver and a 68 H&G style in semi autos would be my first choice due to known performance on game animals from Bear to deer. If you can get the poly costed bullets to shoot accurately at 50yds they would be cleaner to reload. Semi wad cutters punch a big hole and the wounds don't close up easily to stop the bleeding like some jacketed bullets do. JMO

This is sage advice. I couldn't agree more ! Gas check is great as well.

 

[truck driver]

This is sage advice. I couldn't agree more ! Gas check is great as well.

For magnum loads or velocities over 900fps a gas check will help prevent leading with cast bullets.
I try to keep my lead bullet loads around or just below 800fps. Most of my loads are for paper punching where accuracy is most important.

 

[trapper10]

I push a 210 grain in my S/W .44 Mag at just under 1,500 FPS and the leading it not bad. great Wild hog load! The alloy I used for bullet casting was rather hard. Can't recall it's number on the Brinell scale however.

 

[Hunter26]

I've killed several deer with a .44 Mag out of a Super Blackhawk Hunter. I've used 240gr XTP's and 210gr Gold Dots and both worked great. I shot a couple with the Lyman 429421 Keith SWC cast hard. Nothing went further than 50ish yards but blood trails left a good bit to be desired. My favorite .44 Mag bullet is the Lyman 429640 HP cast with wheel weights with some pure lead and tin added. If they didn't drop, they didn't go far and had huge blood trails.

I've killed a few deer with the 250gr XTP in the .454 Casull at 1560 fps and they've done awesome. I have a new MP mold that casts 310gr HP's I want to try next season along with some A-Frames.

 

[clearwater]

I've done a few handgun hunts and a couple time for defense against critters. One bear with a .38 Spl. Two shots, dead bear. One very angry hog, again two shots, dead hog using a .357 Magnum Bullet in both cases the Lyman #358156, a gas checked 158 gr. SWC. Two deer with the .44 magnum, one with the 240 gr. Remington soft nose and the other with Elmer Keith's 240 gr. SWC over his load of 22.0 gr. H2400. Unless otherwise noted, all were one shot kills.
I have however carried mostly the .44 mag. with the Keith style bullet and load as possible bear and Mountain Lion problems on the many hikes I did in the local desert or mountaains. Frankly, I saw more bears out in the desert than in the mountains, usually crossing from one mountain range to another in the distance. Sometimes the handgun was a Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt with a 250/260 gr. cast SWC loaded to .44 mag levels.
The .38 Spl. was an S&W 38/44 Outdoorsman and the round was a hot loaded .38 Spl. closer to the .357 Mag. than standard .38 Spl. ammo. The cartridge was the forerunner to the .357 mag. way back when.
Paul B.

I have a little 3" barrel LCRX 38 special that I've been loading a Keith Bullet that with check weighs 170 grains. Using load data from lyman 47 of 5 grains Unique its getting 900+ fps. Seem a little hot ? Doesn't say its a +P load.

It is accurate, but use it only for backcountry defense load. Otherwise the 158 XTP shoots well and kicks a little less.

 

[PJGunner]

My normal working load for the .38 Spl. is the Lyman #358156, nominally 158 gr. and running around 160 gr. in my alloy over 5.0 gr. Unique. The Speer manual shows 5.2 gr. to be a Plus P load with a 158 gr. lead bullet.
There are two cartridges called38/44. One is an antique and no longer around but the other was a hot loaded .38 Spl. than was the forerunner to the .357 Magnum. Standard load for the cartridge was close to a very hot loaded plus P or a very warm/hot Plus P Plus.
I think that if your load is not at plus P, it's pushing quite close to that level and maybe a bit above. I think that if you're actually getting 900 PS then you're definitely in the Plus P regime. FWIW, I believe the Lyman #47 was published before Plus P loads were a consideration and just somebody's hot loads. I can't back that up because someone borrowed my copy and never returned it.
FWIW, the 38/44 was considered to be used only in the S&W Heavy Duty and Ourdoorsman. It could be used in the Colt Single Action and the various version of the Colt new Service. The S&W was on what they now call the "N" frame. The New Service was also a very large handgun that came in .44 and .45 calibers and the .38 Spl.
You might want to consider reducing that charge a bit.
Paul B.

 

[reflex264]

With the .41 Magnum the 210 XTP or 210 Nosler 210 Sporting bullet. The XTP over 22.0 grs H110. It takes a really good crimp and a magnum primer but hits 1604 fps from my 7.5" Bisley Hunter. The Nosler also with H110 but 20.5 grs. The Nosler is softer and seems to open up quicker on deer. I have killed deer with both of them. Never recovered the XTP but did recover one Nosler from a huge bodied whitetail. He was a bit over 80 yards. The bullet destroyed his lungs. Here is the recovered Nosler. On the .357 the 158 XTP is the gold standard.

 

[trapper10]

Thats great bullet performance! Did you weigh it?

 

[reflex264]

I did but I can't remember what it is right now. I didn't lose much.

 

[trapper10]

The very early production XTP bullets did not expand well at handgun velocities. We stuck with the Kieth style cast bullets with great success. Things have improved obviously.

 

[clearwater]

My normal working load for the .38 Spl. is the Lyman #358156, nominally 158 gr. and running around 160 gr. in my alloy over 5.0 gr. Unique. The Speer manual shows 5.2 gr. to be a Plus P load with a 158 gr. lead bullet.
There are two cartridges called38/44. One is an antique and no longer around but the other was a hot loaded .38 Spl. than was the forerunner to the .357 Magnum. Standard load for the cartridge was close to a very hot loaded plus P or a very warm/hot Plus P Plus.
I think that if your load is not at plus P, it's pushing quite close to that level and maybe a bit above. I think that if you're actually getting 900 PS then you're definitely in the Plus P regime. FWIW, I believe the Lyman #47 was published before Plus P loads were a consideration and just somebody's hot loads. I can't back that up because someone borrowed my copy and never returned it.
---
You might want to consider reducing that charge a bit.
Paul B.

Not a load I shoot regularly, but the gun is rated for P+. So what would be an acceptable velocity for P+ for 172 grain in a 3" barrel? Lyman 358429. I would like to be able to poke holes in a black bear.

 

[trapper10]

Not a load I shoot regularly, but the gun is rated for P+. So what would be an acceptable velocity for P+ for 172 grain in a 3" barrel? Lyman 358429. I would like to be able to poke holes in a black bear.

Way under gunned. This minimalist nonsense needs to stop. Respect our game animals and pack a .44 mag , .454 Casual with heavy, stoutly constructed bullets.

 

[clearwater]

Way under gunned. This minimalist nonsense needs to stop. Respect our game animals and pack a .44 mag , .454 Casual with heavy, stoutly constructed bullets.

You do you.
170 grain 35 cal cast has a higher sectional density than a 240 grain 44 cal.

I found a lyman 50 that shows a plus p with universal that gives a velocity of 940 fps in a 4" barrel, so 900 in a 3 inch isnt' too far off. Probably drop the charge a bit to get to 95% of the 940 velocity.

I am not hunting with the gun, unless your count the grouse I took with a shotshell load.