Hunting with Cap and Ball

[Tsalagidave]

I second the Hawken for hunting. Here Even when you hit in the kill zone with a modern hunting load, game often has the ability to bolt for it before before they bleed out and drop. I don't think that there is a fellow hunter out there who has not had to chase game but I have to admit that a .535 ball seated on 100gr of FF generally does the trick with very little followup running required. Also, I like BP hunting season here in the southwest because you practically have the place to yourself.

-Dave

[cpt dan blodgett]

Strange experience with CVA Hawkin deer hunting at Fort Hood.
Sitting on stand, pretty nice 4 pt buck came out in front of the stands 50 yards broadside, head down behind bush feeding.
I eased up the hawkin, drew a nice bead, pulled trigger and pop. 
Deer moves, I re cap.  With in a couple of minutes the deer has walked around behind the stand and is standing with 5 yards looking up at the stand, basically head on.

Ease up the Hawkin and this time there is a loud boom and lots of smoke.
Smoke clears, no deer no blood no sign of ball hiting the ground.

What the heck, I figure how did I screw this up, not my first deer and while not a high master, not a really bad shot either.  For heavens sake we are talking a 5 yard shot with a rifle.

A week later a young girl kills a 4 Pt buck with a large gash on shoulder.  The ball hit the shoulder blade at just the right angle and skittered off.  Half inch to right or left probably a dead deer dropped in its tracks.

[Tsalagidave]

That's a perfect example Dan. I don't know a single hunter who has never had game bolt on him/her. It's amazing how we can hit the bulls-eye at the range all day long but when the pressure's on something that was so easy becomes a monumental achievement. Been there done that brother.The smoke clears and you think "what did I hit him with? a grenade? Where'd that SOB go?" That's about the time that I curse myself for not wearing jogging shoes that day.

-Dave

[Dalton Masterson]

I use mine all the time for rabbit and squirrel hunting. I dont think my .22 has been out in 10 years for any small game other than prairie dogs.

I wont use one to kill a deer, but I do carry my 1860 during muzzleloader season, same as I carry my Vaquero during regular rifle season. Its not for deer, but for anything else that dont need a large rifle round going through it.

I missed out on a very large buck a few years back. Scoping a draw in the middle of a blizzard, watched this buck bed down in a thicket about 1200 yards West of us. Had to sneak in from the South, but road was drifted shut. Had to walk about 1/2 mile with my Hawken .50 and my 1860 in a flapped holster.
Once I got to the thicket, I had a nice shot on the buck as he stood up to run North, but my rifle just popped. A nice tactical recapping got me a popwhoosh shot that missed by a mile.
The whole time I am thinking "I have 5 more shots on my hip", but I knew it would just end in a cold chase.

DM

[ZVP]

 Some good advice there and it amounts to shoot a big gun, shoot close, and be sure of shot placement! Shoot only small animals unless in a dangerous situation, then in that case let lead fly!
A revolver was designed to "stop" a man, that's a 160lb on-up critter...
It's almost not pratical to  go after Deer past about 15 yards with a C&B .44, you could easilly hust wound the animal causing a lingering painfull unsportsmanlike death with a possible of a lot of tracking!
With all this to consider, I'd just tell myself no don't do it. That's just me though, I like to kill clean.
read all this and really consider using a rifle if you want to hunt meduim sized game, ok?
JMHO,
ZVP

[Noz]

The large caliber magnum loads (.40+) with large meplat hard cast bullets kill much like an arrow. They open a large hole going in and a large hole going out. It lets air in and blood out.  This is a quick killing humane projectile.  Anytime there is a possibility of 50-75 yard shots then I'll take the .41 Mag.Any thing over that I look to a 7-08.

[StrawHat]

What are the game laws in your area?  In Ohio, it is NOT legal to use a muzzle loading handgun to hunt deer but okay to hunt ground hogs and such.  I have used an 1861 and an 1860 fofr small game.  They work okay and are a lot of fun.

[Rafe Covington]

I killed a deer with a 3rd Model Uberti Dragoon, did the job just fine. It was at about 19 yds out of a tree stand.

Rafe

[Drayton Calhoun]

Many years ago I read an article in Dixie Blackpowder Annual by a gent that took a razorback with a Walker. It took two rounds in the boiler room and finally one through the spine. They were clean hits, it's just that a razorback is kinda like a miniature cape buffalo once it's charged up. I think I'll keep the Walker and Dragoon for the Coup de Gras on a wounded deer.

[Jake MacReedy]

Here's an article by WM. Hovey Smith concerning this:

http://hoveysmith.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/huntin-with-percussion-revolvers-black-powder-revolver-loads-triple-seven-in-revolvers-kaidos-bullet-cap-and-ball-revolver-hunting-buffalo-revolver-bullet-lee-bullet-for-revolvers-deer-huntin/