Let's kick this around a little...

[tarheel mac]

Okay, I was talking to someone the other day.  Now this guy is real fan of the late Jack O'Connor, (except he doesn't think O'Connor was fired up enough about the 7mm mag) and we were talking calibers for hunting...Now my contention was (is) that such oldtimers as the .44-40, .38-40, and the .45 LC in a rifle are at least adquate for deer at reasonable ranges...say...100 yds (if you shoot like I do...I'd say more like 75 yds) or less. 

I mean my 1892 Rossi would not be my first choice for a pronghorn hunt or one in AZ. for Coues Whitetail, but if I spotted a legal deer at 50 yds or so here in NC during the season, I wouldn't really feel handicapped...

So what do you guys think?

[Four-Eyed Buck]

At 50 yards with a standard velocity load, not a CAS/target load, yes sir, should do the job......Buck

[Micheal Fortune]

.45Colt, in a rifle 100--125 yards, if you got factory non CAS ammo and you can hit what you aim at.

[Delmonico]

They all worked fine with Black powder ammo in there day.  Probally not today though many gunwriters say no way.

Of course there is the well known gunwriter/idject that several years ago wrote the article about how the 30-30 in a carbine did not have enogh power to be a good deer rifle and then about a year later wrote one about how good the 10 inch Contender was a fine long range deer gun.  Yep cut 10 inches off and it's fine.

[litl rooster]

.45Colt, in a rifle 100--125 yards, if you got factory non CAS ammo and you can hit what you aim at.

They all worked fine with Black powder ammo in there day. Probally not today though many gunwriters say no way.

Of course there is the well known gunwriter/idject that several years ago wrote the article about how the 30-30 in a carbine did not have enogh power to be a good deer rifle and then about a year later wrote one about how good the 10 inch Contender was a fine long range deer gun. Yep cut 10 inches off and it's fine.

I have to agree...with both. There is a kill zone on a deer. Delmonico you ever hear Zumbo talk down or bad about  a Outfitter, probably not the hunt was free... No free trips then maybe some bad words, same goes gun critics... Recent episode of of Kung Fu's brother show, they stated that 30-30 was credited for more deer slain than any other caliber...I love mine..
Tarheel Mac.... I will try this year with my vaquero for my deer.45L.C. Tarheel country and this Peidmont country are alot a like, deer hunting is close brushy country.. The 7mm and 300 mag are not good choices here but you can't always convince a redneck who owns one.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

I have my grandpa's octagon barreled 1892 Winchester rifle in .38-40 that he bought new in 1912, the year he married my grandma.  That was his "big" gun for his entire life.  He only shot factory ammo, initially 180 gr. lead, subsequently 180 gr. soft point jacketed.  His family (wife and five kids) ate a whole bunch of venison killed with that rifle, and I doubt seriously that very many (if any) were shot at much more than 50-60 yards.  He was a hunter, and didn't feel it necessary to take long shots.  I ended up with that old Winchester, and, just to be able to say I had, killed a couple of deer with it, but I used my handloads that were considerably hotter than factory loads.  Nowadays, my son uses it as his CAS main match rifle, and it dearly loves the CAS level loads I put together for it.

[Delmonico]

The famous Jordan Buck, I think it still is #1 Typical whitetail on B&C was killed with a 25-20 and the standard 86 gr jacketed FP out of a 92.

All 3 of my deer rifles have more power than needed, a 375 Win.  a 45-70 sharps and a 243, I worry more about the 243 than the other two, it likes to rip bullets up at short range so I switched to the Barnes X bullet, a Savage 99 with a 1X3.5 scope 95% of the deer are killed on 1X goes to 3.5X not for distance but to put the bullet exactly on in heavy brush.  BTW the in just behind and below the ear and out in the same place is flat out nasty.  Had one fall face first in the pond and had no water in the lungs, like pullin' the main fuse.

But my 22 Hornet or my 32 mag would have done just as good.

[Tascosa]

I shot a couple of deer and one antelope with my grandad's 92 Winchester 44-40. All shots were approx. 70 yards give or take a few yards and with factory ammo. All were one shot kills but the antelope run a little further than the deer before he bled out.
I was a-horseback and jest waited for however long it took me to roll one and smoke it, then followed the trail.
Probably could have knocked them down a little faster ifn I had one of them 150 MM magumns that all the gun writers brag about but I had to use jest what I could afford.... My grandad's 44-40 was free, and thats about all I could afford in those days.
Lots a game went down to the 44-40s, 38-40s, etc and the 30-30 before someone decided ya needed a small shoulder held howitser (?) to kill game.
I think it was more fun in the old days.......... I ain't old ya understand.... jest aged a little like good whiskey
Tascosa

[Jose Grande]

My 92 replica for CAS is 45 Colt. I use a 250gr. bullet on 14.2 gr. of 2400 powder. It runs about 900 fps on the chrony. I carry that carbine with me a great deal when I'm out & about. (I live in the woods) There's no doubt it would drop a deer like a bad habit out to 75 yds. or so. But in the thick woods 75 yds. is a long way to see a deer.

[ColonelFlashman]

It is an Historical Fact that the .44WCF Rifle Catridge has taken down More Medium Game than Any other cartridge in the U.S.

Okay, I was talking to someone the other day.  Now this guy is real fan of the late Jack O'Connor, (except he doesn't think O'Connor was fired up enough about the 7mm mag) and we were talking calibers for hunting...Now my contention was (is) that such oldtimers as the .44-40, .38-40, and the .45 LC in a rifle are at least adquate for deer at reasonable ranges...say...100 yds (if you shoot like I do...I'd say more like 75 yds) or less. 

I mean my 1892 Rossi would not be my first choice for a pronghorn hunt or one in AZ. for Coues Whitetail, but if I spotted a legal deer at 50 yds or so here in NC during the season, I wouldn't really feel handicapped...

So what do you guys think?

[thehairlessone]

Great thread guys! I ordered my .357 winchester yest. I want to use it for both CAS and short range deer hunting,etc.

rick