Short distance deer hunting round

[Rollo]

I know there are a lot of options and opinions out there on this subject but just trying to find a specialty round to hunt around my house. I'm looking for a round that will be effective deer hunting up to 150 yards but want to be able to take a shot and the bullet not leave my property, about 400 yards. I would also like the gun to be small and compact. I've considered a 44 mag pistol but would also like to suppress it at some point in time. I know there's lots of talk about the 300 blackout and it being successful in dropping deer but not much I've read about it capabilities in sub-sonic. Also, I don't reload. But that may be something I'll be forced into if I'm going to get so picky... I don't mind tactical guns at all. Not a traditionalist in any means. Just want a quiet, short distance tack driver to put some meat on the table. Thanks y'all....

 

[Urban_Hunter]

Any projectile going fast enough to be lethal at 150yds will be more than capable of exiting the property at 400yds. Just be careful of your backdrop. I don't know that I'd trust the lethality of a 44mag at quite that distance even though it may shoot accurate enough to hit, that's a pretty long poke for a true pistol cartridge.

 

[MUP]

Hunt from an elevated stand and shoot downward, letting the ground be your backstop. :?:

 

[Hardwoodmaterials]

If my longest shot was 150yds I would look at a 444 Marlin. I wouldn't mind having one of these. https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/pro ... +MARLIN+25

 

[Rollo]

Hunt from an elevated stand and shoot downward, letting the ground be your backstop. :?:

I hunt from a stand anyway, just concerned about a high powered rifle round ricocheting into a neighboring property. I know the potential for that is somewhat realistic for any bullet (even my pellet guns..) but just hoping to get something with a lower velocity but big enough for decent energy and accuracy. Am I over thinking this??? I'm currently hunting with a 12 ga. slug now but hoping for better accuracy and less recoil.

 

[markwondi]

Buy yourself a quality lever action rifle chambered in a pistol cartridge, perfect for your needs.

 

[Rollo]

Buy yourself a quality lever action rifle chambered in a pistol cartridge, perfect for your needs.

Then how about .45ACP? Normal loads with heavy bullet usually sub-sonic, easy to find, but suppressor friendly? Honestly, longest shot should be within 100 yds. Would .44 mag be more accurate??? or even smaller?

 

[markwondi]

Buy yourself a quality lever action rifle chambered in a pistol cartridge, perfect for your needs.

Then how about .45ACP? Normal loads with heavy bullet usually sub-sonic, easy to find, but suppressor friendly? Honestly, longest shot should be within 100 yds. Would .44 mag be more accurate??? or even smaller?

You're mostly going to find rimmed cartridges in lever actions.

I'd go 357 mag if subsonic is your goal, since ammo is readily available. 44mag is also an option.
You

 

[MickThompson]

If you're concerned about rounds leaving the property, my second priority would be using enough gun to make sure the deer can't leave the property, not being able to go suppressed. A lot of subsonic loads will be running out of umph much last 100 yards and your options will really be limited for off the shelf, subsonic loads suitable for hunting.

I'd either stick with the shotgun or go muzzleloader.


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[Deer Assassin]

44 mag
45/70
458 socom

great choices for subsonic killers

if you use lead bullets get a supressor that comes apart

45 acp suppressors are not rated for supersonic

my 458 scorpion is rated to 458 win mag

i like that i can shoot 44 sub or adjust to 44 full on mag

 

[recurve60#]

30-30, 444 marlin, 44 mag. All are 150 yrs rounds and whop a whitetail.

 

[Hunter 257W]

Hunt from an elevated stand and shoot downward, letting the ground be your backstop. :?:

I hunt from a stand anyway, just concerned about a high powered rifle round ricocheting into a neighboring property. I know the potential for that is somewhat realistic for any bullet (even my pellet guns..) but just hoping to get something with a lower velocity but big enough for decent energy and accuracy. Am I over thinking this??? I'm currently hunting with a 12 ga. slug now but hoping for better accuracy and less recoil.

The lower you go with velocity the more prone it will be to ricochet. Pistol rounds will ricochet off the ground practically every time when striking at a shallow angle. The same shot with say a 30-06 will either penetrate the ground enough to use up it's energy or break the bullet apart and rarely ricochet. If you are wanting to minimize ricochets, something light and fast is the way I'd go. Maybe 243 or 25-06.

 

[DaveB]

12 gauge slug in rifled barrel.

By evaluating ballistics before you buy, you can decide on 12 or 20 gauge and 2 3/4 or 3 inch mag.


Your 400 yard restriction puts you into a tight corner. If you cannot hunt from an elevated position just about everything will fly 400 yards.

 

[Rollo]

Hunt from an elevated stand and shoot downward, letting the ground be your backstop. :?:

I hunt from a stand anyway, just concerned about a high powered rifle round ricocheting into a neighboring property. I know the potential for that is somewhat realistic for any bullet (even my pellet guns..) but just hoping to get something with a lower velocity but big enough for decent energy and accuracy. Am I over thinking this??? I'm currently hunting with a 12 ga. slug now but hoping for better accuracy and less recoil.

The lower you go with velocity the more prone it will be to ricochet. Pistol rounds will ricochet off the ground practically every time when striking at a shallow angle. The same shot with say a 30-06 will either penetrate the ground enough to use up it's energy or break the bullet apart and rarely ricochet. If you are wanting to minimize ricochets, something light and fast is the way I'd go. Maybe 243 or 25-06.

Thanks Hunter 257W. That's what I was looking for. So in theory, would a 12 or 20 ga. slug be more prone to ricochet at a shallow angle than a high powered rifle? (being larger mass but lower velocity). For now I may just stick with my 12 ga. rifled slug barrel....

Thanks everyone for the feedback

 

[mike243]

A high velocity round will break up where a slow moving 1 will deform and change coarse ,hard cast bullets can ricochet,all will lose velocity so it can be a trade off and no 1 bullet or caliber is perfect good luck on picking just 1 :tu:

 

[Hunter 257W]

[/quote]
Thanks Hunter 257W. That's what I was looking for. So in theory, would a 12 or 20 ga. slug be more prone to ricochet at a shallow angle than a high powered rifle? (being larger mass but lower velocity). For now I may just stick with my 12 ga. rifled slug barrel....

Thanks everyone for the feedback[/quote]

That's a hard one to call but I'd guess the slug would be more likely to bounce compared to say the common 30-06 just due to the slug being heavier and slower. Of course slugs vary a lot more then they used to when all slugs were pretty much foster style with a few Brenneke slugs around but nobody you knew ever used them. Now you've still got those plus a bunch of saboted slugs of varying weight and material.