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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 6,930
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 6,930 |
I hope Minnesota gets their act together and allows pistol cartridges in a rifle in the shotgun zones some day soon. I'd LOVE to hammer whitetails with a .45 Colt or .454 Casull from a lever rifle! For now I'll keep using my "pistol" chambered in .260 Remington, because as long as it has a pistol grip on the firearm, it's a legal pistol in Minnesota...
Selmer "Daddy, can you sometime maybe please go shoot a water buffalo so we can have that for supper? Please? And can I come along? Does it taste like deer?" - my 3-year old daughter 
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 21,955
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 21,955 |
A 20 gauge smoothbore is miles behind a lever action rifle in just about any chambering one can fathom.
Better accuracy, cheaper ammo, easier to reload.
Hunting with a shotgun sucks. Hunting with a smoothbore shotgun is sucks +P....
The whole idea of shotgun slug only is bad for the critters and bad for the hunters. Its probably given to us by the same people who don't want booze bought on Sunday!
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 715
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 715 |
I've got a Winchester 94 Trapper .45 Colt and I would take it over a 12 gauge or 20 gauge slug gun. I have been loading hardcast 300 grain bullets to 1600 fps.
A couple years ago I shot a nuisance bear that was causing property damage. The bear, a 270lb sow, was dead within 20'. The bullet had passes through and hit a piece of oak firewood in the woodpile behind the bear. I found the bullet in the spring laying on the ground when a couple rows of the wood pile were gone. It had passed through a bear and an 18" piece if oak. It was barely expanded and still weighed 280 grains.
Aside from that example most .45 lever actions will be lighter, handier and more accurate than most slug guns.
"Hail to the King, Baby!"
Ash, Army of Darkness
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 226
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 226 |
One other thing...does the OP literally mean smoothbore, and is this an existing, "upland game" (like yr garden variety 870 pump, etc)sort of shotgun being compared to something like solid marlin shooting something like a 45 lc/44mag? I am speaking 2nd hand, but have heard great things about the Savage bolt action 20 ga slug guns, supposed to be really accurate, rifled though, not smoothbore. Most would still be buying $$ slugs tho... but the comparisIon is probably less clearcut re range and accuracy...
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 123
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 123 |
I've got a Winchester 94 Trapper .45 Colt and I would take it over a 12 gauge or 20 gauge slug gun. I have been loading hardcast 300 grain bullets to 1600 fps.
Interesting report Fraser - hard cast at sedate velocities can be very impressive and effective it would seem. I have a 44mag SBR lever gun (12" barrel) - should perform similarly if I load it the similarly. Had it with me in my tree stand hunting bears a few times this year but never got a chance to pull the trigger with it. I've always liked the looks of the 480 Ruger because it's also very sedate yet should be VERY good at killing big game at modest ranges. I remember when it came out running the Taylor knock out numbers on that one and was quite impressed. Rossi made some lever guns in that one. Fraser - PM in your inbox
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 341
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 341 |
One other thing...does the OP literally mean smoothbore, and is this an existing, "upland game" (like yr garden variety 870 pump, etc)sort of shotgun being compared to something like solid marlin shooting something like a 45 lc/44mag? I am speaking 2nd hand, but have heard great things about the Savage bolt action 20 ga slug guns, supposed to be really accurate, rifled though, not smoothbore. Most would still be buying $$ slugs tho... but the comparisIon is probably less clearcut re range and accuracy...
It's nothing fancy JRK...just a single shot H&R Topper 158. Certainly a lever gun can put more lead downrange quicker but am interested in the single shot-to-shot comparison. My brother has one of those bolt action Savages in 12 gauge. He seems to like it.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
I've got a Winchester 94 Trapper .45 Colt and I would take it over a 12 gauge or 20 gauge slug gun. I have been loading hardcast 300 grain bullets to 1600 fps.
A couple years ago I shot a nuisance bear that was causing property damage. The bear, a 270lb sow, was dead within 20'. The bullet had passes through and hit a piece of oak firewood in the woodpile behind the bear. I found the bullet in the spring laying on the ground when a couple rows of the wood pile were gone. It had passed through a bear and an 18" piece if oak. It was barely expanded and still weighed 280 grains.
Aside from that example most .45 lever actions will be lighter, handier and more accurate than most slug guns. I have the same rifle in the same chambering and I shoot the RCBS or Lyman 300 cast bullets in mine most of the time. (They drop around 320) ![[Linked Image]](http://www.hunt101.com/data/550/medium/IMG_16483.JPG) I popped this guy at over 150 yards, quite probably a good ways further as I had a fair amount of clear sky in my sights (WWG Ghost ring rear, factory post front). The bullet caught him dead center in the left bezel, punched a neat 45 cal hole in it, entered his shoulder, traversed a diagonal path and exited right around the point of his right hip. I know those little lumps of hard lead penetrate, but I that much surprised me. I've seen plenty of "proper" rifles fare worse in drop dead properties than that shot provided.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 886
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 886 |
Here in IN I use the .460 in a Ruger #1. ![[Linked Image]](http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l528/54Woody/Buck2012003.jpg)
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 123
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 123 |
Here in IN I use the .460 in a Ruger #1. Hard to imagine any rig much better than that in those woods given your cartridge limitations there. Now that was surely a memorable day for you - and thanks for the great pic.
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 341
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 341 |
I've got a Winchester 94 Trapper .45 Colt and I would take it over a 12 gauge or 20 gauge slug gun. I have been loading hardcast 300 grain bullets to 1600 fps.
A couple years ago I shot a nuisance bear that was causing property damage. The bear, a 270lb sow, was dead within 20'. The bullet had passes through and hit a piece of oak firewood in the woodpile behind the bear. I found the bullet in the spring laying on the ground when a couple rows of the wood pile were gone. It had passed through a bear and an 18" piece if oak. It was barely expanded and still weighed 280 grains.
Aside from that example most .45 lever actions will be lighter, handier and more accurate than most slug guns. I have the same rifle in the same chambering and I shoot the RCBS or Lyman 300 cast bullets in mine most of the time. (They drop around 320) I popped this guy at over 150 yards, quite probably a good ways further as I had a fair amount of clear sky in my sights (WWG Ghost ring rear, factory post front). The bullet caught him dead center in the left bezel, punched a neat 45 cal hole in it, entered his shoulder, traversed a diagonal path and exited right around the point of his right hip. I know those little lumps of hard lead penetrate, but I that much surprised me. I've seen plenty of "proper" rifles fare worse in drop dead properties than that shot provided. That's just awesome Klikitarik! A 45 Colt at 150-plus yards...wow Thanks for posting.
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 341
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 341 |
Here in IN I use the .460 in a Ruger #1. Very nice 54Woody! Wish I saw bucks like that on public land What distance did you take him at?
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,105
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,105 |
I'd take a 45 Colt over any gauge, any day, for busting deer.
A good small bead up front and a receiver or tang mounted peep.
Load up WFN cast around 300 grains and be careful of what's behind your target.
“Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.”
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 886
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 886 |
This is last year's deer. Had trail camera pictures of him from July until bow season started. Coming back to the house from my stand the Sat. After Thanksgiving I saw him at the edge of my back horse pasture. First time I had seen him in the flesh. 90 yard shot. He is a public land deer as my place borders the State Forest. There is a 10 point running the area this year that will score higher. Saw him the last 20 minutes of gun season but could not get a shot so now I am after him in ML season.
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