Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting .44 mag revolver and elk

Have any of you killed elk with an S&W 29?

I'd be interested to hear about it. Specifically the bullet, load, and bullet placement.

Yes. One with an 8-3/8" nickeled gun, and 5 with a 4" 629 stainless. In addition I have killed 2 with a Super Blackhawk I cut to 5", and 2 with a 7-1/2" Redhawk.

All were killed with cast bullets except one, which was killed with a 265 grain Hornady bullet made originally for the 444 marlin from the 7.5" Redhawk.

The 2 cast bullets were the old Keith style Lyman 429244 250 grain Gas Checked and the LBT Wide Flat Nose 320 grain gas checked bullet.
Powders were 2400 and WW 296. Loads varied a bit, but all were close to top safe pressure.

My longest shot on an elk killed with a handgun was about 50 yards in the Selway Wilderness in Idaho and my closest was in the same area another year at about 4 yards.

No bullets were ever recovered expect the Hornady soft point. All cast bullets exited. I broke shoulder bones with about 1/2 of them. One 3 point rag-horn I shot in the neck with a 429244 and he dropped instantly leaving an exit on the off side about the size of a quarter. All were 1 shot kills. So far I have never had to fire a 2nd shot to kill an elk with a 44.

Not an elk but my spouse took a shiras moose with an Anaconda in 44mag. One shot kill and it went right down. I would have to go look up the loads but I know not necessarily a hot load. I'm betting a 240 gr XTP mag was the bullet.

Garrett 310 gr hard cast Hammerheads at 1325 fps at bow distances.

Fantastic information gentlemen, thank you.

szihn,
Do you recall how hard the cast bullets were?

Did a Shiras moose with 240 XTP 44mag. Dan Wesson 7-3/4 barrel

Killed two bulls with a 6" M29 and Keith 250 cast. One was 65 yards away, two quick shots through the ribcage and lungs. The other was a mercy killing, three feet away, shot through the brain. Load IIRC was 21 gr. h110...but check that before you try it..its been awhile.

With .44 mag revolver, as well as with 1911.


This bull was taken with a 305 grain hard cast right behind the shoulder. Complete penetration. Just a shade past 100 yards.



The gun is my old 29-2 that I had cut back 2 5" and a few other things done to it.




It is that "one end of the spectrum to the other" handgun.





My first handgun elk (while hunting) was with a 1911, and was a big cow. She was bedded down on the edge of this finger ridge, with the other side being heavy timber. I was only 25 yards or so. My rifle was slung across my back as I had been grabbing at sagebrush trying to pull myself up in slippery, half melting mid morning snow. She stood up and only had to take about 4-5 steps and could have been gone in a flash. When she stood up I knew there was no way could get to my rifle in time, so I just drew my pistol and popped her in the head with my 1911. She dropped right back down into her bed and did the straight leg squirm kick death dance. The whole thing from the time I saw her, to the time I shot was probably 4-5 seconds.



Popped a few others since then with handguns, but not nearly as fun as the first one.

WFP hardcast are the most consistent terminal performers I have ever seen. Straight line, no deflection and golf ball size wound channels. An elk with my .45lc Bisley is on my bucket list.

Yes. Sw 29 with 6” barrel. 250 Keith cast from wheel weights. Medium load of blue dot probably 1100 FPS. Through both shoulders lungs a mess 45 yards. Recovered the bullet under off side hide. Had my new setter puppy on my shoulder at the time as she kept if getting into the jumping cactus and crying. She, the puppy, lived and hunted with me for 17 years. Still miss her.

The M29 with a heavy WFN cast bullet is definitely up the task. I went a bit bigger with the 45 Colt using a 335 gr WFN cast bullet in a 4-5/8" Blackhawk and a bit larger ungulate; Sorry.

You talk about a 1911, but show a SW 29?