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For the second year in a row I traveled to SW Montana for a whitetail doe hunt, non-residents can buy the tags over the counter for $75 & buy up to 5 tags, last year I took 2 doe's, both with my Ruger Bisley 41 magnum.
This time I took my new Lipseys 44 special, it has the 4 5/8" barrel & I used the Skeeter load of 7.5 grs Unique & a 250 gr Keith cast slug. This load is running about 925 fps.
Hunting the river bottoms in heavy cover for whitetails is kind of like jump shooting grouse, one second you are just minding your own business & all of a sudden they just explode right under your feet. I was in a lot of brush, blow down & tall grass along the river, it was so noisy I started wading in 3-4 inches of water to try & be quiet.
Earlier I had spotted 2 doe's sneaking back past one of my buddies, they went into some heavy cover & disappeared, after several minutes of easing through the water I jumped one at about 5 yds, I already had my 44 special in my right hand & spun around as she blew past me in the tall grass, I fired twice at about 25yds & then took a third shot as she went over a small incline.
I had to step over several downed cottonwood trees to get over to where she had disappeared, I couldn't see her but after 5 minutes or so I almost stepped on her. Two of the three shots had connected, one through the front shoulders & the other just behind the shoulders in the lungs, she had traveled maybe 25 yds before going down.



I think I'm saying, Boise State is #1!!



A week after my Montana hunt I was back home in Idaho after cow elk, this time I would be using my 41 Bisley & the 250 gr WFN slug by LBT, my load was 9.2 grs of Unique, this load is probably just under 1100 fps, very accurate & gives great penetration. I've taken lots of game with the 230 gr Keith but this was the first time with the 250 gr WFN.
Late in the afternoon I was walking up a old logging road when I heard someone shoot, I moved over to a log & set down, listening. After several minutes I caught a glimpse of some elk 2-3 hundred yds below me walking single file & I sneaked across the logging road & started dropping down through the quakies, the elk were nervous & the lead cow kept stopping & looking back. As I reached the bottom of the quakie grove I set down & eased the 41 out of the shoulder rig & braced my left forearm against a small quakie, when the lead cow got directly below me I gave out a small mew & she slammed on the breaks & looked in my direction, the big WFN took her through both shoulders & she dropped straight down, she didn't take a single step. I walked down & her head came up & I gave her a finisher then walked back to my pack & shot her with the range finder, it was 74 yds, the slug had taken out both shoulders & exited, the lungs were jelly. This was my 27th elk & 9th with handguns (7 revolver kills) Big flatnose cast slugs give you what you need, extreme penetration & plenty of shocking power.



What was left of her lungs.



She was huge, I weigh 280 lbs, she was much bigger!



My 41 Bisley with a pair of my Holly stocks & my ever present walking stick.



The exit hole in the offside shoulder, you could eat the bullet hole.

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/6shot_01/100_2238.jpg[/img]

Dick

Congrats. That is a form of hunting that I can relate to more than plinking things off at 600 yards with a rangefinder, turrets, and a ballistics app in an Iphone.

Way to go!

COOL!!!

I wanted to say--awesome to see an Elk taken with a pistol. Here at home I hunt whitetails with an 1873 winchester lever gun in 45 long colt using 250 grain cast loads - and black powder to top it off.

I hope Boise State has a chance at winning the BCS Championship this year. I'm sick of SEC schools winning the big one.

Very nicely done!

Great post! Nice to see you getting it done out there. I agree you could eat right up to that bullet hole, very nice shooting young man.

Idaho, that is pure cool! I'm having my Redhawk 45 Colt being slicked up by Hamilton Bowen and will use it for deer next year but would love to take something bigger with it. Nice job!

Good shooting, Idaho 1945! Prime meat for the freezer.

Does your Bisley .41 Mag. have a 5 1/2" barrel or a 6" bbl.?

Thanks.

L.W.

leanwolf, the barrel is 5 1/2", my gunsmith son has slicked up the trigger & he narrows all my front sights to 1/10", much, much easier to see with old eyes, even young eyes in the early morning or late evening. Can't shoot em if you can't see em!

Dick

That's just awesome Idaho!

That first elk picture is quite different as it is the first time I ever saw an elk wearing a shoulder holster, complete with gun. Must be some wolves in that area.

Dick, have you taken elk with that .44 special load you used for that doe? I ask because I'm shooting loading a .44 mag with that bullet and 8.5 grns Unique. I've just wondered.

Oops double post

Congratulations on your fine performance.

Proof once a gain, it is not how far the shot, but rather how close AND effective the hunter is that is important.

McInnis, I haven't taken an elk with that exact load although I did pack it everyday this spring when I was hunting black bear (seen 17) if I hadn't messed up twice I would have taken a bear, one of them was a monster & I have no doubt the load would have worked. I'm hunting on the ground, spot & stalk.
I did take a huge cow elk 2 weeks ago using 9.2 grs of Unique with a 250 gr slug but it was in a 41 magnum, the shot took out both shoulders & exited, the elk never took one step.
Your load of 8.5 grs in the longer 44 magnum case should be very similar in horsepower to my 7.5 gr load in the 44 special, assuming barrel lengths are the same. Just get in close & stay very tight to the shoulder, or shoot through the shoulders & start punching your tag!
I keep saying, you don't need mega velocities, you need shot placement & penetration. Let us know how your hunt goes.

Dick

Mr. Idaho 1945, congrats on your success and obvious hunting and shooting skill. I have an Accusport 5 1/2" stainless Bisley in .45 Colt and I love it. I'm going to try to take a nice fat doe in the upcoming Ohio gun season. My load is the 280 grain 45-270-SAA SWC in front of 13.5 grains of HS6 for about 1100 FPS. Big bore sixguns are just flat fun.

Ron

Idaho 1945...some pretty cool stuff there..
I like the looks of that Bisley...seen a few like that in .44 and .45 but never a .41...
Neato Bandito....

Ingwe

Too Cool!

Idaho 1945, thanks for the info on your Ruger Bisley's barrel length. I was wondering as I have a S&W 57 .41 Mag. with 6" barrel. Figure the velocity would be about the same with that particular load.

BTW,that is a handsome looking shoulder holster rig. Did you have that custom made or is that a "factory" item from some leather company?

Thanks.

L.W.