2022 Handgun Hunting Theead

[Drycreek3189]

Thanks ! Chad Robinett of Chig’s Grips made those grips. Nearly all my Rugers wear his grips. You can pick out your blank and he will make them from his grip frame or you can send yours in for a better fit. He does good work !

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

I just replaced my Ruger brand rings with Warne rings on this SBH Hunter in .44 mag. The Warne instructions said to tighten the screws to 25 inch pounds, but in the process I had to loosen them a couple times to keep the crosshairs level and that just seemed a little too easy. How tight do you guys tighten them ? I’m talking about the bottom screws, but the top screws also say 25 inch pounds.

I slowly bring each screw up in torque until all are snug. Then switch to my torque wrench and keep going till all are at 20 lbs. I also use blue loctite on the rings and green on the base-to-gun.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Alright for those of you who are interested in the Matt’s 44 mag bullets. I just got done doing a little more testing.

The bullets shot and recovered in water had an average expansion of .86” there was 3 of them.

Bullets shot into plywood then hit my dirt back stop all expanse on average of .58” I believe the wood was plugging the hollow point up.

The average group size out of my contender want as good as I hoped for, at 100 yards the groups were about 4-4.5” some better some worse. I did have a few shots that hit the same hole but then the group would open up.

I think these will be a good choice in short barrel pistols or like my setup suppressed contenders. With a load of 10.0gr of trail boss which is over max they are very quiet and soft shooting.

[Drycreek3189]

Originally Posted by Randy M

I slowly bring each screw up in torque until all are snug. Then switch to my torque wrench and keep going till all are at 20 lbs. I also use blue loctite on the rings and green on the base-to-gun.

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

Alright for those of you who are interested in the Matt’s 44 mag bullets. I just got done doing a little more testing.

The bullets shot and recovered in water had an average expansion of .86” there was 3 of them.

Bullets shot into plywood then hit my dirt back stop all expanse on average of .58” I believe the wood was plugging the hollow point up.

The average group size out of my contender want as good as I hoped for, at 100 yards the groups were about 4-4.5” some better some worse. I did have a few shots that hit the same hole but then the group would open up.

I think these will be a good choice in short barrel pistols or like my setup suppressed contenders. With a load of 10.0gr of trail boss which is over max they are very quiet and soft shooting.

Thanks to both of you for the added info. I’m gonna check out Matt’s bullets right now.

[Randy M]

Did some last minute practice and load work today in preparation for the opener this Saturday. I’ve been wanting to try the 240 Sierras in my 629 so I loaded up 20 and headed out to a buddy’s place. Completely overcast and a slight tail wind were the conditions. At 50 yards they shot really good and were surprisingly fast. My load was new brass, CCI 350 primers and a max book load of H110. The three shots through the chronograph averaged 1517 (1533, 1502, 1516) fps. I hesitate to put that out there because that’s pretty fast for this gun/load. But…they were legit readings. Unless my chronograph was acting up. Regardless, they are plenty good for anything I’ll chase with them.

And this is what I’ll be carrying come Saturday morning. What handgun is everyone else carrying to start with? Bonus points if you include a picture!




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[MONSTERKEN]

Well, it only took 6 months but I finally got my 9" barrel. The 10mm is getting the nod Saturday morning and will be throwing Underwood 150gr Xtreme Hunters. I'm keeping the range to 40 yards and in, and then if pigs show up, tee it high and let it fly. LOL. Looking forward to ldp's boys. Post them up and be sure to give us the breakdown.

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[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Originally Posted by MONSTERKEN

Well, it only took 6 months but I finally got my 9" barrel. The 10mm is getting the nod Saturday morning and will be throwing Underwood 150gr Xtreme Hunters. I'm keeping the range to 40 yards and in, and then if pigs show up, tee it high and let it fly. LOL. Looking forward to ldp's boys. Post them up and be sure to give us the breakdown.

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Good looking rig I’ve got a custom 20 also haven’t shot anything with it yet but hopefully this season I will be able to.


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[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Last night I got to do some vermin control around the house almost had a shot one some coyotes but I couldn’t get the right position. Ended up testing one of the Matt’s 250gr soft cast on a big opossum. Shot was about 20 yards and they seem to have expanded pretty good.



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[686PPP]

Thanks for the info on those bullets I ordered a couple boxes of those 250's. Lots of pigs around the feeder at 40 yds.

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by MONSTERKEN

Well, it only took 6 months but I finally got my 9" barrel. The 10mm is getting the nod Saturday morning and will be throwing Underwood 150gr Xtreme Hunters. I'm keeping the range to 40 yards and in, and then if pigs show up, tee it high and let it fly. LOL. Looking forward to ldp's boys. Post them up and be sure to give us the breakdown.

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Very nice Glock, Monster! Can’t wait to see it bloodied, soon.

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

Last night I got to do some vermin control around the house almost had a shot one some coyotes but I couldn’t get the right position. Ended up testing one of the Matt’s 250gr soft cast on a big opossum. Shot was about 20 yards and they seem to have expanded pretty good.



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Yeah that ought to do it! I love decisive kills. Nice work on that possum!

[Randy M]

Gorgeous morning here at my lease.
Calm winds and 39 degrees. Took a nice sized boar at 65 yards. Hit perfectly just below the ear on a broad side shot and drop him in his tracks. Smith 629 with a hand loaded Sierra 240 over H110. And carrying a prototype chest holster I’ve been working on. Very decisive kill…exactly how I like them!






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[John316]

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

I just replaced my Ruger brand rings with Warne rings on this SBH Hunter in .44 mag. The Warne instructions said to tighten the screws to 25 inch pounds, but in the process I had to loosen them a couple times to keep the crosshairs level and that just seemed a little too easy. How tight do you guys tighten them ? I’m talking about the bottom screws, but the top screws also say 25 inch pounds.

I put these same rings on my 243 pistol, recoil is similar to a 44 mag. (Mine were not specific for Ruger barrel, mine were to mount on a rail.) I torqued down to specs, shot it about 10 times to get it sighted in. I noticed the scope was loose and I could slide it back and forth if I pulled on it. I took mine to 35 inch pounds and have never had another problem.

[John316]

Way to go everyone who is bagging stuff with your handguns, nice work. Some of those tree rats are Boon and Crockett contenders, I didnt know they got that big.

[Drycreek3189]

Originally Posted by John316

I put these same rings on my 243 pistol, recoil is similar to a 44 mag. (Mine were not specific for Ruger barrel, mine were to mount on a rail.) I torqued down to specs, shot it about 10 times to get it sighted in. I noticed the scope was loose and I could slide it back and forth if I pulled on it. I took mine to 35 inch pounds and have never had another problem.

That’s good info, 25 inch pounds just did not inspire confidence, they were too easy to loosen when I had to turn the scope to level the crosshairs. I think I’m gonna go ahead and do 30 before I shoot it.

[Randy M]

Took this doe this morning with my 629 and hand loads. She circled around behind me which made for a tricky few seconds of repositioning myself. About 30 yard shot off-hand.



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[Drycreek3189]

Congrats Randy !

What red dot is your 629 wearing ?

[Buzzsaw]

Any love for a 6" long slide 10mm with dot sight?

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

Congrats Randy !

What red dot is your 629 wearing ?

Thanks! The RDS is a Vortex venom 3moa.

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by Buzzsaw

Any love for a 6" long slide 10mm with dot sight?

Heck yeah. Perfect for deer and smaller hogs.

[Buzzsaw]

I guess your Venom holds up to heavy recoil.?

[Drycreek3189]

Originally Posted by Randy M

Thanks! The RDS is a Vortex venom 3moa.

Originally Posted by Buzzsaw

I guess your Venom holds up to heavy recoil.?

That’s what I have on my .41, no problems so far. I would think the back and forth of a slide on something like a 10mm would be about as bad but the Holosun on my 10mm S&W has held up well too. I don’t have that many shots on it though.

[Randy M]

What an incredible weekend. I decided to drop a day of vacation and stay over until today. Sure glad I did. I had three hogs come out about 8 AM so I drew down on the biggest one thinking it was probably a sow with two piglets. Made another head shot and the bullet entered just below the left ear, took a 90° left turn and came out the forehead. About a 100 pound sow. Perfect eating size.

The gun was my freedom arms model 97 in 41 magnum. Hand loaded 210 grain XTP‘s. 65ish yards.






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[Drycreek3189]

You’re on a roll Randy !

[fish4food]

Good shooting Sir!!!

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

No shots fired this morning but a nice sunrise. Pretty slow but I did have the chance at a nice mature doe decided to hold off.






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[fish4food]

Good luck! Nice set up!

[Drycreek3189]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

No shots fired this morning but a nice sunrise. Pretty slow but I did have the chance at a nice mature doe decided to hold off.






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The first Contender that I ever had was in 30-30, and boy was it a shooter ! Clover leaves at 100 yards. I foolishly sold it and bought a new one in .375 Win but it won’t shoot like the 30-30 did. Good enough that I’ve killed several deer and a couple turkeys with it but not a 1 incher.

[TeamAmerica]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

No shots fired this morning but a nice sunrise. Pretty slow but I did have the chance at a nice mature doe decided to hold off.






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I need one of those!

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

The first Contender that I ever had was in 30-30, and boy was it a shooter ! Clover leaves at 100 yards. I foolishly sold it and bought a new one in .375 Win but it won’t shoot like the 30-30 did. Good enough that I’ve killed several deer and a couple turkeys with it but not a 1 incher.

This is the most accurate barrel I have for sure solid 1” groups at 100 yards. I’ve rand steel at 350 using ol corelokts. Recoil is extremely pleasant as well.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Well I had good bad luck this morning. As usual running late, got to the property and started my 7-800 yard Walk to where I sit about 300 yards left pigs run out exactly where I’m supposed to be sitting… I stalk in as close as I can before I think I’ll be spotted. Line up in one and let the TC 30-30 bark WHAP! Down goes piggy! Get about 20 yards closer and he jumps up and starts running towards the fence line hurt bad holding one leg up and moving slow.

I sit down and wait for the feeder to spin had a couple good does come in decided I didn’t want to clean two animals this morning so let them be.

About 830 I contacted the neighbors to ask if I could trail the pig and they said yes. As soon as I cross the fence I had a massive blood trail heavy blood but I don’t see lung shot indications. Trail went dead at about 85 yards from point of impact. So I start grid searching and came up on what I believe is my wounded hog take a shot and nailed a tree I didn’t see.

Lost the pig but he is or will be dead. Suckers are definitely stronger than you think at times. Id say he was probably 125-150 pounder initial shot was about 150 yards complete pass through with the Hornady 160ftx, I know that only because i saw it hit the dirt past him after it exited. I would have thought I missed if he didn’t drop stone dead then come back to life.

[Drycreek3189]

Pigs are tuff ! I once shot one a little back with a .300 WSM, knocked him down and paralyzed his back wheels. He was close to 200 yards away and I was standing up shooting off sticks, (not my best rest). I watched him drag himself onto the neighbors’ place and figured I’d find him just inside the woods but when I got down there I could see that he was no longer dragging his rear, so I drug out my Winchester .32 Special to see if I could put him out of his misery. I only went onto the neighbors’ place about twenty yards and encountered a deep creek bank. I could see he went down one side and up the other, I had no idea how to contact the owner so I left him to die. Blood on the ground showed it to be a liver hit so I didn’t figure him to go far. The next time I was there I watched about twenty buzzards fly up about 150 yards from where I shot him. Aside from the twenty yards and one creek bank it was all uphill ! In retrospect I was glad I didn’t catch up to him in the thick stuff.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Drycreek your 100% right from my experience a pig can go forever on a busted liver. I hit one far back with a rage extreme and followed the easiest blood trail ever for as far as I could and never found it.

[Randy M]

Blessed with a freaky horn buck this morning. Shot was around 65 yards, perfectly broadside. Gun used was my FA 97/41 magnum and 210 grain XTP hand load. Right through the onside shoulder, clipped the heart, through the offside shoulder and resting under the offside skin. A little odd in that there was a small exit hole, but the bullet was still there. Oh, and it’s 25 degrees in the Texas Hill Country this morning...




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[Drycreek3189]

He is freaky ain’t he ! Bullet might not be picture perfect but it did its job.

[bowtecmike]

Congrats and as always good shooting !


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[Randy M]

Well the ole’ 97 barked again today on this nice sow. Honest 70 yards and perfect heart shot. 30 yard recovery. Now time for a campfire.
Heckuva day…



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[bowtecmike]

Originally Posted by Randy M

Well the ole’ 97 barked again today on this nice sow. Honest 70 yards and perfect heart shot. 30 yard recovery. Now time for a campfire.
Heckuva day…



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****, you are making slackers out of the rest of us! Good shooting again, did you recover that bullet?

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[steve morton]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

No shots fired this morning but a nice sunrise. Pretty slow but I did have the chance at a nice mature doe decided to hold off.






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I bet that 30-30 will roll one!
I Love my T/C 223.

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by bowtecmike

****, you are making slackers out of the rest of us! Good shooting again, did you recover that bullet?

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I did not on the hog.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Snuck out after thanksgiving lunch and got a small sow with the contender shooting 250gr Matt’s HP bullets over 10gr of trailboss leaving the muzzle at 1000fps. I shot at a bigger sow and somehow I think I missed as I didn’t hear the POP like on this one. The little pigs hung around for another quick shot and I managed to sink one in the back legs pretty hard to see them at last light. She mad a dash to the trees and with a little lead I put a second one in her neck both shots were 100yards give or take. Both bullets did exit. I don’t think they expanded as much as they did on my water testing but they did work.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

Snuck out after thanksgiving lunch and got a small sow with the contender shooting 250gr Matt’s HP bullets over 10gr of trailboss leaving the muzzle at 1000fps. I shot at a bigger sow and somehow I think I missed as I didn’t hear the POP like on this one. The little pigs hung around for another quick shot and I managed to sink one in the back legs pretty hard to see them at last light. She mad a dash to the trees and with a little lead I put a second one in her neck both shots were 100yards give or take. Both bullets did exit. I don’t think they expanded as much as they did on my water testing but they did work.

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[fish4food]

Good shooting BFT!

[SmTx]

I normally don’t wear a pistol at the farm but had one on today and remembered I did as I was leaving to get into the stand. I grabbed some hand corn and threw it 15 yards away. Who knows maybe I can post a pistol kill too!

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

The highs and lows of pistol hunting are real… my FIL took me to his place in Hellena yesterday to cull does so I figured getting a few more pistols kills under my belt would be a great thing to do. We had an active morning and I had a big mature doe at 65-75 yards lined up the shot broad side with the 44mag loaded with 250gr HP and squeezed off. Right as the trigger broke she turned head on towards me and I hit her in the right shoulder. She was hit hard but not anchored. I couldn’t get another shot off before she got out of range. I watched her walk into the thick mesquite brush flickering her tail. Waiting a few hours went to pick up the track and found very spotty blood for 50 yards then lost the trail.

Im convinced if I would have had a hard cast bullets the situation may have been different… east me up to loose a deer.

We hunted all day and I had ample opportunity to try again but was kinda put off so we just watched deer. Good dose of reality and lessons learned. Stuff happens but I can’t help but think of what I could have done better.

[Drycreek3189]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

The highs and lows of pistol hunting are real… my FIL took me to his place in Hellena yesterday to cull does so I figured getting a few more pistols kills under my belt would be a great thing to do. We had an active morning and I had a big mature doe at 65-75 yards lined up the shot broad side with the 44mag loaded with 250gr HP and squeezed off. Right as the trigger broke she turned head on towards me and I hit her in the right shoulder. She was hit hard but not anchored. I couldn’t get another shot off before she got out of range. I watched her walk into the thick mesquite brush flickering her tail. Waiting a few hours went to pick up the track and found very spotty blood for 50 yards then lost the trail.

Im convinced if I would have had a hard cast bullets the situation may have been different… east me up to loose a deer.

We hunted all day and I had ample opportunity to try again but was kinda put off so we just watched deer. Good dose of reality and lessons learned. Stuff happens but I can’t help but think of what I could have done better.

Like you, I hate to lose a deer, but it happens. I can remember the few I’ve lost better than the many I’ve killed. There’s a lesson in there somewhere !

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

Like you, I hate to lose a deer, but it happens. I can remember the few I’ve lost better than the many I’ve killed. There’s a lesson in there somewhere !

You sir are 100% correct. Hard to remember every deer I killed but I remember every one I’ve lost

[Randy M]

Originally Posted by BLACKFINTURKEY

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Well done Blackfin! Congrats on the pig. And sorry about the doe.

[Randy M]

Turkey down! Heckuva way to start the weekend. Roughly 57 yards facing away. Perfect ‘Texas heart shot’! FA 97 in 41 magnum and 210 xtp hand load. DRT!



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[3ChordTruth]

Congratulations, nice shooting.