.44 Mag Lever Action for Small Cats/ Antelope

[Labman]

Surprised nobody had mentioned using a hard cast semi wadcutter bullet in the 44 mag. Should work great on the smaller animals used mentioned with a caliber size hole going in and out.

 

[Dewald]

Surprised nobody had mentioned using a hard cast semi wadcutter bullet in the 44 mag. Should work great on the smaller animals used mentioned with a caliber size hole going in and out.

I think a .44 lever action with hard casts would work exceptionally well for the intended animals. I have had complete penetration on a large Zebra mare with a 325 gr hard cast from a 7&1/2” Ruger Super Blackhawk. I have shot grey duiker with the same combination, without any skin or meat damage. Lots of people here in RSA use .30-30, .44 mag and to a lesser extent .357 mag lever guns for bushpig over hounds, and having seen plenty of those carcasses there is typically minimal meat or skin damage, with a calibre size entrance and sometimes exit hole.

Make sure for the night critters the rifle is compatible with a scope. Something with an illuminated centre dot works well

 

[F. Vaccaro]

If you use a jacketed soft point & not a hollow point or a jacketed solid you'll be fine.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

If you use a jacketed soft point & not a hollow point or a jacketed solid you'll be fine.

So, I was planning on using a jacketed solid, but you think the jacketed soft point would do better? I don't want to explode the little animals.

 

[mdwest]

A flat nosed jacketed solid will cut a clean hole going in and coming out on the little critters you’re talking about hunting.. I don’t foresee any issues…

 

[F. Vaccaro]

I don’t think a soft point will expand too much.
Buffalo Bore offer hard cast lead bullets in loaded ammo & they usually act as a solid.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

I don’t think a soft point will expand too much.
Buffalo Bore offer hard cast lead bullets in loaded ammo & they usually act as a solid.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Welp, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Henry Big Boy of the Hardened (not shiny Brass) variety. Octagon 20 inch barrel, wooden furniture. I'll let you all know how it works when I get it in! I'm thinking of putting a 3-9 scope on it ( I know, I know, sacrilege!) and zeroing it at 50, since I'm intending to take all shots within 100 and a 50 zero should work for up to 100 and down to closer if needed since it will be mostly for night hunting/small animals. Though I admit I'm open to suggestions if anyone thinks it should be zeroed at 100 (which would be the max distance I would take anything) for one reason or another.

 

[freefall]

So I'm too late, but was going to say I saw a decent deal on some Rossi 92s the other day.

 

[Paul Raley]

A flat nosed jacketed solid will cut a clean hole going in and coming out on the little critters you’re talking about hunting.. I don’t foresee any issues…

Correct - I used a semi jacketed lead hollow point with my 357 Magnum on a big bodied Impala at about 60m , I assume there was little to no expansion as the Impala just had a 357 sized entry and exit hole on both shoulder , almost zero meat damage . There was also no blood that we could find , which could be a problem if one wounds the animal , luckily in this case it ran 20m and expired .

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

Welp, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Henry Big Boy of the Hardened (not shiny Brass) variety. Octagon 20 inch barrel, wooden furniture. I'll let you all know how it works when I get it in! I'm thinking of putting a 3-9 scope on it ( I know, I know, sacrilege!) and zeroing it at 50, since I'm intending to take all shots within 100 and a 50 zero should work for up to 100 and down to closer if needed since it will be mostly for night hunting/small animals. Though I admit I'm open to suggestions if anyone thinks it should be zeroed at 100 (which would be the max distance I would take anything) for one reason or another.

That's pretty much exactly where I zero my pistol chambered carbines. Usually happy with dead on to about 1" high at 50yds. I consider them as 100yds and in rifles.

Played around lobbing my handloaded Ruger level 45 Colt at the 200yd steel half silhouette at my gun club range awhile back. Had to hold over quite a bit to score a hit with those 250gr XTPs. Those loads are running appx 1600fps over the chrony from the rifles. I was watching through the spotting scope as my wife was shooting her Henry at that 200yd steel. Could see the bullets drop in. I've played around doing that with my Uberti 1876 Centennial in 45-60WCF as well. That's sending a 300gr cast at a whisker under 1400fps. High hold and I managed to ring the steel a couple times. Good fun but definitely not practical for live game. Those bullets slow down and drop pretty fast

 

[mdwest]

Welp, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Henry Big Boy of the Hardened (not shiny Brass) variety. Octagon 20 inch barrel, wooden furniture. I'll let you all know how it works when I get it in! I'm thinking of putting a 3-9 scope on it ( I know, I know, sacrilege!) and zeroing it at 50, since I'm intending to take all shots within 100 and a 50 zero should work for up to 100 and down to closer if needed since it will be mostly for night hunting/small animals. Though I admit I'm open to suggestions if anyone thinks it should be zeroed at 100 (which would be the max distance I would take anything) for one reason or another.

Awesome! What caliber?

 

[Don458]

Good morning all!

Last night I was playing around with some ballistic calculations and I wanted the opinion of the Elders of Africa here. I'm trying to find a good rifle to take for small cats/ small antelope that won't break the bank, has easily accessible factory loads (since I do not reload and don't have the time to pick up the hobby) and shoots something big enough to kill, but slow enough not to blow something the size of a Serval or Greater Genet in half. The rifle would only be used for the small animals, nothing even the size of an Impala. Pretty much a specialized rifle just for the Tiny Ten and Small Cats, so it's usefulness on larger African Game, or game here in the states is not an issue. After looking at the numbers I think a .44 Mag in lever action might be just the right pill for the job, but I wanted your thoughts. The shots would be no greater than 100 yards at the max, the targets would, as I said, be no bigger than a large Caracal if I got lucky. I cannot use a .375, as I sold mine and don't really want to pick up another one. I also considered a lever action .357 but I wasn't sure if that would have enough "oomph" to kill cleanly at 100 yards, even for these small-bodied animals.

Thank you for your time and input!

A Savage 340/ Stevens 325 in 30/30 would be perfect. Usually find under $400 and it is small, bolt action that is very accurate .

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Awesome! What caliber?

Picked it up in .44 Mag. I figured "it's Africa, might as well go a little bigger" lol

 

[mdwest]

I really like those Henrys in 44 Mag...

Theres one posted on another (non hunting) forum that I sometimes frequent.. the guy wants way too much for it, or I would have already snatched it up... great little carbines!

 

[HookMeUpII]

My experience has been the exact opposite as yours @HookMeUpII ...

A 300 gr 44 Mag shot from a carbine is traveling about 1625 FPS.. roughly 25% faster than it would be from a 6" revolver (roughly 1300 fps)..

That is WELL below most centerfire rifle velocities (62gr 223 @ 3100 fps for example)..

As a result, far more often than not, big, slow moving projectiles tend to cut holes that are roughly the same size going in and going out.. there is relatively little to no expansion (nor is there a lot needed in most situations)..

Whereas faster moving smaller projectiles tend to rapidly expand (especially true in many small bore calibers since most of the ammunition designed for those calibers is specifically designed to expand quickly or even intentionally fragment upon contact)... and are known to create considerable pelt damage..

You get very similar results with a 45-70 shooting "trapdoor" loads.. where a 45 caliber, 300 gr projectile gets pushed about 1550 FPS out of a rifle... I've probably popped a dozen pigs with 45-70 trapdoor loads.. using broadside shots the exit wounds are negligibly larger than the entrance wounds..

There is a reason LOTS of people (experienced hunters and PH's alike) recommend 375 H&H with solids for the tiny ten.. you get the same hole coming out as you got going in..

If expansion is a concern with a 44 mag or a 357 mag out of a carbine (I wouldnt think it would be.. but.. if it is for some odd reason).. simply load up FMJ ammo... and youre going to have roughly the same sized hole on both sides (not nearly enough speed/energy.. or enough bone or body mass to deform those big, slow moving projectiles)..

I respect that opinion and POV. I just think it's a square peg in a round hole (no pun intended). I would not purchase that rifle in that caliber just for that. If he had that rifle I think it would OK to use but I just personally think there is so much better.

If OP wants that rifle, it will work. My motto is dead is dead when it comes to hunting. .22 or 375HH. I just am not a fan of it. I can't speak to performance of HP's vs. solids or wadcutters or plain old lead. I also have experience with rounds dropping off at 100 yds. We were lobbing rounds across a pond at at steel like 150 - 200 yds on the hunting trip we were on. One of the guys there is a sniper for the local county SORT (SWAT) team and was watching my 44 mag rounds take a huge arc down and hit the gong. That was after we realized it was dropping a huge amount. Mind you, these were 200-220 gr bullets as well. Not monster 250gr plus.

I guess in the end, its far better to have more gun than less.

I still am sticking to my original suggestion of .223 or similar.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Welp, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Henry Big Boy of the Hardened (not shiny Brass) variety. Octagon 20 inch barrel, wooden furniture. I'll let you all know how it works when I get it in! I'm thinking of putting a 3-9 scope on it ( I know, I know, sacrilege!) and zeroing it at 50, since I'm intending to take all shots within 100 and a 50 zero should work for up to 100 and down to closer if needed since it will be mostly for night hunting/small animals. Though I admit I'm open to suggestions if anyone thinks it should be zeroed at 100 (which would be the max distance I would take anything) for one reason or another.

Congrats and good luck with the rifle. It will definitely work. I personally would zero at 50 yds. That will likely be best for the time of day your hunting, the bush thickness, and the caliber.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

Congratulations, I think you’ll like it.

 

[IvW]

You guys drive me nuts....

Now I have to go and buy this never fired Tikka 512S 222 Rem/12ga combination gun I ran across last week....now that has potential as a night critter and tiny ten gun.....

 

[mdwest]

You guys drive me nuts....

Now I have to go and buy this never fired Tikka 512S 222 Rem/12ga combination gun I ran across last week....now that has potential as a night critter and tiny ten gun.....

I feel your pain...

My bank account HATES this forum!