The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Handgun hunting bullets: cast, jacketed, or mono

NoSecondBest · July 2, 2017, 08:04 AM

I've shot over fifty whitetails with the 357mag and about a dozen other deer with 44mags, and a couple with a TC in 30-30. Almost all of them were shot with Hornady XTP 158g JHP, some with the 180 XTP JHP, and a couple with Speer 146g JSP (these ones go waaay back and I don't think they're made any more). The only deer I ever lost was with the 44mag and that was due to making a poor shot. The single biggest thing you can do wrong with a handgun in any caliber is not make a good shot. If you can't keep all of your bullets in a kill zone target at the farthest distance you will be shooting at, don't take the shot or don't hunt with a handgun. It's not a stunt to hunt with a handgun, it's unethical if you don't have the ability to shoot the gun well enough. This is a general statement, not directed at you. My point is this about handgun hunting: it's not about the bullet or the caliber selected, it's about the shooter sending that bullet down range. Any bullet suitable enough to kill big game will do so if the bullet is placed in the vitals. Good luck and practice, practice, practice.

July 2, 2017, 08:04 AM	#2
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,655	I've shot over fifty whitetails with the 357mag and about a dozen other deer with 44mags, and a couple with a TC in 30-30. Almost all of them were shot with Hornady XTP 158g JHP, some with the 180 XTP JHP, and a couple with Speer 146g JSP (these ones go waaay back and I don't think they're made any more). The only deer I ever lost was with the 44mag and that was due to making a poor shot. The single biggest thing you can do wrong with a handgun in any caliber is not make a good shot. If you can't keep all of your bullets in a kill zone target at the farthest distance you will be shooting at, don't take the shot or don't hunt with a handgun. It's not a stunt to hunt with a handgun, it's unethical if you don't have the ability to shoot the gun well enough. This is a general statement, not directed at you. My point is this about handgun hunting: it's not about the bullet or the caliber selected, it's about the shooter sending that bullet down range. Any bullet suitable enough to kill big game will do so if the bullet is placed in the vitals. Good luck and practice, practice, practice.