Online .41 mag ammo purchase - IN whitetail

Erich · October 10, 2001, 10:03 AM

Hi folks,

I don't come over to The Hunt very often, because I haven't managed to get out hunting for almost 10 years now. I'm going to be back home in Indiana for Turkey Day, though, and my brother-in-law tells me he's got whitetails a-plenty for me to shoot.

Indiana doesn't allow rifle hunting, but my 4 5/8" .41 mag Blackhawk is legal and fits in my suitcase (and I know how to comply with FAA regs).

Would you give me advice on 1) a cartridge for use on whitetails out of this bbl length (I load PMC's truncated cone SPs out here for black bear season, but I'm afraid the load would penetrate too much and expand not enough for the little deer); and 2) an fair-priced online ammo dealer that could get me a couple of boxes of that cartridge (practice, practice, practice) in a couple of weeks?

Thanks for your help.

Long Path · October 11, 2001, 05:58 AM

You're getting a little low on time for working up a new load...

Frankly, I'd say to stick with your PMC S.P.
What load is it? Have you chrono'd it? Are you good with it?

Number one issue is shot placement. Number two is energy transfer and wound channel. If your bullet is travelling fast enough, you'll get the expansion you need, and mucho penetration. In a pistol, penetration is a good thing when hunting, to me.

Are there no gun shops in your area from whom to buy or order through?

--L.P.

Erich · October 11, 2001, 09:26 AM

Long Path, thanks for the reply. Point taken about the gun stores. Truth is, though, the local stores don't have much of a selection of .41 mag., they don't have much knowledge of smaller whitetails (this is muley and elk country), and they tend to want to sell whatever they have in stock.

I've got almost a couple hundred rounds of the PMC (it's their 41C load - a 210-grain bullet that averaged 1204 fps at 5 yds the one 10-shot string I chrono'd out of my gun, but it was really cold that day so who knows) left, and I should probably just use that. Bullet design doesn't look like it would expand much (truncated cone jacket with a little bit of lead peeking out a rimmed circle in front) on a whitetail though. I'm good enough with it (it's a .41) to not be too worried about shot placement, though I can't imagine I'd feel comfortable shooting beyond 50 yds. Probably wouldn't be an issue in a cornfield.

I've been looking at IN laws, though, and I'm not sure it's legal for me to transport the revo from my sister's house to the field to hunt w/o a permit, and it takes 60 days to get a permit. Grr. But, a high school buddy of mine is the prosecutor, so maybe . . . .

Or maybe I'll just hold off on the revo until next year when NM has a carry permit (that IN will recognize), and then go do whatever. I'll just stuff some ancient BRIs into my 12-ga. this trip, I guess.

Al Thompson · October 11, 2001, 11:29 AM

Erich, a good friend lives in IN and reports that there are no problems with transporting a revolver for hunting..

If your able to hit, sounds to me like that load would work. No experiance with it though.

Try www.natchezss.com for something a bit softer.

Giz

Long Path · October 11, 2001, 03:25 PM

1200 fps out of a 4.5"!! Pretty hot stuff you got there. Pistol jackets are thinner than rifle jackets. That's PLENTY of velocity to get 'em to open up. I'd say go with that load!

--L.P.

Erich · October 11, 2001, 03:41 PM

LP, as I said, I'm a wee bit skeptical about the chrono readings that day myself. Still, I'd bet it's w/i 100 fps of that number, and that should be enough to open them up. You should see these funny-looking bullets, though! In any event, the load is more accurate than any factory load I've fired in this revolver, though not as nice as some of the s-l-o-w handloads I've gotten from friends. And - it occurs to me - sabot slugs from a shotgun are more likely to be even more of a drill, no matter how much the PMCs expand or don't expand.

Gizmo, as I read it, you have to have an IN license of some sort to do anything but bring a handgun from the store to your dwelling or business or to move it between your dwellings or business. I hope your friend's advice means they don't really worry too much about it. Maybe I can sell my handgun to my brother-in-law for the duration of the hunt. Or maybe I should just stick to NM mule deer for the time being, and just watch football on Turkey Day instead of heading out into the fields with my brother-in-law.

Boo586 · October 12, 2001, 10:19 AM

I would use the load that you have and Know. However, I wouldn't count much on the bullet expanding. In my experience with .357 magnum soft points and articles on them, they hardly expand at all unless you hit something hard like a shoulder. Deer are too soft to make pistol bullets expand at pistol velocities in my experience.

Don't think that there aren't big deer in Indiana either. Last year I took an 8-point that dressed out to 200lbs. and my college buddy has also take two bucks that dressed out over 195 lbs. The deer in Indiana tend to get fed a diet of a lot of corn and soybeans so they can get BIG, not mule deer big though. They are soooo tasty!!

I am sure that your .41 mag load will drop any deer in Indiana in its tracks if you put one through its front shoulders and if you have a vitals shot it might run a little on you. I use a .357 magnum so you have me outgunned and I know my pistol will take a good sized deer.

Boo586

October 10, 2001, 10:03 AM	#1
Erich Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 1999 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 2,543	Online .41 mag ammo purchase - IN whitetail Hi folks, I don't come over to The Hunt very often, because I haven't managed to get out hunting for almost 10 years now. I'm going to be back home in Indiana for Turkey Day, though, and my brother-in-law tells me he's got whitetails a-plenty for me to shoot. Indiana doesn't allow rifle hunting, but my 4 5/8" .41 mag Blackhawk is legal and fits in my suitcase (and I know how to comply with FAA regs). Would you give me advice on 1) a cartridge for use on whitetails out of this bbl length (I load PMC's truncated cone SPs out here for black bear season, but I'm afraid the load would penetrate too much and expand not enough for the little deer); and 2) an fair-priced online ammo dealer that could get me a couple of boxes of that cartridge (practice, practice, practice) in a couple of weeks? Thanks for your help.

October 11, 2001, 05:58 AM	#2
Long Path Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: N. Texas Posts: 5,899	You're getting a little low on time for working up a new load... Frankly, I'd say to stick with your PMC S.P. What load is it? Have you chrono'd it? Are you good with it? Number one issue is shot placement. Number two is energy transfer and wound channel. If your bullet is travelling fast enough, you'll get the expansion you need, and mucho penetration. In a pistol, penetration is a good thing when hunting, to me. Are there no gun shops in your area from whom to buy or order through? --L.P. __________________ "Welcome to The Firing Line, a virtual community dedicated to the discussion and advancement of responsible firearms ownership."T.F.L. Policy Page Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap? ____________

October 11, 2001, 11:29 AM	#4
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Erich, a good friend lives in IN and reports that there are no problems with transporting a revolver for hunting.. If your able to hit, sounds to me like that load would work. No experiance with it though. Try www.natchezss.com for something a bit softer. Giz __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

October 11, 2001, 03:25 PM	#5
Long Path Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: N. Texas Posts: 5,899	1200 fps out of a 4.5"!! Pretty hot stuff you got there. Pistol jackets are thinner than rifle jackets. That's PLENTY of velocity to get 'em to open up. I'd say go with that load! --L.P. __________________ "Welcome to The Firing Line, a virtual community dedicated to the discussion and advancement of responsible firearms ownership."T.F.L. Policy Page Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap? ____________

October 11, 2001, 09:26 AM	#3
Erich Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 1999 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 2,543	Long Path, thanks for the reply. Point taken about the gun stores. Truth is, though, the local stores don't have much of a selection of .41 mag., they don't have much knowledge of smaller whitetails (this is muley and elk country), and they tend to want to sell whatever they have in stock. I've got almost a couple hundred rounds of the PMC (it's their 41C load - a 210-grain bullet that averaged 1204 fps at 5 yds the one 10-shot string I chrono'd out of my gun, but it was really cold that day so who knows) left, and I should probably just use that. Bullet design doesn't look like it would expand much (truncated cone jacket with a little bit of lead peeking out a rimmed circle in front) on a whitetail though. I'm good enough with it (it's a .41) to not be too worried about shot placement, though I can't imagine I'd feel comfortable shooting beyond 50 yds. Probably wouldn't be an issue in a cornfield. I've been looking at IN laws, though, and I'm not sure it's legal for me to transport the revo from my sister's house to the field to hunt w/o a permit, and it takes 60 days to get a permit. Grr. But, a high school buddy of mine is the prosecutor, so maybe . . . . Or maybe I'll just hold off on the revo until next year when NM has a carry permit (that IN will recognize), and then go do whatever. I'll just stuff some ancient BRIs into my 12-ga. this trip, I guess.

October 11, 2001, 03:41 PM	#6
Erich Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 1999 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 2,543	LP, as I said, I'm a wee bit skeptical about the chrono readings that day myself. Still, I'd bet it's w/i 100 fps of that number, and that should be enough to open them up. You should see these funny-looking bullets, though! In any event, the load is more accurate than any factory load I've fired in this revolver, though not as nice as some of the s-l-o-w handloads I've gotten from friends. And - it occurs to me - sabot slugs from a shotgun are more likely to be even more of a drill, no matter how much the PMCs expand or don't expand. Gizmo, as I read it, you have to have an IN license of some sort to do anything but bring a handgun from the store to your dwelling or business or to move it between your dwellings or business. I hope your friend's advice means they don't really worry too much about it. Maybe I can sell my handgun to my brother-in-law for the duration of the hunt. Or maybe I should just stick to NM mule deer for the time being, and just watch football on Turkey Day instead of heading out into the fields with my brother-in-law.

October 12, 2001, 10:19 AM	#7
Boo586 Member Join Date: May 15, 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 85	I would use the load that you have and Know. However, I wouldn't count much on the bullet expanding. In my experience with .357 magnum soft points and articles on them, they hardly expand at all unless you hit something hard like a shoulder. Deer are too soft to make pistol bullets expand at pistol velocities in my experience. Don't think that there aren't big deer in Indiana either. Last year I took an 8-point that dressed out to 200lbs. and my college buddy has also take two bucks that dressed out over 195 lbs. The deer in Indiana tend to get fed a diet of a lot of corn and soybeans so they can get BIG, not mule deer big though. They are soooo tasty!! I am sure that your .41 mag load will drop any deer in Indiana in its tracks if you put one through its front shoulders and if you have a vitals shot it might run a little on you. I use a .357 magnum so you have me outgunned and I know my pistol will take a good sized deer. Boo586