What is your favorite trail gun load? Send me your favorite cast bullet trail gun loads with your comments and I will assemble one or more articles for the Fouling Shot. Email is preferred, macnmac(at)inreach.com. Paper mail may be sent to me, Grant Macomber, at P.O. Box 248, Applegate, CA 95703. Thanks a bunch!
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Stevens 200 22-250 22” barrel
RCBS 55FN (Linotype)
13.5 2400 or 14.5 4759 (2150 fps velocity)
Any std lg rifle primer
NRA lube
Groups into 1.5” for 5 at 100 average.Goes under 1” at 100 sometimes and between 3-4” at 200 in favorable conditions.
Its the rifle and load i carry on my property or when tromping through the woods picking mushrooms.Not a “macho man cowboy trail load",but plenty goodnuff to 200 with decent power.
George
"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!
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I cary several different weapons when I am scouting or hiking.
41 Mag with 250g5 hard cast gas check over 20 grs. of W296.
357 with 158 gr. cast lyman keith type (can't remember the #) over about 12 gr. of H 2400. Std primer.
45 acp 200gr. semiwadcutter 5.5 unique or 6.8 Unique .
Here In Flagstaff we don't have grizzzzlies to contend with just black bears, cats and jackasses.
B.E.Brickey
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What is your favorite trail gun load? Send me your favorite cast bullet trail gun loads
I pretty much pack one trail gun. Well, actually about a 1/2 dozen but they are all Ruger Flattops in .44:cool: One is always with me, I hike with them, camp with 'em, and I hunt with them, killed lots and lots of grouse, deer and a few elk.
For just a standard trail gun load I have 2. One is in a .44 special case and either an RCBS 250gr or else the 429244. I use 7 1/2grs of Unique, an oldie but a goodie. The other is in a 44 mag case with either of the same bullets and 9 grs of Unique. Either load will do 1 1/2” at 25-30 yards or a bit better. The 44 special load gives me about 900fps in the shorter barreled FT (4 3/4") and about 1000fps in the 6 1/2". The mag case with 9grs Unique does about 1000fps and 1100fps, respectively. Either will nip the head off a grouse or easily take a deer inside 75 yards.
When I am on the trail, or even just out woods bumming during deer season, much of the time I pack along a 24” Marlin Cowboy in .44 also. Sighted about 1” high at 50 yards with the 44 mag case and 9 grs Unique, the 44 special load prints about 2” high. It makes for a good combination and I can slip shells out of my gunbelt to load the rifle!
44
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Favorite 357 trail load
Lyman #358156, 5.0 bullseye, 357 cases, Win small primer or use a Lyman#358429 with the same powder, powder charge, primer and case.
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During my hikes I carry an old Colt Officers Model 38 special loaded with the Lee 125gr. round flat in front of 3.5 grains of titegroup. The gun is lite enough to carry and big enought to shoot well. It is about half worn out but still is plenty accurate enough for my needs. If I feel the need for some thing a little more potent I switch to an old style Colt trooper 357 using the Seaco 180 gr. round flat in 357 mag cases. The gun liked a load of 12 grains of Vitavouri N110 powder,but I ran out of it and have switched to 2400 because it is easier to find and not as expensive. I cut back to 10.5 gr. to be easier on the gun.
There isn't really much of a need to carry a sidearm for protection against hostile creatures in the fields around these parts but one never knows when he might encounter a charging pasture field grizzley < ground hog > or a coyoty or barbarian hords
Don't breath the smoke and shoot straight Flashman
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If I am out in the sagebrush or desert, I usually carry a late model S&W 32/20 with Lyman 311316's loaded with 5.8 grains of SR 4756 (not a recommended load). If I am close to the woods or in the woods, I carry a S&W Model 1989 #625 4” with Lyman 452424's loaded with 14.0 grains of new Alliant 2400 in AR cases (again, not a recommended load). Since they basically outlawed cougar hunting here in 1992, they have become a problem anytime you are above timberline.
Ric
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Since they basically outlawed cougar hunting here in 1992, they have become a problem anytime you are above timberline.
Ric
Yep, they HAVE become a problem, Ric. Over here on the 'wet' side we are over run with 'em. Saw one just outside my house last summer. See tracks most every time I go hiking.
Heck, before I moved from my place inside the city limits, we had one that was spending quite a lot of time in town. My son and his friends though I was absolutely mouth foaming nuts when I told them about seeing it on my back porch. Until my son walked out the front one night a couple days later and it was standing right there! Quite a few people saw it before a couple hound hunters tracked it down and killed it. Lost quite a few cats and dogs during that episode!
44
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My S&W 631 or my Sp 101 (both in .32 magnum) generally gets the call to carry in the woods. When the possibility of small game occurs, I load up .32 S&W L cases with a 100 gr Keith ahead of 2.8 Win 231 (this MAY be a bit heavy for an old .32 S&W L but is just fine in the above mentioned platforms). This shoots wonderfully well and really does a proper job on edible small game. Small holes but “stops” really well.
I also sometimes will be found with my Model 60 “Target” - 3” barrel with adjustable sights. .38 Wadcutters work VERY well in this for edible small game.
These revolvers offer adequate power for the intended use and carry easily (hardly know I have them with me).
If I find myself in Black Bear Country, I will be carrying an S&W 624 (4” barrel) with a 250 Keith with the appropriate charge of powder or even a 4” Model 629 S&W with full loads.
When grouse hunting I have always carried a revolver along with my shotgun (over-under Beretta Silver Snipe). I typically use a cross draw holster to avoid damage to the shotgun stock. Hunting in Michigan often gives an opportunity to take a snowshoe rabbit with the handgun. The wife and kids always appreciated rabbit with a single hole in it - they much prefer it to picking shot out of their teeth:D.
My first stainless revolver many years ago (nice when hunting or hiking in the rain) was the 624 S&W. A heavily loaded .44 Special Keith thru the ribs of a snowshoe rabbit does little damage to meat but you do NOT have to shoot them twice:D.
Dale53
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If I were to pick only one it would probably be the S&W Hand Ejector 4-1/4” barrel in the .32 S&W Long.
If allowed only one load, it would be the Saeco #325 with 2 grs. of Bullseye.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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My favorite trail gun load is one that I picked up from an article by Skeeter Skelton. He suggested using a 158-160 gr. HCSWC over 5.0 gr. of Unique in a .38 Special case with a regular primer as a good service load. For over 20 years I have been using this load in my .38-.357 revolvers with excellent results. Currently I fire this load in my M-28 S&W. For the kind of woods wandering I do, I seldom find a need for anything more powerful. Sincerely. Bruce.
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s&w 625 45 acp with 250gr rnfp's
5.0 titegroup
or 41 flattop with 210 xtp's and 2400. or cast swc's,over 2400 @ 16gr for both
and some 41 special loads for small game,when deer/elk hunting.
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Ed,
I assume that all of your other 32 caliber pistols are for sale now? That is a great target! I've never seen a fix sight S&W shoot so well for windage.
Ric
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Before It became illegel hear in Pa. to use anything larger than 22 caliber for small game I shot lots of squirrels with 38 waddcutters out of my Colt O.P.
They “thump' a squirrel a lot harder than a 22 rimfire out of a revolver. After using the 38 and the 22 I just gave up on the 22 rimfire. A marginal hit with the 38 brought the squirrel down. I didn't think the 22 out of the S and W model 17 I had had enough “umph". Sometimes the target would just sit there several minutes with a bullet through the body. Any true hunter doesn't want to see that. I expect things to happen when the hammer falls. I got rid of the model 17.
Anyhow, I went back to my Marlin lever action 22 for squirrel hunting. I am accurate enough with it to be sure of a good head shot. I suppose if I was limited to one gun that Marlin would be it. But then I think if cartidges would get scarce I'd be better off with something I could reload for. Hopefully It will never come to that.
I also used to use my model 94 30 WCF with light cast bullet loads for squirrel. Sure do miss not being able to add the challenge and veriety of using different rifles and handguns for the hunt. Oh well I guess that is the state of the world we live in.
Flashman
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Kimber Gold Match in 45 acp rides on my hip when walking my property. Either 190 Lee or 200 Lyman soft cast with 4 grs of Bullseye or Clays. Never shot any thing with it.....well, except a woodchuck at the club. There have been several rabid animal cases in CT in the past few years, so who knows.
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Ed, I assume that all of your other 32 caliber pistols are for sale now? That is a great target! I've never seen a fix sight S&W shoot so well for windage. -Ric
They'll all shoot “on" after “tweaking." It's just a bit tedious to pull the barrel, square the frame grind to the threads, straighten the frame, if necessary, and refit the barrel. All the while checking with a colliminator and lining everything up just so. But a fellow has to have something to do on long winter nights...
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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358156 or 358429 and 13.5 grs 2400 in M28, 3” M65, and Ruger OMBHs short and long barrels and 38 Special cases.
44-250KT or old Ideal 429421 with square groves and 7.5 grs unique in M629 Mountain Gun all in 44 Special cases
Same 2 bullets and 17 grs of 2400 in Redhawk, M1894 Trapper and 3” M24 again in 44 Special cases
45-270KT and 8.5 grs of Unique in SA and Colt New Service
311281 and 12 grs of 2400 in M99 and M98 in 308 and 03A3 sporter in 30-06.
457122 or 45-405HB in 45/70 and 12 grs of Unique in 1886 and 1895G
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I sympathize with you, my mom lives in northern Phoenix and I saw first hand what you are talking about this past spring on a trip down to sierra vista.
If I were you I would be carrying hornaday xtp hollow points with a stout load for everything.
For the 44 mag I use a LBT WFN 250gr. with 7.6 grs of bullseye. For the 357 I use a LBT 200 gr. wfn with 6.2 grs of bullseye. the 38 sp I use a keith semiwadcutter out of an old Ideal mould that weighs 158 gr and run that with 2.9 grs of bullseye. The 45 acp gets a lyman 200 gr semi wad cutter with 4.5 grs of bullseye.
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I work in Tucson for DHS on the electronic fence project and 99+% of the things that happen never make the national news. You don't see ABC, CBS, MSNBC or CNN reporting on home invasions of CPB officers trying to kill them and their K9 units, ambushing agents family members in shopping center parking lots trying to murder them to intimidate officers, fully armed and uniformed members of the Mexican Army crossing the border to provide armed escort for drug smugglers, beheading police officers in border towns and sticking a knife in their chests through a list of all their fellow officers including their addresses, phone numbers and all their family members by name. The people traffickers aren't any better. They recently busted a stash house here that had 60 women that had been beaten and raped and were being sold into prostitution across the country while their family members that had crossed with them were held as “insurance” of their good behavior. It would be interesting to hear all the howls from the “tree huggers” if we started patrolling the back country border areas with M1A1s and shooting anything that crossed.
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Wm Cook
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Aaron
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MP1886
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beagle6
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linoww
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John Alexander
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Wilderness
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Rich/WIS
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GWarden
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4060may
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