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Deer Hunting with a '66


Notso Slim, SASS #67301

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I have not deer hunted in years but thinking about going next year. The only "High-Powered" rifle I have left is my Garand, and at my age, 12 pounds is too much to carry. So I am thinking about using my one of my '66 match guns, (one 20 inch and one 24 inch) Where I would be hunting is really brushy and I would never get a shot over 50-70 yards. What do you think? I'm thinking about Hornidy critical defense load or just a 250 grain wadcutter?

 

Slim

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I have not deer hunted in years but thinking about going next year. The only "High-Powered" rifle I have left is my Garand, and at my age, 12 pounds is too much to carry. So I am thinking about using my one of my '66 match guns, (one 20 inch and one 24 inch) Where I would be hunting is really brushy and I would never get a shot over 50-70 yards. What do you think? I'm thinking about Hornidy critical defense load or just a 250 grain wadcutter?

 

Slim

 

A '66 in .45 colt (which is what it sounds like you are talking about) could be a good deer gun out to about 75 yards, maybe a hundred. Use a heavy bullet. Check state laws to make sure it is a legal gun where you will hunt. The 66 will handle any factory-standard ammo you want to shoot. No scope will certainly keep your shooting range close. Good ol Winchester Silvertips would not be a bad choice for ammo. Hard 250 grain semiwadcutters won't feed very well in a '66, and even if they did, wouldn't expand. Jacketed bullets would be recommended for light-skinned animals.

 

Me, I'd pick up a used Winchester 70 or Remington 700, or a Savage 10/110, perhaps with a low-power scope (1-4x), chambered in .25-06 up through .30-06, or 7-08 or .308, and not worry about a deer getting away.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

 

PS: "I would never get a shot over 50-70 yards." - Yeah, but then again, what if you do? Willing to wave goodbye and let the deer go?

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I killed one last year with my 92 with 357 Hollow point.Head shot.

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Me, I'd pick up a used Winchester 70 or Remington 700, or a Savage 10/110, perhaps with a low-power scope (1-4x), chambered in .25-06 up through .30-06, or 7-08 or .308, and not worry about a deer getting away.

 

Or, if on a tight budget, a used .30-30 and some LeveRevolution ammo. Since you're going next year there should be plenty on the consignment/used racks for $100-$150 after deer season this year.

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Just know your limitations and what's legal in your state the 66 has been putting deer down since it first came out. Just don't use your cowboy loads.

Personally I normally use a handgun. Not a scoped double action or hand rifle but either a new dakota in 38 or a blackhawk in 45.

The most important thing is shot placement and knowing your limitations. Most people say to take a nine inch paper plate and use it for a target keep backing up until you can't put all your shots on the plate. That distance is too far. There is your limitations. Personally I think that's too great of a chance for a poor shot. I use a 4" target.

A deer will fall to anything even a 22lr if the bullet is placed right.

Some folks say that if you use a bigger bullet or more powder your margin of error grows. To that all I have to say is bs. A bad shot is a bad shot. Doesn't matter if you use a 223 or a. 300 win mag. Just stay calm know your shot and take your time.

Good luck hunting next year.

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Or, if on a tight budget, a used .30-30 and some LeveRevolution ammo. Since you're going next year there should be plenty on the consignment/used racks for $100-$150 after deer season this year.

 

If you know a place that has 30-30 s for a hundred bucks id appreciate a pm the cheapest I can find around here for a beat up one is 350. But I agree with you a lot of people buy a rife try it once and dont like it so they sell it cheap after season

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You can surely Use "My Cowboy" match loads to take a Deer !!!!

 

My main match load clocks 1,234 Fps. out of my 20 inch "Uberti" 66 using 250 gr. .452 RNFP lead bullets ...

 

And does a fine job on OUR bigger Northern Deer both Whitetails and Muledeer ...

 

I know because I have done it !!!

 

 

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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Guest Cinch, SASS#29433

Was with my brother 3 years ago or so and shot a muley with my 73 and a 200gr hard cast bullet and a full case of 777. We were like 30 yards away and he was quartered towards us so it went in just in front of his right shoulder and lodged just under his hide at the back of his left side ribs. Punched a hole in his diaphram and he ran in a 20 foot circle and was bled out when we unzipped him. It works fine!! Just don't shoot any of them souped up loads in your toggle link...

 

In Dances with Wolves, Costner sends a young buff sliding in graveyard dead with a rifle that would have been a .32 rimfire... ;)

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A couple of weekends ago I learned why you don't want to hunt with a 45 Colt rifle. It was very windy so the deer where bedded down tight. Sitting in a stand wasn't productive. At about mid morning I swapped my scoped deer rifle for my 92 in 45 because I anticipated no shot longer than 50-75 yards and the 92 is much lighter to carry while still hunting. Late in the morning I was working a cedar grove with my hunting partner. I posted myself on one end of the grove. He slowly worked his way down the center. The thought was the deer would move to me. They moved to me alright, but they emerged from the grove about 150 yards away, well out of range of my 92 even using the new Hornady pointy bullets. If I had been carrying my regular deer rifle I would have filled my second tag easily. From mow on I am going to carry a 200 yard rifle even if the longest shot I anticipate is 75 yards.

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When thinking deer rifles, I wouldn't overlook the new Savage Light Weight Hunter featured in the American Rifleman earlier this year. It is a very accurate rifle that won't bust the budget and doesn't weigh a ton. The same can be said about the Tikka T3 lite, but the Savage is American made. As you can tell I have been thinking about light weight deer rifles.

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For some the Willingness to limit Shooting distances is a great deal of the FUN in deer hunting !!!

 

That's Why I have Bowhunted Big-Game since 68 .....

 

So wanting to increase the range by using a .45 colt rifle ain't Limiting things ....

 

I also hunt with my "Highwall in .40-65 , My Winchester 94 (made in 1896) in .38-55 and Modern guns in 6mm,25-06, .270 Win., .300 WSM , 9.3 X 57 , .375 Ruger to name just a few ...

 

I use the gun that suits my mood or situation ...........

 

I have also taken both Muledeer and Elk with a handgun, down Montana Way quite some years ago ....

 

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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My CAS loads in my .45 '66 would work just fine. Case full of 3F and a 250gr Big Lube Groove bullet. Don't see a problem at all within reasonable range limits as long as your state allows it.

 

Have fun!

 

Safe trails,

CKid

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For some the Willingness to limit Shooting distances is a great deal of the FUN in deer hunting !!!

 

+1

 

Hunting to me means knowing the limitations of the weapon you choose to use and use that knowledge and your stalking skill to get within range to make a lethal shot.

 

Using a 30 ought magnum super blaster with a varible power scope that you can see into the next county with is killing, plain and simple.

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Using a 30 ought magnum super blaster with a varible power scope that you can see into the next county with is killing, plain and simple.

 

Opinion noted.

 

Hunting to me means knowing the limitations of the weapon you choose to use and use that knowledge and your stalking skill to get within range to make a lethal shot.

 

And because you choose to use something other than a "30 ought magnum super blaster with a varible power scope that you can see into the next county with" and, based on your opinion above, thereby dignified yourself, your quarry is somehow less dead?

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A .44 Special, .44-40 or .45 Colt from a 20" barrel will launch a 200-250 grain lead bullet around 1200-1300 fps easily with W-231 or RedDot. This is pretty close to .44 Magnum from a 6" barrel plus you have a much longer sight radius. I would not hesitate to take a shot on a deer out to 100 yards. I would focus on a high neck shot (high probability of spinal, windpipe or major blood artery hit). I would also shoot SWC's instead of rounded flat-point bullets since the SWC's are known for inflicting more tissue damage (reference Elmer Keith, Brian Pierce, Dave Scovill, etc.). These SWC's should feed pretty well from a toggle-action that aligns to bullet to the bore during cycling.

Happy hunting. Post photos if you get one.

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The Metplat on the Round Nose Flat Point, I use is about .41 Cal. and is pretty much the same shape as the nose on the bullet used By Brian Pierce on his "Cape Buffalo" .... And nearly as big as a full diameter .44 Cal. bullet ....

 

And I am not guessing as to it working well on deer, as I have already tested it out ...

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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:FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm:

 

I would not recommend any "heavy" or magnum loads in them toggle-link rifles. You could wind up more wounded than the deer.

Magnum loads are more suited to stronger action rifle/carbines like Marlin 94's or Win M-92's & copies.

 

Mustang Gregg

Handgun hunter

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:FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm:

 

I would not recommend any "heavy" or magnum loads in them toggle-link rifles. You could wind up more wounded than the deer.

Magnum loads are more suited to stronger action rifle/carbines like Marlin 94's or Win M-92's & copies.

 

Mustang Gregg

Handgun hunter

+1 especially if it has a short-stroke kit installed!!

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I have not deer hunted in years but thinking about going next year. The only "High-Powered" rifle I have left is my Garand, and at my age, 12 pounds is too much to carry. So I am thinking about using my one of my '66 match guns, (one 20 inch and one 24 inch) Where I would be hunting is really brushy and I would never get a shot over 50-70 yards. What do you think? I'm thinking about Hornidy critical defense load or just a 250 grain wadcutter?

 

Slim

 

 

I used a 92 in 44-40 with a 200 grain lead and 30 grains of FFG last year. It worked in the 1860's will still work today! Just keep the distance as short as you can. :rolleyes:

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Hey Bart Solo......I'm use to hunting with a bow so being able to take a 50 yard shot would double my range.......lol. It's all about perspective and patients I guess.

 

I guess you are right. I should just shut up about the deer that got away. I am still sorry I didn't get that deer.

 

Seldom Seen, I didn't take the 150 yard shot because I didn't want to take the chance of merely wounding the animal. I might have been able to make that shot, but I couldn't guarantee it. For 150 yard shots I prefer a 30 ought magnum blaster with a scope that can see into the next county because I don't want any animal to suffer needlessly. I want to kill it cleanly and then take it home for processing.

 

I respect people who hunt with bows and with Winchester 66s shooting holy black if they know their limitations. I also respect people who shoot scoped rifles as long as they also know their limitations. I have no respect for people who wound animals and don't hunt them down if they don't die immediately. A few years ago I ran across the corpse of a deer in the woods some damn fool had shot with an arrow. Apparently he either lacked the skill or had been too lazy to track it down. Last year I helped dispose of a young buck some guy had shot on a neighboring property and let wander onto my friend's property to die. Apparently he shot before he realized that the buck was illegal. When he realized his mistake he decided to let it go because he didn't want to accept the consequences. Both were cases of what I consider killing plain and simple.

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I guess you are right. I should just shut up about the deer that got away. I am still sorry I didn't get that deer.

 

Seldom Seen, I didn't take the 150 yard shot because I didn't want to take the chance of merely wounding the animal. I might have been able to make that shot, but I couldn't guarantee it. For 150 yard shots I prefer a 30 ought magnum blaster with a scope that can see into the next county because I don't want any animal to suffer needlessly. I want to kill it cleanly and then take it home for processing.

 

I respect people who hunt with bows and with Winchester 66s shooting holy black if they know their limitations. I also respect people who shoot scoped rifles as long as they also know their limitations. I have no respect for people who wound animals and don't hunt them down if they don't die immediately. A few years ago I ran across the corpse of a deer in the woods some damn fool had shot with an arrow. Apparently he either lacked the skill or had been too lazy to track it down. Last year I helped dispose of a young buck some guy had shot on a neighboring property and let wander onto my friend's property to die. Apparently he shot before he realized that the buck was illegal. When he realized his mistake he decided to let it go because he didn't want to accept the consequences. Both were cases of what I consider killing plain and simple.

 

Good point.......and I hope you didn't take my post as a dig on you because that was not my intent. My point was much the same as yours. Everyone should know their equipment and how to use it as well as the limitations and using a 45 Cal 1866 would be fine if used correctly. In doing that you have to realize anything outside your shorter range gets a pass. If you don't have that discipline OR simply want to be as productive as possible a 45 LC open sight 66 would be a poor choice.

 

However, if you want to try something different and accept the limitations it could be a hoot.

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Good point.......and I hope you didn't take my post as a dig on you because that was not my intent. My point was much the same as yours. Everyone should know their equipment and how to use it as well as the limitations and using a 45 Cal 1866 would be fine if used correctly. In doing that you have to realize anything outside your shorter range gets a pass. If you don't have that discipline OR simply want to be as productive as possible a 45 LC open sight 66 would be a poor choice.

 

However, if you want to try something different and accept the limitations it could be a hoot.

 

CJ, I didn't take offense to your comments. I really admire men who sit in trees. Do you have a camera crew? :lol:

 

By the way, I have hunted with my 92 before. I might again because I am mostly a Missouri woods still hunter who cramps up in a tree stand. A light, fast cowboy rifle has real advantages over the 30 ought magnum blaster in my kind of hunting, but after the terran gave me a 150 yard shot I couldn't take, I am leaning toward a lightweight turn bolt with a low power scope. A good lightweight rifle like the Tikka T3 lite or maybe the new Savage Light Weight Hunter with the right optic would let me take a 10 yard snap shot as well as the rare 150 yarder and everything in between. I could use my 94 in 30/30 like a lot of my buddies, but to tell you the truth my eyes aren't as good as they were in my youth and Missouri has pretty particular rules about counting points on any buck you take. I like being able to see into the next county.

 

Admittedly I am not as good a hunter as Seldom Seen or the average guy on this board (or the deer I hunt are smarter than the deer on the Outdoor Network) because I don't get that many shots during a season, and when I get them I want them to count.

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It shouldn't IF it's fitted properley ...

 

But some folks set them up so the links don't lock-up fully ....

 

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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Using a rifle to hunt deer? What a bizzare concept!

 

Of couse, I live in state where the says you can only use a shotgun, and you will rarely, if ever, see a shot that is not in range due to how many trees there are around here.

 

With that in mind, if you are gonna be short ranged anyway, and if you use a 97 with a short barrel, just get some rifled deer slugs. They work remarkably well.

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Guest Cinch, SASS#29433

Admittedly I am not as good a hunter as Seldom Seen or the average guy on this board (or the deer I hunt are smarter than the deer on the Outdoor Network) because I don't get that many shots during a season, and when I get them I want them to count.

 

Ha! Just get ya a feeder and start spending a $100 a week keeping it running. Then when the hunt gets here, get ya a camera crew and get ready to blast away. Now there will be other wildlife that like to hang around with deer like feral hogs, turkeys, and such :rolleyes: Just keep the feeder outta the camera shot and soon you will be on the Outdoor Channel further displacing that cowboy show that was on there. It really works if you get a sharp looking gal to film here and there too! Deer feeder programming just gets the ratings... ;)

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Ha! Just get ya a feeder and start spending a $100 a week keeping it running. Then when the hunt gets here, get ya a camera crew and get ready to blast away. Now there will be other wildlife that like to hang around with deer like feral hogs, turkeys, and such :rolleyes: Just keep the feeder outta the camera shot and soon you will be on the Outdoor Channel further displacing that cowboy show that was on there. It really works if you get a sharp looking gal to film here and there too! Deer feeder programming just gets the ratings... ;)

+1

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For the toggle links I would differentiate between factory cowboy loads and factory self defence or hunting loads. Hate to see a pard lose a good rifle, or eyes fer thet matter, in an attempt to use the gun fer beyond what it was created for. Its kinda like the guy who wants to use his favourite Hawking .50 cal for self defence, its was the norm one time but its time has passed!

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Guest Tennessee Stud, SASS# 43634 Life

I reckon... kilt 'bout 37 or 40 whitetail... with a '66. Kilt exactly 84 with a '73.

 

But muley's and elk are a different breed altogether...

 

Shot placement... is key. There is no substitute for accuracy.

 

ts

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