lever gun confusion

[jamaldog87]

why is it that a 44 or .454 Casull handgun is said that it can kill any game on earth, but when it's in a lever gun like the 1894 or Legacy 92 it can only be used for deer hunting? to me the longer barrel of these guns should give more power then the shorter handguns.

[teddy12b]

but when it's in a lever gun like the 1894 or Legacy 92 it can only be used for deer hunting?

Where'd you get the idea that those cartridges are only good for deer.  A lot of people talk about them for deer because Indiana just changed laws so you could use those cartridges in rifles for deer.  The longer barrel of a rifle does give these pistol calibers much more velocity so the power would go up too.

[jamaldog87]

just about everyone i asked about it said that there only good for deer(range and power were they points). to me going  by power  in  a rifle it would be in the same class as the 45/70,450, or some of those demon cal.

[mcwoodduck]

As you know handgun hunting and rifle hunting are two differnt hunts.
with the hand gun 75 yards is a long shot.  under 50 is more common.
At those ranges the 357, 44, and 454 with the proper bullet and velocity will work.
The big flat bullets that work well on game bleed off the already modest velocity quickly and there fore energy.
There is a rule of thumb that you want 1,000 foot pounds at the animal for deer sized annimals and 2,000 foot pounds for elk sized animals.
This is why writters give the pistol caliber and even the 30-30 a hard time as big game guns. 
Also with the rainbow trajectories even though a 200+ grain almost 1/2 inch hunk of lead will still do all the damage needed to have deer hanging, the rainow trajectory makes it harger to make good hits with the rifle past the point where you drop well below the 1,000 foot pound mark.

[teddy12b]

my puma 44 mag sends a 240gr bullet around 1600 fps.  A 45/70 can easily send a 405 or heavier bullet at that same speed.  The pistol caliber rifles are more powerful but not quite more so than the 45/70 or 450's.  Some day I'd like to use my puma 44 for a black bear hunt, but that'll just have to wait.

[454Puma]

teddy12b
  I own a Puma 454 Casull and I'll tell you what it's powerfull enough that I wouldn't feel under gunned in the thicket with a Brownie! It's a 200 yard gun with 240 gr XTP MAGS which I can push to 2200 fps! And 325 gr wfngc  at 1900 fps will punch clean through anything that walks on NA! I also have a Win 94 in 45 LC 240 gr at 1900 and 325 gr at 1700 fps is no slouch either!! Nothing like a big chunk lead slamming and animal!

[teddy12b]

454Puma,
     You bring up a good point.  I've fired some factory and handloaded 320gr hard cast loads that'll punch through anything.  Putting the hard cast loads in these rifles really turns them into a great protection gun in bear country.  If I go after bears with my puma I'll be using those grizzley 320gr hard cast bullets. 

[dakotashooter2]

It's all about the range. With a handgun it is accepted that they are short range weapons so most shots will likely be under 50 yards. The perception is different with a rifle. Perception will cause people to extend the effective range of a handgun caliber because "a rifle is always more powerful than a handgun". While some advantage is gained with the longer barrel, not as much as many or most people realize. The rifle can make that cartridge more accurate but accuracy doesn't always compensate for already minimal energy.

I have shot several deer with my .41 mag in both revolver and rifle. All deer with the revolver were shot at under 50 yards and regardless of the bullet type went down in their tracks with a lung hit. The 3 taken with the rifle were 125-150 yards (before I knew better) and while vitally hit in the lungs, went a distance before dropping. Thats just my experience.