475 speer 325gr gold dot fnsp for deer?

[shilo]

Is this bullet too tough for deer? What velocity range is it designed for?

[Lloyd Smale]

no its not. Im not a fan of jacketed bullets in handguns but in a .475 just about any load you put in it jacketed or cast at about any velocity will kill a whitetail. I wouldnt use that bullet on game much bigger then deer or blackbear though.

[Broom Rider]

I think the 475 is one of those classic cartridges and that it can do just about anything asked of it.
The 325 should do the job well enough.

[timothy]

I believe they also offer a 275gr gold dot in .475, that might just be perfect.

[sawfish]

The 275 gr was developed as a deer bullet for the .480 Ruger.  In some .480 Ruger loadings, the 325 gr Gold Dot would not expand reliably at the velocities generated.  From what I have read the 325 was intended more as a deer/black bear bullet in the .475 Linebaugh, while the .275 is the deer bullet of choice for the .480 Ruger.

[MS Hitman]

I continue to be amazed that people are actually concerned with expansion in the .475 Linebaugh.  Folks, ithe bullet is  "expanded" when it leaves the end of the muzzle.  If you want to try the 325 grain bullet, or have tried it and like the accuracy; by all means use it.  I find the lighter weight bullets over heavy loads tend to make the .475 recoil more like the .454 Casull. 

I shot a cow elk with the 400 grain Speer Gold Dot and got 5.5' of penetration.  The bullet broke the left femur and was recovered under the hide of the right shoulder.  I seriously doubt you will run across a deer that will stop your bullet regardless of shot placement. 

Penetration, not expansion, is the name of the game when hunting with a revolver.  Remember, two holes are better than one when you are putiting meat on the ground.

[shilo]

From past experiences I've had problems getting the lightest of bullets for a caliber to shoot well. Like 180gr in a 44 or 240gr in a 454. Extreme spread and standard deviations in velocity were always higher than I liked. Plus I think the short bearing surface of the bullets probably didn't help either. So that's why I never really considered the 275gr. Was out at the range this past weekend working on load development with 435gr thunderheads and 410gr WFNGC in the 475 at around 1100 to 1200fps. Many of the loads tried shot well, a couple shot very well 1.125" @ 25yds and all had very low extreme spreads and standard deviations in velocity for 5 shots. ES's of less than 27 and SD's of 11 or less. One of these may be my deer load this year. I'm going to order some 375gr LFNGC and see how they do. The 435gr T-head shot vey well and has one heck of a meplat on it.

[shilo]

The reason I asked about expansion with the 325 is because it has a fairly small meplat on it and if the bullet is designed for heavier game (deer don't offer all that much resistance) and doesn't expand I will have drilled a small hole through it. I have always agread with penetration - two holes to let blood out. Never believed the various energy dump ideas.

[MS Hitman]

Now if you want a projectile that will expand, you can load a .45ACP case ahead of 12.0 grains of 700X.  Does about 1900 fps out of my revolver.  Penetration tests in wet newsprint was 9 inches and the wound cavity was about 10X the size of the case.  Very violent performance from this round.

[singleVI]

Even if that bullet doesnt expand its still leaving a .475 hole through ur deer. Thats bigger than a .454 Casull hard cast bullet leaves that isnt made to expand.