Cast lead kill with Contender

[lovedogs]

Have always used jacketed bullets in my .44's to hunt deer and antelope but having just started casting bullets for them I've wondered how cast lead would work on a deer.  In my Super 14 the load is a Saeco RNFPGC that's listed as a 250 gr. but drops out as 240 gr. using #2 alloy.  I push it out at just under 1600 FPS using a charge of 2400.  To fill one of my whitetail doe tags I sneaked up within 30 yds. of a nice doe and hit her at the last rib.  It angled forward through the heart and out the other side.  Like many heart shots she ran about 60 yds. and piled up, bled out and dead.  I was quite impressed with the performance of that lead bullet.  The shot went in high enough to get the liver but not hit any gut.  The liver was torn in half and the heart was mush, like what a fast-stepping jacketed rifle bullet would have done.  Penetration was just what I was hoping for.  It must have penetrated at least 18 inches and you could have eaten right up to the exit hole the bloodshot was so minimal.  I've never had a failure to kill using a jacketed bullet but they almost never penetrate well.  The jacket separates from the lead core.  So I'm well pleased with the cast lead bullet and will try a longer shot next year to see how it works with a little less velocity.

[armory414]

Thanks for the info.  I've used JHP's in the past but have thought about going to JSP's or cast.  Are yours with gas checks?

[lovedogs]

My load is W-W cases, CCI 300 primer, 18 1/2 gr. 2400, and a Saeco 240 gr. RNFPGC bullet.  That is a gas-checked bullet.  I like the Hornady checks.  I size the bullets at .430 and use a 50/50 alox-beeswax lube from Glenn Larsen.  The lead is a #2 alloy.  Out of my Super 14 the velocity is just shy of 1600 FPS, average is 1587 FPS.  I get zero leading using Glenn's EXCELLENT lube.  This load in my barrel shoots 1 1/4 inch 100 yd. groups using either a 2X Leupold or a Tru-Glo red dot.  Target work is easier with the scope but I like the dot for it's speed and good visibility in the forest.