how far

[barber]

would it be feasable to shoot a .44 mag Contender 14 in with a 2 power red dot sight and heavy 280 gr lfngc bullets if one is proficient at shooting it. I'm assuming about 100 yards, going by what I've seen about shooting them.  This would be for hunting. I'm speaking of at what distance   the trajectory of the bullet would be to high for accuracy, for example a 280 gr lfngc loaded near max.

[WayneS]

Barber,
You aanswered your own question "[/i if one is proficient at shooting ]  I gather deer hunting ??  take the kill area of the animal you are hunting, make a target or "gong" and practice, just keep in mind the changes of POI to your "zero"  at different distances, just keep in mind that the most important factor  in the Max. Effect range of a weapon is  ME

[stubshaft]

Good answer Wayne.

One other thing is whether or not the velocity of the bullet is high enough to insure penetration/expansion.  Just hitting it is only part of the equation.

[Heavy C]

Wayne has it right.  The challenge I had with heavy loads in my Contender and red dot sights was keeping the sight together.  I had three literally fall apart.  I finally went with a fixed 2x scope.  No more issues.  Recoil to me was at the upper limit of what I could stand...far more than my 308 Encore pistol.

[barber]

Heavy C    :    What brand of Red Dots failed to hold up?I have a TruGlo 2 power Red Dot , and 2 different Bushnell Red Dots.   That doesn't sound good at all.

[Gavinator]

 I had a "Target Sports 45mm" - CDNN, broke the base trying to keep it from moving on a 357 Herrett.
 

[teamnelson]

How far? I (and many others) routinely shoot a Bisley .44 Mag w/7 1/2" barrel and iron sights at 200m turkeys. A 240gr bullet over 296. No problem delivering enough energy to drop a heavy steel cutout off a rail. With a 14" barrel you're getting more energy and velocity than I do, so head out to a silhouette range and sight in on a turkey. If you can routinely hit it, you could most likely drop a white tail or smaller critter with an appropriately placed shot, even at 200m. With my Bisley, I'd feel confident in a well placed shot at 150 yds.

[Lone Star]

I shot silhouette for two decades in Alaska, where most of the shooters were also hunters.  None of us deluded ourselves into thinking that just because we could shoot 40x40 scores on the big bore range, that meant we should shoot iron-sighted handguns on game at 150 or 200 meters. 

There are major differences in shooting game and shooting steel:
- You know exactly how far the shot is on steel so trajectory is never an issue. 
- How often does a hunter use a solid shooting position like the creedmore position in the field? 
- Steel targets are desngined to be seen easily with good contrast.  Game isn't. 
- A properly set 200 meter ran will fall with almost any hit from a .44 silhouette load - ear, tail horn, hoof, copulator, etc.  Those hits will not kill a deer humanely. 

If I could routinely hit chickens on the ram line with my revolver shooting standing then I might think differently.



.

[teamnelson]

Sorry if I wasn't clear; I don't shoot 40x40, or in the creedmore position. I shoot big bore in the same position I hunt, and with the same firearm: Standing with two hands on a bisley 44, using iron sights. And I shoot it that way on purpose - to improve my marksmanship for hunting. The original question was how far of a shot he could take with a 14" Contender in 44 and a red dot. If he practices on the BB course, I guarantee he'll extend his confidence at firing that gun over longer distances. Can't think of a better way to ensure good shot placement at any distance. I figure these days its probably better a fella knows the limits of himself and the gun he has, and work on pushing those limits.

Its probably good our forebears didn't realize that a 25# stickbow was understrength for taking bear humanely.