Author Topic: Good first hunting Handy? (Read 1487 times)

sckaterbrain · « **on:** February 05, 2011, 04:35:04 PM »

Hi my name is Robert,
I own a NEF youth 410, I am planing to start deer hunting in NC/North Ga the 2011 season. I am going to get a new H&R rifle and am stumped on what is the better choice for me. I thinking of a 45-70 trapper, 12/20 USH, 444 marlin. I am not recoil shy (my 410 was a house warming gift) and I know 45-70 and 444marlin is over kill for deer but the land lease in Ga I was invited to is teaming with deer and hogs. If I come across a hog I don't want to under gunned.
I was thinking of the pros and cons
444marlin ammo is high and the limited it might waste some meat on a deer, but it drop a deer or hog, I could reload and use the old brass in the 410 for shotgun loads.
45-70 waste some meat but would be fun to have would drop a deer or hog.
12 or 20 ga USH the shells is as high or higher and range is lower than the 45-70, but folks sing their praises nation wide and will drop a deer or hog.
I could send in my 410 and get a 12ga 22inch youth barrel and shoot rifled slug and still get all the versatility regular 12 ga.
I left out 30-30, 308, 30-06 but I would go with a lever or bolt gun for those.
Any experience and/or knowledge appreciated.
Robert

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #1 on:** February 05, 2011, 04:58:08 PM »

First, how long are your shots going to be? Can't go wrong with 45-70, but I prefer the 444 myself. The 44 mag will put a hurt on a deer or hog at 125-150 yd with a well constructed bullet with less fuss on the shoulder. My vote would go to the 444. DP

Dinny · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2011, 04:59:15 PM »

Robert,
You're gonna hear/read this 100 times over. Get the 45-70! It's a great cartridge and has a wide spectrum of applications. You won't waste much venison shooting lead in it, you can eat all the way up to the hole.

It will do all that you ever ask of it, just get out there and shoot it.

Thanks, Dinny

rdlange · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2011, 05:15:38 PM »

I live in TX. Got a Marlin 35 Rem for hogs, etc, but I like rimmed cartridges in single shot rifles.

The 45-70 appears cheaper and seems like alot more options available. Can reload light of heavy also. So my vote would be a 45-70. Probably more of them around than 444, and ammo/reloading stuff, too. Look for used, here and local traders, even craigslist.

JMHO...

Flynmoose · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2011, 06:28:23 PM »

45-70, great versatile round. Shoot 'em in the boiler room broadside, you
won't waste much meat and they won't go far.
FM

sckaterbrain · « **Reply #5 on:** February 06, 2011, 01:44:51 AM »

Looking good on the 45-70. I am guessing but most shots will be 25-75 yards 100 at most the land is bushy and mountains. Has any one used Hornady leverevolution ammo?
Thanks for all the advice.
Robert

zoner · « **Reply #6 on:** February 06, 2011, 03:12:44 AM »

i'm goin against the grain here.....nothin wrong with the 45-70 but another good option for a hunting handi is the 30-30.....Mike

Hit or Miss · « **Reply #7 on:** February 06, 2011, 03:18:39 AM »

The .45-70 will stand you in good stead! A .45 Colt BC or a .44 mag would be great for what you describe also. The 30-30 would work too! You'll want to consider reloading to get the most out of these rounds for sure although factory ammo is fine. For instance, with the 30-30 you'll be able to load some of the high performance 30 cal bullets that aren't safe in a lever rifle.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #8 on:** February 06, 2011, 03:26:30 AM »

Skaterbrain, WELCOME!!

Truth be told, for what you have written, (How you will use it) any of the three will work perfectly well. One is no better than the other. Anything more is personal preference.

My personal preference, of the three you listed, lies with the 45-70 and here is why.

Loader or not the 45-70 is available with lite, medium or heavy loadings. If you are a loader, components are readily available, many have experience with this easy to load cartridge. Price is reasonable for loaded ammo and most components. even more costly are no more expensive than any cartridge is to reload for. (Primers for instance.)

With 444, factory loadings are more scarce, more expensive and do nothing more or less than the 45-70 can. For the loader, components like brass are scarce, bullets on the lower end are same as used in the 44 mag so they are available. But the 444 is head and shoulders above the 44 mag so its bullets need to be a bit better. Those bullets are not on everyone's shelves.

With the 12Ga, its proven to be a great shooter in USH trim. I have two and both are excellent shooters. (My 12 is a one hole shooter and my 20 is near an 1 1/2" at 100) My lite 12 ga rifled barrel was more of typical slug barrel accuracy. Say 4" at 100, adequate, but not really confidence inspiring. While reloading of slugs is doable, most done do it as in most cases, you need to make your own projectiles. The cost of fancy slug ammo is restrictive.

Good luck,
CW

OldBob · « **Reply #9 on:** February 06, 2011, 03:30:02 AM »

You can't possibly go wrong with a 45-70......... I guess that is why the cartridge has been around for so long. Get into handloading it and it is quite inexpensive to shoot and has a very wide range of power

geezer56 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:13:36 AM »

I have all three of those choices. The 45-70 is the one for your type of hunting. If you load, look at cast projectiles, preferrably with a generous flat on the nose and a weight of 340-450 gr. The 444 is hard to find ammo for if you don't load your own. The 30-30 is second choice to the 45-70 unless you have the reasonably opportunity of a shot over 150 yds. You do know that you can have more than one Handi though, right? Then part of the fun is deciding which one to carry on a given day.

spikehorn · « **Reply #11 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:22:40 AM »

45-70

OSOK · « **Reply #12 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:40:47 AM »

.45-70 gets my vote. I have a Buffalo Classic, so I am probably prejudiced toward it!
I reccomend it for all the reasons everyone listed above, can't really give you any more insight than what you've already read. I can tell you that the notion that it will ruin more meat is wrong. I've hit deer with it using 300 gr. JHP, 405 gr. JSP and 460 gr. cast lead bullets. The 300 gr. JHP did the most damage (entry hole the size of my thumb, exit the size of my hand spread out), but the shot was at 15 yards. However, there wasn't all the blood-shot, ruined meat with it or any of the other bullets due to the lower velocities.
The .45-70 leaves the others in the dust if you reload. There is just so much information available and so many components that you can literally load it for anything. If you don't already reload, just buy a Lee Classic Loader. You don't need a reloading press, bench, etc. I load my 460 gr. rounds using one and a 2 foot long pice of 4x4 scrap lumber. Just sit in my chair and make ammo. It is a good stress reliever.

FW Conch · « **Reply #13 on:** February 06, 2011, 05:20:40 AM »

Overkill ? Dead is Dead ! Vote # 1 or 2 - 45/70 - Vote # 2 or 1 - 30/30

Enjoy

sckaterbrain · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2011, 07:23:09 AM »

Quote from: Hit or Miss on February 06, 2011, 03:18:39 AM

The .45-70 will stand you in good stead! A .45 Colt BC or a .44 mag would be great for what you describe also. The 30-30 would work too! You'll want to consider reloading to get the most out of these rounds for sure although factory ammo is fine. For instance, with the 30-30 you'll be able to load some of the high performance 30 cal bullets that aren't safe in a lever rifle.

You got me thinking, I could reload 30-30 with a pointed bullets in the single shot and never thought of the 45lc or 44mag as a hunting round. Have you used a 45lc or 44mag on deer? I will probably be in a stand. Is the 45lc or 44 mag a good deer gun and hog stopper?(my only back up for now is 38 special) There are to many choices and I will be getting more Handys later. I have been eyeing a 45lc bc with its nice stock set.
Thanks
Robert

Dinny · « **Reply #15 on:** February 06, 2011, 07:51:54 AM »

The answer to all your questions is a resounding YES! Using the search feature here at GBO, you are likely to find a blue million posts regarding the effectiveness of both the 45LC and the 44 MAG on deer, hogs, and everything in between.

You have all the right options, it's now time to pick one and focus on making it work for you.

Thanks, Dinny

yukondog · « **Reply #16 on:** February 06, 2011, 10:18:24 AM »

The 44 works great on deer and hogs, I have not taken anything with my 45 yet, all of your picks are fine for what you want to do, as far as 45-70 or 444 I like the 444 but ammo for the 45-70 is going to be a lot easer to find.

gendoc · « **Reply #17 on:** February 06, 2011, 10:49:03 AM »

45/70.... no futher answer need'd fer what yur plan is

thatsa jus me.. so hoo knows what ya get told.

gcrank1 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 06, 2011, 11:37:01 AM »

For the criteria you state a .45Colt carbine would do the job and you could even think about making it the .45-70 Lite, otherwise known as the .454, and look good too.
The 30-30 has fairly priced ammo everywhere, and yes, you could reload it with 'pointy' bullets, but they wont really do you any good until after 150-200yd.
Both would be easy to scope with a low powered, wide field hunting scope; quick to use that way.
I like the 45-70 too and all these will do what you want with a lot of satisfaction and fun.

Spanky · « **Reply #19 on:** February 06, 2011, 11:42:44 AM »

45-70 with big flat nosed cast bullets.
No need to hot rod it either... big and slow works every time.

Spanky

cjrjck · « **Reply #20 on:** February 06, 2011, 12:13:13 PM »

At some point, you owe yourself the pleasure of owning a 45/70 and the Handi is a great platform for that round. I have had three 45/70 Handi Rifles. I am down to one. Big and slow is the way to go. I just find myself reaching for my 44 Mag Handi when I need something big and slow nowadays. Probably because hogs are the biggest critters I hunt. I load my 30-30 with pointed bullets (Barnes 130 grain TTSX) and really like that rifle for deer and hogs. I have to make myself reach for something else when I am going hunting as I tend to always want to take the 30-30 Handi.

PowPow · « **Reply #21 on:** February 06, 2011, 12:46:40 PM »

You say its for deer hunting, but when the season is over, you may want to go coyote hunting. You can load the 30-30 Handi with lighter flat shooting bullets, like v-maxes, for coyotes and other predators.

thejanitor · « **Reply #22 on:** February 06, 2011, 01:16:29 PM »

Dinny mentioned before, shoot it and shoot it a lot! Shoot it close and shoot it far LEARN where it hits. There was a post in the hog hunting forum about a guy who sighted in at 100 yds and shot at 2 hogs the same day aiming at the neck at way less than 100 yds and shot right over the hog both times..... The 45-70 is a very fun gun and in a handi prints very well my three shots touch at 100 yds with 405 remingtons off a bench, But if you don't know where the bullet hits at 45 yds and 200 yds you are not doing your part. PRACTICE and the gun will not let you down. And in all honesty this holds true for the 45-70 or any other gun. Good luck and have fun. thejanitor

petemi · « **Reply #23 on:** February 06, 2011, 02:48:33 PM »

If you're going to reload, get the .45-70. You can slay bunnies or bruins and everything in between. I own all the Handi calibers mentioned and more (except I haven't found my .444 yet. Don't really know that I need it, but I've got an extra frame and stock). I think where you're going to hunt, I'd get a .45-70 and da tirty-tirty. Probably the two most accurate and reliable Handi calibers.

Pete

mechanic · « **Reply #24 on:** February 06, 2011, 03:03:37 PM »

45-70 all the way. At shorter distances the Remington Cor Locs will drop any animal around these parts without dropping the shooter. Going after meaner stuff? Garrett makes ammo that would probably drop any animal on earth.

By the way, I would not use the 444 brass for 410 reloads, even though I know some have....

Ben

Levergunz · « **Reply #25 on:** February 06, 2011, 03:45:46 PM »

I'm a novice when it comes to handi's.My first experience with a handi was about 15 years ago helping a friend sight in a 30-30.It was the most accurate 30-30 I ever shot.That always stuck in my mind.Last year I decided to buy my first handi.I bought a synthetic stocked 45-70.I love it,although it really kicks butt with the pepped up loads left over from my Marlin GG.I reload for it and keep my loads now at about 1500fps with a 405gr cast lead bullet.As soon as the weather breaks in the spring I'm also going to try some Blackpowder loads in it.Good luck on your decision.

Hit or Miss · « **Reply #26 on:** February 06, 2011, 05:03:39 PM »

Yes, I killed a doe with the .45 Colt this winter. The 300 gr XTP went through about 18 inches of deer and exited. Bang, flop, dead right there. This wasn't an especially hot load either.

By the time you are done, you will probably own all of them we have discussed, I see the beginning signs of the sickness in your posts!

300winman · « **Reply #27 on:** February 06, 2011, 08:48:52 PM »

I like my 20ga tracker II topped with a Leupold 2-7x. I have killed 2 deer, 1 at 30yds, 1 at 100yds. Very accurate. It is light and easy to carry. I hunt in southern Michigan shotgun only, so it works for me. The downfall is ammo is really expensive!! I think I paid $16 for a box of 5 for the Hornady SST's. If you can use rifle, that is the way to go. The 45-70, 444, or 450 marlin would be the way to go....a good 44 mag or 45lc with a good load would be good also.....

McDerry · « **Reply #28 on:** February 07, 2011, 02:56:45 PM »

44 Magnum all the way. You mention ammo pricing so it is safe to assume that you plan to be buying ammo atleast for the time being. The 44 mag is readily available over the counter and more reasonably priced ($35 a box of 50). 240gr Winchester White box ammo moving at 1600 fps + will punch right through a deer under 100 yards, as well as a hog or a black bear or what ever else walks on this continent. The 44 mag was developed to be a hunting handgun round primarily, it excells at this purpose, in a rifle its even better.