Author Topic: favorite hunter class scoped pistol caliber NRA (Read 837 times)

sillywet · « **on:** March 14, 2004, 05:35:34 PM »

I was thinking .357 but I am new to pistols period. Another one that came to mind is the .30 carbine. But again I am just grabbing at straw so please help me out.

thanks

silleywet

Sixgun · « **Reply #1 on:** March 14, 2004, 06:31:52 PM »

I had the same questions when I first started out in NRA Hunter Pistol. Here are some things to consider: Availability of a barrel, RECOIL, cost of loading, what can you get by with.

There are lots of good choices but sometimes the barrel is just not available to buy.

I put RECOIL in caps because that is what I found out to be the big problem with the bigger cals. It may not bother you to shoot a 357 mag when you are just shooting at cans but when the buzzer goes off and you are concentrating on getting the shot off, the last thing you need is a thump when you do, especially when you have already been thumped 30 times. That 30 carbine may be a good one to load down and it may be a good cast bullet canidate.

The cost of shooting may not seem like a big problem but if you are going to shoot good, you have to practice and you will practice more if you can get good ammo cheap. There are lots of people who get a AAA rating with the rimfire and consistently shoot AA with the hunter pistol. Most will say they practice less with the hunter pistol equipment.

I have a friend who got his master rating in hunter pistol last summer. He has always shot it with his 22 rimfire barrel. He uses Aguila 60gr ammo for the pigs and rams. I used my rimfire barrel for several years until I made a decision on what I wanted to shoot. I borrowed several barrels and ended up getting a 22 Hornet. I like because I can load it down for silhouettes and then load it up and go out and bust whistle pigs or coyotes in the off season.

Look hard at what the other guys are using. Especially the ones that are consistently winning.

One important thing is to use what you have until you can decide what you really want.

sixgun

Nobade · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2004, 01:55:53 AM »

If you reload, the best bet is probably a .22 Hornet. I use one with a rifle scope, loaded to 1700 fps with bulk 55gr. FMJs and it works wonderfully. The only drawback is brass life - a K hornet would be much better in that regard but not production legal. My iron sight barrel is a .32 H&R mag, loaded with 115gr. Lyman 311008 bullets at 1000 fps. You need to have some good sight settings with that setup, but it's very mild recoil wise and extremely accurate. The .357 barrel would be OK except that TC insists on putting that silly "bucket" throat on them that really limits bullet selection and accuracy. Properly throated they would be wonderful, but again a custom barrel isn't production class legal.

fish · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2004, 02:20:05 AM »

Just another option. I use a 270Ren in IHMSA field pistol. It has light recoil with my f.p. load 100gr Rem bulk bullets and 9gr AA#9. The 22 Hornet is the most popular cal. but the 30 Carbine, 32H&R Mag and 357 are also great choices.

bgjohn · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2004, 03:06:38 AM »

Hornet, Hornet, Hornet.

That's what most shooters are shooting. It needs to be loaded down a little or it will damage targets. Cheap to load, cheap to shoot, very accurate and powerful enough to do the job.
JM

bgjohn · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2004, 03:11:27 AM »

Quote from: Nobade

If you reload, the best bet is probably a .22 Hornet. I use one with a rifle scope, loaded to 1700 fps with bulk 55gr. FMJs and it works wonderfully. The only drawback is brass life - a K hornet would be much better in that regard but not production legal. My iron sight barrel is a .32 H&R mag, loaded with 115gr. Lyman 311008 bullets at 1000 fps. You need to have some good sight settings with that setup, but it's very mild recoil wise and extremely accurate. The .357 barrel would be OK except that TC insists on putting that silly "bucket" throat on them that really limits bullet selection and accuracy. Properly throated they would be wonderful, but again a custom barrel isn't production class legal.

Brass life will improve greatly by using LEE collett dies and keeping your cases trimmed. I've been using the same cases for more than a year. I've loaded them so many times I lost count.
JM

Sixgun · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2004, 03:24:08 AM »

I have been using Lee Collet dies on my Hornet have gotten 10 loadings from my brass. I probably need to anneal the necks because some are starting to split where I crimp them but none of them have gotten long enough for my Lee trimmer to make contact.

I know it is a manner of personal preference but I see more and more Hornets oot there. It seems to be a logical best choice. Cheap to load, little to no recoil, flat shooting( I move 2 clicks from chickens to rams) and if the guy next to you doesn't have good hearing protection the muzzle blast will upset him so bad he will get a bad score. What a deal!

Sixgun

bgjohn · « **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2004, 04:09:55 AM »

I haven't had any cases with split necks. I did anneal them once but it was a long time ago. I love these collett dies. I have several sets. I did need to put the (hornet) mandrel in the drill press to take off a little. The bullet fit was too loose except with new cases. These dies save me a lot of time and trouble. The Hornet is a neat caliber.
JM

Sixgun · « **Reply #8 on:** March 18, 2004, 04:25:49 AM »

Hay bgjohn,
I see you live in Glendale, Az. I used to live in Glendale on the 6500 block of Mountain View just west of Glendale Community College. We lived there for 3 years while I was finishing school at DeVry in Phoenix.

Sixgun