Post by thelefthand on May 29, 2024 16:54:17 GMT -5
So it looks like Indiana is going to drop the minimum bore requirements for deer hunting with a ML to 40 cal. I'm not doing anything until I see it in writing (ie I won't be hunting with a 40 this year), but I'd like to get some education in advance.
I've been hunting with a Savage ML for over 20 years and I like it. I currently push a 300gr SST with an HPH12 sabot and a stout charge of RL7. I've kicked around the idea of a sabotless 45 for a long time and even went so far as to acquire a CVA Scout in 45-70 last winter. My goal then was to try to shoot a 40cal from it with a sabot because I think a 40cal would be a better fit for me. The 300gr 45s just do WAY too much damage to the meat, and after 20+ years I'm getting a little tired of the recoil, but I still want to reach at least 200 yds in the field.
Before I had a chance to send the CVA off for a conversion, I saw that Indiana was proposing to make 40cal legal for deer hunting so I held off on moving forward. In retrospect, I'm kind glad I didn't go forward anyway because I'm not a huge fan of the Scout. It's a fine rifle, but I really don't like the stock options that are available. I'm a big fan of vertical palm swell, and the Scout doesn't have any options that remotely resemble that. I already have an Encore frame, so I probably would have been better off getting a barrel for it anyway. Now that a sabotless 40 is likely going to be an option for me, I'm more open to selling the Scout and putting that money towards some kind of 40.
So, my main question is on performance. Indiana deer are of a pretty respectable size (at least the mature bucks are), and I absolutely want to be able to shoot at least 200 yds without having to aim over the deer's back (I'm exaggerating here). Ideally, I'd be able to shoot 300 yards accurately because that's somewhat of a hard limit for me due to the property that I hunt. Problem is that I'd also like to have noticeably less recoil that what I have now. I see that most folks are pushing some pretty heavy 40cal projectiles, but I'd like to keep the weight down around 200gr. I really like the idea of using a 195gr Barnes if I can get it to work. What kind of speed can I expect out of that, and what kind of recoil comes with it? I'd consider 2500 fps to be my minimum, and I'd like a little more but it depends on what recoil it comes with. I don't know how much my rifle weighs. It's a Savage ML-II in a Tackdriver stock from Richard's Microfit. It's heavy, so I'm assuming around 12 lbs. If that's the case, I'm looking at almost 32 ft lbs of recoil energy. I'm guessing that most "affordable" (ie not a bolt action) 40 rifles are going to be quite a bit lighter, but I'll assume that I can somehow get one up to 10 lbs. If I work backwards, and I want to get the recoil down around 25 ft lbs, that gives me a MV of around 2450 fps which pretty much duplicates what I get out of my Savage. Does that sound about right? If so, then it looks like I could move up to around 2700 fps and get 28 ft lbs which is still a big step down from 32, and would still give me a pretty flat shooting rifle out to 300 yds.
Am I on the right track here, or did I wonder off in left field (again)?
Thanks,
Mark
I've been hunting with a Savage ML for over 20 years and I like it. I currently push a 300gr SST with an HPH12 sabot and a stout charge of RL7. I've kicked around the idea of a sabotless 45 for a long time and even went so far as to acquire a CVA Scout in 45-70 last winter. My goal then was to try to shoot a 40cal from it with a sabot because I think a 40cal would be a better fit for me. The 300gr 45s just do WAY too much damage to the meat, and after 20+ years I'm getting a little tired of the recoil, but I still want to reach at least 200 yds in the field.
Before I had a chance to send the CVA off for a conversion, I saw that Indiana was proposing to make 40cal legal for deer hunting so I held off on moving forward. In retrospect, I'm kind glad I didn't go forward anyway because I'm not a huge fan of the Scout. It's a fine rifle, but I really don't like the stock options that are available. I'm a big fan of vertical palm swell, and the Scout doesn't have any options that remotely resemble that. I already have an Encore frame, so I probably would have been better off getting a barrel for it anyway. Now that a sabotless 40 is likely going to be an option for me, I'm more open to selling the Scout and putting that money towards some kind of 40.
So, my main question is on performance. Indiana deer are of a pretty respectable size (at least the mature bucks are), and I absolutely want to be able to shoot at least 200 yds without having to aim over the deer's back (I'm exaggerating here). Ideally, I'd be able to shoot 300 yards accurately because that's somewhat of a hard limit for me due to the property that I hunt. Problem is that I'd also like to have noticeably less recoil that what I have now. I see that most folks are pushing some pretty heavy 40cal projectiles, but I'd like to keep the weight down around 200gr. I really like the idea of using a 195gr Barnes if I can get it to work. What kind of speed can I expect out of that, and what kind of recoil comes with it? I'd consider 2500 fps to be my minimum, and I'd like a little more but it depends on what recoil it comes with. I don't know how much my rifle weighs. It's a Savage ML-II in a Tackdriver stock from Richard's Microfit. It's heavy, so I'm assuming around 12 lbs. If that's the case, I'm looking at almost 32 ft lbs of recoil energy. I'm guessing that most "affordable" (ie not a bolt action) 40 rifles are going to be quite a bit lighter, but I'll assume that I can somehow get one up to 10 lbs. If I work backwards, and I want to get the recoil down around 25 ft lbs, that gives me a MV of around 2450 fps which pretty much duplicates what I get out of my Savage. Does that sound about right? If so, then it looks like I could move up to around 2700 fps and get 28 ft lbs which is still a big step down from 32, and would still give me a pretty flat shooting rifle out to 300 yds.
Am I on the right track here, or did I wonder off in left field (again)?
Thanks,
Mark
