40cal. rifle for deer and small game

[Wild Ed]

Depends on weight of the deer, the weight of the projectile and the amount of powder behind the projectile.  My daughters have both cleanly killed deer and hogs with our TC Cherokee shooting a .32 maxi ball.  They dropped within 15 yards of impact.  I have killed several deer, hogs and a few exotic culls with my .40 and a round ball with no problems at all.  If you are hunting Mule deer then you will most likely need a larger caliber or shoot a heavier longer projectile.  JMHO and experience.

[FrankG]

I wouldnt hesitate to put a roundball from a .40 with 70grs 3fg throught the lungs of one of our benchleg Muley/Blacktail cross deer that go typically 110-150 lbs 4 qtrs hanging , no head , hide or hocks. But I would keep distance short,50-60 yrds as the little pill loses giddyup pretty fast 

[foxriver50]

There are alot of good points here, thanks guys, got alot of thinking ta do.  Knowing that the 40. produces about the same viscosity as the 41.mag, thats an eye opener.
Wisconsin regs are
smallest leagle rifled muzzleloader is 40.
smallest leagle smoothbore is 50.
allot of head scratchin goin on here.

[Red Badger]

Fox - knowing the deer up in your area i wouldn't go with anything less than a .45 cal myself... remember i was hunting around Gleason and Rheinlander for my first hunts with my family...

[hank-aye]

HMMMMMMMM...    

Wonder how they might have done all their deer huntin back when...
What size ball were used by all o them Long Hunters? All o them Over the Mountain men and first timers inna new lands?
All those smaller cal. Pennsyltucky Long rifles weren't just fer squirrels n bunny rabbits. Elk used ta roam back East in those days.
I think that Kentucky had their first Elk hunt (heard is large enough to do that now), in or around 2000. Pa. has maintained an Elk heard ( small but cozy group), all along. Others are still growing their Heard size so they can be hunted again. Ohio is sneakin in Bears from West Va., Pa., and N.Y..
Moose are all over New England, well not so much in the Southern tier (Mass. Conn and R.I.).
How did all of those NON Vegans eat? What did they shoot all them critters wiff??? Don't think they had "special Guns fer dis an dat".

Don't rush inna an answer. think on't a bit. Ponder the possibilities.
Then let us know.
I fer one will be anxious ta read what ya post .

hankaye

[foxriver50]

Jim how long ago was that , when you were still living in Wis.
around here yer lucky ta see a deer older than a year and a half.

I do know what yer saing though.

[roundball]

Wonder how they might have done all their deer huntin back when...

From everything I've read, game was very plentiful and they did their hunting up real close...

[hank-aye]

Yea game were more plentiful and alot of it was as big or bigger.
My personal opinion is that our ancestry didn't feel the time crunch
that we do. Most didn't have a 9 ta 5 ta get back to, or soccer to go coach,
huntin season was now, The guide dosen't have ta have me back so he/she can
get the next group out here ta get their critter an so on.
They could take their time, stalk as long as necessary,
get as close as they felt they could and then...
remember, my opinion SHOT PLACEMENT. ya can shoot all day long an not drop a critter
if ya don't hit'em in the right spot.
Most of the commentaries from yesteryear state how accurate the hunters were.
I'll shut-up now

[Wild Ed]

Since we are mostly civil here and can agree to disagree some of you might like to  read the following article I wrote a while back. It is about modern cartridges but the common sense applies to traditional as well.  JMHO
http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/02/enough-or-too-much-gun.html

[FrankG]

The biggest part of the equation is knowing your rifle , knowing your capabilities and shot placement . Leaving out just one part and it turns in to a crap shoot 

[hank-aye]

Beginning ta sound the same here...

Shot placement

Know yer gun

Practice, practice, practice

[Red Badger]

Jim how long ago was that , when you were still living in Wis.
around here yer lucky ta see a deer older than a year and a half.

I do know what yer saing though.

I haven't lived in Wisconsin since 1973 when I went into the Military, haven't hunted there since 1984 when I got out... ( loved those free hunting licenses)

[foxriver50]

allot has changed!!!!
past few years weve had ta shoot does or fawns before we can shoot a buck,  I dont mind shooting does at all, though now ya hardly ever see an adult doe anymore.
this is the first year with no "earn a buck" if I think five years. 
but for the last ten or more the DNR have realy been pushing the "shoot all the @#$% does" thing.

[Red Badger]

I understand - It was so bad in Minnesota in 95 that we had does coming into the state park campground  and eating spaghetti out of the pot while 18 boy scouts looked on in amazement... wish i still had the pictures of that poor ol gal she was starving.....

[hank-aye]

If i remember correctly, Up in your area, Michigan, Wisconson & Minnisota wasn't there an outbreak of "turning" illness in the deer herds. Mich. was issueing doe tags to hunters each time they checked one in. At least 1 per week. That was in the early ta mid 90's. Not sure, but thought I read or heard that it was spread across Northern tier.
my 2 cents worth.
hankaye