I am fairly new to the Silhouette shooting , they have just begun doing it in a town near me, I took my boy and really enjoyed it and we decided that we were going to make a habit outta it.. I researched alot about molding own bullets and am in process of gathering but in the mean time i got some 100 grain plinker the 1/2 jacket ones and loaded them with 10 grains of Unique. they shoot just fine, my question is, I am positive these things will do well on Chickens but i'm unsure whether they will have enough momentum to take the pigs out reliably... I dont really have anyway to test this out until the next shoot so I figure there must be someone who would have some insight as to whether this is too light of a bullet. I'd like to to shoot 100-110 for chickens and pigs and then bump up to 150 for turkeys and 170 for rams, Like i say i'm really new to this as are most of us in this area. Thanks for any input you might have.

What caliber? Most use the same load out to turkeys then maybe bump it a notch for rams. Focus on making hits then if they are not falling, you can tweek your load. Remeber to get a zero on each animal using paper targets. So I suggest working up an accurate load, get a zero on each target distance then if targets do not fall you know you need to make a load adjustment.
T

Well Jeez, that would certainly help i spose... it's Model 94 30-30... sorry

I've used the 100gr Plinkers on Pigs in 30-30 and they all fell, albeit some fell very slowly. I found that 125gr or 130gr jacketed FN/HPs will drop everything out to Turkeys reliably, especially running 1800FPS or better. I've used both 150gr and 170gr Jacketed RN on Rams. While I've never lost a properly set Ram with a 150gr, they definitely fall faster using the 170gr pills.

-Tim

I have to agree with Tim. I did shoot 110 grain at c-p and I never lost A pig but they were falling real slow and I was afraid I was gonna lose one. The 125 sierra works great all the way to turkeys and 170 grain on rams for sure.

44Mag:
After talking to you and other PA shooters last year, I started using 4759 "baby" powder in the .30-30. I really like it because of the mild recoil and it is accurate in my Marlin 1894CB with a 24" barrel. I know some on this site have said they have to use a hot load to obtain accuracy in their .30-30. I have not had that problem.

Using a scope and benchrest, I shot 5 shot groups averaging 1 1/4" at 100 yards and 2 1/2" at 200 yards. I use a Hornady 170g round nose bullet for the rams at 200. My load has been 17g of 4759 for chickens and pigs and 18g for the 170 g bullet on turkeys and rams.

I agree with you about the 125 g Sierra HP for chickens and pigs. But I am reluctant to use it on the turkeys since I lost two at Raton last summer using a 170g bullet and 25g of IMR 4895. The animals were hit in the body, but just turned slightly when hit. Perhaps it is the way they were positioned on the stands. What powder charge do you use on the turkeys with the 125 g bullet? I was thinking it might be better because it is a hollow point. Your thoughts?

johnhenry

JohnHenry wrote:44Mag:
...(snip)

I agree with you about the 125 g Sierra HP for chickens and pigs. But I am reluctant to use it on the turkeys since I lost two at Raton last summer using a 170g bullet and 25g of IMR 4895. The animals were hit in the body, but just turned slightly when hit. Perhaps it is the way they were positioned on the stands. What powder charge do you use on the turkeys with the 125 g bullet? I was thinking it might be better because it is a hollow point. Your thoughts?

johnhenry

Jim -

I haven't tried the 4759 powder yet. Might have to try some.

So far, I've standardized on 31gr of Hodgdon Varget under everything jacketed, Pigs to the Rams. I'll even use it on chickens with the 110gr HP occasionally. I just won't use it with the 100gr Plinkers. For the Plinkers on chickens I found 9gr of Trailboss to be REAL mild recoil and run just shy of 1500FPS. They'll shoot 3/4" groups at 50m, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2" at 100m.

my .02,

-Tim

Jim ( John Henry ), Welcome to the "baby powder" club. You got tips from the master Jimmie at our state match. Al Foust

Jim I am using 18grn with 125 for c-p-t and 20grn with A 170 on rams. Al is correct Jimmy is the master with baby powder. Mike

Al & MIke, yes, Jimmie is the guru on 4759. I really enjoyed shooting with him at your state match in Sept.

Tim, I've used the 31g Varget load, also. In my rifle, it isn't any more accurate than 4759. And I don't care for the recoil from that much powder. Another thing, in the summer the barrel is going to heat up much more with that load; hence, more heat waves off the barrel, distorting the sight picture.

Give 4759 a try. It is really pleasant to shoot, accurate, and so far has knocked down all the animals I've hit.

I don't know what kind of weather you guys are having right now, but here in Kansas City we've had 55 to 60 degree temps all week with no precip. It's like we missed winter. I realize we are bound to have some cold temps and snow, but every day it is mild puts us that much closer to springtime. Great shooting weather!

Jim