Whitetail Deer with a 36 caliber ball?

[Daryl]

I would suggest, that a shot from a .36 cal. taken from a tree stand - range maybe 10' to 20yards might work, however, must remember, that ball will turn into a disk
which will limit penetration. Hit bone (plunging shot to coin a mariner phrase)and it is likely to stop.
Even 00 buckshot at an initial vel. of only 1,300fps expands considerably on 'game'.
A normal charge of say, 35 to 40gr. 3F will drive a .350" ball to about 1,800fps, maybe slightly higher than that. That's over 1/2 ball weight in powder. (Ball - 65gr.)

[Austin]

May have been a few taken on Stoner Creek, mindful of shot placement….

[alacran]

I used to use 65 grains of 3f in order to knock down 1/2 inch AR 500 Ram silhouettes at 100 yards. They went down with authority. They were the NRA pistol silhouette size.
 North American deer are thin skinned. All the deer that I have killed using modern shotgun slugs have flattened to the size of a quarter. They lodge under the skin . All the deer I have shot with a round ball have been pass throughs. Good broadside shots under 50 yards with a 36 round ball with an adequate load will kill a deer.
The only reason for not using it is that it will not leave much of a blood trail. In my opinion there is no substitute for cubic inches. The bigger the hole the more  the .blood

[Justin Urbantas]

I'd say if you are accurate and comfortable with your rifle, you'd be fine. I'd limit it to 40 or 50 yards and go with head shots though. No meat waste, and they go down quick. I use a .45 with roundball for my deer, and have shot them out to 120 yds with a vitals shot.

[Dphariss]

Since a lot of deer have been killed with a 22 LR years ago by people I know pretty well. Within its range a 36 will get the job done. But shot placement is critical. A shot kust over the heart will kill one pretty soon I would think. I know that at 50 yards or so a 45 RB driven with 45 gr of FFF from a FL rifle will kill deer dead. In about 50 yards of running which is pretty typical. No matter what they are shot with.

[hanshi]

A .36 prb can kill a deer, has likely killed a few and I imagine there are any number of .36 adherents who use them.  I, myself, have, in the dim past, used a .22 Hornet to take several.  The .36 is a great caliber when used on game that's suitable for a small rifle.  Since the mid 1960s I've drawn the line at the .45 where deer are concerned.  IMHO shooting deer with a .36 is as much a stunt as it is ethical hunting and perhaps more so.  In survival situations one must use what one has available.  But when a better choice of caliber is readily available there's really no choice.

[Dphariss]

Shot placement and adequate penetration. Der are not hard to kill. 

[Tenmile]

Bullet placement is critical, but you still have to reach a killing spot. I read somewhere that Karamojo Bell took elephants with a .256, and that a good many men were killed trying to imitate him. I don’t think he was dealing with muzzleloader velocities. Killing any animal should be quick and sure.
Lynn

[Kurt]

The 36 caliber would not be ideal but as some here have mentioned it could be used if nothing else was available. It is my impression the early timers valued the shotgun or Fowler for its versatility and I understand why, but lead being scarce probably explains the small caliber rifle.

An elderly neighbor lady(when I was very young) related a story of Indians traveling through her area with a travois with lead on it. She was afraid of Indian attacks when she got into her 90s and became senile. Probably from stories she heard as a child.

I had an uncle who lived in the Sierra Nevadas as a gold prospector (1940s) and he regularly shot deer through the lungs with a 22lr and then followed them till they succumbed. He also had a rubber hose he called his "Oklahoma credit card". Black sheep, but remembered.

I have a 32 and would never consider shooting at a deer with it, but then again I have 45, 50s, and 54s for that. Still I can't help but wonder what our ancestors might have done and needed to do that we in our modern time wouldn't consider.

I very much enjoy reading everyone's posts. Kurt

[Daryl]

Check your game laws.  A .36 for deer might not be legal in your State. Some have
calibre restrictions, others have bullet/ball weight restrictions.

[Kurt]

Yes, PA requires at least 44 caliber.

[Hawg]

Personally I wouldn't use a .36. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I never liked the effect of a .50 caliber on deer.

[Steeltrap]

I'd say if you are accurate and comfortable with your rifle, you'd be fine. I'd limit it to 40 or 50 yards and go with head shots though. No meat waste, and they go down quick. I use a .45 with roundball for my deer, and have shot them out to 120 yds with a vitals shot.

I'd never advise someone to take a head shot on a deer. I've seen a fellow attempt to take one and took off the lower jaw of the doe. Doe ran into posted land. Not that where it ran would make a difference as it would likely lead to a very slow and painful death.

Take the heart\lung shot. I've not seen one fail yet.

And why use a .36 when .45 cal's and larger are easily available and certainly do the job .

[J.D.]

I hate to resurrect this thread, but, yeah, there is always a but, shooting the 36, in the back yard this morning, I shot a plastic 3 quart, Walmart brand, lemonade  jug filled with water, at about 10 feet, just to see what would happen, with no thought to this thread.

A .345 ball with a .020 denim patch, powered by 35 gr of old, 3F GOEX, did not penetrate both sides of the jug. There was a fair bulge  from the impact of the ball, on the back side of the jug, but no full penetration, which was something of a surprise. The jug was about 5" in diameter.

Some of the comments, above, about hunting deer with a 36 mentioned using pretty heavy charges on steel at long, for the 36, ranges. IF, someone thought deer hunting with a 36 caliber muzzle loading rifle, was a good idea, I do, highly, suggest heavy powder charges, fired at short ranges, for proper penetration.

As an addendum, I usually shoot this rifle into a stack of old magazines and catalogues, at about 20 yards, when practicing in the back yard. That little ball is mangled pretty badly when recovered for re-casting. Penetration is about 5 inches, there, as well.

[Ezra]

Sometimes, all you got is all you got.  Grandpa used to tell us, “poor folks gots poor ways”.  But we didn’t know no better.  We used  our .22 (not BP) to hunt deer.  They die just fine if you hit them right.  But if you have the means, there are better choices than .36.  I would use at least a .40 or .45.

Ez

[Bob Roller]

I met a man in the early1960's who was called "Indian John"because of his appearance and he got deer with a 22 single shot whenever he needed the meat.One shot between the eye and ear and that was it.He wasn't much for fish and game laws.There may still be two idiots still around that might have survived an encounter with John and they were fortunate if they did.They robbed him at gun point and took his deer and rifle,It was winter and snow was deep and those two made the mistake of turning to leave and John hollered at them and they found themselves gazing into the muzzle of a big revolver..THEY had the pleasure of being left in the snow naked and John had their guns and the keys to their truck.In the hands of a man like John the 22 was all that was needed but he still had one of the center fire rifles he took away from those would be thieves.I asked John if he thought those two survived and he said"I don't know and don't care."I haven;t thought if this for years but the small bore hunting rifle thread revived memories of a colorful character.
Bob Roller























I asked him if they survived and he said "I don't know and don't care".I  think 'Indian John"passed away about 50 years ago.

[wolf]

in the 50sthrough the 70s my daddy hunted with a variety of guns. but his main gun was a Remington 550-1 simi auto 22, i still have the gun. it is un-telling how many SC deer he killed with that gun, and anything else that needed killin. i have skinned deer that was shot behind the shoulder and hit 3-4 times at close range, the 22s would go slam through to the hide on the offside breaking ribs. daddy always used solid bullets for penetration. another favorite for him and a lot of other rednecks was the 22 hornet, i killed a buck last year with a hornet, one shot, the deer made it 20 yds hit in the shoulder. it is like this, bullet placement. any animal cannot live more than a few seconds with no air or blood to the brain if hit wrong with any caliber you most likely will not find them i am planning to kill a deer this year with my 36 flintlock, the shot will be no more than 50yds and i will bet there will be a very dead deer at the other end at about 50yds, good story Mr. Bob,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Ghillie]

A local gentleman, who is not departed and was a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge used an old Stevens 44 in 25-20 for years to kill whatever needed killing.  Deer, turkeys, hogs and beeves.  He was a poor man and used what he had.  You can talk about what is ideal, but what you have often makes the world go around.  He was never at a loss for meat, nor wasted game.  Sometimes we get in the Ideal Mood and forget what is expedient.  The Eskimos used to use the old surplus .22 Hornet survival guns to take Polar Bears with 45 grain full metal jacket bullets in the US Army surplus ammo.  It's where you put the bullet, not the size of the gun.  A gut shot deer with a .458 magnum is still a gut shot deer.  A .22 bullet or .17 caliber bullet through the brain stops them in their tracks.  An old coworker said the best rifle he ever owned was a .22 magnum.  He used it for squirrels, turkey and deer.  He was a patient hunter and only took head shots on relaxed game.  Keep the freezer full.  There is the ethical side of things and there is what works for poor people.

[Hungry Horse]

 Now I’m gonna preface this by stating my favorite deer rifle is an old Savage 250-3000 and I’ve killed a lot of deer with it, so I’m not one of those guys that hunts squirrels with a 300 Win. Mag. there is no way you should lump this 25 caliber even remotely close to any muzzleloader. In my state the smallest caliber you can use on deer in a muzzleloading gun is .40. And that’s about right if you can use lead projectiles, but we can’t because the non-hunters in the state banned lead projectiles without considering the weight difference.
 A .36 caliber is not a deer stopper. And I don’t care how many old poachers tell you how many deer they killed with a .22 I want to hear how many they crippled. They probably know that number as well as how many they killed, it just doesn’t make a good story.

Hungry Horse

[Bill in Md]

As long as man walks in the Flesh he will always place limits and draw lines based upon his own limitations....."I can't draw and shoot a 60# longbow well so surely you  can't"....."Why would you disrespect deer so much that you would hunt them with self backed wooden bows when easy to shot compounds are much more humane?"..... "Flintlocks limit your hunting range and they have low muzzle pressure , that is why I use  300 Win mag"........"Why would anyone even attempt to catch 18"+ striped bass on a 3wt flyrod with 6x tippet when *ugly stiks* are cheap and available and can handle 25# test?"......."I cripple half of the animals I shoot at so you must cripple half of what you shoot at".......get the picture???

To those hunting with the .36 or thinking about it.....Do it and don't look back!

[danny]

Late seventies jobs were scarce. My only real income was trapping. A few temporary jobs in the summer. I lived in a rural part of CO. and was newly married.

I never shot a deer with a 36 caliber muzzle loader but killed a few with a 22 long rifle. Its like bow hunting. Get close shoot careful. Most of them heart shot. They don't go to far. A shot in the throat when they are looking at you hits the spine and they just drop.

[Daryl]

A shot like that with my .45cal. dropped one in it's tracks. The ball missed the spine and exited the back if it's neck.
75gr. 3F .457" ball, .022 denim patch.
I did a coup de grass with my wife's .36 loaded with a 128gr. slug.
That one entered the neck,  then slid down the spine to stop between its shoulder blades. The follow up with my second .45 ball was in the ear.
Those maxi-balls did not like going in a straight line after hitting the animal. The overall design sucked. They seemed to collapse into themselves instead of expanding.
Bunch of guys up here found that out on moose with .50's and .54's.

[reddogge]

It's a moot point in MD since you need .40 to be legal. However these "Do you think (blank) will kill a deer" questions show up on archery forums all the time. Everyone wants to walk a tightrope on using minimum or sub-minimum bows or calibers to kill deer. Why not use a proven effective deer killing caliber and be done with it? Nor worries and no lost or wounded game.