Is a 40 round ball sufficient for deer hunting?

I was wanting to know if a 40 cal is sufficient for deer? I have used 45 and no problem. Thanks

Good morning William and welcome to our muzzle loading site! I don't know what state you hunt in but if it is Pa. for deer your rifle has to be .45 or larger.

erhunter said:

Good morning William and welcome to our muzzle loading site! I don't know what state you hunt in but if it is Pa. for deer your rifle has to be .45 or larger.

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I hunt in Ohio but do most of my flintlock hunting in Pa. Thank you

If I may ask what area of Pa.? I hunt in the poconos. I also have a cabin near Shunk, Pa.

erhunter said:

If I may ask what area of Pa.? I hunt in the poconos. I also have a cabin near Shunk, Pa.

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Western Pa, St Mary area. Beautiful and tons of State game land and National forest. I looked your area up also. Do you go to Ft London events?

A .395 diameter double ball load would weigh about 190 grains.
Three balls would weigh about 280 grains including the sprews.
I've shot heavier bullets than that in a fast twist .40 bore GPR.


So it makes me wonder if anybody ever used triple ball instead of double ball loads. I wouldn't do it (not me, I'm timid about damage to my nose) but rifles are adaptable to various and multiple projectiles so it's something I've wondered about.
Any way, back on subject, in my hands the .40 bore Renegade with GM round ball barrel would serve nicely, within my range limits.

I stand to correct myself on the Pa. flintlock caliber size. I just looked it up and it is 44 caliber and larger for a rifle.

Hi,
A .28 cal. ball will kill a deer. Ethically, no! Will a .30, .36, and even a .40 NO!
I love the .40 cal., it is flat shooting, extremely accurate, low recoil, everything in it's favor, but sadly just marginal, as a continuous lethal caliber for deer size game.
No question about it, at ten or twenty yards, easy as could be. But forty, fifty or sixty yards as often as situations present.
If you have respect and concern for the game you are about to shoot, you want it to do it as quick and deadly as possible.
Most everyone who has seen a badly wounded deer wants to give up hunting.
Does that answer your question?
A .50, .54, or even a .58, all of these from my experience.

I was taught to respect the animals that were feeding us. From the wild game to the farm animals.
Part of that respect is making a quick and ethical kill, with as little suffering as possible.
A .40 at close range - IF you are a very good shot and can make it count with only one shot - then yes, head or neck preferred.
With open sights and black powder, I will not take a shot over 100 yards - and that with a .54 PRB.
I practice regularly at 100 - and know where that ball will land when the cock falls.

Griz44Mag said:

I was taught to respect the animals that were feeding us. From the wild game to the farm animals.
Part of that respect is making a quick and ethical kill, with as little suffering as possible.
A .40 at close range - IF you are a very good shot and can make it count with only one shot - then yes, head or neck preferred.
With open sights and black powder, I will not take a shot over 100 yards - and that with a .54 PRB.
I practice regularly at 100 - and know where that ball will land when the cock falls.

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Thank you

Griz44Mag said:

IF you are a very good shot and can make it count with only one shot - then yes, head or neck preferred.

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Never shoot deer in the head, the probability of wounding it instead of killing it is too high. I have seen too many guys try and fail, myself included.

a 40cal RB it won't bounce off, put through the lungs or heart of a deer will kill it dead! quick fast and in a hurry. it is all about location, location, location, shot placement is key with anything you use,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

A .40 will easily kill a deer. Like any weapon, you must stay within the limitations of its' capabilities, and no less important yourself.
Robby

Others have already said it. A .40 ball will kill a deer at close range (not over 25 yards) if you placement is perfect.
Keep in mind, any round ball already starting out with ballistics about like a thrown brick. A lighter/smaller ball loses energy more quickly than does a larger one. And the teensy .40 starts out with less energy. This question would be somewhat like comparing a .22 lr with a 30-30.

I moved out of Arkansas in 2012, but up to that time a .40 was legal for deer.
It depends on your deer. A ninety
pound whitetail at twenty five yards is not the same as a hundred and eighty pound mule deer at a hundred.
A wise man once said “A-man has to know his limitations”
Same with your gun.

I wouldn't be at all afraid to use a 40 cal if legal, but I would also hunt like I'm shooting a 40 cal muzzleloader and not a 300 win mag.

Or even a .45, certainty not a .54

I think it would at close range but I wouldn't hunt with it unless I was desperate. I'd want at least a 45 or 50. Like stated it also depends on the deer size. Southern deer tend to be smaller than up north.

olskool said:

a 40cal RB it won't bounce off, put through the lungs or heart of a deer will kill it dead! quick fast and in a hurry. it is all about location, location, location, shot placement is key with anything you use,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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True enough. You can wound and lose a deer with a .54 or .58 as easily as you can with a ,40 or .45

William sloan said:

I was wanting to know if a 40 cal is sufficient for deer? I have used 45 and no problem. Thanks

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Yes, a .40 is sufficient. The limiting factor is not the caliber, it's the shooter. A .40 will kill any whitetail without problems if the shooter is sufficient. If the shooter knows his limits and stays within them, waits for a shot he knows he can make, the gun will do the job.

Here's a ~200 lb. buck killed with a .40 at 50+ yards, double lung shot, went down about the same distance as I usually see with the same shot made with a .600 ball loaded heavy.


There is a lot of misinformation around about the .40. To listen to many commenters tell it, you might as well be using a peashooter. 'Tain't so, the .40 is a flat-shooting, high velocity caliber which can get the job done.

I don't understand why anyone would consider going deer hunting with a gun which would only kill a deer out to 25 yards. I don't want to hear about respecting the animal if the hunter is willing to take to the field armed that way.

Spence