Thanks for the advice and insight. What I was looking for!!

Thanks for the advice and the red dot recommendation.

Yep -- I was jumping ahead!! Thanks for setting me straight.

What are you all shooting from (sticks, brace, freehand, leaning on a tree, etc...)? I am planning on using a 7" gun with a single pole shooting stick to keep it steady.

Pa regs confusing? NAAAh

Knew a guy that used a 30 carbine.
It was the only rig of the family collection that he shot well.
His Dad modded it from semi to manual.
He got quite the attention.

If you say so. Ain’t no rules in the bush.

10-4.

(but that's a different discussion)

Yote chaser, I always try to find some kind of rest. I carry a telescoping stick with a rest on top. I think it's called a trigger stick. Pull the trigger on the handle to adjust up or down. The bear I shot this was from a rest against the tree I was in. A rest makes all the difference in my accuracy.

lestan101 - Same here....I would not think of shooting any significant distance w/o a rest. I have seen the trigger sticks and will look into them a little more. Thanks.

Lever 357 magnum works fine for me.

what's your effective range, Karl?

My boy uses a .44mag but it's a rifle, albeit pretty short, Henry Carbine. I can tell you to steer clear of whatever Hornady uses in its lever-revolution for bullets. The HP Sig Sauer uses are much, much better....

ADC - Great information and pics.

have you found any more of the v-crown or is it still rare as hens teeth?

it is worth trying the XTP bullet also if you can't find the v-crown

No sir, I have not found any more. I have enough to get by a few years, if my boy's shooting remains as accurate as in the past, but would buy more if I could find them. They have been discontinued by SigSauer so I'm looking for old stock, not easy to get folks to give it up.

Hornady FTX 325 grain bullet is in the Leverevolution .45-70 ammunition that I use.
It works great, but much more horsepower driving it.
It would be worth a try to see what the gun likes.
Have fun!

125yds I am Comfortable

I have used 454 Casull, 45 Auto Rim, 44 Magnum, 44 Special, 41 Magnum, 357 Maximum. Barrel lengths from 4 to 7 1/2 inches. Longest running shot was the 4 inch 41 Magnum. Doe at 89 paces, she skidded 9 paces on her chin. Shortest shot was 6 or 7 steps in some heavy tag alders, running, with a 6 inch 44 Magnum. Longest standing shot was about 100 yards with a 7 1/2 inch Redhawk 44 Magnum (4x scope). It now carries an UltraDot red dot. My bullets of choice are my own cast bullets. Having said that the scoped Redhawk gets 200 grain XTP or 210 grain Sierra JHC. The Maximum is my prefered gun. It's a 7 1/2 inch Ruger Super Blackhawk with another UltraDot on it. Its prefered bullet is the 180 XTP. I can shoot it all day long with no ill effects using full power loads right around 1700 fps. The XTP's work well for me, never got one back and all good exit holes. I tend to wait for broadside shots thru the ribs. My cast bullets range from 215 grain in the 41 to 310 grain in my 5 1/2 inch 44 RedHawk. My cast loads are around 1200 fps with the exception of the 45 Auto Rim and the 44 Special. They run a little over 1000fps.

TC Katahdin with a 460 S&W barrel on it. Brings the fire and thunder!

Shot quite a few with a 44 mag after they started a pistol season in the early 90's, the law says we can use a straight wall single shot rifle next year in the Peoples Republic of Illinois
got a 350 legend bought and ready to go