Has anyone hunted with a 45 auto?

I haven't but knew a guy who did so routinely.
He said hunting deer with a .45 was not as hard as bowhunting.
Killing power with a premium 230 gr JHP was good.
Of course you have to make the shot. I'd want a closer shot with the pistol than a good muzzleloading rifle.

I have spooked deer that were close enough to take with a sidearm. I do carry mine when I hunt, and one day I hope to take a deer with my 1911.

I have used a Norinco 1911 for years to hunt with. Deer here are seen in the brush & getting a close shot is not hard. Win.225gr.JHP works well. You will have to mod. a magazine to hold only 5rds or buy one! 30-50 yard shots are easy around here.

(For the magazine limit, depends on which state you are in.)

I will break this down into 3 answers.

1. Is it legal? In Tennessee I can hunt deer with any center-fire cartridge fired from a barrel over 4 inches. Of course many states have different laws and may have minimum caliber or other restrictions. But here in Tennessee I can use anything from a 25 ACP up to a 50 BMG as long as it is not a FMJ and comes from a barrel longer than 4 inches.

2. Can it be done? Sure, I know people that have killed deer with 22 LR, 22 mag, 9mm, 40S&W, 45ACP, 45 Colt, 357 Mag... The key to using anything less than rifle is getting close and putting the shot where it counts. So if you only hit a 10 inch circle at 10 yards with a handgun, handgun hunting isn't for you, but if you can hold a 4 inch group at 50 yards then you can hit a deer well enough to bring it down.

3. Should it be done? The general consensus is that you need 1000 fl/lbs of energy to kill a deer. A 45 ACP is only 400-500 at the muzzle. To get to 1000 you need a hot 45 Colt or 44 mag. Now personally I like the Taylor KO factor better than pure energy calculations which shows 12.7 for the 45 vs say 6 for a 223 despite the 223 having close to 3 times the energy. However a 223 would enter, expand, and probably exit, leaving two holes for blood loss, while a 45 will probably stay in the deer leaving only one larger hole for blood loss. So while it is borderline for caliber, if you are looking for a challenge and have the marksmanship to make the shot and the discipline to not take a bad shot, it would be a nice change. But if you just want to kill a deer, take a good rifle and leave the handgun at home.

I have not intentionally hunted with my 45 acp, but I did run across a sounder of hogs and shot about a 90 pound sow at around 40 yards. She fell after a short run but did not leave a blood trail. I was using 230 grain +p hollow points and found the bullet on the off side under the skin. I would not intentionally hunt deer with them, but most likely would not pass up an ethical shot if one was presented. You may not get a blood trail to follow so that could be an issue if its getting dark.

well, not w/my colt or 625 - in NC the bbl is 6" and over - and C&B revolvers are out unless the conversion cylinder is used - does'nt make sens to me as I've taken 2 wild/feral pig with both a '58 remmy (a smaller one about 100lb field dressed) and my ROA (larger dry sow about 200lb field dressed) here in NC depradation permit are allowed for them - which the nature conservancy had when I took the 2 on nat cons land useing black powder revolver loaded with slugs over a stout charge of 3f. a nephew was in the ground blind w/me useing his H&R 20ga mag loaded w#2 buck as 'emergency' back-up.
the big one I shot too far back it was trotting past us and I goofed the shot it spun and took off before nephew could get his shot off. so tracked it (partial snow cover a good blood and hoofprint trail) for over 1/4 m and gave a coup shot w/my ROA in the back of skull when found it laying in thicket the first slug was stuck in the off-side hide after going thru 2 ribs and tip of both lungs and other internals. tough critter but good eating
I have taken whitetail does some large - easily w/my Marlin Camp .45acp useing +P 185gr jhp. plenty of takedown power - actually have'nt recovered a slug from one yet. all one shot pass-thru a couple drt, some hopped a short ways

And I should also add, though it is a ways down the list, I would eventually use a 10mm long-slide for outdoor work in general.

I've taken deer with lead balls out of a Ruger Old Army.. stoked with as much FFF that could be seated under a ball - I think like 45 grains.. its been a long time but I still have the measure/thrower. It worked plenty good since that thing was as accurate as most any rifle.

I have taken two hogs with a .45 ACP (both DRT) but nothing larger. Those two kills were more kills of opportunity than "hunts".

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Alot of revolver guys believe a .44 or .45 with a cast bullet around 240-260gr at 900-1000 fps is a fine deer load. Supposedly such a load will penetrate a deer end-to-end. Buffalo Bore actually makes a .45 ACP+P that shoots 255gr at over 900fps, but it is a RN-FP which isn't so great as it leaves a smaller permanent wound channel. Double Tap makes a .45 ACP+P that shoots a 255gr SWC at 875fps. I think that might be the ticket. It's basically coming out of the muzzle just like a .45 Colt would launch it. You shouldn't really need any expansion, just a relatively clean-cut .45-caliber hole through the vitals will do it.

I would be very cautious about what kind of shot I would take. I would not make any assumptions. (I would think a hog would be HARDER to kill with a pistol than a deer, with the shoulder plate, etc.)

45 ACP is a hog slaying machine.....well I guess its an everything slaying machine. ;-)

I have done it once just to prove to myself that I could. Just like bow hunting, black powder, or any other primitive means of hunting, you have to know the limitations of yourself and your equipment. My 40-yd shot was with a 200 gr. JHP that broke the left shoulder, destroyed a lung, clipped an artery and lodged under the right shoulder. It wasn't a DRT shot, but that 140 lb. deer wasn't going far. I probably wouldn't do it again at longer range, or with a larger deer. At like or closer range, with a like or smaller deer, I would have no problems doing it again.

If you know your gun and can refrain taking shots to far or bad angles yes.
I have been a bow hunter for 25 years and have taken deer at bow ranges
with my 1911, I use hand loaded 230gr XTP's at 900fps and to date have not lost a deer.I do however let quite a few walk each year.Ive never taken a shot past 30yds,and I practice at 50 and further.

I was hunting with my oldest son a few years ago when an older doe walked out probably 25 ft in front of us, she was big and alone near the end of season so I figured why not. I shot her with a PM45 with a 3" barrel, bloodiest trail I've ever seen and the bullet didn't come out. It stopped on the outgoing side just under the hide. She ran a little less then 50 yards.

Certaindeaf said:

I've taken deer with lead balls out of a Ruger Old Army.. stoked with as much FFF that could be seated under a ball - I think like 45 grains.. its been a long time but I still have the measure/thrower. It worked plenty good since that thing was as accurate as most any rifle.

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Did those round balls exit the deer or remain in them?

3. Should it be done? The general consensus is that you need 1000 fl/lbs of energy to kill a deer. A 45 ACP is only 400-500 at the muzzle. To get to 1000 you need a hot 45 Colt or 44 mag. Now personally I like the Taylor KO factor better than pure energy calculations which shows 12.7 for the 45 vs say 6 for a 223 despite the 223 having close to 3 times the energy. However a 223 would enter, expand, and probably exit, leaving two holes for blood loss, while a 45 will probably stay in the deer leaving only one larger hole for blood loss. So while it is borderline for caliber, if you are looking for a challenge and have the marksmanship to make the shot and the discipline to not take a bad shot, it would be a nice change. But if you just want to kill a deer, take a good rifle and leave the handgun at home.

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1000ft lbs to kill a deer? A standard pressure 45colt will shoot all the way through a deer most any ways with a 255gr SWC. Far from a 1000ft/lb cartridge. I think 1000ft/lb is a slightly overkill standard for whitetails. We grow big deer here in IL, heck we grain feed them, but we certainly don't need that to kill them.

In Nebraska handguns with minimum of 400 ft lbs at 50 yds. are legal. Does the 230 grain .45 acp deliver that much? If not, how about the 180 grain .40?
I shot a good sized muley buck with a .44 mag Ruger Redhawk, which was very effective at 50 yrds. with one shot . In our wide open areas, I prefer my .270.
Thanks,
Rod van Pelt

Don't know what others require, but our state requires a min of 357 mag or better for deer hunting with handgun.

Jim

Not legal in IN 45LC is.

Every year on my little piece of wilderness in central il, we find a deer or two that was wounded and crossed over into our timber to die. I've tried out the 1911 on several of the carcasses and with a load I got out of a book I believe Mas Ayoob put out long ago, shot through the full body. Load was in a chapter titled "buffalo stompers" and my version of it was the RCBS 45-250 KT over a dose of unique. It will penetrate about 8" of dry pine and in bowling pin shoots slams the pins off the table like a sledge hammer. Little deformation on these wheel weight bullets. Have not used them on live game other than a couple of woodchucks. Did use the same design bullet in my 357 (38-250kt) to take two deer a few years back. Chrono onthe 45 was something like 950 fps. Would not hesitate to use them if the semi-auto were dnr legal.