Would you deer hunt with a .45LC revolver and low pressure ammo?

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I wouldn't put Buffalo Bore through a Pietta or other replica. Or standard SAA. Ruger Blackhawk, Freedom Arms, sure.
My load is simple. Ruger Blackhawk, 45 Colt, RCBS 45-255KT, and 18 grains of 2400. I put red nail polish on the primers so in my dotage they don't get into my ROA conversion. Probably wouldn't fit anywatpy, but.
 
I can't shoot my 44 Mag anymore. My son let me shoot the Super Blackhawk I gave him with 44 Special loads. I could handle that. Thinking about bringing it to my stand in case a deer appears right under me again.
 
My three favorite deer “rifles” are Super Blackhawk Hunters in 41, 44, and 45c. I use the 45 most often nowadays. It’s loaded with a 270 grain WNFP at about 950fps. Longest shot so far has been 63 yards. A 45 caliber hole on both sides will leave a blood trail a blind man could follow, and unlike fast moving ballistic tipped bullets, you can eat the meat right up to the hole.
 
d2wing said:
I can't shoot my 44 Mag anymore. My son let me shoot the Super Blackhawk I gave him with 44 Special loads. I could handle that. Thinking about bringing it to my stand in case a deer appears right under me again.
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I like to keep my Plains Pistol or EL Patron on my right side, on the ground, when I'm sitting on the ground when calling Couger or hopefully a bear. I figure at close range that will work better than trying to swing way over to my right with the rifle, should something come in close from my right side.

I was calling Coyote one day, with my 1911A1 in that position, and the 'Yote came in from behind me on the right, real close. But, I got a bit flustered and surprised and popped off about five or six shots at it, missed every time.
 
I shoot Buffalo Bore RNFP lead in mine, wouldn't have a problem shooting a deer under 50y. In either my 7.5 1875 Remington clone or my Ruger Blackhawk
 
Ugly Sauce said:
I like to keep my Plains Pistol or EL Patron on my right side, on the ground, when I'm sitting on the ground when calling Couger or hopefully a bear. I figure at close range that will work better than trying to swing way over to my right with the rifle, should something come in close from my right side.

I was calling Coyote one day, with my 1911A1 in that position, and the 'Yote came in from behind me on the right, real close. But, I got a bit flustered and surprised and popped off about five or six shots at it, missed every time.
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A situation like that is why I started carrying a pistol while rifle hunting. Once I sat on a log by a trail and a deer came walking up the trail. behind me to the right. I was motionless and washed my clothes and bathed myself in baking soda so I didn't smell. He paused alongside me, before he stepped past me. I was able to shoot left-handed and got him. Another time a big buck walked right up to myself and my daughter from our right. I had left a doe scent trail. Finally, with my rifle I tried to swing around and shoot but he was so quick I missed.
 
I would have no problems hunting with a standard large bore load. 44 special, 45 colt. No need for +p style loadings with careful shot selection and close ranges.
 
Would you deer hunt with a .45LC revolver and low pressure ammo?
Heck no. I don't know how many times I've stated here on THR that less than 1 in 3 Idaho deer hunters even get a deer. If I'm deer hunting, I sure not going to be restricting myself to only shooting deer that are 50 yards or less away.
Now go ahead - tell me all about bow hunters. That's entirely different - bow hunters have a different (earlier) deer season, and if they don't get a deer with their bow, they're still allowed to hunt deer during "any weapon" season - which means they can legally hunt deer with a bow, a handgun, a muzzleloader, or even a flat-shooting 30 caliber magnum if they want. Still, less than 1 in 3 of them is going to get a deer in Idaho. o_O
 
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Dang. In Washington, you choose your weapon, and that's it. You have to buy either a archery, muzzle-loader, or "modern" tag for each species. If you have a modern tag, you can use a bow, or ML, (or .300 Super Duper Ultra Nuclear Double Magnum) but only during modern season. If you have a ML tag, you can also use a bow, but only during ML season. Archery tag, only a bow.

Now that the wolves arrived, we might be in that 1 in 3 zone, or at least up in the North East corner. I have a 120 yard range limitation with my Jeager, but I'm okay with that, most of my hunting is in pretty dense forest. Some days when I'm not eager to drag something out for miles, skin, butcher and all that, I'll take Bessie, which has a 70 yard "ethical" range. That's a pretty good 40 yards over a bow. (50 yards with a bow is not going to happen often, no matter what the compound bow users say.)

Some animals like bear and cougars are "any legal weapon" tags. But not deer, moose and elk.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Dang. In Washington, you choose your weapon, and that's it. You have to buy either a archery, muzzle-loader, or "modern" tag for each species. If you have a modern tag, you can use a bow, or ML, (or .300 Super Duper Ultra Nuclear Double Magnum) but only during modern season. If you have a ML tag, you can also use a bow, but only during ML season. Archery tag, only a bow.

Now that the wolves arrived, we might be in that 1 in 3 zone, or at least up in the North East corner. I have a 120 yard range limitation with my Jeager, but I'm okay with that, most of my hunting is in pretty dense forest. Some days when I'm not eager to drag something out for miles, skin, butcher and all that, I'll take Bessie, which has a 70 yard "ethical" range. That's a pretty good 40 yards over a bow. (50 yards with a bow is not going to happen often, no matter what the compound bow users say.)

Some animals like bear and cougars are "any legal weapon" tags. But not deer, moose and elk.
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Yes I disliked that aspect of the Wa system.
 
Yes, a 250-260gr cast bullet at 900fps will fully penetrate any deer that walks, from nearly any angle.


PapaG said:
I wouldn't put Buffalo Bore through a Pietta or other replica. Or standard SAA. Ruger Blackhawk, Freedom Arms, sure.
My load is simple. Ruger Blackhawk, 45 Colt, RCBS 45-255KT, and 18 grains of 2400. I put red nail polish on the primers so in my dotage they don't get into my ROA conversion. Probably wouldn't fit anywatpy, but.
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Buffalo Bore has standard pressure loads that will work just fine. Just not that 325gr at 1300fps. ;)


Highland Lofts said:
I don't like useing handguns for large game. It can be done but it just doesn't deliver the punch that a rifle does. Lots of guys hunt deer with handguns , if that's what you have to do have at it, just isn't for me.
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You won't get the "bang-flop" that you get with a rifle but with proper loads, handguns work with boring regularity. The only thing a rifle gains you is range.


.308 Norma said:
Would you deer hunt with a .45LC revolver and low pressure ammo?
Heck no. I don't know how many times I've stated here on THR that less than 1 in 3 Idaho deer hunters even get a deer. If I'm deer hunting, I sure not going to be restricting myself to only shooting deer that are 50 yards or less away.
Now go ahead - tell me all about bow hunters. That's entirely different - bow hunters have a different (earlier) deer season, and if they don't get a deer with their bow, they're still allowed to hunt deer during "any weapon" season - which means they can legally hunt deer with a bow, a handgun, a muzzleloader, or even a flat-shooting 30 caliber magnum if they want. Still, less than 1 in 3 of them is going to get a deer in Idaho. o_O
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I can understand that. I 'think' I want to take a bull elk with a flintlock but I also think, as much as that hunt costs, I want to maximize my chances of success. So it will probably be with a .338.

That said, around here, deer are like flies on a cow and we can shoot a bunch of them in a season. Plus 100yds is a long shot so we have the option of experimentation and trying different things.
 
zdc1775 said:
I've only killed one deer with my 45 Colt at this point but that was with a 255 gr semi wadcutter that runs right at 950 fps in my Blackhawk. Shot was a high double lung hit at 35 yards, complete pass through, and the deer ran just over 100 yards before it dropped.
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Interesting, sounds like exactly what one would expect from an archery kill with similar shot placement.
 
Standard pressure 250 grs 15 BHN cast will go through and through unless you hit shoulder bone, and still may do, at the distances at which sighting is reliable. The latter would be my concern.
 
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