.45 ACP Nay-sayers. . .

[RockinU]

Really??? Actually I would say exactly the opposite. What does it say then?

A kill is about the best proof you can get. What does it take for people to realize how deadly most firearms can be when used properly?

What exactly is the determining standard? Who decides that a .45 ACP is not good for whitetail deer? Apparently it is good enough for some.

I think the point he is trying to make is that just because cartridge X can kill game animal Y under ideal conditions doesn't necessarily mean that it is a good choice for game animal Y since ideal conditions may not be the norm. To put an extreme point on it, I feel quite certain that under the right circumstances I could kill a deer with a claw hammer, however I do not think it is appropriate to hunt deer with claw hammers.

 

[MCgunner]

Animals are helpless. How we treat them is a direct reflection on us. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard and try to minimize the pain and suffering of these creatures, when we kill them.

I mean, I understand what you're sayin' and agree pretty much, but there's something oxymoronic about this paragraph. LOL! We need to be kind to the poor deer when we kill it? ROFL!

Where I see flaws in your logic is that bow kills are NOT that quick. Often game is lost, well, more often than with a .300 mag I reckon. First of all, the bow is not as accurate, is very dependent on ranging even at inside 50 yards, and it relies on bleed out to kill which takes time and is why you don't get many bang flops...or twang flops, with a bow. Would you say bow hunting is cruel, inhumane, and should be outlawed? If so, I wouldn't agree. Would you say killing game should be done with overkill? Would you say the .45ACP at 40 yards is less effective than a 60 lb compound bow? I ain't goin' that far, myself.

No, I don't care to hunt with the .45ACP, but I've done it with the .357 Magnum. Yeah, more energy, a whole, whoppin' 250 ft lbs or so.

The law here categorizes a .45 ACP right along with a .218 Bee or a .22 short. Also illegal are all .22 caliber center fire rifles such as a .22-250.

Hmm, well, in Texas, the .218 Bee is perfectly legal. The .22-250 is one of the more popular low recoil deer rifles. I don't hunt with either, I'm just sayin', not everwhere is Wyoming. Maybe Texans are just better marksmen, eh? Yeah, I know, the deer are small, but the hogs ain't.

Anyway, I don't judge calibers via the law. The law is often stupid, especially game law.....case in point, steel shot. God only knows how many more geese have been crippled since the advent of steel shot laws. I'd be willing to bet it's FAR more than would ever have died of lead poisoning. And then there's the fact that the very same fields I hunt geese on are hunted several months prior for doves and lead is perfectly legal for doves on these same fields! In fact, during December or early January, there is a late dove season that runs concurrent to goose season. A dove hunter could be 300 yards from goose hunters and using lead and the goose hunters must use steel. Stupid. But, that's another subject.

 

[MCgunner]

BTW, I never advocate anyone hunt deer or hogs with the .45ACP or .22 centerfires. That does not mean they can't be capable with limited range in the hands of a skilled shooter. Most deer hunters around here spend about 2 hours a year at the range siting in...if they do that, and go deer hunting. A box of ammo will last 'em 10 years. Generally, no, there are better calibers even for the skilled hunter. But, I'm not going to say those calibers are totally incapable of killing bigger game with restrictions.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I am late to this thread but I will try to steer it back on course.

I too have shot and killed a deer with the 45 ACP. I did this with a Commander length Para Ordinance P-13. I shot the above average sized doe directly in the earhole at a range of 6 yds. I was hunting from the ground and made the shot while the deer's head was down nosing the ground. There was not an exit wound and death was instant. I skinned the skull out and the majority of the brain had turned to mush and the point of impact produced a hole roughly 3 times the size of the 230 grain Federal Hydra Shok I was using.

I am not trying to belittle the OP here in his success with the 45 ACP cartridge as I am trying to be serious here and relay the facts.

My point is that I would not have taken the shot with my handgun at any range further than 10 yds and I would have tried no other shot than the head shot. In my own case and the OPs we were both successful because we knew our limitations and made accurate shot placement. Who knows maybe a little luck too.