45 lc capabilities

[45lcrevolver]

Is a 45 long colt 300 grain xtp, loaded to about 730 to 800 fps, enough to kill a deer at 50 yards? The reason that 730-800 fps if my max is because I am using a uberti cattleman this year for gun season. Thank for help and any load info to achieve this speed would be much appreciated Ty.

 

[Leanwolf]

"Is a 45 long colt 300 grain xtp, loaded to about 730 to 800 fps, enough to kill a deer at 50 yards?"

Indeed it is.

You put that .45 Colt pill behind a buck's shoulder at that range and you'll need to get out your skinning knife.

I've killed several bucks within 50 or 60 yards with my Colt's New Frontier .45 Colt, using the 265 grains SWC bullet in front of 9.0 grains of Unique. Shoot accurately and you'll have no problem.

L.W.

 

[CraigC]

Skip the 300gr XTP. It's more bullet than you need and it won't expand anyway. Use a good standard weight bullet (250-260gr), push it to 900fps and kill any deer that walks.

 

[Dnaltrop]

You're in my Boat... have to baby the Iron of choice on our hips if we want to keep them around.

My Schofield replica is not made for high pressure rounds, I'll have to pick up a Super Blackhawk for my brother-in-laws hog hunt if I don't want to accelerate the wear on the gun.

Top-breaks are great for fast reloads, but there is an inherent weakness at the top of the frame. The hottest rounds I put through it are my SD Winchester Silvertip 225gr. They actually feel softer than off the shelf 250 grain cowboy loads.

Lead has GREAT transfer of energy. Leanwolf and CraigC are steering you the right direction.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Is a 45 long colt 300 grain xtp, loaded to about 730 to 800 fps, enough to kill a deer at 50 yards? The reason that 730-800 fps if my max is because I am using a uberti cattleman this year for gun season. Thank for help and any load info to achieve this speed would be much appreciated Ty.

The .45 Colt round was developed to fire a 250gr LRN bullet at ~900 fps for the express intent of taking a horse right out from under it's rider. It did that very well and will still do that very well. If a 250gr bullet will go clear through a horse it will easily kill a thin skinned animal like a deer.

Are you really going to use a Colt SAA clone for deer hunting?

 

[Lawdawg45]

"I am using a uberti cattleman this year for gun season"

Just make sure you can make an ethical and humane shot at 50 yards with a short barreled handgun with fixed sights.

LD45

 

[critter]

Last fall, I used an old S&W 25-5 in .45 Colt deer hunting. I was using 255 gr SWC hard cast bullets at about 900 fps. I shot a 110 lb doe at 50 yds at the point of the right shoulder. Bullet exited through the ribs on the off side. She expired after about a 35 yd dash.

Your bullet will do just fine, but the heavy weight is not necessary for game of that size. Good luck and have fun cause handgun hunting is a 'blast'.

 

[HankR]

Sounds as if most of you handgun hunt with regular lead bullets? 250 ish grain "Keith" or semi-wadcutter? Any particular concerns about lead in the meat if the bullet comes apart? I guess most of the (rifle) hunting bullets I've cut out of game have a lead mushroom exposed and possibly breaking off anyway.

 

[45lcrevolver]

Thanks for info. I just figured te heavier the better. I just didn't know if it was going to be enough speed. I am capable of making a very decent shot up to 60 yards, about an 8in spread but a am better at 40-50 yards where I can group about 6in consistently. Well thanks for all this info and good shooting!

 

[MachIVshooter]

Deer aren't bullet resistant; If it'll kill a man, it'll kill a deer.

That said, make sure you don't have minimum energy requirements to meet in your state. Here in CO, it's 550 ft/lbs at 50 yards. At minimum, that's a hot 10mm or .357 Mag load. Standard pressure .45 Colt won't make the cut.

 

[Lucky Derby]

"I am using a uberti cattleman this year for gun season"

Just make sure you can make an ethical and humane shot at 50 yards with a short barreled handgun with fixed sights.

LD45

Who said it was short barreled? The standard length for the military SAA was 7.5". I have seen Ubertis with 12" barrels. Just because the 4.75" and 5.5" are more common now, don't assume that is what the OP has.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Hank, generally I found the slug under the skin on the opposite side, or it passed through. I did look carefully for lead and sometimes found bits. I switched to the Hornady 300gr over a dose of H110 and got clean pass throughs on deer every time and pretty steady kills with minimal tracking.
I did, however, beef up my Ruger Bisley with a belt mountain basepin, had the cylinder honed for the jacketed bullet diameter, and a few other tricks. I generally just braced against a tree and got really good precise shots.

 

[dagger dog]

0.452-0.452" holes, thats near 1/2", punch a 1/2" hole through both of your lungs and see how far you'll run.

The whole thing behind the 300 grain bullet is, it don't need to expand ! pun intended

 

[HankR]

I switched to the Hornady 300gr...

wheelgunslinger, is this (jacketed HP XTP)

http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Cal-.452-300-gr-HP-XTP/

what you're talking about?


Regarding minimum energy requirements, the way I'm reading our law I think I need commercially loaded ammo w/ the minimum requirements, but I thought I'd see if I could roll my own to make the cut off. I don't recall the energy requirement right now, but it was well below the "Ruger only" loads even out of my 5.5 inch barrel. I'm shooting a Blackhawk, but prefer not to shoot the wrist-buster loadings.

 

[USSR]

Any particular concerns about lead in the meat if the bullet comes apart?

Not really. Millions of game animals have been shot with lead bullets (to say nothing of all the small game shot with lead shot from shotguns), and the instances of lead poisoning are nil.

Don

 

[kludge]

A 255gr LSWC "Keith" bullet will do the job. So will the 250gr XTP. At standard pressure you can get up to ~950 fps.

If you want to use 300gr bullets, I would just use lead.

Get out your paper plates and start practicing. Lead bullets make that a bit more affordable.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Hank,
The cartridge pictured is a primerless dummy round used to check cylinder fit and set the press up.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Bear in mind that I was using a Ruger that had been beefed up with higher quality components, not a SAA clone.

With a dose of H110, the thing spit fire out of everywhere and really launched the hp pretty hard. Not for the faint of heart or hardware.
But, reloading is supposed to be fun and intellectually challenging. That's how I see it anyway.

 

[HankR]

Lead bullets make that (practice) a bit more affordable

Hence my question. I'm a bit on the [STRIKE]cheap[/STRIKE] frugal side. I'd rather practice w/ lead and have not yet worked up a lead load that duplicates the load I'd use for hunting in this gun. If lead is OK I'm more likely to tote the Ruger along next year.

 

[daorhgih]

So , about my Judge ...

I'd like to find published data on velocity, powder, and loads for my 3"x3" which they sell as "Magnum Judge." There is even a model even shoots ,454 Cass., but my cylinder is stepped to prevent that happening here. Other than a lot of "Don'ts", there seems to be a paucity of data concerning the cylinder pressure capabilities of ANY Taurus .45C/.410 bore guns. Ammo for the Taurus in Steel-cased 3" shot shell cases seems to have a tappable reloaders potential; am I overlooking some potential dangers also? Thanks. DAO

 

[kludge]

Hence my question. I'm a bit on the [STRIKE]cheap[/STRIKE] frugal side. I'd rather practice w/ lead and have not yet worked up a lead load that duplicates the load I'd use for hunting in this gun. If lead is OK I'm more likely to tote the Ruger along next year.

I would not worry a bit about the lead bullets mushrooming/breaking in the animal. Even if it were pure lead and dead soft I don't think I would worry.

A brinell harness of, oh I don't know 11-13, will be fine for standard pressure .45 Colt loads and, yes they will deform a bit when hitting bone but they aren't going to break or shatter. For hot .45 Colt loads (Ruger only) you will want something harder, like ~18 brinell hardness.

The damaged meat around the bullet hole is going to be cut away regardless of the type of bullet used.

 

[kludge]

I'd like to find published data on velocity, powder, and loads for my 3"x3" which they sell as "Magnum Judge." There is even a model even shoots ,454 Cass., but my cylinder is stepped to prevent that happening here. Other than a lot of "Don'ts", there seems to be a paucity of data concerning the cylinder pressure capabilities of ANY Taurus .45C/.410 bore guns. Ammo for the Taurus in Steel-cased 3" shot shell cases seems to have a tappable reloaders potential; am I overlooking some potential dangers also? Thanks. DAO

Use only standard pressure .45 Colt loads in the Judge.

The Raging Judge Magnum will probably be fine with Ruger Only loads.

 

[daorhgih]

Limited experimenting , then.

Thanks!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Any particular concerns about lead in the meat if the bullet comes apart?

Not really. Millions of game animals have been shot with lead bullets (to say nothing of all the small game shot with lead shot from shotguns), and the instances of lead poisoning are nil.

I was about to say the same thing. Man has been hunting with lead bullets for many hundreds of years including very soft lead round ball in Flintlocks. Remember, jacketed hunting bullets only came along in the late 1950's (I think, could be wrong) and before that everything was lead.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

jacketed hunting bullets only came along in the late 1950's (I think, could be wrong)

1890s. Smokeless powder overpowered lead, and the solution to that was a "metal patched" or jacketed bullet. Captain Bertie Davis at Dum Dum Arsenal in India was charged with developing a solution to the new .303 Enfield's lack of stopping power. He redesigned the bullet, cutting the jacket a bit shorter and inserting jacket and core into the forming die backward, creating the softpoint bullet.