.45 LONG COLT/Whitetail

Status
Not open for further replies.
HOLY DIVER

HOLY DIVER

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2008
Messages
1,076
Location
spartanburg,SC
i bought a Ruger Blackhawk .45 LC to carry as my side arm(i never carried a sidearm before)but after talking with a Game Warden,i went and bought one.he told me about a deer hunter than ran across a coyote with rabies .long story short the sidearm he had saved him. now what kind of ammo should i use in the LC? state law prohibites hollow points,and all the cast round nose stuff i've found is "reduced cowboy loads" does somebody make a soft nose hunting round for the LC?
 
Poor choice for deer, full power handloads with a heavy softpoints are an OK round for medium game at close range, anything less fits into the cruel and unusual bracket. Now a fast expanding SP will make a mess out of a rabid yote so it would be good for that.
 
I agree that cowboy loads would be a poor choice for white-tail. But full-power .45 Colt (usually sold as .45 Colt +P or .45 Colt Magnum) is going to equal .44 Magnum.

Besides Buffalo Bore, look to Corbon (300 gr JSP @ 1300 fps) and Double Tap (255 gr Keith HC @ 1450).

That law about HPs is ridiculous...but you know that already.
 
Those Buffalo Bore rounds are designed for special large framed revolvers only, not standard pressure rounds. At those levels of power I put it in the same class as the 44 mag making it suitable for all medium game within handgun range. They do make a jacketd soft point that would be perfect for your needs. Warning though that 44 mag power comes at a price, it kicks like one.
 
The factory loads except for the custom loaders tend to be anemic (by .45 standards), but they will still take down a deer if well placed.

I use a .45lc with 8.0gr of Universal under a cast bullet. I've been using the Lee 255 FNGC for ~900fps. From my 24"bbl Winchester M94, it gets 1,200fps. At this speed it will completely penetrate a deer lenghtwise through the chest cavity and exit the pauch. This year, I bought a RCBS 270gr SAA SWC that I've been working with. It shoots very well with up to 10.0gr of Unique for over 1,000fps. This is about as warm as I care to shoot. At this level, the .45lc will do anything you want a hip-carry handgun to do.

If you don't reload, the Federal 225gr Lead SWC-HP will probably do what you want. If not, the warmer loads such as the Buffalo Bore will give you .44magnum type performance from the .45lc.

I've loaded some "warm" .45lc loads with a 300gr WFN-GC at 1,200fps. They aren't any fun to shoot as they are near .45Casull level recoil. But, my Ruger Redhawk (now sold off.... too darn heavy to wear in a holster all day!!!) would shoot near 1-hole with them at 25yds, if you could hold onto it.....

Even the "mouse fart" loads (ie: Cowboy Action Shooting) aren't really that anemic. Most are running ~800fps and with a 250-255gr bullet will do in a deer if you hit it right. Remember this is still more powerful than the .45acp with factory "service" ammo.

I'd be more concerned with shot placement and finding an accurate load from your BlackHawk and practicing with it. If you can reliably hit a quart oil bottle at 50yds, you are just about there.

I've owned/have various magnum handguns/cartridges, but the .45lc is my favorite. Big performance, low pressures for power level attained. Brass lasts almost as long as .38spl.
 
The debate over underpowerd rounds will go on forever. Somebody here keeps talking about how his 223 is a great deer rifle, and another guy swears that his 45ACP is enough, when you boil it all down sure a 22LR will kill a deer if you put it in his brain. And a 223 will do the trick on dog sized Flordia deer at close range, but if you want reliable performance on nice sized deer out to 100 yards and you don't want to rely strictly on headshots the universaly acceptable minimums are .243 Win in high speed rifle calibers, and 44 magnum in in large bore handgun bullets these can both give quick kills even at less then ideal angles which lesser rounds simply won't do. Very few experenced hunters would disagree that these are fully capable of reliable quick kills in real world situations. So I would advise you not to use standard power 45 LC loads or RN lead bullets. Am I saying that a 22-250, 45 LC, or 357 mag could not get a quick kill? No but you are much more limited in terms of bullet selection, range and angle of your shot, such limitations could easly overcome by using an exceptional deer cartrage rather then just a marginal one. 30-06/308/7mm Rem Mag/270 win or WSM for the recoil tolorent or 30-30/25-06/6.5x55/7mm-08/260rem for those who don't like to be kicked by thier rifle. Handguns don't get any low recoil options 44 mag, 454 Casull (+ comprabel 45LC loads) and 500 S&W.
 
The Buffalo Bore stuff is great and the .45 Colt in Ruger revolvers is equal to or better than the .44 Mag. High pressure .45 Colt rounds will serve you well for your requirements. However, do not discount standard pressure loads. Not the mouse fart "cowboy" loads; but loads with a 250 or so grain bullet between 900 and 1,000 fps. This was the original load back in the 1870's. It was designed for horse cavalrymen to shoot through horses broadside and it did so just fine. With modern SWC and WFN/LFN designs this power level would be even better. Buffalo Makes one or two of these as well and nothing is easier to handload if you do that. The .45 Colt in standard or high pressure config. will kill anything you want, very dead, and you don't have to break your hand if you don't want to.

And the no hollow point thing is absurd.
 
I load 255 gr hard cast SWC's to about 900 fps for my old S&W model 25. I shot a whitetail doe last season with it at 50 yards. Complete penetration from right shoulder to exit left rear rib cage. Needless to say, dead deer.

Don't worry about the .45 Colt being 'underpowered' unless you are after big-bodied heavy game or something that bites back aggressively.
 
In 45 long Colt, I load 260 grain cast bullets, either SWCs or FPRN, over a full charge of black powder. From a 7 1/2" barrel I get about 950 fps and stem to stern penetration on white tailed deer. I believe 8.5 to 9.0 grains of Unique will be a duplicate of this load.

These laods are safe in Colts and Colt clones so will be easily digested by the heavy Blackhawk revolver.
 
Last edited:
I cant forsee a situation where a sidearm would save me from a rabid coyote if i had a rifle at my immediate disposal. Maybe if there were 10 rabid coyotes?
 
Holy Diver, I don't know if you handload, but if you shoot that thing much, it may be worth getting into just for the .45 Colt. You save that much money. I can load 255 grain SWC bullets from Missouri Bullets for about $20 per hundred rounds. And they're going along at a little over 1,100 fps so they're plenty for whitetails.
 
law prohibites hollow points,
Click to expand...

:eek: What kind of commie state law is THAT? Me, I load a 300 grain XTP/JHP over a healthy charge of 2400 for 1200 fps out of a 7" gun. That load will do anything that a .44 mag will do, makes 1000 ft lbs at the muzzle. Best part, it's under SAAMI +P 25000 CUP limits, much lower pressure than a .44 mag, yet makes as much horsepower. I don't need no stinkin' .44 mag. :D Even on game that bites back, not a problem with horsepower.

If you don't handload, Buffalo Bore is your expensive, yet necessary option. For non-handloaders, I think .44 mag makes more sense, but I like the .45 Colt as a handloader. My two .45s are strong guns, a stainless Blackhawk and a TC Contender.

For practice loads, I use range scrap to cast my own 255 flat nose. I can load those for about 3 bucks a box of 50. I put 8.3 grains of Unique behind 'em.
 
just like 2 clear up a few things:i'll only use the 45lc on a whitetail in certain situations,directly under my tree stand,very close and impossible angle for my remmy 7mm-08 (my primary deer rifle) i have no intentions of using the 45lc for a primary weapon! oh yea about the coyote:it attacked the hunter from the rear,as the hunter turned he hit a tree and knocked his rifle from his hands.pulled his sidearm and killed the crazed coyote.i know in a perfect world world we never ever drop our rifle.....but some time things happen
 
Buffalo Bore 300 grain flat nose cast, big hogs no problem so deer are no problem. for whitetail the Winchestr silvertip work great, tougher game go with a cast flat nose or gas check even a semi wadcutter.
 
A Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt is an excellent hunting sidearm. I wouldn't shoot a deer with it when carrying a high powered rifle but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use it without the rifle at short range. I'd use Buffalo Bore or equivalent +P hand loads. I bought a lot from Conley Precision when they were selling boxes of 50 for around $30. What a steal!
 
Last edited:
60 cents per round for high quality hunting ammo is a steal compared to two to three times that for CorBon, Buffalo Bore, etc.

I've considered reloading. But I have very popular cartridges. The 45 Colt is my most expensive handgun round. It's also my least used. It's not worth me buying the equipment and spending my time to reload at this point.

Do you reload 9mm? 45 Auto? .30-06? .38 spl?

It's not worth my time...
 
Do you reload 9mm? 45 Auto? .30-06? .38 spl?
Click to expand...

Yep, yes sir, uh huh, sure do, as well as, 7mm.08, .357 mag, .44 mag, .303 brit., .30/30, .444 marlin, .22/250, .220 swift, .223, soon will be reloading .243 for one of the little ones, .500 S&W, and, when I get one, 6.8 spc :) Many say that I don't need the 6.8 since it is about the same as my 7mm.08 but oh well :)

As far as the OP's question, since you don't reload (I strongly recommend you get into it for the cost savings alone) that Conley Precision is pretty good stuff as well as Buffalo Bore. It has been so long since I bought factory ammo I guess I am a bit out of the loop there. A .45 lc is a pretty stout load and would easily bring down a deer at typical archery range (40 yards or less) as long as you do your part and hit it where it's supposed to be hit.
 
I've considered reloading. But I have very popular cartridges. The 45 Colt is my most expensive handgun round. It's also my least used. It's not worth me buying the equipment and spending my time to reload at this point.
Click to expand...

Don't take me long to knock out a few boxes with my progressives. I learned handloading from my grandpa at age 10 and up. I'm 59, reloading is just part of my chores in life. I'm retired, so it ain't like I'm having to do anything I don't enjoy and interrupting Wheel of Fortune isn't a big sacrifice. :D

Do you reload 9mm? 45 Auto? .30-06? .38 spl?
Click to expand...

Yep, and cast for 'em, you bet! Consider THIS, I can load 9x19 or most any other pistol round for less than 3 dollars a box of 50. I use range scrap I pick up at our club range for lead. They shoot great. I load with factory jacketed stuff for serious ammo, but mostly shoot my own cast bullets. I also pick up more 9 or .45 brass at the range than I fire, most times. I even load for 9x18 and other handgun calibers. 9x18 is neat because I can trim 9x19 brass for it and 9x19 is plentiful on the ground at the range.

Rifles, I don't reload .30-06 cause I don't have one. Yes, I've killed dozens of deer and other game without a .30-06, imagine that, who'd a thunk it. I load .257 Roberts (grandpa's old gun and my first to reload for when he gave it to me), .308, 7mm rem mag, 7x57 (sold that gun), 8x57, .30-30, 7mm TCU (find THAT on the shelves), 7.62x39, even cast for my muzzleloaders.

I do buy factory stuff occasionally, mostly cheap stuff like 9x18 mak. I have two rifles that have never fired a factory load and have killed plenty of game. One reason, the main reason for loading my rifles is tailoring the round to the gun for 1/2-3/4 MOA accuracy that is hard to get with factory ammo. I've also, over the years, optimized the .257 with the best powder I have found, H4831, that pushes a 117 grain bullet to 3050 fps and a 100 grain to 3150. You cannot BUY .257 Roberts ammo that's loaded to its potential, one MUST handload for it. And, I still use grandpa's old rifle, love to take it out because when I do, I can feel his presence over me, tellin' me, "Don't shoot the doe, boy, might be a buck come along behind her. Some day you'll know why." Ever have a rifle you hunted with only for the memories? I dearly loved my grandpa. I ain't gonna hang up his rifle just because I can't find decent ammo for it.

Anyway, I load the rifles for the superior ammo I can create for my rifles. I load my handguns mostly because I can shoot more at only 3 dollars a box and it doesn't take that much time. I have a dedicated press just for 9x19, a Dillon Square Deal. I bought that when I was shooting semi-serious IDPA and burning a LOT of rounds in practice. I could whip out the ammo on that thing for a practice session in an hour and a half of free time. And, the savings do add up if you shoot a lot. Practice makes perfect, or nearer perfect, ya know. :D

Back to .45 Colt, cast bullet 255 grain from a Lee mold over 8.3 grains Unique yields about 950 fps out of a 4 5/8" blackhawk and shoots into 1" with iron sights at 25 yards using sandbags for a rest. Cost of a box, under 3 dollars.
 
Do you reload 9mm? 45 Auto? .30-06? .38 spl?

It's not worth my time...
Click to expand...


Don't get me wrong, handloading isn't for everyone. It's obviously up to the individual, but you can save tons of money with rifle rounds like .30-06. Federal Premium 150 grain NBTs are about $40 a box. I can load them for right at $11 a box. That's why I load. For the record I don't save any money at all, but I sure burn through a lot more ammo than I would be able to otherwise.

I also agree with MCgunner, that if you don't handload, the .44 mag makes more sense.
Also, a standard .45 Colt load, pushing a 255 grain SWC at 900+ fps is more than enough to take a whitetail at close range, such as directly under your stand. You don't really need the amped up stuff for that IMO.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Boogerman59
  • Locked
45 Long Colt crimping
Replies
22
Views
707
Riomouse911
Riomouse911
T
  • Locked
.357 hunting loads
Replies
7
Views
422
[email protected]
K
B
  • Locked
45 long colt hunting round
2
Replies
31
Views
5K
subierex
S
B
  • Locked
Couple of Questions on Ruger Blackhawk
Replies
10
Views
823
AKElroy
A
B
  • Locked
Craving a new revolver
Replies
23
Views
1K
smkummer
S
Back
Top