Opinions wanted about velocity for hunting

[Hutch]

I don't know if this belongs here or in Hunting, but here it is.

In your opinion, what's the minimum velocity required of a .451 250 hard cast bullet for humane hunting of medium sized whitetail deer? Shots limited to 50 yds, good shot placement, yadda yadda.

Edit: Would a JHP be more suitable for this application? Hot Ruger-only .45 Colt is NOT what I'm asking for. Just minimum velocity (and bullet style, I guess) for short-range Eastern hunting.


Mods, feel free to move this if needed (as if you wouldn't anyway...)

 

[Jim Watson]

One of our club members hunted exclusively with .45 ACP and 230 JHPs after getting tired of rifle and bow. So a high end Colt load with that 250 gr SWC or LBT at say 900 fps ought to be fine.

 

[Hutch]

Thanks, Jim. Others?

 

[nicholst55]

The standard .45 Colt factory load of ~850-900 fps has killed many, many horses, buffalo, deer, etc. You don't need a fire-breathing 1300 fps load to kill a deer, despite what some would have you think.

Personally, I would choose a RFN or WFN style cast bullet for the task.

 

[DWFan]

I'd suggest an RCBS 45-270-SAA cast SWC over 7.5gr Titegroup in a .45 Colt. According to Brian Pearce, this load will generate approx. 950 fps from a 4" revolver barrel at a pressure of 14,000 psi (SAAMI .45 Colt max...NOT "+P"). This bullet can be gotten from a variety of sources.

 

[suemarkp]

Focus on impact velocity. How far do you intend to shoot? Pistol bullets drop like rocks and slow down quickly. But I think if it hits at 800 fps or faster, it should penetrate all the way through.

A JSP or JSP can be more effective, and typically need 1000 fps or more impact velocity to expand. But the answer as to what the impact velocity should be -vs- penetration is a complex one, because the amount of expansion isn't always the same. If only deer were always like 10% ordinance gelatin. You'll have to pick your bullet first (brand and weight) before someone could hope to offer impact velocity advice.

 

[MCgunner]

Magnum revolvers at 1400 + fps shoot pretty flat, flat enough for 100 yard shots properly sighted. I'd want a scope on it for that. You'd be at 45 degrees with a gun at 1000 fps MV trying to reach 100 yards. Exaggeration of course, but you get the point. I'll pick a magnum, .357 and up, for hunting, or I'll take my Contender and break all the rules, 2100 fps with a .30 caliber, 150 grain boat tail bullet.

 

[JaxJim]

800 fps with a 300 Grn Keith bullet will knock darn near anything in North America in the dirt.

 

[rcmodel]

Seeing as how the "Keith bullet" for the .45 Colt only weighs 255 grains, a 300 would be a rarity.

However, the 255 grain Keith will shoot clear through a deer coming or going, and sideways would be no challenge at all.

8.5 to 9.0 grains Unique is the old standard load, and will give 850 - 900 FPS in most any gun.

Hitting a deer at 100 yards with it would be no problem at all either.
I have killed coyotes at 75+ with that load, and a deer 25 yards further should be no big problem.

Your maximum effective range with it is the distance you can put all your shots on a standard size paper plate.

Whatever that distance is, is how far you can kill a deer with that load.

rc

 

[DWFan]

There is another option. Look at the "Ruger and Contender" loads for the .45 Colt listed in the Accurate Arms v3.3 online loading guide. Despite the name, these loads (except for the Barnes bullet loads) are simply the .45 Colt loaded to .45 ACP pressures; not the much higher pressure loads like Hodgdons lists. Velocities with a 255gr SWC can reach 1100+ fps and that should be plenty for hunting. The Lyman #454424 SWC would be ideal for this.

 

[jmortimer]

I would suggest the 270 grain Thunderhead from Penn Bullets
http://www.pennbullets.com/45/45-caliber.html
If you shoot at 950 fps it should shoot through a deer and make a big hole. Otherwise I would recommend the 265 grain "Keith" from Bear Tooth Bullets
http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm
Again at 950 fps it should shoot through a deer.

 

[44-henry]

I shot a deer a few years back with a Uberti 1873 Colt repro in 45 Colt using black powder handloads. My load was a 250 grain RNFP and about 37 grains of Goex 3fg. Out of the 7 1/2" barrel I was getting a bit over 1000 FPS. I got a nice broadside shot at a doe (about 35-40 yards) and the slug punched through both shoulders with that load. I think there was ample power present even from a load that approximates the early 45 Colt loads. A lot of writers want you to believe you need the latest and greatest gear to go hunting, but they are forgetting all of God's creatures that fell to the technology of the past. Sometimes simpler is better and a lot more satisfying.

 

[tango2echo]

See post #9.

RC spoke the truth as well as it could be said.

T2E