Whitetails and .45's...undergunned?

[Skychief]

Have any of you felt undergunned when hunting whitetails out to 100 yards with .45's and prb's? Any actual hunting results, good or bad are appreciated. I have hunted them with the .50 prb, but am attracted to the .45's for a change and excuse for a new rifle :wink: . Please let me know your thoughts/experiences about .45's for whitetails! Skychief. :thumbsup:

 

[Kentuckywindage]

You need ATLEAST a .300 Magnum with a 4.5-14x Scope, camo stock that matches your surroundings, scent blocker hunting suite, No scent undie wash and a set of them purdy silky like long johns that fit tight and makes you shake yer hips everytime you look in the mirror.







Yeah seriously, With a .45cal shooting .440 Patched round ball, i'd like a 80-90grain load for 100 yard shooting. It all just depends on how the accuracy is with a bigger load.

For my .50cal flinter i use 110gr 3f goex, .018 pillow ticking and a homecast .490 ball for 100yard hunting for mule deer.

 

[Britsmoothy]

:rotf: :rotf:
In dumb Britain I don't even have a choice legal wise! I would jump at the chance though for a deer rifle all the way down to a .40.
I had a .45 for target use and remember how it would put a ball in three inch groups all day swabbing the bore after loading. it could perferate a lung box no worries. More is not allways better but your .50 surely is ideal no?

Britsmoothy.

 

[Mountainman56]

I hunted whitetail and muleys with a .45 TC for many years and never felt undergunned. If I remember my load was 90 grains of FFFg and a .440 ball. I would practice by shooting 3 1/2" square wood blocks off the gatepost at 100 yards (Of course this was 30 years ago when my eyes worked properly)

Just be sure of your bullet placement and wait for a standing broadside shot. You'll get both lungs and he won't go any further than he would with a .50

 

[roundball]

The .45 has been a favorite caliber of mine for years...that said, I do feel a little undergunned with it compared to the larger calibers...shot placement is always importanmt, but with my .45 I am the most sensitive about shot placement, no bones, etc...I consider it the .243 of muzzleloaders.

Hunting in fairly thick woods the longest .45cal shot I've taken was a 6 pointer at 60yds...waited for a perfect unobstructed broadside line through his heart and he dropped in sight of me.

But, unlike all my other caliber PRB loads which make complete pass-thoughs, the little .440" broke a rib going in and stopped on the far side bulging the hide behind his far elbow...(90grns Goex 3F, Oxyoke wad, .018" P/T).

When I think of extending that range from 60 to 100yds I know there will be a lot less steam behind that little small mass 128grn ball...and that's what makes me feel a little under gunned..."marginally-gunned" might be a better way to say it...at longer distances.

I do think the .45cal is an outstanding caliber for general woods hunting for the typical 25/50 to 75yd shot but if I was going hunting in an area where the "average shot" would be 100yds (75-125yds) personally I'd take a larger caliber...that's just me

 

[pchwcf50110]

good post Roundball. i like the ".243 of ML's" line. personally i think the notion of poor performance with PRB's that modern hunters have was started in the 1970's-'80's when there were alot of .45 cals around and people were taking any ole shot at deer using PRB's and losing them. like Roundball says pick your shots carefully as there is not the extra punch that the bigger bores have.

 

[Skychief]

Thanks for the replies guys! Good feedback! :thumbsup:

 

[Osprey]

I've taken 2 whitetails and 2 sika so far last year and this year with 2 different .45's, both shooting .440 RB and 60 grains FFF. No problem with any, never felt undergunned, longest shot was 80 yards on one of the whitetails, ball was lodged under the far skin, even broke one shoulder bone.

 

[Trench]

I love the excuses we come up with to buy new rifles. :wink: I went the other route with my excuse though. I said I "needed" to get a .58 for piece-of-mind shots out to 100yds.

You know, if you can put that ball where it needs to go, I'm sure 100 yd shots are feasible. Then again, if we're trying to hone our hunting skills, we should be able to get within 50 yds anyway. Hmmm :grin: , that argument seems to negate my need for a .58....I think I'll just forget it. :grin:

 

[PreglerD]

During 2 years I have harvested 9 roedeer with my .50 ML using PRB. In 3 cases the ball didn't pennetrate the deer. 1) chest shot 2) shot through the diaphragm, lounge, opposite shoulder blade, neck, got stuck under neck skin 3) last doe, see posting. And I used always a 90 grs charge of WANO PP. What I want to say is that with the .45 shot placement and distance is really necessary.

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[tg]

I hunt Blacktails they are smaller than the whitetails or Muleys and have had good luck with the .45 I think 100 yds is a bit far, I tried to keep the shots 50-75 yds but I usually tried that with even the bigger bore rifles, I have always tried to think more like archery than gun hunting when using mL's

 

[SimonKenton]

What muzzleloaders CAN you use with the gun Nazis over there?

-Ray

 

[Britsmoothy]

Legal wise, birds and small game with a shotgun. Shotgun being defined by a gun over 24" of barrel and over 44" overall.(and smoothbore).
Allthough no basis in actual law exists they (the mob) will not allow a muzzleloading rifle for hunting, you may only own one for target use via a club.
There is also no legal reason why a person can not own say a 45/70 stuffed full of black and take deer in a single shot platform, go figure :hmm:

Stupid Britain, good job smoothbores are versatile hey :thumbsup:

Britsmoothy.

 

[jimmy82]

Hit a deer in the spine at 100 yds with a .440 on top of 80grs pyrodex RS. (i know, i've since seen the light that is Goex :v )

It was enough to knock out the spine and thus everything south of impact. That is the only deer I have taken with bp so I can't comment on vital hits. But it did a whammy on the spinal cord and vertebrae.

 

[Mull Dover]

I have a friend in Nebrska who hunted deer for many years with a .36. killed a lot of deer until the GFP people caught up with him and told him a .36 wasn't a deer rifle and not legal to use.
My own granddad shot more deer with a .22 than I'm likely to ever kill. He fed his family through tough times, and knew how to get close and put that little bullet where he needed to. A .45 is fine if you pass on marginal shots and extended ranges.

Just my 2% of a buck,
Don

 

[fort fireman]

This is my first year hunting with my 45 cal. I am using 70 grs of 3fg. I feel very comforatable shooting up to 70 or so yards. The woods I'm hunting in won't allow a shot much further than that anyhow so it works out well :grin: Good luck with your 45 and hopefully we'll see a post later on with good news!