40-50 gr 45 cal rb loads for deer?

Have any of you used lighter powder charges with 45 caliber roundball loads successfully (or unsuccessfully) for deer hunting?

Got a friend thats killed 3 with the 45 loaded with 50 that I built for him. All were 50 yrds or less one shot kills :hatsoff:

I also know feller that uses a 50grn charge in a 45 round ball rifle and he's harvested every deer he's shot at.

I can only specubate because we don't have any 45's.

But my wife's standard load in her short 54 cal is only 60 grains of 3f. She holds her shots (all broadside lung pokes) to 50 yards, and we're yet to recover a single ball from her deer. Through and through every time.

My specubation is that if you hold yourself to 50 yards and good clean shots, you won't have any trouble killing deer, whether or not there's enough oomph for two holes. But I bet there's plenty for that, too.

I hunt Eastern Ontario Whitetails (so NO dog-sized Bambi's) with a 40 cal.

With 60 grains of powder if produces about 200 foot pounds of retained energy out at 100. I won't shoot over 70 and between 35 and 50 yards would be my "comfort zone" (have to be serious, it's a 40 after all).

Have used this for the past 8 seasons. Haven't lost a deer shot with the 40 (4 of them) and each shot was a through and through.

Point is, a 45 cal ball over 40 or 50 grains of powder should be retaining 240/260 foot pounds (respectively) out at 100 yards - 20 to 30% MORE energy than my 40 - so if you keep the shots to a reasonable distance and only take a "standing still" broadside or quartering away shot with a perfect bead on the "boiler room", you would, in my opinion, have more than enough power to take down Bambi.



(2013 season, 40 cal, .395 ball, .018 pillow tick pre-lubed/wonder lube, 60 grains Goex FFF, 8 am, shot was 27 yards, ball went right through (post mortem showed it traveled through both lungs and nicked the heart on the way by) recovered in somewhat less than 100 yards)

(after I pulled the trigger I yelled from the stand "I shot you with a 54" - that caused him to lay down about 70 yards later :rotf: )

Great question. I have a 45 I was wanting to try out this season myself. I usually shoot 50 and 60 grains of 3f through it with great results at the range. Was hoping it was good enough to hunt whitetails with.

A 45 is more than enough rifle for a Whitetail.

If you are keeping the "power down" then just treat it the way you would a bow (if familiar) or a shot gun loaded with Buck shot.

Go at it with that mentality and you don't need gobs of powder pushing a lot of lead.

Some guys/gals just feel more comfortable launching a howitzer round. I go the other way and after almost upping my deer rifle to a 45 cal I am once again reverting and will be taking her down to a 38 cal.

For me it's about finesse, shot placement and the absolute patience to pass on any marginal shot, instead waiting for a perfectly "still" Bambi, in the needed profile, at a distance somewhat less than 50 yards.

If I simply want "meat" I have a 92 day bow season and 14 days of Center Fire to accomplish that.

My state requires muzzleloaders to be loaded with a minimum of 50 grains of black powder. I have killed quite a passel of deer with various .45s loaded with from 60 grains to 80 grains of 3F.

I prefer not to specubate.

I have taken deer with 50 grains charges and round ball. Most go completely through the deer. I feel confident that 50 is enough for fifty yard shots.

Hello galamb,
I hate to say it, but that picture looks like a goat with spike horn antlers :grin:
Just about any caliber will kill almost all creatures here, but if we really care for our game, we have to hunt responsibly.
I don't mean that we need 6" howitzers to shoot bunnies.
A 200 lb. white tail will fall to a well placed shot to the heart, brain or some other instant organ.
We do have to use something that will give us the edge to make up for any surprises.
Some states/provinces have minimum requirements for retained energy to qualify for proper humane kills.
Archery is different, and yet they also require minimum pound draw weight.
A .45 will do the job, but it must be moving along with adequate velocity.
Fred

My TC Hawken likes 70 grains of Triple Seven 2F and I have shot deer with it so loaded. I have no need to shoot less powder in a 45.

Minimum for whitetail in Arkansas is .40 cal. Lots of people I've met have used one and like them. I have a friend who uses a .58 prb on deer from a custom Hawken, and it just jerks the world out from under them. I have never killed a deer with a MLdr, but would not hesitate to use a.45 with an accurate load, not over 50-75 yds. Tree. :thumbsup:

I have a couple TC Senecas in 45's.I do not over charge those light framed guns.I have killed a couple with 50 grs/RB and have had them all drop with pass thru in the lungs.Here is a 50yd group.

[/url]DSCF1897 by t410er, on Flickr[/img]

Our standard in our .45s with prb is 65 gr. real bp. Kills em ded and no meat loss. 100 yards is my max range. Most have been killed 50-72 yards.

I target shoot with 50 grains in the 45 cal, but bump it up to 70 grains for deer hunting using 3f for both. This year 90 yards and the buck went 35 yards before moving on to the freezer. I have no doubt 50 grains could kill a deer just fine, I just perfer a stiffer load for the animals they deserve a quick humane ending, and I have hit the shoulder a few times by error and with 70 grains the ball past through no issues.

Between my wife and i, we've killed over 2 dozen whitetails and mulies with 60gr-3f w/prb and have only once found a ball still in the body. A 57yd head'on shot she took at a mulie doe. The ball was found under the hide, in front of the off side hip joint. 60gr-3f is more than enough, but does allow for slightly longer ranges! 100-125yds, no problem.

I totally agree with your 70 grns of 3F. It's easy to shoot and very effective. About 3 wks ago, a crew of us got together for a shoot. It was extremely windy so we chose to shoot somewhere other than our "range". However, I went back to where we had steel gongs set up. They're made of 1/4 inch plate. At about 25 yds, using 3F Goex, my .451 RB went right through the gong. Couldn't believe it!

My 45 cal load for my TC Hawken 45 is: 70 grains of triple seven 2F with a Hornady .440 ball. This load is easy to shoot as it is very light on recoil. Since Triple Seven is hotter than black powder my load is about like using 80 grains of Goex.

Lung shots yep they kill sweet. However on neck shots that miss the spine get ready for a long trail and a lost deer. IMHO