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45 CAL for white tail?

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4570tc

40 Cal.
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
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Does anyone have any experience with hunting WT Deer with a 45 cal, and with Round ball?? How did it do? Range limits? ability to anchor the animal?

I have taken Many deer with my 58 cals. But messed up MY shoulder (Motorized Horse accident).
so now it is a excuse to build another stone buster!
 
The smallest I have used is a .50, loaded with 60 grains 3f, or 70 2f.. A .45 preforms almost equal to that. Cant prove it at this point in time but will lay money that a third or more of the boys and girls on this forum have made meat with a .45.
Shot placement is a lot more important then ball size. Through and through the chest with a .45 will drop 200 lbs of deer just as dead as a .75
 
I built a friend of mine a 45 a few yrs back an so far he is 3 for 3 with a ball pushed by 70 grs of FFFG. He hunts close like I do an all shots were inside 50 yrds :hatsoff:
 
I have a friend who uses a .45 T-C, 75 grs FFFg, and he consistently takes Ohio whitetails with it. Like me he hunts thicker wooded areas, 50 yards is a long shot, typical would be 25, and he only takes broadside lung shots. He hasn't lost one yet.
 
The ones I shot with my 45 all were DRT,45 cal PRB,,65 gns FFF. know your limits and the rifle and you should have no problems.My self imposed max range is 75 yds much prefer 50 yds or under.
What will5a1 said.
 
Two with a round ball 80 grs 3f. About 50 yds broadside lung shot. One with a Maxi ball 240 gr and 80 gr 3f about 75 yds. Quartering away shot. Lungs hit and exited front shoulder. all dead in 100 feet or so. Shoulder shot went down then 3 legged run into the ground. Round ball needs good access to the vitals. Maxi has a bit more leeway. Shot placement and enough power is always the key.

Larry
 
The DNR has already done you the favor of answering that question for you as caliber restrictions are largely based on what they consider humane for harvesting a particular animal, you just have to worry about putting it behind the front shoulder. Additionally, I could not recommend this book higher as it is the shooter's bible of black powder ballistics:
http://www.logcabinshop.com/catalog.php?path=188_148_64&product_id=26124
 
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Fwiw, my 1st cousin (Randy up in Gregg County, TX) has taken NUMEROUS (like a dozen or more) WT with his .40 caliber LH TN-mountain flinter.

Otoh, he is a dead shot with any firearm & FAR better than I will EVER be, so his experiences with the flinter may NOT be typical.
Also, we hunt deer in Sulphur River bottoms & the brush is so thick there that in most places you cannot SEE a deer beyond 30-50M.
(Randy on Opening Day of the ML season in 2009 killed a 9-point buck 8 steps from the tree that he was sitting in. = The buck never knew what hit him. Hit & GYD right there.)

ImVho, in the hands of a "cool shot" the .45 caliber is just FINE for WT.

yours, satx
 
I shot a nice big doe last winter with my 45 prb 80gr 3fff at about 35-40 yrds. Thru and thru double lung she ran maybe 40 yrds and piled up! First time I ever used the 45 for deer but I would not hesitate to use it again. My main deer gun is a 54 cal hawken and I love the way it puts em down but I wanted to get one with the 45 just to be able to say I did.
 
TC Hawken 45 with 70 grains of Triple Seven 2F and round ball. 50 yards broadside, deer hit a little back but lots of damage. however deer ran 200 yards and didn't find blood until I had found the deer. I think it will do ok, as long as you don't try to push the distance.
 
Used a .45 for Texas whitetails for decades with only tow, in all those years, requiring a second shot. Both times clipped a twig or something and deflected slightly. Keep shots in teh 75 to 100 yard range...preferably the lesser and aim for heart/lung. Powdder charges have run in the 75 to 90 grain range. Always does the trick.
 
Round ball and 90 grains behind it has worked just as well as my 50 for me many times...agree with the others on here, placement is more important than the size of the bullet.
 
Had a young guy ask me what I used for deer hunting once. (He was shooting one of those black front loading guns) I told him 60 gr. and a patched rb. He asked again, what I used for deer hunting, saying that wasn't enough to kill a deer. I told him the same load again, and that no deer had ever complained. Shot placement is more important then how heavy a load you can shoot. I feel that if your rb can pass thru a 2"x4" at 75 yards, then it will break thru a deers rib and kill at that same yardage.
 
"The DNR has already done you the favor of...."

ODNR min. allowable caliber requirements (.38 in muzzleloading rifle) are, in my opinion, too light, at least when it comes to a PRB. A .370 RB weighs about 80 grs. if I recall, the .440 about 130 grs, for me a .38 is a squirrel gun. Heavy .38 and .40 conicals might due the trick, I don't know, and I'm sure there are plenty of instances of deer being killed with a .32, but I think a .45 rifle shooting a .440/.445 ball is a reasonable min. floor caliber.
 
I agree with you on a personal level, but on an applicational level: anyone who can not humanely harvest an animal under the minimum guidelines set forth by the State is doing something wrong.
 
Obi-Wan Cannoli said:
I agree with you on a personal level, but on an applicational level: anyone who can not humanely harvest an animal under the minimum guidelines set forth by the State is doing something wrong.
Agreed....I have shot many deer with my 45 and many deer with my 54...I've never noticed any difference as long as I hit my mark.
 
I can't argue with Success! I have shot 2 with my .45 and as long as I do my part the rifle does its part! I asked the same question many moons ago on this very forum.

I have never looked back! This is my go to Deer rifle.

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I see you are a 45/70 fan from your sign in name. And I see you did not specify if you were partial to round balls or conical bullets. If you have any doubt load up some 240 grain, or heavier, slugs to get the job done. They still won't be akin to the 45/70 but more in line with the 44 Mag, which has a good reputation as a deer killer.

That said, on my very first year deer hunting nearly 30 years ago I was using my Dad's TC Hawkin and 45 Caliber conical bullets. The 1 1/2 year old buck stood broadside looking at this young man who took the opportunity to calmly put a hole through his chest. I was comfortable with the shot and all the hair on the ground confirmed a direct hit but with only 3 drops of blood to show for the effort, plus the fact this was my first tracking job on the first deer I had ever shot at, the day ended sadly. All day I searched everywhere I could look but never recovered that beautiful animal. I went to a .50 after that year, if only to assuage my conscience.
BTW, a 45 with conical slugs out of a crescent shaped stock can kick harder than a 50 slug out of a Renegade butt stock considerably. Your choice of stock design will make a difference.
I've been kicked by those motorized horses a couple times, too. Be persistent with your exercises and you can be shooting your big guns again, too.
 
ODNR min. allowable caliber requirements (.38 in muzzleloading rifle) are, in my opinion, too light, at least when it comes to a PRB. A .370 RB weighs about 80 grs. if I recall, the .440 about 130 grs, for me a .38 is a squirrel gun

The minimum allowed in Tennessee is .36 caliber RB, both for whitetail deer and black bear. Talk about being light for the job. Keep yer powder dry.....robin :wink:
 
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There is at least one report of what we would consider light calibers being used in the Ohio valley in early 19th century. Wm. Blane reported that the calibers used for deer and bear ranged from .39 to .43, and for elk and buffalo from .43 to .45 caliber.

About 3 years ago I shot a ~200 lb. whitetail buck at 50 yards using a .40 cal., and it went down just as quickly as with my .62 or .54.



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