45 cal max load?

[boker]

What do y’all feel is the safe max load for a 45. Cal T/C and the investarms Hawkens using ffg and 240gr maxi ball?

An old T/C chart I have shows 100gr
pushing the velocities and energy in the 1700 range for both.

 

[frankie]

great question. I would like to know.

 

[SDSmlf]

What do y’all feel is the safe max load for a 45. Cal T/C and the investarms Hawkens using ffg and 240gr maxi ball?

An old T/C chart I have shows 100gr
pushing the velocities and energy in the 1700 range for both.

Safe max load is what you feel safe with. I would find the most accurate load and call it done, and would expect it to be below the max published load. For reference, below is a scan from a TC manual published around 1980. You may want to confirm your energy numbers. Would have to check Investarm/Cabelas data, but remember one being slightly lower. If you happen to have a GM barrel, max loads may be higher, though I don’t believe I have a copy of a GM manual. And for reference, I have found ~400~ grain paperpatched conicals over 80 to 90 grains of Swiss 3F out of a one inch GM LRH barrel to be very accurate. More powder and accuracy started to degrade, at least in the barrels I have.

 

[boker]

Thank you. was just curious. Obviously more velocity and energy doesn’t do any good if it’s not accurate.

For some reason a lot of the guys in my circle seem to think the 45 is under powered for deer but it appears to me those loads are approaching the 44mag territory which is known to be a 100 yard deer caliber.

 

[SDSmlf]

Thank you. was just curious. Obviously more velocity and energy doesn’t do any good if it’s not accurate.

For some reason a lot of the guys in my circle seem to think the 45 is under powered for deer but it appears to me those loads are approaching the 44mag territory which is known to be a 100 yard deer caliber.

Not sure what kind of deer you are hunting, but a 220gr to 400gr 45 caliber conical traveling in the 1400 to 1700 FPS range will defeat most any deer’s armor. The deer may travel 100 yards or so, but that’s about it.

 

[deerstalkert]

for close to 60 years i have hunted with a .45. mostly one of the other kind we don't mention here. But my loads for deer, bear, elk, and moose have always had a 405-420g soft lead bullet plodding along at around 1400fps. i have never lost an animal i hit. the greater percentage were bang/flop. there is no ballistic difference in a 405-420 bullet from a muzzleloader at 1400fps and the same bullet from a cartridge gun at 1400fps.
420g bullet from a .45 long rifle at 1400fps is a dream to shoot. and it kills too!

 

[tenngun]

Sam Falada tan test to try and blow a barrel. He ran God awful charges and multi minnie balls. He could not get a blow until he left an obstruction in the barrel.
This isn’t to say you should just dump a hundred and fifty grains down, only to point out well seated is the most important part.
Lots of dead deer from .45 round ball.
You don’t need a magnum charge
It seems TC topped at 90 grains behind their maxi in their .45

 

[hanshi]

I don't shoot conicals, just round ball. So I can't give any info on maxiballs or minie balls. But I've used up to 80 grains of 3F in my .45 with no problem and just minor recoil. The velocity was high - approaching 2,000 or more IIRC which I often don't. I killed a lot of deer with that 80 grn load and a .440" ball. Nowadays it's from 60 grns to 70 grns depending on which .45 I shoot.

 

[45man]

If you load too much powder it adds to the ball or bullet weight, increases recoil and blows out the muzzle to burn outside. Velocity will actually go down. Just find what is accurate.
I have taken about 150 deer with my .45 flintlocks after all m friends said it is too small.

 

[hanshi]

One of the first muzzleloaders I ever bought lived on a diet of 60 grains of 3F and a. 435" or a tight .440" ball. That load killed everything from deer to bobcats.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I myself don't go for maximum charges, I go for most accurate loads

 

[frankie]

I myself don't go for maximum charges, I go for most accurate loads

I agree.

 

[RIDE-RED350R]

Agree on using what shoots the best in terms of accuracy. A slower bullet that hits it's mark is always better than a faster one that misses.

That said, I would have no reservation whatsoever using a 45 cal for deer. As previously mentioned, the stated velocity with the 45 cal maxis is equal to or greater than the velocity of a similar weight bullet from a 44 mag wheelgun. You don't ever hear of anyone questioning the effectiveness of 44 mag on deer.

At any rate, I myself would not exceed TCs recommended max charge and use what load shoots best within their published data.

I own a pair of 50s and lately I find myself itching for a 45 in TC Seneca flavor.

 

[Ninering62]

Agree on using what shoots the best in terms of accuracy. A slower bullet that hits it's mark is always better than a faster one that misses.

That said, I would have no reservation whatsoever using a 45 cal for deer. As previously mentioned, the stated velocity with the 45 cal maxis is equal to or greater than the velocity of a similar weight bullet from a 44 mag wheelgun. You don't ever hear of anyone questioning the effectiveness of 44 mag on deer.

At any rate, I myself would not exceed TCs recommended max charge and use what load shoots best within their published data.

I own a pair of 50s and lately I find myself itching for a 45 in TC Seneca flavor.

I had a Seneca that got rebored to .40 1:37 twist. Cool lil gun but that stock is far better suited for youth or women than my body & ive never really liked the big drop in butt angle or the curved brass buttplate. So I sold it. I got a TC High plains Sporter to rebarrel & replace the Seneca. I love the fit & feel of that gun much better.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

45 cal does just fine on deer. Currently building a new hunting rifle with a 45 cal. fast twist barrel. Have a 250 and a 350 grain molds that I will work with to get the most accurate load for it. I don't believe in maximum loads, if you can't hit what your aiming at your wasting your time.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Lots of dead deer from .45 round ball.

Amen, Bro. My standard deer killer was 65 gr. real bp with a soft lead round ball. Very effective.

 

[Bad Karma]

Safe max load is what you feel safe with. I would find the most accurate load and call it done, and would expect it to be below the max published load. For reference, below is a scan from a TC manual published around 1980. You may want to confirm your energy numbers. Would have to check Investarm/Cabelas data, but remember one being slightly lower. If you happen to have a GM barrel, max loads may be higher, though I don’t believe I have a copy of a GM manual. And for reference, I have found ~400~ grain paperpatched conicals over 80 to 90 grains of Swiss 3F out of a one inch GM LRH barrel to be very accurate. More powder and accuracy started to degrade, at least in the barrels I have.
View attachment 139878

I agree with this 100%. You could safely load 120 grains of 2f behind the maxi ball. I have a Rice match grade .45 in a Hawken stock and have fired bullets over 500 grains with 120 grains 1-1/2fg Swiss. It definitely burns all of that powder and makes an excellent long range target rifle. Recoil is memorable with such a lightweight rifle. For hunting I use 340-450 grain bullets over 80 grains of 2f.

 

[Bad Karma]

I had a Seneca that got rebored to .40 1:37 twist. Cool lil gun but that stock is far better suited for youth or women than my body & ive never really liked the big drop in butt angle or the curved brass buttplate. So I sold it. I got a TC High plains Sporter to rebarrel & replace the Seneca. I love the fit & feel of that gun much better.

Those Sporters are sweet aren’t they!?

 

[Ninering62]

Those Sporters are sweet aren’t they!?

Yes they really are. I'd never heard of them before a yr ago or so, or I'd have had one a very long time ago. I got one in NOS with a .50 1:60 twist barrel that I'll never use. I'm gettin another .40 barrel made for it to continue shooting 135-160gr sized 10mm pistol bullets out of, as well as a .410 shotgun barrel to switch out for a designated BP turkey gun. I want to find someone to do a .410 jug choked barrel for it. I'm as excited about gettin this project done as I am my 2 Omega SML's really.

 

[boker]

For y’all that have stated you successfully harvested animals with a 45.

What did you feel was your max effective range?