investarm 45

[coryj]

I got an investarm 45 off of gunbroker, here's a picture.

The load data listed on the investarm website seems kind of low, 55 grains with fffg for prb's and 50 grains for conicals. With ffg it says 60-75 grains depending upon conical weight.

Can anybody provide any information or recommend loads. 1:48 rifling.

Thanks.

 

[renovato]

If it's anything like my Seneca in .45, 50-60 grains FFF under a ball should work fine, and 70 or so under a conical. As for max loads, probably in the 90 grain range or so. I have the Investarm Hawken in .54 and it lists the typical 110 or 120 (forgot which) max load that most factory guns in that caliber show. So they're not a weak design.

 

[rafterob]

Is that a 24" barrel? 45-50 grns. should do it at least up to 50 yards. I haven't shot anything that short but in my .45 with a 36" barrel I use 50 grns.

 

[coryj]

yes it is a 24" barrel. i'm hoping to shoot either t/c maxi hunters or hornady great plains conicals, possibly buffal ball-et if i can find them depending on what shoots best. will be using it for whitetails in va and pa. not my primary smokepole, but something different. i have a handful of .50's that are my go to guns.

 

[BrownBear]

In my book, for walking up deer and stalking them in tight cover, there's a whole lot to be said for a short light gun that handles fast. Looks like this one would fit the bill for me. I've not taken large game with anything smaller than a 50, so until I'd put a few down with a 45 I'd be thinking along the lines of a conical, too. I know folks do it all the time with PRB, but I'm so accustomed to bigger lead I'd want a little more mass in the landing zone till I got more acquainted. Well done!

 

[rafterob]

I would be thinking 70-80 grains for conicals on a hunting load.

 

[coryj]

brownbear, i'm having the same thoughts as you and that is why i've leaned toward a conical. my uncle has a custom .45 flinter and takes a deer almost every year with it and a prb. he went so far as to give me grief when i got my first .50 saying all you need is a .45, probably true, but a little heavier projectile can't hurt.

 

[BrownBear]

Yup... Last year I jumped one that was bedded in low brush at less than ten feet. It took off and fortunately stopped somewhere around 20 yards looking back over its butt at me. Even though I was carrying my GPR 54 and PRB, I wasn't about to take a sharply angling shot to the vitals as it ran. Since it stopped and looked back I was able to center shoot the white patch in its throat that I could see above its hiney. If it hadn't stopped, I would have had no shot in a year with few opportunities.

But with a conical, even in 45, I wouldn't have hesitated to take the angling shot. To me, penetration is what those long conicals are all about. If I'm not going to take angling shots, I don't need them. But if an angling shot is all I'm offered, I'm not taking it with a PRB.