Question on Lee 452-200 RF out of a Henry Big Boy

[CastingFool]

I recently purchased a Henry Big Boy Steel rifle chambered in 45LC. It's now legal for deer hunting in my area. So since I don't have any experience hunting with cast boolits from a rifle, is the following load going to be enough for deer? The load I have picked yields a muzzle velocity of 1260 fps with 705 ft/lbs. of energy. At 75 yds, velocity degrades to 1064 fps, and 502 ft/lbs. I have established 75 yds as my absolute maximum range, all my deer have been taken between 18 and 65 yds, although I will be able to see farther than that where I normally hunt. I found this load in the Lyman cast boolit handbook, and I just happen to have the components on hand. Doing some checking with the Hornady ballistics calculator, I see a 255 RF would yield a bit higher energy at the same distances, albeit with slightly lower fps. Thanks in advance for your comments.

[ironhead7544]

That load is a pretty close approximation of the original 44 WCF cartridge. The 44-40 has been killing deer since 1873.

[quilbilly]

You will be fine with that boolit at any terminal velocity above 900 fps. Muzzleloaders have been collecting deer with the 45 cal patched round ball for a couple centuries. The 45 PRB (actually about .440 cal) only weighs about 130 gr. and for me it has been devastating on deer at that terminal velocity for 20 years. Last summer I tested that boolit with a sabot in a 50 cal. muzzleloader as a replacement for a sabotted 265 gr 44 cal SWC and found it to be quite accurate out to 200 yards so took it mule deer hunting in the desert hunt but, sadly, never got a shot.