Anyone use 45 Colt against large game?

[cwlongshot]

Your question is easily answered if you simply look at 43 magnum stories. The 43mag is more popular so there are more uses to read about. If you do so, knowing that the 45 Colt can do anything the 43 can your question is answered and confirmed.

CW

[Bigslug]

Doug Guy and Outpost pretty much covered it. In Sixguns (1955 and pre .44 Magnum), Keith said that if you aren't handloading, .45 Colt was pretty much the last word.

My eye opener for cast bullet performance with with a water-quenched WW 230 grain LBT LFN at 830 fps hardball speed from a 1911. It took NINE milk jugs full of water to stop that - three times what you usually see with a police hollowpoint. Pretty much sold me on the idea that you don't need to firewall them to have something that will reliably put meat from a very large animal on the table.

My walkin' around, keep mountain lions and black bear from eating me and stealing my deer load for my 4" .45C Redhawk is propelling a similarly-shaped 230 grain flat nose at about 1100 fps - off the scale for the black powder guns, but nowhere near the super-uncomfortable "Ruger Only" listings. I see no sense in pushing harder for what would be a sub-hundred-yard shot.

[sundog]

Doug Guy and Outpost pretty much covered it. In Sixguns (1955 and pre .44 Magnum), Keith said that if you aren't handloading, .45 Colt was pretty much the last word.

Yeah, and now a days if you are not hand loading you cannot afford store bought 45 Colt. Yikes!

[bigted]

Fellers ... if in doubt about your 45 Colts, do yourselves a favor ... load the original Colt load;

... 40 grains of 2Fg Ol E powder or Swiss ( I have never used Swiss powder but have it on good authority that Swiss and Old E ste neck n neck for cleanliness and power )
... compressed so as to be able to seat your 255 grain cast boolit
... crimp them in the crimp groove so as to get the most and best ignition and burn from your powder
... primed with CCI or Federal large pistol primers ( magnum primers not needed )
... load 5 of these in a Colts or Ruger 45 Colt
... after squezzing off these first 5 rounds ... gently lay down yer shootin iron and recall that those loads were the FIRST 45 Colt loads circa 1873.

If these do not impress, maybe you do need those 500 S&W magnums ... but I think you will be very impressed and prolly be tellin the storie many times over!

[Outpost75]

^^^BigTed nailed it^^^

Keith in Sixgun Cartridges and Loads (1935) thought the original BP .45 Colt defined the performance envelope of what we now call the "packing" pistol.

[Wolfer]

In a 7-1/2” revolver those BP loads will push a 255 gr very close to 1000 fps. When I got my 45 colt I wanted to duplicate that load with smokeless powder.
8.8 gr of Unique would push the lee 255 RF to about 970 fps. The most accurate load I’ve worked up. Not sure what it would take to recover a boolit from a Missouri Whitetail. Ive recovered a couple but they were dug out of the dirt behind them.

Things have changed since Mr Keith’s day. Now to shoot a 45 colt as much as a handgun hunter needs to shoot,reloading/ casting is nearly necessary.

[clintsfolly]

Shot a 1000 lbs Longhorn with my SSBlackhawk 4 5/8. Used a NOE 454-265wfn over 11gr of HS6. 3 shots at 30-35 yds and any one would have killed it. Two thru the ribs/ lungs and one in the neck just below the skull. All bullets where found as we skin it and fell on the floor. The one to the neck destroyed 2 vertebrae! What more could you ask for?

[Riposte1]

I have not taken any big game with a .45 Colt, but if you're interested in the topic, I highly recommend this book.
It's written by Max Prasac, who is a huge fan of the .45 Colt and loads it to levels that the old Colts of the past wouldn't even recognize.
He has taken some really big game with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Gun-Digest-Bo...gateway&sr=8-1

I'll second that, it is a great book! I've only killed or seen killed deer and wild boar up to 400 lbs. So I'd bow to the experience of others on bigger stuff.


My first boar, about 350 lbs live wt, was taken with the Norma carbine load fired from a 5" Model 29 - hit him in the heart. He was on his feet for about 15 seconds but I could not take another shot due to the dogs. He finally expired. On the same hunt the guy with the 4" .45 Colt dropped his instantly, and then the next year he did it again. I'm a convert to the .45 Colt!


BTW last night I watched max take several African animals with revolvers. One was a cape buffalo! He used a .50 of some kind for that and a .454 on the plains game - the show is called "Big Iron" on Amazon Prime.


Riposte

[DougGuy]

Missing is the gun rag article on the tier2 load think it was a 255 K type boolit @ 1100fps and they took a treed 300# black bear with it. It was American Handgunner maybe, 2012ish or thereabouts? Can't remember who the author was but seems like he was a well known gun writer. I have looked for this article and never found it maybe someone reading this thread can link to it?

[Driver33]

Doug I think the article you are speaking of is hand loader issue 283 April 2013.

[Messy bear]

Many bison have been taken on our place with a 45 colt. One that I remember well was a young cow at 1000 lb. she was smart and when I got the opportunity at 50 yd I put a 310Keith in her just at the edge of the shoulder missing the bone. she spun and ran 100yd to a shale outcropping that was out of sight. I got there as quick as I could as I was apprehensive about the shot. not to worry as she was dead when I got there and the bullet had exited. We have had many experiences like that one with the old 45.

[frank505]

And Marky Bear shot that heifer( bison) with his short vaquero straight on. She staggered around and fell down dead. I think it was a 270saa and 2400. We’ve killed lots of stuff with 45s. Go try it, lots of fun.

[Gunnut 45/454]

Yep been a fan of the 45LC for along time. My carry load is a Lee FN 300 gr GC over 15.5 gr of 2400 for 950 fps in my 4.5" RH. Never feel under gunned for anything I might encounter!

[Lefty SRH]

I really enjoy the 45 colt. I havent had many opportunities to take large game with a 45 yet. But I do have one sow hog under my belt. I used a 5 1/2” barrel Bisley with a 315gr MiHa Penta HP Ruger ONLY bullet running around 1150fps. The shot was 30-40yds and she didnt go far at all. Complete exit after going thru both shoulders, I believe.
Cant wait to have another chance!

[Bazoo]

Thanks everyone for sharing.

[dverna]

Thanks for all the replies.

I know a blackhawk can take higher pressure but it ain't pleasant for my wrists. I am considering switching to 45 colt from my 44 mag, but ain't made no decisions yet. I run some full power loads in 44, but like starting magnum loads better. Seems like the best compromise of power and shootability for an all around load.

If you just want to justify a new toy get the .45. It will not do anything your .44 Mag will not already do. Load your .44 Mag to .45+P ballistics and you will get the lower recoil you want. If having a tiny bit larger diameter bullet is a game changer....well.....I doubt it.

In the end, recoil energy is going to be the same with the same weight bullet at the same velocity out of a .44 or .45.

[Bazoo]

I know it Don, thanks. I'm having issues with my 44 leading as a result of needing a barrel constriction removed and overly large cylinder throats. Ive contemplated selling it and getting a 45.

One of my reasons for my query is that I read a lot about handgun hunting and never see the colt mentioned. It's always 44 mag or 454, 480 or larger. I know many a person has killed deer with the colt, but you don't see a lot of hunting stories with colt/Ruger loads. Everyone I've seen was always where folks are approaching 454 ballistics.

[MGySgt]

Don't do it~ they were loded in ballon head cases that hd more voluume than the newere cases that have a solid head!

Fellers ... if in doubt about your 45 Colts, do yourselves a favor ... load the original Colt load;

... 40 grains of 2Fg Ol E powder or Swiss ( I have never used Swiss powder but have it on good authority that Swiss and Old E ste neck n neck for cleanliness and power )
... compressed so as to be able to seat your 255 grain cast boolit
... crimp them in the crimp groove so as to get the most and best ignition and burn from your powder
... primed with CCI or Federal large pistol primers ( magnum primers not needed )
... load 5 of these in a Colts or Ruger 45 Colt
... after squezzing off these first 5 rounds ... gently lay down yer shootin iron and recall that those loads were the FIRST 45 Colt loads circa 1873.

If these do not impress, maybe you do need those 500 S&W magnums ... but I think you will be very impressed and prolly be tellin the storie many times over!

[Lonegun1894]

MGySgt,
Why do you say not to do it? Other than slightly less volume, so slightly less black powder, there won’t be a difference in the performance. The balloon head cases make a difference if using smokeless, but I don’t understand why you warn not to do it using black powder.

[Outpost75]

As FYI here is my hunting bullet 45-264H which Tom Ellis at Accurate Molds did for me, having correct nose length for the Colt SAA and New Service, with full diameter forepart, substantial crimp groove, adequate lube capacity, with bevel base to ease loading. I ordered mine with band and forepart diameters .454 allowing for Tom's normal +0.002" tolerance to fit the .456" cylinder throats of my 1920 Colt New Service as cast or with minimal sizing.

Attachment 248660