45 Cal be good for Deer & Bear To, to 100 yards?

[wildchild2010]

Now the .45 Cal is good for hunting small game.
How about deer hunting an maybe bear hunting to say 100 yards?
What would be a good bullet or just you PRB.

[GARD72977]

On bear I would not shoot one under 300yds! That would give you a much better head start on being chased!!!!

[Mike Brooks]

I have shot deer with .45 RB, but wouldn't consider it for bear.

[wildchild2010]

Oh come on, I seen plenty of black bears killed with. 223's.
I would think a .45 Ml rifle should do the job. I have never shot on with a ML or a deer, so I can't really say.

[wildchild2010]

I have shot deer with .45 RB, but wouldn't consider it for bear.
How about a mini-ball, maxi or a lee REAL bullet.

[GARD72977]

45 cal maxi just does not have the weight needed for large game. Not saying it would not kill just that there are better choices. A Whitworth 45cal rifle with a 590 grain bullet, and 80 grains of FF would set a bear down.

[ranger1962]

I shot a hog around 150-200 lbs from about 25 yards right between the eyes with my 94 ae in 45lc knocked down and out? briefly then it got up spun around several times and ran off WOW talk about a hard head.

[johnson1942]

it isnt a matter if it can kill it, check your states laws as what you can use to hunt with what you want to hunt. i have a 1/18 twist .45 muzzleloader and i shoot a 620 grain bullet in it with 120 grains of 2f black behind it. its a tack driver and hits real hard and could take anything in north america. however it isnt legal in a lot of areas for anything but deer and antalope. check the laws of where you want to hunt and go from their.

[7of7]

....45 muzzleloader and i shoot a 620 grain bullet .....

Do you just grab a wheel weight off of some unsuspecting truck and shove it down the bore??? LOL Holy cow... 620 grains...

[GARD72977]

Do you just grab a wheel weight off of some unsuspecting truck and shove it down the bore??? LOL Holy cow... 620 grains...

Barrel must be coned for easy wheel weight starting!!!!

[idahoron]

My 45 using a paper patched 409 gr RCBS 11mm bullet would do it no problem. The issue becomes is it legal. Ron

[gunner69]

Think about this. A 45-70 Cartridge has been used for well over 100 years for any and all large game in North America. Why wouldn't a muzzle loader do the same with 70 (or more) grains of black? It's pretty much in the shot placement AND if it's legal where you plan to hunt.

[nanuk]

45 cal maxi just does not have the weight needed for large game. Not saying it would not kill just that there are better choices. A Whitworth 45cal rifle with a 590 grain bullet, and 80 grains of FF would set a bear down.

I'm sorry but I just can't think how a 240gr Maxi ball at around 1700fps is not going to bring down a bear (and by that I mean Black Bear)

literally thousands have fallen to far lesser rounds, and I'm sure thousands have used a 45colt on bear/deer to 100yds with little problems.

I can't see a 45MaxiBall out of a ML being LESS of a killer than a 45Colt out of a handgun!

[johnson1942]

my 620 grain bullet is swagged in one of my swaggeing dies. the nose is a flat kieth nose and the base is a hollow base with a stout lip. the bullet is pure lead and .440 diam. i wrap two wraps of number nine paper dry wrapped . the barrel is 35 and 1/2 inches long so all the powder is burned. it mimicks the 45/120 in power, and a lot of those shot up to 650 grain pp bulets. surpriseingly it doesnt qualify for any thing larger than deer or antelope in most areas if not all of them. thats why i have 3 big .50/s. it is fun to shoot, recoil with a slip on pad isnt a problem and accracy is consistantly as good as it gets.

[bob208]

at 100 yds. with 60gr. of 3f a .45 prb will shoot clean through a deer. how much more do you need? when you say bear are you talking about a black bear? if so have at it. it will do the job. for the big brown bears i would say no.

it comes down to can you shoot? if so then a .45 round ball will do the job. if not then it will not.

[Hanshi]

After nearly 50 years experience with .45 muzzleloaders, I will say deer up to 100 yards will drop to this prb round. Never having shot a bear I can't really say about that. I will say, however, that I'd take the shot if the bear were under 50 yards from the muzzle.

[Larry Gibson]

Any idea on how many deer and BBs were killed in days of youre with .40-.45 cal MLer's using RBs? I've killed several deer (black tail and mulies) with my .45 ML and one elk using an RB over 90 gr(V) FFFG. All died with the one shot. Over bait I see absolutely no reason the .45 MLer won't do just fine, especially with MaxiBalls or REALs.

Larry Gibson

[Rattus58]

Now the .45 Cal is good for hunting small game.
How about deer hunting an maybe bear hunting to say 100 yards?
What would be a good bullet or just you PRB.45 caliber comes in all kinds of persuasion. I know that deer fall to the round ball out to 100 yards and the only bears I've shot have been over bait, and at those ranges sure...

[gnoahhh]

I have used a .45 PRB exclusively for my ML deer hunting for nigh on to 20 years now. No deer inside of 100 yards that I shot at has gotten away from me. Beyond 100 yards is stretching both me and my rifle's capabilities, so I don't do it.

I never had a chance at a bear so I can't speak to that issue. I will say that since the average mid-Atlantic (states, not ocean!) black bear that falls to the gun isn't much heavier than a decent sized whitetail buck, I can't see why a .45 PRB wouldn't work on one.

[Hanshi]

I think I've mentioned this before but the primitive open sights along with my ability to use them are THE limiting factors of how far, large, etc, I'll engage game. Not caliber, load or anything else, just my use of open sights.

[izzyjoe]

I think I've mentioned this before but the primitive open sights along with my ability to use them are THE limiting factors of how far, large, etc, I'll engage game. Not caliber, load or anything else, just my use of open sights.
i feel that way too, if i can get game in close enough where i can get a good bead on them, light's out sally. the best thing you can do is shoot you're rifle so much you tired of shootin' it, then you'll learn you're limtations. i was shooting mine every weekend back last summer right up till deer season started, me and that rifle got to know each other!

[johnson1942]

their have been 2 post on the .45 roundball of late and that has got me to thinking. all i have are muzzleloaders that are heavy hitters and no roundball rifle. how ever i have a 34 inch .45 roundball barrel and a completed half stock with out a barrel. i dont need another heavy hitter and the .45 roundball is fun to shoot, inexpensive, and accurate, soooooo to day i started fitting the barrel to the tang and stock. tomorrow im going to my machinest friends shop and finish it. then into the blueing tank and done. thanks every one for stimulateing me to go this route instead of another big bullet gun. i will be able to shoot a lot more again for the cost and this is the barrel on another stock 20 years ago i took a doe at 170 yards. i want to hunt small game with it and target shoot.

[Hanshi]

You'll really get to liking that .45.

[quilbilly]

45 prb has been my favorite brush country deer medicine for 25 years with no problems on deer up to 300# since shots are rarely over 75 yards. If shots may be over that or in the rain, I will take my 50 stainless with prb. I would hesitate with a bear over 150 with 45 prb but have never had to make that choice in the field.

[GabbyM]

Purchased my TC Hawken 45 ML in 1971.
My experience with RB was disappointing. Used scrap roof flashing. Probably near pure Pb.
Charged up with 110 grains of 3F velocity is over 2,000 fps. Far as I could tell the balls just blew up at impact. To much powder and to soft of lead. Some tin in those balls and far less powder and I’d of got those deer.
240 grain Maxi Ball is around twice the lead of the .440 rb. ML rifle can shoot those faster than a 44 magnum hand gun shoots a 240gr bullet. Not tried it but for bear I’d alloy my metal with 5% tin. Then see if those would start with a mallet. Another option I’ve not tried is a hard pistol bullet paper patched. Carry standard Maxi balls for a reload. I always carried round balls with a loose patch for loading a dirty bore. Now I’ve an RCBS Minnie that weighs around 265gr and drops right down the bore.

If you have one of those inlines with tight twist that can shoot heavy bullets. Well you are basically shooting a 45-70 without the cartridge. My slow twist 45 Hawkin will do anything a 44 magnum revolver will do. Rifle has greater accuracy in most hands.

[Mike Brooks]

My second post on this. If I were going on a bear hunt I wouldn't be likely to pick up a .45 RB gun as a first choice. I'd probably choose a 20 bore flint gun instead as the shooting will probably be close. If a .45 RB gun is all I had then that's what I'd use and it would probably be fine.

[Rattus58]

My second post on this. If I were going on a bear hunt I wouldn't be likely to pick up a .45 RB gun as a first choice. I'd probably choose a 20 bore flint gun instead as the shooting will probably be close. If a .45 RB gun is all I had then that's what I'd use and it would probably be fine.Well a 20 guage is roughly 62 caliber and if you were disposed towards that caliber, I'd tend to think that a rifled barrel gives you the same amount of lead with a touch more option and accuracy. Some close calibers are popular too.. in a host of military and swampbarreled 58's that do the job nicely too... :D

[GabbyM]

I’d use my 45 ML with confidence on bear when loaded with a 240 to 265 grain tuff boolit. With a RB I’d want a big knife handy. I’d have to get up to a 54 caliber before I’d use a RB on a bear. A 50 RB would probably work but a Maxi in 50 would work a lot better. Penetrating through a bear is no easy task.

I use pure Pb in my 240gr Maxi and 265 Minnie to go after deer. But for bear I’d probably take the time to work up a hard cast revolver bullet in a paper patch. Paper patch is due to the fact you can’t start and engrave a hard boolit. Other people have had great results but I’ve never had the need for a bear boolit in my 45 caliber ML. I have gone bear hunting to see Remington 30-06 ammo with 180 grain bullets fail miserably. In either caliber the correct bullet is required.

[OverMax]

Large Black Bear. Close & over bait. A well placed shot on your part. >Maybe.< (More than likely you'll be tracking that bear in hopes to recover your animal no doubt about that.) Keep in mind allot of Bear Seasons are scheduled when there is little or no snow on the ground to help you. So think twice about caliber selection when it comes to those bruins please.
Deer under 100-yrds. Again with a well placed shot on your part. A much better chance than not you will indeed recover your deer. May involve some tracking. And that is where the draw back lies in most big game hunts.
Oh everyone shoots pretty good. Many spend hours out at their favorite gun club or range fine tuning their shooting skills on paper. "They just can't seem to find their wounded animal if it runs out of sight is all."

[Hanshi]

I've had splendid success on deer with the .45 but I've never killed a bear. Here, the seasons coincide so the possibility of seeing a bear is very real. I'd not hesitate to take on a bear with my .45 if that's what I had in my hands at the time. Going out specifically for bear - not treed with dogs - I'd opt for my .50 or smoothbore.

[NSB]

A 45cal round ball is 127 grains. Being that it's a large diameter and a very light weight it has mediocre penetrating power. I've shot many, many deer with muzzle loaders and the 45 cal round ball is marginal at best. Go up to a 50 cal and you get 175 grains with a round ball. Even this isn't overly heavy for a bullet of that diameter. Now when you use a Minnie ball it's a whole different story. Now you can get close to 45-70 effect with heavy bullets and higher velocity. Comparing round balls and minnie balls is comparing apples to oranges. They just aren't the same thing. I've rarely gotten complete penetration with a 45 cal round ball on average size deer and I used 100 grains of FF black powder. Yes, you can kill deer with that load but it is far from being very effective.

[Rattus58]

A 45cal round ball is 127 grains. Being that it's a large diameter and a very light weight it has mediocre penetrating power. I've shot many, many deer with muzzle loaders and the 45 cal round ball is marginal at best. Go up to a 50 cal and you get 175 grains with a round ball. Even this isn't overly heavy for a bullet of that diameter. Now when you use a Minnie ball it's a whole different story. Now you can get close to 45-70 effect with heavy bullets and higher velocity. Comparing round balls and minnie balls is comparing apples to oranges. They just aren't the same thing. I've rarely gotten complete penetration with a 45 cal round ball on average size deer and I used 100 grains of FF black powder. Yes, you can kill deer with that load but it is far from being very effective.

I'm going to take this opportunity to respectfully disagree with your suppostion that a roundball doesn't have the ability to penetrate. At the far end of 100 yards I agree it doesn't have much guidance when it hits something, and that is why it is generally thought that for a round ball, you should use as much powder as you can reasonable shoot accurately for hunting. However the round ball is a killer if you shoot it accurately and it will penetrate... go right through most game is accepted, it has gone through ALL game that I've shot. In fact, I've only had one lead bullet ever fail to exit the animal completely in all the years that I've been hunting with a muzzleloader... and that has been exclusively since 1991.

Conicals, on the other hand, I'm comfortable hunting with 70-80 grains because the bullet will carry itself right through your game. A round ball has to be sent through your game, but go through it will. Now for a disclaimer... I shoot crosswise and not lengthwise with a roundball. Conicals I've managed all points of the compass for whatever reasons were present.

Know your game, know yourself. Know your gun... have some fun!

Much Aloha.. 8-)

[rodwha]

I've wondered how well a Remington (1866) 1858 Carbine would do for deer hunting within 75 yds. Using Triple 7 and a conical/bullet I'd think it may work OK on smaller deer (ours are typically 75-125 lbs on the hoof) and young hogs.

It kinda seems like it'd be the bare minimum. Maybe OK to 50 yds as it just can't handle a large powder charge. But the volume is similar to my Old Army, and stoked with heavier (230-255 grn) bullets and T7 the figures say it ought to do OK out to 50 yds if you can keep them in a small enough group, which I cannot.

What say you?

[Wayne Smith]

I'm remembering Ned Robert's story of bear hunting. Advice given to him is to never go bear hunting with a single barrel. He traded a cap lock single barrel for a double barrel and it probably saved his life when he and his Uncle got separated while hunting. You can find it in his "The Caplock Muzzle Loading Rifle", or slug gun.

Seems that we are basically talking the same type of weapon, that advice that was sound then should apply now.

[bubba15301]

[QUOTE=gnoahhh;2069368]I have used a .45 PRB exclusively for my ML deer hunting for nigh on to 20 years now. No deer inside of 100 yards that I shot at has gotten away from me. Beyond 100 yards is stretching both me and my rifle's capabilities, so I don't do it.

I never had a chance at a bear so I can't speak to that issue. I will say that since the average mid-Atlantic (states, not ocean!) black bear that falls to the gun isn't much heavier than a decent sized whitetail buck, I can't see why a .45 PRB wouldn't work on one.[/QUOTE the Pennsylvania state record for black bears is 802 lbs .average Pa bear goes around 300 lbs .dont think i would shoot 1 witha .45 rb .i would use a maxiball or similiar bullet with at least 80 grains of powder.

[Hanshi]

A 45cal round ball is 127 grains. Being that it's a large diameter and a very light weight it has mediocre penetrating power. I've shot many, many deer with muzzle loaders and the 45 cal round ball is marginal at best. Go up to a 50 cal and you get 175 grains with a round ball. Even this isn't overly heavy for a bullet of that diameter. Now when you use a Minnie ball it's a whole different story. Now you can get close to 45-70 effect with heavy bullets and higher velocity. Comparing round balls and minnie balls is comparing apples to oranges. They just aren't the same thing. I've rarely gotten complete penetration with a 45 cal round ball on average size deer and I used 100 grains of FF black powder. Yes, you can kill deer with that load but it is far from being very effective.




I must also disagree with your conclusion. I've taken lots of deer with .45s and .50s. I'm more likely to recover a .50 ball than a .45. Complete penetration is the usual rule for both and it is seldom I recover a .45 ball. More likely with a .50.

[Mike Brooks]

I must also disagree with your conclusion. I've taken lots of deer with .45s and .50s. I'm more likely to recover a .50 ball than a .45. Complete penetration is the usual rule for both and it is seldom I recover a .45 ball. More likely with a .50.
Ok, now I must disagree with you.... I have shot 90% of my deer with a .62 smooth bore and have always shot clear through deer no matter what the angle. Of course I have never taken a shot over 50 yards with the smooth bore. My load never more than 60gr 2ffg. most of the time with out a patch, very slow fps. Could always tell when I hit 'cause you could hear the ball hit.....SMACK!