.45 PRB for ram silhouette at 100-150 yards

[lentuk]

My local club has a shoot every month for steel silhouette targets out to 100 and some of the shoots are out at 150 yards.
Never shot in one of these events yet and I would like to be able to shoot my .45s in these matches.
PRB is all that's allowed, is a .45 caliber patched round ball going to reliably knock down a ram at that yardage?

[Standing Bear]

I use a .40 cal. Works at 100 yds.

[johnson1942]

i hit a doe at 175 yards at the very spot i was aiming and knocked her flat. just aimed a little higher than normal at 75 yards. it was a roundball 45 with a 1/60 twist. i was useing a 445 ball with a square pure linen patch and 100 grains of real black. would drive tacks.

[rfd]

or, you could load a lee .45 REAL 250 grain bullet, over a thin card wad, over yer powder. with a goodly charge of bp 3F, that oughta more than do the job for ya.

[lentuk]

Only patched round balls are allowed at the match.

[JSH]

If you do a search, there is a formula to figure momentum to knock a ram over at 200. A lot will depend on how the targets are set, but in my opinion you hit it any where with a hunting type
load from a 45 and it will go down.

[Omnivore]

Seems awfully light to me, but Standing Bear says 40 PRB works at 100. Doesn't mean 45 will work at 150, but it's something. You could try it and report back. Doesn't anyone at your club use a 45?

[oldracer]

Well, this sounds like the match we have at the South Bay Rod and Gun Club this coming Sunday although we only shoot out to 50 yards. We use one of the pistol ranges so that limits us.......so come on out and try things at a slightly shorter distance.

Anyways to answer your question, yes the steel targets will go down with a 45 caliber and we have shooter that use 36 to 75 caliber and all are able to knock them little devils down! We even have some with French dueling pistols and such and they can also do the job. I shoot 50 caliber with 80 grains of FFG and pillow ticking patches individually cut, the 45 caliber folks usually shoot 70 grains or so.

[True.grit]

I'm sure that a 45-70 cartridge gun would be able to do it for sure. 45 cal rb with 70 gr 3f black will for sure with the proper hold over.

[Nobade]

I dunno, we had a PRB match here at our club last summer. Had full size pig silhouettes set at 50M and my 45 roundball gun wouldn't knock them over. A 50 had no trouble, and of course anything shooting a bullet. I could hit them every time but they just sat there laughing at me. A ram at 100 - 150 might be tough for a small caliber ball gun.

-Nobade

[bob208]

yes and no. if they are made to nmra standards you will have no trouble. if they are made by some one out of heavy bloiler plate that they had laying around you will have problems.

[Standing Bear]

Seems awfully light to me, but Standing Bear says 40 PRB works at 100. Doesn't mean 45 will work at 150, but it's something. You could try it and report back. Doesn't anyone at your club use a 45?


I should note that I use a .395 ball and 75 gr FFg in the .40 at 100 yds. Years ago, before changing the touch hole liner, this gun/load chronographed 2150 fps. Need to drag the chrono to the range again.

[Mk42gunner]

No idea if the .45 has enough momentum to do the job or not. I think it is going to depend on the size of the silhouette and how it is set.

Robert

[aspangler]

I shoot 45 PRB over 75 gr 3f real black and have NO trouble with knock down power. Don't have the chrono results handy but IIRC it should be like shooting a 30-30. No problem to 150 IMHO.

[SSGOldfart]

y
I shoot 45 PRB over 75 gr 3f real black and have NO trouble with knock down power. Don't have the chrono results handy but IIRC it should be like shooting a 30-30. No problem to 150 IMHO.
I use about the same load as above
Just Remember shot placement,if you hit high or to low it's going to cling and stand there looking at you go for a high heart lung just above the front leg,like your shooting behind the front shoulder,that will spin the ram backwards keep us posted on how you done with the .45
Good luck

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I don't have any problem with a decent hit at 100 meters 110 yards with my 45 Kentucky and 60gr FFF .440 round ball and a .015 pillow ticking patch

the 4-H kids are restricted to 60gr , as long as they are regulation targets they seem to work fine

[lentuk]

Great, thanks all, now I have more confidence I can compete with a .45

[Geezer in NH]

Hit or knock down?

Hit no problem knock down not so good.

I say this because the only club I have shot at when I lived in MA was hits counted no knockdown needed.

My .223 TC 14" won many matches there. For clubs with knockdown rule needed the 35 rem barrel for the rams.

Muzzleloaders my .40 could hit all the targets at the Lincoln County ME gun club that held all the NMLRA Territorials in the 1990's. Took some kentuck windage fur sure