45 Colt… connected on big Ram

[TexasAg11]

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New to reloading and haven’t had much experience with handgun hunting but this morning it all came together. Freedom Arms 454 Casull loaded with 45 colt brass, 16 grains of 2400, and a 250 grain WFNGC bullet from Montana Bullet Works. Shot was at 20 yards; through the heart and dropped in sight. Bullet was recovered in hide of offside shoulder. What an amazing experience! I am so pumped!

[Elpatoloco]

Nice! I wonder why that slug didnt zip right through?

[Wheelguns 1961]

Nice! Congratulations! Handgun hunting, now you are hooked!

[Markopolo]

Awesome!!!!!!

[TexasAg11]

Nice! I wonder why that slug didnt zip right through?

Yeah I had the same question. All this talk of deep penetration and large wound channels from large meplats… not from what I saw. You can see the entrance wound in the first picture. .452 caliber hole

[TexasAg11]

Nice! Congratulations! Handgun hunting, now you are hooked!

I have been bitten by the bug for sure. What a great sport. I’m a long time Bowhunter and love getting close to animals. Out here in west Texas the terrain is more conducive to handguns than bows. Both are fun.

[sixshot]

Congratulations on a fine Aoudad, hunting with a six gun is like no other & you did just fine. Could have just been the angle. 16.0 grs of 2400 isn't a really heavy load in a 45 Colt case so don't be discouraged, you made a fine shot & recovered it in a short distance, plus they are tough animals. Always wanted to shoot one when I was down there but never got the chance. Keep up the good work. You can easily bump that charge up if you want a little more horse power. My normal load with that bullet is 18.5 grs of 2400 but you can easily go beyond that, even with 45 Colt brass. 20 grs of 4227 is also a good load.

[Wheelguns 1961]

Your load is probably a little on the mild side. I use a 300 grain hp over 18 grains of 2400 in my blackhawk in 45 colt brass. It is a tier 2 load that your Freedom arms will easily consume. It has blown through many whitetails for me.

[1Papalote]

I do enjoy hunting with a handgun. Glad to see others do. Awesome job getting that close.
An audad is a dense, muscular critter. I have shot through hill country wtd with a 300/H110.

45 colt in my Marlin shoots through wtd and axis with Lee 255 and Unique.

[Jeff Michel]

Great trophy! Congratulations.

[Elpatoloco]

Yeah I had the same question. All this talk of deep penetration and large wound channels from large meplats… not from what I saw. You can see the entrance wound in the first picture. .452 caliber hole

Yeah, I stepped up the .475 Linebaugh before I got anything to make bigger wound channels. I dont know what speed your slug was moving, but it I find it weird that it didnt pass through. Stuff happens though.
Where abouts are you? I live and Handgun hunt around Abilene.

[versa-06]

Great Hunt & story, Congrats!!!

[skeettx]

Well done, well done
and
the bullet dumped all its energy into the Audad :)

[Rapier]

Great handgun hunt. Hunting with a single shot rifle takes patience and precise bullet placement, quite similar to bow hunting and a handgun hunt is even more so. You must have patience in the hunt and shoot with good accuracy. Accuracy is the only thing in handgun hunting, great execution of all the points of handgun hunting.

[marshall623]

Good shooting , and sho placement.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[Hickok]

Great story and pictures!

[Messy bear]

Nice job and good story!
Nothing like handgun hunting and bow hunting gettin close!
I think like others have said that your load is on the light side depending on combinations. Short bullet shank and soft primer might result in barely 900 fps. I found in my 5-1/2 vaquero that 16.1 gr with a 275gr and cci 300 was bottom edge of adequate ignition. Ran just over 900. I like at least 16.5 gr.
Great job and as others have said it doesn’t have to be big and fast to kill. Have fun!

[PositiveCaster]

Nice! I wonder why that slug didnt zip right through?

The OP’s load is likely going less than 1000 fps, plus the bullet only weights 250 grains with a very wide flat point. All of these will limit penetration, so it’s not surprising it stoped under the offside hide. I’ve shot several small deer at similar ranges with the Lee 255RF bullet (which has a wide flat nose too) and had complete pass throughs - but my velocity was over 1100 fps.

A great result and a wonderful memory for the OP. I wish him many years of fulfilling handgun hunting.


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[TexasAg11]

Really appreciate the responses and feedback from you guys. I think I am going to work up to 17-18 grains of 2400 on my next batch. I have some of Matt’s Bullets in 250 grain full wadcutter and the Montana Bullet Works 250 grain OWC bullets to try. Most of the critters in our area (Rocksprings,TX) are deer and hogs that are a little smaller than that Aoudad. Definitely going to up the velocity some though. Thanks again fellas.

[Pereira]

Congrats on the handgun kill, it sure is fun and satisfying.
Over the years I've killed 4 deer with 4 different handguns.

RP

[Elpatoloco]

Really appreciate the responses and feedback from you guys. I think I am going to work up to 17-18 grains of 2400 on my next batch. I have some of Matt’s Bullets in 250 grain full wadcutter and the Montana Bullet Works 250 grain OWC bullets to try. Most of the critters in our area (Rocksprings,TX) are deer and hogs that are a little smaller than that Aoudad. Definitely going to up the velocity some though. Thanks again fellas.

Rocksprings is a Beautiful area. I grew up with access to 900 acres over In Leakey. Place was covered up in free range exotics. Good times.

Handgun hunting is more addictive than anything I've ever done. Good Luck!

[Ramjet-SS]

Nice job and handgun hunting is addictive…..

[HWooldridge]

Really appreciate the responses and feedback from you guys. I think I am going to work up to 17-18 grains of 2400 on my next batch. I have some of Matt’s Bullets in 250 grain full wadcutter and the Montana Bullet Works 250 grain OWC bullets to try. Most of the critters in our area (Rocksprings,TX) are deer and hogs that are a little smaller than that Aoudad. Definitely going to up the velocity some though. Thanks again fellas.

Great shot and a nice trophy! Your current load is certainly adequate for the task, so more thump isn’t necessarily better.

I load a 225 gr, relatively soft, swaged bullet over 7.0 grs of WW231 for my son to use on feral hogs. This is in a Mitchell Arms, 45 Colt SAA Italian clone with 5-1/2” barrel. He has killed countless pigs, probably in the hundreds, with this load. Since he often hunts with dogs, he would rather have the slug stop in the hog rather than risk it punching through and hitting one of his prize dogs. Of course, the range is usually short - typically under 20 yards, but he’s also lobbed shots across pastures at herds and sometimes rolls one once in a while.

Bottom line, I think you have a good load now, and any changes should be based on improving accuracy instead of simply increasing velocity.

[Kosh75287]

My normal load with that bullet is 18.5 grs of 2400 but you can easily go beyond that, even with 45 Colt brass. 20 grs of 4227 is also a good load.
I think "Uncle Elmer" settled on 18.5/2400/250-255 gr. LSWC for his .45 Colt load, and evidently saw no point in hot-rodding it further. Certainly, there there is room to go upward but, as someone mentioned, not at the expense of accuracy. Based on Alliant loading data, you are SLIGHTLY above the SAAMI max average pressure, but in a Freedom Arms, this is not a major concern. For shots under 50 yards, you are probably in a good position. You may eventually want to move toward 18.5/2400/250, for longer shots. I use a 250 gr. Lee RNFP over this charge and, from my 7.5" RedHawk, velocities were just under 1200 f/s. Oddly, I have never used this load in any weapon chambered for .45 Colt and obtained less than adequate accuracy. USUALLY, the load groups very well, indeed!

The old rules of thumb for hunting game with pistol calibers were:
1.) No smaller than .40" caliber.
2.) No lighter than 200 gr.
3.) No slower than 1000 f/s.
The various .357s (Magnum, Bain & Davis, Maximum, Herret, Auto-Mag, etc.) are "rule beaters" in that their lighter projectiles are usually launched at well over the 1000 f/s minimum, and their smaller bore area enables deep penetration.
I would GUESS-timate that your 250 gr. WFN bullet is leaving the muzzle at 1000 + 50 f/s, which obviously works. With a "payload" that is 25% greater than the minimum required and a bore frontal area nearly 1/3 greater, a 5% deficit in velocity is a non-issue. At longer ranges, however, bullet drop must be considered carefully. THIS is where the extra 100-200 f/s obtained by the heavier powder charge becomes your friend.

[Abert Rim]

Well that's starting your handgun hunting career off with a bang, so to speak!:D

[Friends call me Pac]

I'd say your bullet load combo killed him as dead as he was going to get. He fell within sight, what more could anyone ask for except drop in their tracks. It did the job that's for sure and so did you. Way to go.

[lar45]

Most excellent! Thanks for sharing the pics.
The 45 Colt is one of my all time favorites.

[murf205]

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New to reloading and haven’t had much experience with handgun hunting but this morning it all came together. Freedom Arms 454 Casull loaded with 45 colt brass, 16 grains of 2400, and a 250 grain WFNGC bullet from Montana Bullet Works. Shot was at 20 yards; through the heart and dropped in sight. Bullet was recovered in hide of offside shoulder. What an amazing experience! I am so pumped!

You say you are new to reloading and handgun hunting. I would have to say that you are indeed a quick study my friend. Like others has stated, it is addictive to hunt with a handgun. Being a bow hunter has prepared you well for this. Congrats on a great shot and beautiful ram.

[TexasAg11]

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Lucky enough to knock down a cull buck this evening. Shot was 24 yards, he ran about 15 yards and I heard him drop. The wound in the front quarter was big enough to stick my thumb through. Not much blood on the ground but the heart shot put him down nicely (full pass though). This was with the same 16/2400/250 WFN load as the Aoudad. Very impressed with the “put down” power this little 45 colt can deliver.

[cpaspr]

I load 15gr of 2400 under a 250-255gr Keith SWC, in a New Model Ruger Blackhawk convertible with a 5.5" barrel. Any more powder than that and it shoots low with the rear sight all the way up. Haven't hunted with it, but it definitely hammers bowling pins just fine.

One thing to keep in mind is that you're using factory cast boolits. The factories tend to cast them hard, to minimize boolit deformation in shipping. If you were shooting boolits you had cast yourself, they would probably be softer, and more likely to expand.

[Anchorite]

Congrats and welcome to the obsession that is handgun hunting.


Lots of excellent comments have already been leveled at you and your post, so not much I can add, except that if you’re a recovering bow hunter you’re going to adjust to HH nicely. There’s not much else that can compare.

[cherokeetracker]

Yeah I had the same question. All this talk of deep penetration and large wound channels from large meplats… not from what I saw. You can see the entrance wound in the first picture. .452 caliber hole

TexasAg11 Congratulations on a nice Audad. Suggestion,,,, Turn that into breakfast sausage except for the tenderloins and the backstrap. Also He might just be a little too tough to eat and enjoy. OLder Rams can get that way. Rhodes over in Kerville does a really good job with the Audads. I like your area of hunting. Now without beating a dead horse, on bullets and loads,, Let me say. I have shot 6 Audad and each one acts a little different. I use a 454 w/ 300gr Aframe 1550 FPS on them. I have broke the front shoulders and one of them still made it to about 15yds into the brush. For those of you that do not know, the topography around Rock Springs is very thick with mountain laurel and cedars and you cannot get through it sometimes. Correct me if I am wrong but from the pic it does look like you hit the front shoulder? excellant POA and POI ! I also saw the WTD and it looked good too. Audad and the larger Axis are tougher to kill than WTD. AND I usually shoot hogs in the neck or right behind the ear. I have had a 45 Colt soft Hawk Lead bullet running about 700 -900Fps turn a 125Lb hog's neck into mush. Oh it was a 260gr pill. Now that you are into Handgunning, remember that every animal will react different. and I have had them move at the last second and change a broadside to an angle shot as the pistol was going off. You have chosen a wonderful caliber and you can do lots with it. Welcome to handgunning.
FYI Montana bullets are quite hard and Matt can also heat treat his bullets to make them harder or cast them soft for you.

[TexasAg11]

Cherokee, appreciate the insights and wisdom. Sounds like you might hunt out toward my neck of the woods, where abouts?

I have been looking hard at those Swift A Frames but can’t find any in 265 grain. 10-4 on Matt’s bullets, im currently developing the following load: 17.5gr of 2400 behind a Matt’s Bullets 250gr wadcutter (.43 meplat!). The bullets are hardened more than the usual 11 BHN so guessing may 15-18. The FA454 is going back to WY this week to swap out the 6” barrel for a 10”. Will be back out in Rocksprings last week of December with my BFR 454 to get after it again.

[cherokeetracker]

Yes sir I have hunted in your neck of the woods. I want to simply pass along some info, that you can do whatever you would like with. I have Hunted One Aoudad with a 250gr Barnes. Some may have had bad luck with the Barnes and that is understandable. The Aoudad went down but did not react like I expected. It was a Barnes factory running 1700 fps. Out of the 7.5" 83. The Factory 300gr Aframe running 1550fps hit with more authority. I have used the 265 Aframe and have run it to 1800fps. The POI is very important especially with pistols. SO three places High shoulder shot, Which is basically the spine,, A double shoulder shot, and the double lung shot are first choices, and usually drop them right there, or they don't run tooo far. Lets talk recoil a moment. The Barnes out of the 454 is not that bad. A noticable difference is the 300gr Aframe, but not as bad as the 265 when pushed to 1800fps. The 265 becomes very snappy and to me is more pronounced than the 300gr. I loaded some and was shooting them at 200yds getting ready for a speed goat hunt. That fell through.
Well,,, Let me switch up here, and go to a cast. I have the last part of my "Leadhead" bullets in 335gr With a stout dose of H110 runs 1200fps out of my Ruger 4 3/4 Bisley. It has accounted for a few deer and hogs. The thing here again is just like you found out. The Aoudad and the WTD both are down and the Cast works. But again we must maintain as precise marksmanship as possible. YOur shooting looked like shoulder shots be single or double, they worked. The recoil with that 45 caliber is not quite near as rough as the 454. Of course a shorter case and less powder. Equates the Physics. The bullet is more of a LBT shape and the meplat could be larger IMO but they still work. It was classified as a LWFNGC. Yes dropping an animal right where it stood is awesome. And the topogrphy sometimes requires it. Junction, Edwards Mountains, and some low fence small places.LOL