Do I need another rifle. . . . . .

[awaveritt]

or can I hunt deer and hogs with my Uberti 1866 Winchester in 45 Colt? I'd use my cast Lee 255 gr. RNFP with either 30 grains of FFg BP or a standard pressure smokeless load, say 8 grains of Unique.

Used to hunt deer years ago, but sold all my rifles except my cowboy action rifle. So the other day I was wondering what I'd use if someone asked me to tag along on a deer or hog hunt. I can consistently hit the 88yd gong at our CAS range, so I'm just wondering about the knockdown power of this setup. Any opinions?

[Hamish]

Yes, you neeeeed another rifle.

Yes, you can kill piggies with the one you have, (gorgeous wood, btw!), I'm sure someone with more BP exp. will be along to advise what kind of yardage to hold to onyour shots.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

...

[Smoke4320]

limited to 75-100 Yd shots and you rifle would be fine on well placed heart shots.. miss that area and you have a wounded/dying somewhere deer.. I would suggest a different rifle.. YMMV

[NVScouter]

I push my 45 rifle loads to almost 1600fps wih a 250g RNFP. I'd have no issue shooting pigs and deer to 150y. So the question becomes: Is 150y and under where you want to hunt?

[sparky45]

What a ridiculous question. Absolutely you need another gun. I would go with a 300 Blackout in a AR Platform with night vision eyes, just for the hogs. Don't get caught using it on Deer at night.
BTW, beautiful Levergun, amazingly good wood.

[richhodg66]

I don't remember ever shooting a deer at over 100 yards and several have been inside of spitting distance. I think in Texas Hillcountry you can set up an ambush plan for deer that will make a .45 Colt rifle work just fine. Gonna try a .45 Colt rifle on deer one of these days.

[RedneckRob]

I use to hunt white tail with my '92 44 WCF ( 44-40 ) and never felt under gunned. 205 lead with 10.3 grns. of Unique. The '66 is the one lever action I always wanted. Yours looks Beautiful.

[lonewelder]

Shoot through the lungs and try to break down the off side shoulder.You might also look for something with a bigger meplat.I have heard about those armored deer but haven't seen any down our way yet.Should work fine within reason

[starmac]

Ofcoarse you need another rifle or ten, that said what you have also works well within it's range. Beware the man with one gun, has been a saying for a long time and stands to reason.

[btroj]

It isn't a matter of need, it is a matter of want.

[Bzcraig]

The man or woman who doesn't NEED another rifle should be in danger of losing his/her standing on this site!

[44Vaquero]

"Need?" Such a silly question! "Want!" is the far more important issue.

[TXGunNut]

Nope, don't need another rifle, I think the 45 Colt is an outstanding hunting cartridge but I'm happier with a heavier wide meplat or at least a SWC boolit profile. 37 grs of FFFg is a pretty potent hunting load. With good hits all you'll need is a good knife and freezer space.
If'n you want a new rifle there's those newfangled model 1894 rifles that use something called smokeless powder in a cartridge called 30 Winchester Central Fire, just stay away from those silly copper jacketed bullets.

[quilbilly]

One always needs another rifle. I am currently resisting a temptation now but I digress. Having hunted deer with 45 PRB (130 gr approx) for years, your rifle is more than adequate as long as the terminal velocity is about 800 fps with that much larger boolit. Just load accordingly.

[runfiverun]

you know your limitations with the rifle stay inside them.

[dtknowles]

Col. Cooper said for deer you need 1000 fps min, .40 cal or greater and 200 grains or better and of course you have to be able to deliver the bullet to the kill zone. Like others have said, you are good out to a point. He was talking about the minimum hand gun for deer but I don't know why it would not apply here as well.

Tim

[Suo Gan]

Looks like you are a simple man. Hard to beat a 30-06. Try to find a good Mauser 98 either commercial or converted mil sporter. $400 should do it just fine, with scope and everything. Then there will be no question.

[Jupiter7]

If money is an issue and you want something strictly for deer and availability to stretch your range, I'd suggest a H&R handi rifle. I used one in .270winchester last years season, cost me $200 new with crappy scope. Shoots jacketed 130gr federal SP(cheapest I could find, $15 for 20) into workable 1.5 moa groups. I did replace the scope with a redfield revolution 2-7x33($160) and will load heavy lead as soon as I find the right mold, preferably 160grs+. My point in the long run, regardless of caliber there's plenty of options with an H&R without breaking the bank.

I'd also for low end suggest a savage axis/edge in your desired caliber or a savage model 10/110, 11/111 in your desired rifle caliber. Both can be had with or without scope package at or under $400, they'll shoot 1moa easy out of box.

[HighHook]

Not if your Chuck Conners...