Deer with a rbh and 45 colt

[sac]

Same here. To me the inlines are just another rifle, not a muzzle loader

[rodwha]

Indeed, which is funny as my father, who had been telling me for years about BP guns, and where I got my ROA (first BP gun) seems to like them. Go figure...

The only thing I find interesting is the amount of powder they can handle as I've been wanting a muzzleloader to shoot point blank out to 200 yds to top with a Malcolm scope. Alas it seems just out of reach with the types that hold my fancy and don't cost thousands.

[DougGuy]

Thread drift fellas! So far this has been a really good thread about hunting deer with the .45 Colt, let's preserve it as such. Years from now anyone who happens to type in "hunting deer with .45 Colt" in a Google search will be directed to this thread..

[35 Whelen]

Welcome to the forum, sac.

I understand your being overwhelmed with bullet choices, but I wouldn't overthink it. SWC or WFN will both work and there's no such thing as "deader".


Since you'll probably be do more shooting, than shooting of deer, I'd start with a basic bullet style such as the Lyman 454424, a 255 gr. SWC and a couple of pounds of Unique. Loaded with anywhere from 8.0 - 10.0 grs. in your big Ruger, you'll be set to take any deer that walks the face of God's green earth.

I've killed a few deer and a hog with .44 Specials loaded with Keith SWC's running 1000 fps and less, and they all died promptly, but admit to having killed only two head of game with a 45 Colt. Last year I took a spike and a javelina back behind the house. The bullet was cast from a MiHec 45-270 SAA HP mould. IMHO this bullet, designed by Dave Scovill of Handloader and Rifle magazines and produced by RCBS, is the quintessential hunting bullet for the 45 Colt. The MiHec version comes with three styles of HP pins and I was using the large one which netted a bullet weight of about 263 grs. as cast from a fairly soft alloy of around 8.5 Bhn.

Here's what they look like starting with the small HP pin, then the penta, then the large.







Seated over 13.0 grs. of Blue Dot, velocity was a little over 1000 fps and both animals were taken at just under 50 yds. with a 5 1/2" Uberti Bisley.

With the javelina, I don't think there was any expansion likely due to insufficient resistance to the bullet... in other words the animal was too small.



I'd been waiting for this buck all season and was never there at the right time. He finally came through one frosty morning toward the end of season. The shot hit him high in the shoulder and he dropped on the spot as the impact was near the spine. The bullet stopped under the hide on the off side.





I was really pleased to see such beautiful expansion, but didn't care at all for the limited penetration, so I don't see the use of HP's in my future!

Another mould that's produced superb results for me is the RCBS 45-255-SWC. Mine actually drops bullets in the 262 gr. range. Maybe I've just been lucky, but bullets from the handful of RCBS moulds I own have produced more consistently good results than any of my others that include NOE, Accurate, MiHec and Lyman. IMHO they're one of the best moulds, and best values in moulds, there are out there. Bullets from the RCBS mould have produced some really nice accuracy for me.





Regardless of what bullet you choose, I personally wouldn't worry about running it much over 1000 fps, unless you just want to. What most folks don't realize is these big ol' bullets give up velocity very grudgingly. Your typical 255-260 gr. .45 caliber SWC started off at 1000 fps is still trucking along at well over 900 fps at 100 yds.

So there you are, more information over which to mull!

Good luck,

35W

[white eagle]

I really like the 45 colt cartridge its possibilities are vast
I have had a few revo's chambered for that cal and I personally could never get
any decent kind of accuracy out of any of them (3 Different Ruger's)
I do like the boolits you mentioned and have had molds for them
seems the Uberti may give me another chance to own a piece of history
at any rate the 45 colt is a very fine and capable cartridge IMO

[sac]

Thanks for all the great conversation on the topic. Next question is 2400 powder discontinued, I can't find it anywhere.

[35 Whelen]

2400 is still in production and available....where it's available!

35W

[runfiverun]

heard Cabelas had some on their website earlier today.

[white eagle]

Thanks for all the great conversation on the topic. Next question is 2400 powder discontinued, I can't find it anywhere.

yes it is.. you find it where you do and where you don't it's not
bought 8# just the other day

[rexherring]

My old .45 BH has claimed three nice mule deer loaded with 19 grs of AA#9 and RCBS 255 grain SWC. They are about 1100fps cast with WW's. Never recovered two of the bullets due to side/engine room shots but I did get one back from a front on shot on the third deer. The bullet hit the chest at 40 yds and traveled lengthwise and was recovered under the hide in it's rump. None of the deer went more than a few yards. Great round for deer. I do have the Lee 300 gr RNFP but havent tried it on deer yet.

[bigboredad]

You asked About hogdon longshot and out of every .45 by I ever shot it out of its been excellent. The velocity spreads were in single digits and at 1100fps with a 300gr lfn style bullet it was scary accurate.
I have found 300gr bullets to be more accurate than the 250-280gr bullets. However YMMV also the difference in and over a lfn is just amazing it has to be seen to be believed. However all the bullets discussed here will do the job if you do yours. My suggestion is to pick one and start shooting and shoot some more then when you feel happy with your abilities go shoot a bunch more and at the end of the hunting season you'll have a trophy cause anything taken with taken for your first hunt with your hand cast bullet will be a trophy. Good luck and most important have fun

[44man]

Might be some thread drift but what is the ROA? A .45 Colt without the brass is all. I have taken many deer with both and they both work.
Only difference is the ROA has the wrong twist when hot loaded so distance is short while the Colt can go 100 yards.

[rodwha]

The Ruger Old Army (ROA) used a Black Hawk barrel. It has the same 1:16" twist.

[44man]

The Ruger Old Army (ROA) used a Black Hawk barrel. It has the same 1:16" twist.

True but should have been slower for a RB. What twist for a .45 ML? Seems 1 in 60" .

[rodwha]

Why should it have been slower? Both my ROA and my Remington NMA have a 1:16" twist and do equally well with a ball and my 170 and 195 grn bullets with the same charge.

The ideal twist rate changes in regards to a round ball twist for a pistol vs a rifle. Lyman has a 1:30" twist in their pistols vs a 1:48 or 1:60 for their rifles. And the revolvers that people claim only shoot a ball better also have around a 1:30" twist instead of the 1:16" twist (.44 cal).

[44man]

I get 1102 fps out of the ROA with a RB. At 50 it SUCKS. Look at a RB rifle compared to an inline. Can you shoot a ball from a 1 in 28" twist?
You contradict yourself when you say the 1 in 30" works better but you are correct.

[Wolfer]

Im not sure what the twist is in my H&R inline. Seems like it 32" but might be 28". It shoots round balls very well up to 50 gr of 3f. Above that and they look like buckshot patterns.

I think it would be hard to get 50 gr in a ROA

[rodwha]

I get 1102 fps out of the ROA with a RB. At 50 it SUCKS. Look at a RB rifle compared to an inline. Can you shoot a ball from a 1 in 28" twist?
You contradict yourself when you say the 1 in 30" works better but you are correct.

I don't shoot a ball much. I prefer my WFN boolits.

Yes you can shoot a PRB from a fast twist barrel. Usually very light loads if I'm not mistaken. I don't own an inline or a fast twist rifle (mine is 1:48" in .50 cal).

I never said 1:30" was better for a ball from a pistol. The ROA is considered one of the best pistols in match shoots and they use light loads with a ball. But that is the general thought.

Look at some of the slow twist rifles that used heavy conicals quite well during the Civil War.

As this is a thread concerning the RBH in .45 Colt I assumed your first post today concerning the ROA had to do with bullets. You hadn't clarified if your stance was from using a ball.

[rodwha]

I think it would be hard to get 50 gr in a ROA

I understood "50" to be 50 yds. A modified cylinder can hold ~50 grns. Mine holds 40 grns of 3F BP or 45 grns of 3F T7 and these have a slight bit of extra room with a ball and no wad.

[Wolfer]

I guess what I was trying to say is I believe you can shoot a Ball in anything as long as you don't go too fast.

My only cap and ball pistol is a 58 rem. I'm not sure how much powder it holds. I rarely shoot round balls. Generally I use the Lee 452-200 RF with all the FFFg I can get in the cyl. Velocity of about 700 fps. The two deer I've shot with it obviously didn't realize it was a pipsqueak load.