On the fence for .45 colt on deer

[Twosheets1874]

As the name says im on the fence about using my 1873 winchester saddle carbine 20" barrel on a hunt in the mountains the sight can range from 20-200 yards and to my knowledge 100 yards is the furthest range i can take deer. Im going with a friend and im into "heritage hunting" and im not sure if this load and the load is

Lee precision 452-255 gn with 1:20 alloy and powder coated.
With a velocity average in around 875 fps using Titegroup.

To be honest ive only used this load on coyotes to great effect. But only factory loaded .308 win on deer

So my question to the community is this a viable load to take deer down if I place my shots well?

[Snippy45]

+

if teh carbine muzzle velocity is only 875 fps, its not exactly what youd be wanting for a "deer".. if you hit the deer in the special place it would most likely work.. however thats handgun velocity that most wouldnt use past 50 yards.

[knitepoet]

Will it kill a deer? Eventually, if you place your shot well.

Will it kill a deer in a manner that allows for it to be recovered? That's the $64 question

"the sight can range from 20-200 yards"

With how my luck runs, the monster buck of a lifetime will show up at 150-200 yards and I wouldn't be able to get closer.

Personally, I'd prefer something with better "legs"

[Der Gebirgsjager]

This question or one like it comes up with some regularity, and I'll be happy to share my unpopular opinion with you. You can kill a deer with a .22 Short if you're close enough and aim well enough, and most pistol caliber cartridges will do the job; again, if you aim well enough and are close enough. But the question is best answered by good hunting ethics and common sense. Given a good shot at 50 yds. I have no doubt that the .45 Colt will drop a deer. But when faced with that 100 yd. shot are you going to take it? Are you familiar enough with your chosen load to compensate for bullet drop and wind? In a survival situation where you need the meat and a .45 Colt rifle is all you have there is little choice, but in the world of normal hunting there are many better choices for a cartridge, your .308 being one of the best. There is little excuse for poor marksmanship or poor bullet performance that allows wounded game to escape only to die later and their meat to be wasted.

Good luck on your hunt.

DG

[Delkal]

That load is similar to a 45 ACP so I am not sure why you would use such a light target load on a deer.

If your rifle is a modern reproduction you should safely get ~1200 fps with a standard pressure 45 colt load. But even then a 100 yard shot might be pushing it.

[white eagle]

all some use for deer is 10 gr's of this or that for deer hunting
me, personally I would bump the powder charge and then see if 100-125 yards is a viable option
now you never stated what your charge is but by the lack of velocity it seems like there is room to gain in that area
good luck

[dverna]

Poor load selection and even with a proper .45 LC load there is a lot of bullet drop at 200 yards

[Twosheets1874]

To clarify its 5.8 grains of titegroup i can get 3 inch groups anything else just seems to spray them all over the target

[Twosheets1874]

Respectfully I have no doubt but I want to stay below my the max psi due to having only a few year of reloading just careful about pushing hot loads though my rifle

[Finster101]

If .45 LC won't do it must be some damn tough deer.

[Larry Gibson]

If you have Blue Dot powder you can push that bullet upwards of 1150 - 1200 fps and maintain 15,000 psi. That's what I push an RCBS 45-255-KT to out of my Uberti M73. I can hit a 10" dinger at 200 yards without any problems. If I adjust the sight to that range setting. I've no doubt it would effectively kill deer at that range but as mentioned some tracking would probably be necessary. Personally, were I to hunt deer with it I would restrict myself to a max range of 100 yards +/-.

[Bazoo]

I would hunt it, but I am a traditionalist type hunter. I would also try to work up some heavier loads.

Limit your shots to the range you can hit, and be ready to pass on deer that do not give you ideal shot placement.

[Preacher Jim]

I have taken 3 deer with ruger only loads at around 90 yards

[NSB]

To put it simply, it’s unethical to use this load when there are so many better choices. It could kill a deer, but there’s a very high probability that you’ll get a bad hit simply due to trajectory alone. It’s anemic beyond fifty yards also.

[elmacgyver0]

Just stirring the pot.
Is it "unethical" to hunt deer with a bow?

[white eagle]

Just stirring the pot.
Is it "unethical" to hunt deer with a bow?

just like the evil black rifle?

[M-Tecs]

Respectfully I have no doubt but I want to stay below my the max psi due to having only a few year of reloading just careful about pushing hot loads though my rifle

Is your rifle a rebarreled original or a modern replica? What yardage are you shooting the 3-inch groups at?

The toggle-link rifles are not noted for their strength, but they are not as weak as some believe. Uberti chambers than in 44 Mag.

https://uberti-firearms.com/uberti-1...a-grade-stock/

In a modern 1873 rifle 1,200 to 1,300 FPS is very doable safely.

Some good discussion here https://www.levergunscommunity.org/v...ic.php?t=50952

[Delkal]

Just stirring the pot.
Is it "unethical" to hunt deer with a bow?

No. But it would be unethical to use a 30 pound pull if you could easily go higher.

[Twosheets1874]

Its a repro made in japan and 100 yards. And im new to cast reloading for .45 colt and just don't want to over do it on pressure. Thank you ill read into that forum

[Twosheets1874]

Ill definitely look into different powder choices maybe blue dot or acc #5