I just picked up a winchester 94 In .45 Colt. I'm thinking of shooting the 250gr Hornady XTP at
whitetails. Im looking for some data for a rifle, preferably using 2400 or uneque. What jacketed
hollow points do yall like? How far would you trust this load (distance)? I was out shooting
some winchester cowboy loads, and shot consistant inch groups at 50 meters.
your thoughts please?

Thomas
I shoot a Rossi model 92 in 45 Colt. I've found that a 300 grain Saeco cast bullet with 20 grains of H110 does very well.
Since I've been shooting Rugers and S&W 45 Colts for 30 years getting the Rossi proved to be a natural. Over the years I've found that cast bullets do everything jacketed bullets do, costs less, and I'm in control of the supply.
Jim

Thomas,

Your Win 94 in 45 Colt will certainly handle any whitetail that walks, even the huge brutes that live here in Montana and up where you are.

Your rifle will tell you how far you will be able to shoot at deer from the group size you get with your hunting loads.

I have the Trapper model of the 94 and because of group size I limit it to a 100 yard and under rifle for big game hunting. For the areas where one would use a short barreled lever action, 100 yards is a long shot.

Performance wise, I would say the 45 Colt loaded to the 32,000 psi level such as for the Ruger handguns will easily reach out to 150 yards to harvest big game animals.

I would suggest one thing though about your loads. I would not use the 250 gr XTP. There is a simple reason for this. From my testing, this bullet performs great in the 1000-1300 fps range. Much over that and they will tend to shed their jackets quite often.

If you like the Hornady bullets, I would suggest using the newer 240 gr XTP-MAG designed for the 454. This bullet is designed to run at near 2000 fps from a 7 1/2" 454 handgun. One can match this out of the Colt firing it out of a rifle length barrel.

In my mind, the 300gr Speer Uni-Core SP at around +1500 fps is an even better option then the standard weight bullets in the 240-260gr range.

Personally I would shot a 300-325 gr LBT design at around 1500 fps. They will penetrate a deer from any angle and I have found the bullets from CPB to be more accurate on average then jacketed bullets in my Win 94.

As far as powders go, Unique can be used with medium power loads but is a bit dirty to be honest. 2400 is a great powder if pressures are up in the +35,000 psi range. Since the case on the 45 Colt is so large compared to other smaller bore handgun rounds, 2400 is a bit tough to get to burn clean.

In fact if pressures are to low with 2400, it is one of the dirtiest powders I have ever used.

H-110 and W-296 are the standard for full tilt magnum power loads bt do not handle reduced loads at all.

The new H-LilGun may be the best powder yet for the 45 Colt. It can match H-110 and W-296 in magnum velocity but can also be loaded down a bit or used where case capacity is a bit to low for the other two magnum powders.

If you want to use the 250 gr class bullets, try H-LilGun and you should be able to get near 2000 fps from a 20" barrel. Remember that most handgun bullets will let loose at this velocity so use a stout bullet or better yet, use a heavier bullet.

Good Shooting!!!

50

If you like a .451 jacketed hollowpoint, I think the 225gr Speer JHP would be hard to beat in a 45 colt.

The 250 XTP's will work but I was not impressed with the accuracy -in mine. I wouldn't use them passed 100 yds and at that distance I'd want a perfect broad side as they tend to open up to about 4".