The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Handgun Hunting 45 Colt load for deer, bear, and hogsGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| 45 Colt load for deer, bear, and hogs | Login/Join |
new member |
My 4½" 45 Colt Vaquero (old heavier model) is incredibly accurate with a 255 gr LSWC and 12.0 gr of Blue Dot. Will this be a good deer, bear,and hog load out to 25 yards? | ||
|
| one of us |
Define super accurate! I would go to a heavier boolit with 296. The LBT 335 gr and the Lyman 325 gr with 21.5 gr of 296, Fed 150 primer are my choice. 100 yd's would be a sure kill zone and farther if you can hit. Yes, your load can kill but I just can't get a SWC to shoot to standards I set for my guns. | |||
|
Moderator |
I too prefer heavier bullets, but that load should work really fine on deer. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
|
| new member |
Incredibly accurate - a 5-shot group from sandbag rest at 20 yards that I can cover with a quarter, precisely at my point of aim. | |||
|
Moderator |
I'd be happy with that -- How does it shoot at 50? that's my current challenge, so I am trying to find someone to teach me to shoot better! opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
|
one of us |
I am with Whitworth on this one, heavier bullets is what I use. I am using 325 gr. hard cast in my 45 Colt Bisley Vaquero with a good dose of H110. In my opinion the 255 is a little light for bear and maybe hogs, but would be great for deer. If you're going to make a hole, make it a big one. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Member of the Delaware Destroyers Member Reeders Misfits NRA Life Member ENDOWMENT MEMBER NAHC Life Member DSA Life Member | |||
|
| one of us |
WHAT IS 20 YD'S? is that a distance or an amount from a measuring cup?  Accurate means a group you can cover with a nickel at 50 yd's and an inch at 100. Well, I give you a little more latitude then that, but why are you even shooting 20 yd's? You should shoot no less then 50. That is just the start to see boolit stability. Sure you are good for deer to 25 yd's with what you shoot. But you are so limited with boolit choice, Powder choice, trajectory, killing power, penetration and accuracy that you are not making use of the wonderful Vaquero. The .45 is a SUPER caliber. I have killed many deer out to 100 yd's with my Vaquero, off hand, because I do not EVER shoot 20 yd's. Expand your horizons, you can do it. Stop shooting anemic .45 Colt loads. It is as good or better then a .44 mag. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Your load will shoot completely through any deer or hog you happen to run across. But in the event you are looking for a bit more load data, this is cut and pasted from a John Linebaugh article on the Smith 25-5; To date my oldest and most used S&W .45 Colt has probably taken 5,000 plus loads. Half of these have been 24.0 gr H-110 with the 260 Keith. Doesn't sound like I shoot it a lot huh! Well, I shoot a lot of other stuff daily on the side, and I figure this old Smith gets carried about 200 miles per shot. It's packable, practical and powerful, and that's what Old School sixguns are all about. Grains Powder Bullet Weight Velocity Comments 13gr HS-6 Keith 260 cast 925 General duty load 23gr H-110 Keith 260 cast 1,000 24gr H-110 Keith 260 cast 1,080 Consistent 25gr H-110 Keith 260 cast 1,130 Recommended Maximum 26gr H-110 Keith 260 cast 1,200+ ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM 18gr 2400 Keith 260 cast 950 20gr 2400 Keith 260 cast 1,070 Recommended Maximum 22gr 2400 Keith 260 cast 1,130 ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM 23.5gr H-110 Keith 310 1,100 ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM 23.5gr H-110 LBT/LFN 320 1,120 ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM 24gr H-110 XTP 300 1,100 ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM, crimped in bottom cannelure. Seated long. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neither I, handloads.com nor the author of this article assume any responsiblity for any use of the data listed here. It is the responsiblity of every handloader to verify the data they are using is safe in their individual handguns. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Linebaugh and Linebaugh Custom Sixguns can be found online at http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/ Have fun! | |||
|
| one of us |
Now why are all of your loads so much better? And all are close to what I shoot. Seems we are thinking the same. My only question is to show Keith groups and if the are better then LBT style boolits. | |||
|
One of Us |
I like the 325 grain LBT bullet by Cast Performance, the 335 is also a great choice. I have an LBT mold that casts a 310 Grain LFN out of wheel wieghts and I load 25 grains of 296/H-110 for 1400 FPS and it is very accurate My revolver is a Ruger Bisley _____________________________________________________ A 9mm may expand to a larger diameter, but a 45 ain't going to shrink Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. - Winston Churchill | |||
|
| Moderator |
Yes your load will kill. If the load you are using shoots to the sights on your fixed sight revolver and you are happy with the accuracy that is fine. If you can shoot minute of quarter at 20 yards and are going to limit your shots to 25 yards, that should be just plenty. If you decide to change your criteria or expand your hunting range, there are a number of different bullets and powders available for your use. If ignorance is bliss; there are some blissful sonofaguns around here. We know who you are, so no reason to point yourselves out. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Agree. Seyfreid wrote an article a few years ago that explained how to sight in a fixed sighted Vaquero _____________________________________________________ A 9mm may expand to a larger diameter, but a 45 ain't going to shrink Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. - Winston Churchill | |||
|
| One of Us |
To date my oldest and most used S&W .45 Colt has probably taken 5,000 plus loads. Half of these have been 24.0 gr H-110 with the 260 Keith. Doesn't sound like I shoot it a lot huh! Well, I shoot a lot of other stuff daily on the side, and I figure this old Smith gets carried about 200 miles per shot. It's packable, practical and powerful, and that's what Old School sixguns are all about.  Not my loads, Mr. Linebaugh's... | |||
|
| new member |
If I see a deer at 100 yards, I've got about 75 to 90 yards more hunting to do. There's no need to take a long shot like that. I've hunted hogs with my longbow near Victoria TX and have never had a shot longer than 10 yards. Now I want to do it with a handgun. | |||
|
| One of Us |
A friendly load in my Bisley 5,5 is Lyman 325, H110-21 gr./1050 fps. In my Winchester 94 AE - 1370 fps. Always penetration straight through  - with both guns. | |||
|
| one of us |
Some of those 45 Colt loads seem awfully stiff for a Smith 25. At least to me. Peter. Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright, that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong; | |||
|
| Moderator |
heavy for me in a SW, 25 or 625 -- but I like 240 JHP at about 1000fps! will kill any pig I might come across opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
|
| one of us |
got to agree. Your load will shoot through any deer black bear or hog. 255s are plenty of bullet for that. I would say that if your getting one hole groups at 20 yards your gun is plenty accurate for 50 yard shooting. Keep in mind the vitals of a a deer or bear at 50 yards is more the 5 inch in diameter. your gun is plenty accurate for that if your capable of shooting it well in the field. Nothing wrong with heaivier bullets and one hole 50 yard groups but to be realistic there just not needed for hunting animals that size. | |||
|
| one of us |
Right on. God....Family....Country | |||
|
| One of Us |
I use a 255 gr LFN in my 454 Casull with 16 gr of blue dot, it's very accurate. and passes thru both sides of a deer. I've also shot deer with my 45 colt and a 230 gr bullet; this also puts 2 holes in the deer one in one out, it also took out both lungs. I think that a 255 gr 45colt at anything over 900 fps is plenty for deer. "An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man is a slave", Ceasar | |||
|
| One of Us |
It should be OK at reasonable ranges and the accuracy sounds great. But... My own personal standard for deer is at or as close as possible to 1K ft lbs for a quick, clean one shot. That's with any caliber or cartridge. If iron sights, I also try to limit it to about 35 yds and nothing moving faster than slow walking speed, like when feeding. The 8 3/8" 629 is my only scoped handgun and I can in good conscience take on deer with it out to 100 yds. I have known handgunners who can push the range out even farther...believe it or not...without a scope. But, that's beyond my ability level and I try to be honest with myself on that. Don't believe I saw what your fps was on that load. You can calculate the energy figure easily if you know it. That's just my take on it. I try to stick to this way of doing it in .41s and .44s and can honestly say in deer hunting since the late 60s I've managed to not cripple and/or lose one yet. And that's having been out there a good bit. | |||
|
| Moderator |
Ah man, you don't actually believe that muzzle energy nonsense, do you? My .454 with various loads "generates" (not something you can actually measure) more muzzle energy than my .475 Linebaugh, but I'll let you guess which one kills better. If the accuracy is there, that load will punch through any deer with ease. ME is a tool to sell ammo IMHO. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
|
| Moderator |
At least a tool for those who don't know better. If ignorance is bliss; there are some blissful sonofaguns around here. We know who you are, so no reason to point yourselves out. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Handgun Hunting 45 Colt load for deer, bear, and hogs
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia