Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Favorite .45 Colt Deer Load?

Guess I should qualify the deer I'm talking about here. All the deer where I hunt are Mule Deer, most dress out about 100# (2yr olds) with a big one 150# (3-6yr olds) (that's just meat and bones, no head, skin, legs etc.) I can't imagine them being any tougher than a large white-tail. Shots will likely be 50-75yds, maybe to 100 if I can get a good rest and perfect shot opportunity. Bullet performance will need to work at those ranges. I now have the gun - a Ruger Bisley .45 Colt w/ 7.5" barrel. Thanks for all the replys - I'm leaning toward Laser-Cast 255gr SWC and Unique 9-10gr. or H4227(so far). Would like to have that bullet in the 1000-1100fps range.

H4227 will do exactly that. You can get Unique up there, but I think it starts to get a little touchy above 9 grains because it's just a bit too fast for top-end loads. My opinion.

That bullet, 21.0 H4227, a magnum primer and a firm crimp will give you great accuracy, the velocity you seek and moderate pressures.

Ive been useing heavy caliber handguns for deer and hogs for years, Ive lost count years ago, but you do tend to see a pattern, in results, and one or two shots means little, results vary a good deal.your average revolver in the hands of a good shot is best used at under about 120 yards,for a number of reasons, so start thinking of that as a reasonable max range.
one point that was not brought out here is that handgun bullets rarely expand like rifle bullets and you WANT BOTH a wide melplat to increase the dammaged area along ther bullets path and AN EXIT WOUND that lets in air and BLOOD out, both tend to limit the distance the game travels if it doesn,t drop almost instantly.
Ive used the 200 grain hollow points in a 44 mag at high velocities and the 300 hard cast bullets,and the 240 hollow points, THEY all work reasonably well on deer if the shot placements decent,NONE of them gives instant DRT kills all the time, but the 300 grains are the most consistant, in that they tend to be very predictable and exit, the 200 & 240 grain hollow points can give spectacular kills at times, but Ive also had long trailing jobs on occasion on deer and occasionally on HOGs useing those bullets, while the 300 hard cast might not give the same dramatic DRT stops it tends to be very effective and consistant and give better average performance in my opinion.
your better off thinking like an ARCHER in that hits, even good hits don,t always result in instant kills and having projectiles do complete pass thrus and having good blood trails is a big plus. EXPECT deer to run! youll seldom see deer INSTANTLY drop with lung/heart shots but you seldom see them go very far either.
BTW the classic shot to the base of the neck/ low/mid center chest, if they are facing you works very effectively with a hard cast bullet

Thanks 340mag, I am and have been an Archer for over 20 years. I can relate to what you are saying. I usually shoot through the lungs even with a rifle and some tracking is usually required (part of the fun if you ask me).

RockyRaab, H4227 sounds like the winner - now if Sportsmans just had it, being how they are the only place in town with reloading supplies (after they ran everyone else out of business). I think I'll also get some Unique when the Trail Boss runs out for the lighter loads - and if I can not find any H or IMR 4227. Thanks for the help.

I shoot one bullet wieght in my revolvers and that wieght is based on the biggest game that I might pursue with that revolver. In 45 Colt I always use a 300 to 325 Grian LFN style hard cast flat point and I have found no better powder than Win-296 or H-110 (one and the same). These loads work to perfection on any size game in my experience

jwp475, That's a pretty heavy load - a cylinder full or two of those and I'd be ready to go home. I really want to find a load that is enough, but not way overkill. If I do get the notion to hunt elk or moose with the .45 Colt, then some of the 300gr W296 HAMMER loads will be in the works. I see your logic in keeping things simple with one load - good idea. I reload and keeping a couple of loads is not to big a deal. The load with H4227 and a 255gr SWC really sounds like a winner of a deer load - without huge blast and recoil. I do like a tamed down load also - I'm currently using 6gr of Trailboss under a 200gr RNFP - lots of fun, accurate and recoils like a .22 - can't wait to hunt Jacks this winter with this load! Thanks for all the suggestions.

for those guys that think 100-120 yards with a revolver is pushing things a bit....
while ID agree that each hunter needs to know his limits, and not shoot past the range he can keep shots in a deers chest, a decent shot with a good revolver should be able to keep a 6-7" group out at 100-120 yards with practice useing a decent iron sighted revolver. (yes , I fully aggree,your going to find far more guys that can hit consistantly at 50-75 yards than at 100-120 yards but thats not usually an equipment problem, its usually a lack of skill on the opperators part, most decent revolvers with good ammo will keep a 6" or smaller 100 yard group from a rest)from a sitting possition or standing with a decent rest against his hand on a tree or similar support, based on what I see at the range with guys using 7.5"-10" barrel revolvers. now IM sure not suggesting everyone can, but most of my friends can and so can I under most conditions with my revolvers, but then we do practice frequently.
if your friends are just starting into the sport naturally, they need to test thier skills, a stack of the small paper plates makes a good test, as long as you can keep your first three shots on the paper your well in range, miss and your past your effective range

hers a ballistic calc for range and drop .

http://www.biggameinfo.com/BalCalc.aspx

sight a 41 mag,44 mag, 445 dwsm, 454 casull, 460, or 500 S&W or 480 ruger, or similar caliber in at 3" high at 50 yards with a decent hunting ;load and your within 3" out to 120 yards (yes, the longer sight radias of a 7.5"-10" barrel and lots of range time, shooting from field possitions DOES HELP)and its a rare guy thats consistant past that 100-120 yards so thats why I suggested that as a reasonable limit and having to think of a revolvers as something similar to archery, as a hunting tool, is a good idea.. Id suggest S&W, DAN WESSON and RUGER all make decent revolvers with 7.5"-10" barrels in hunting calibers that can be used in most cases