Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 45 ACP and Deer

TROLL...looking for a fight..!

20 yards and down is inadequate....?


If only alot of us could be that lucky. I see nothing wrong and I applaud you for making good kill shots.

That's an ignorant statement, and masterful hindsight.

He only shot three times and killed the deer as intended. From the sounds of it, any of the shots would have done the job. He just didn't stop at one, which is an excellent display of hunting and shooting skills.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks here that have seen more than one deer shot as many times with an "adequate" rifle.

David

What does energy have to do with anything? Penetration is all that matters and the 45 ACP has enough with a proper bullet

Sounds like some good shooting!

how big was this deer???? 1-2 shots from a .44 and mr moose ended up in the frezzer more than once...do the math.45 = dead deer @ 175lbs? sounds like it worked fine, .44 = dead moose 1000+,......... shot placement. ps( A .45 is made for 2 legged creeps

Well your choice has been discussed and cussed so far. Obviously a 45ACP is NOT the BEST choice of a gun to take a deer with. I use a 45 also but mine is in a Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt stoked up with some pretty heavy slugs traveling as fast as I can safely shoot them.
I think my bottom line as far as a gun goes is that any gun that can dependably drive a bullet through the heart/lungs area certainly will kill a deer. That is regardless if I or anyone would recommend it or not, and a 45ACP would not get my wholehearted approval.

That are often larger than a Deer and certainly more dangerous. Thus the 45 ACP is adequate for Deer

If a 45 ACP is not adequate for Deer then how can it be adequate for 2 legged adversaries that can and are larger and far more dangerous?

Appears to be great performance for 45ACP. I've never shot a deer with the 45ACP, but have with S&W586 in 357 Mag and Ruger 41 Mag, and Glock 10mm. Shot a doe last year with my Ruger 44Sp at about 20yds. She acted like nothing wrong for about 5 sec, just stood with blood draining from both sides, then she keeled over. 10mm with 180gr HP gives the most dramatic wound channels and DRT kills.

I also do not go into the woods without a handgun on me.

First of all, it was Winchester Factory 230gr FMJ. The three shots went fast, two being a straight Tac-Tac to the chest. She then turned and took the last one on the other side. At that range and that size target (size of a dinner plate)tac tac dead center is no problem.

Ohio Regulations for equipment say:
"or handgun with 5-inch minimum length barrel, using straight-walled cartridges .357 caliber or larger,"

So 45 ACP is legal, it's just that the barrel of the P97 is .8 inches short. A 1911 would be legal.

The load was Winchester FMJ, which is rated as target ammo. I would not want a hollow point as that would trade expansion for penetration. The ammo was not up to par. I guess at 20 yards the 45 ACP, kept off the shoulder, would be OK with a stiffer load, maybe a load with a flat point.

I should add that the short track had no blood in it. The dress weight was around 105 pounds.

This Deer taken by my friends 13 year old daughter was shot trough the shoulder with a 270 130 grain Partition. The bullet did not exit, there was no blood trail and this deer went farther than you Deer went

I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS INADEQUATE,I SAID "NOT THE BEST CHOICE" THAT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN TERMINOLOGY

If it is adequate, then what is deficient? Or what is better, since dead is dead

Your capitol lock button broken?

oh gees, here we go again...22lr isn't the best round to use on deer. In fact it should be and IS a crime to use it.
Butt I have seen full sized bucks shot with it and take one step and fall.

It's a straight walled case too ! Just a bit under .357...

45 ACP? Sounds like way over penetration! LOL
Nice shootin!

22 LR is not a center fire which in my state matters, nor does it leave a 45 caliber or larger diameter wound depending on bullet selection

Two thoughts come to mind as I'm a .45ACP owner and was in the service when the .45ACP was the standard pistol.

The .45ACP load was designed to replace the ,38 Special to stop Moro warriors the were drug crazed and wore wet rawhide warped around their chest as protection. If it stopped Moro warriors and it did, the load will certainly kill any Whitetail deer you will ever shoot. If you think this load is inadequate for Whitetail deer than you need to reconsider the load as a CCW load.

There are many different hollow point loads that make good hunting loads. Federal, at one time, made a penetrator load that had a center post of lead that gave mass as the hollow point expanded. That load would be a good self-defense load and well as a deer load. Any hollow point that operated on that same principle would be a good self defense and deer load.

Crosshair,

Before this thread slides completely off an a tangent...

Using a .45 ACP with hardball you took a 12-yard broadside shot on a smallish deer. I would take the same shot.

All cartridges have limits so if anything in the scenario changes I can change my decision. I would never universally condone the .45 ACP as effective just as I would never do the same for a thermonuclear warhead.

Dead is dead.
Had dear go farther lung shot with a 340!
Good shooting, great eats.
Just be glad most of you can pack, let alone hunt with a handgun


Later....

+1..........

A pass through is a pass through, whether it is from a 45 acp or a hot loaded 45 Colt. The advantage of your hot Colt loads is on bigger game or bad angles on a deer, because it will penetrate further. On a broadside shot inside of 25 yards, with the right load, either will work on a deer. At least that has been my experience.