Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 45 acp on game

Mark you ought to name that bullet Big Nose Kate.

I'd tend to agree more with Linebaugh than you. I've taken a lot of game with both and both put game on the ground pronto with proper bullet location.

Penetration edge with 300 + grain hardcast favors the 45 by a good margin

And what about the USP in the picture? Is it yours? Is the USP as reliable as the Glock?

EK

You being from Germany are likely aware that the HK USP .45 is one of the most reliable .45s ever fielded. Yes the HK is mine. It came to me from a friend, who actually did a fair bit of contract/consultant work for HK. The USP .45 shown used to belong to Ken Hackathorn. Ken Hackathorn, along with Larry Vickers worked together and created the specs for what would become the HK45 and HK45 Compact, with the HK45 Compact then being put into service as the MK 24 pistol which was adopted into service with the Navy's special warfare community.

I was in the market for a USP and this gun has additional value to me, due to the fact that it belonged to a friend and mentor. The USP also is well known for the fact that it can handle .45 Super level loads. Both the Glock 21 and the USP are ridiculously reliable guns.

I find that I shoot the G21 better, due to the fact that there were numerous years where I put 10-15K rounds a year, year after year. This went on for a long time shooting USPSA comps as well as using one for a duty/teaching gun. That heavy use made the G21 a more familiar tool and I simply shoot it better. The HK USP is not as shootable for me. Recently I sent mine back to HK USA and had an overhaul, with all new springs, fresh night sights and a hybrid match LEM trigger put in to replace the DA/SA trigger, which was a major handicap to shooting quickly. The new trigger is night and day better compared to the old version. The hybrid match makes the HK like a whole new gun.

HK's are very accurate also.

Now you've piqued my interest, MS. Would you describe to me the match LEM trigger?

I've used the cast version of Cooper's 230 grain flat point, by Bear Creek and Missouri Bullet loaded to 850+ fps, on a bunch of nuisance critters to about 50 pounds. And 'coon, groundhog. diller and one dumped-down-my road mean-assed-dog* has just folded in their tracks when hit coming or going with that load. It worked equally well on crossing shots that take the shoulder.

Years ago me and some pals loaded a 255 SWC over enough Blue Dot to get 875 fps out of it. I shoulder-shot a 300 pound hog with that one and put it right down. The bullet had bored the shoulder & gristle plate and was just under the skin on the off side. The nose of the bullet looked like it'd been slammed into old, rough finished concrete.

I wouldn't hesitate to neck or shoulder shoot a deer with either load.


* I hate to shoot dogs and I'd never shoot a stray crossing the place. But when one shows up and immediately starts chewing on my dogs, growls at the women-folk, chases my horses and then makes a run at me when I confront it? So long mofo.

The LEM is "Law Enforcement Module". Here is a writeup on luckygunner that does a pretty good job.:

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/hks-weird-trigger-system-and-the-p30sk/

Think of the match LEM, when in the normal pre-cocked mode as essentially a single action trigger setup with a bit longer trigger pull, not dissimilar to a tuned trigger on a Glock. You have a very light pre-travel take up then you get to the actual trigger pull which is quite short, and on the hybrid Match LEM is short and light. If you are used to carrying a tuned 1911 trigger or shooting a match Glock trigger it should be no issue.

Below shows the pre-travel taken up before you get to the actual trigger pull.



The other thing is that, also like a Glock, there are no manual external safeties, or decockers.

It is not for everyone, but for some it may be a good option.

That Cooper version of the 230 grain FP; isnt that that the Saeco 67 bullet? If it is my buddy casts them.

I don't cast them myself Glockdoofus but that #67 looks a lot like what I use.

https://www.thesixgunjournal.net/missouri-bullets-225-grain-flathead-for-the-45-auto/

Here's Bear Creek's version which is supposedly more authentic. I know it shoots good and I use it exclusively these days.

https://www.bearcreeksupplybullets.com/45fp230

Thanks for the photo. From the picture the nose looks so much like the Saeco 67 that it seems for all intents and purposes it could be the same. Do you have the diameter of the actual nose flat not including the radius from the flat to the truncated cone ogive?

I'm getting about .255" on the bear creek bullet for roughly 56%. I'm also loading the Lee 452-255-RF
https://leeprecision.com/6-cavity-452-255-rf.html

in 45 ACP (.300 meplat/66%) to about the same speed but I haven't killed much with it yet. It looks pretty close to what McKay is loading in his 255 grain ACP load.

I have an old friend who grew up on South Africa who used an Uberti SA, with the Lee 255 in warm 45 Colt loads, on several warthogs, He said it definitely 'put the smack' on them.

Sarge,
What are you running for OAL with these Lee 255's? I bought that mold to go with my 460 Rowland barrel but that is gone now and I'm going to run some heavy bullet +P loads in the standard 45 ACP barrel with a heavy spring and square FP stop. Like to start with an OAL that is know to work and tweak from there. Throating reamer is on the way so I can get longer than the current 1.150" limit with this bullet. I have Bullseye, Unique, and Blue Dot to play with. Looks like Blue Dot may give best velocity results from those but I think that I saw that Accurate #5 or #7 could do well.

I originally loaded this batch for a S&W 1937 'Brazilian' revolver, so they aren't hot. They have shot and fed great in everything from G30s to Commanders to S&W Shields to XD Subcompacts.

Old post from 3 years ago; hope this helps.


After digging through old loading manuals, I decided run a short batch of heavy-bullet 45 ACP for use in the 1937 Brazilian.

7.5 grains HS-6
255 grain Lee RNFP
OAL 1.165"
S&B Cases
CCI Large Std Primer
Average Velocity 829.7

My goal was to get basic 45 Long Colt ballistics from the ACP case, all w/o straining the old Smith. The load shot a little high but was just right at 100 yards and it banged the plate pretty hard, too.

Many years ago, my first Black Bear, one shot with a hard cast 220 grain lead bullet from my 1911 .45 acp on a DIY spot and stalk hunt.

That’s some fancy camo you had on there Buffy. Was it charcoal scent killer impregnated? 😀

LOL

I've found it to be quite effective. It'll clean birds.

I once shot a Woodchuck with an old Colt 1911, about 15-20yds away, does that count for anything?😬

I've never killed anything with one of my .45's but, want to try it on a close range deer this Fall.