Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 45 Colt on deer.

Have any of you killed deer with a 45 colt (standard loads)? If so how did it do? Did the bullets pass thru?

I would like to do some hunting next year with some of my lever-actions such as my 1873. I don't plan on shooting more than 50-60 yards.

900 FPS velocity would work well but I'd want a wide nose flat point. The wound channel would be greatly enhanced compaired to round nose

I believe there is already a 45 Colt Leverevolution variety of ammo on the shelves, but not sure of the bullet weights.

Here is some info:

http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Colt/

Buck2, Head on over to specialty pistols and pose your question. They'll give you a wealth of knowledge on the .45 Long Colt, loading and hunting performance.

I don't think they recommend that ammo for the '73 action. I may be wrong, but I would sure as heck check. The 960 fps muzzle velocity for that round is from a 4 3/4" test barrel, the velocity you will get with a 20" or 24" bbl will be significantly higher.

I shot 73's for years in Cowboy and can attest that it is not a very strong action. It will perform safely with moderate loads, you amp it up and it will blow up. I've seen it happen to 2 different rifles, both times it broke the links and sent the bolt out of the back of the reciever towards the shooter. Hot loads were the reason.

If you deer hunt with it, safe loads for the rifle are going to mandate that you are close to the critter you intend to kill. You should be good to go at the distance you mentioned, just be careful what ammo you feed it. Stay away from the hot stuff.

Best,

JM.

Buffalo Bore loads a 45 Colt that is safe in all Colt Clone pistols. If it's safe in them, it should be ok in your '73.

As far as getting a large increase in velocity when shooting pistol loads in a rifle, you get them but not as large as you think. There is still only 14-20 grains of powder pushing that bullet and the pressure curve has peaked long before the bullet leaves the barrel.

I usually got an additional 200+ fps in rifle ('73 with 20" bbl.) vs. pistol (Ruger Vaquero 4 3/4" bbl.)

These were weak cowboy loads, 4.1 grains of Nitro 100 pushing a 160 gr. lead SWC. MV in pistol was around 780 fps.

You load a '73 hot and it breaks those links, you are going to have a bolt sticking out of your eye.

JM

You wanna hunt deer with a 45 Colt? Get a Ruger Blackhawk or T/C Contender or H&R Handi-Rifle. In these guns, the 45 Colt can do more than a 44 magnum. I prefer 300 grain cast flat nose bullets at 1000 fps or more.

Leave the old toggle-clink Winchester on the mantle.

-

45 Colt properly loaded in a revolver will out do a 44 mag doesn't need to be in a rifle

A 250 grain bullet at 1000 fps will do a deer no good at all and will keep your '73 in one piece too. Think and hunt like a bowhunter [30-50 yd shots] and you'll do fine with mild loads in the 45. Pistol cartridges kill by making big holes in soft tissue, not by expanding bullets to .75-80 caliber.

Any good 240/250 grain Lead Semi Wadcutter at 900 to 1000fps will punch clean through a deer with zero problems. You really do not need to hotrod .44s or .45s to get them to perform.

The hotrod loads are good for larger species, but not at all needed for muleys or whitetails. I have punched clean through a hog with a 240 grain cast SWC at 900 FPS, through the tough plates on the shoulders.

Punching through deer with an SWC is easy money.

I shoot deer every year with a 32-20 lever gun.. all dead pretty quick...

Right bullet in the right place at a reasonable distance and I wouldn't worry much.

Thanks for all the input.

I want to hunt with this type gun because these are the kind of guns that I love, and it is a challenge much like bow hunting. I do plan to us standard loads in my 1873 (250gr. at around 900 fps). I have a 1892 for the hot loads.

I read several people suggesting to use a T/C or are some else that can handle a hot load, but if I was after more power I would just take my 30-06.

My main goal here is to find out if a 45 Colt (250gr. at around 900 fps) is adequate to kill deer at close range (50 yards).

Thanks,
Buck2

Assumin' that if you have an 1873 in 45 Colt, it's a repro and therefore possibly a tad stouter than an original one? But like most, I can often get in trouble by making assumptions. ;O)

Killed a deer this year with my 1906 vintage M92 in 38WCF, using WW 180gr SPs. My self-imposed limit is also 50 yards, but know an old boy who has been killing deer with his identical rifle (20" round barrel) for over 50 years, as did his daddy who bought it new in the 1920s.

Buck2, I think 900 fps with a 255gr lead load would smoke a deer @ 50 yards.

Head over to Leverguns.com and join the forum. Snoop around and you'll find plenty of info on using an 1873 in 45 colt for deer hunting. Good forum and good folk.

It is. But you'll be much happier with the result of using a bullet like this

http://www.castperformance.com/catalog/4090-l.jpg

instead of this

http://media.midwayusa.com/ProductImages/Medium/258321.jpg

hopefully the first bit of knowledge shared is that there is no 45 "long" Colt

my only handgun deer kill was a 6 pt whitetail with a .45 ACP and 200gr cast semi wadcutters... i do not recall the velocity if i ever knew it...
complete pass through, one shot kill... deer ran a short ways and fell over...

A 250 gr. hard cast WNFP over 16.1 gr. of 2400 works well on deer. EZ on the ears and the gun but death to deer!!