.45 ACP for deer at shorter ranges

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AdamSean

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I know I have opened up a huge can of worms, but here goes. I am preparing for deer season and picked me up a new .45 to carry as a sidearm to protect myself from coyotes and hogs. A piece of land that I hunt on does not allow the use of centerfire rifles, but allows for bow, shotgun with slugs and centerfire pistols with iron sights. I am all set for bow season, but when gun season gets here I was thinking of doing some hunting with the .45 pistol.

I am planning on only taking the shot at distances of 50 yards and less. All during turkey season I regularly got well within 20 yards of deer before I spooked them off. So I know I can put the shot in the kill zone. I also know a .45 will take down a deer. What I am looking for is some choices for excellent performing .45 ammunition designed for hunting.

Has anyone here hunted with a .45 and what is your choice of ammunition to hunt with?
 
well he beat me to it, I guess you'll get opinions on whether to use JHP of flat-nose. I would think JHP would be a good choice on a deer, I don't think the penetration would be an issue.
 
Deer are soft and squishy, narrow and have relatively soft bones. Any bullet/load that would be appropriate for self-defense against humans would be entirely adequate for short-range deer hunting.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet but I always carry my Glock 33 (.357sig) with an extended 5.32" barrel during gun season. I wouldn't hesitate to use it inside 20 yards and that's the limit of MY ability and the accuracy of a "combat" handgun. A more accurate gun with a better shooter could cleanly take deer MUCH farther.
 
I would not even try to kill a deer with a 45 ACP. The 45 long colt would do a very good job. Here in IN we are not aloud to use any brass that short 9 mm 38 Sp 45 Auto. The 357 is OK.
 
I guess I would take a different approach to your hunt. Hogs now there's a animal that does deserve a little extra bullet for its preferred demise. Dogs and deer on the other hand are kind'a thin skinned 7 months of the year. But down in AL I doubt your deer get a thick winter coat like they do up North. So saying that. I'm no expert on the 45 ACP. But I do have one or perhaps another around here someplace for reference. Honestly don't you think you could sacrifice a little of that bullet weight for more bullet speed OP. At the shooting distance you commented 180-200-gr. cast or jacketed you would think is more than sufficient out to 25-30-plus yards for deer. Trick in shooting such bullets is to know where they target down range 30-40 yards away. As with all shooting. Some caliber's and bullets just don't do what's expected of them.
 
I should have stated that the regulations require a mushrooming bullet. So that takes the hardcast flat noses out. I was actually thinking of using Hornady XTP 185gr +P. Hornady XTPs are more than accurate and penetrate deep. Most of the doe we get around here are 90-120 lbs. A perfect broadside shot shout end it fast. I am just trying to fill the meat locker. I have a totally different spot for the bigger bucks and those are bow from a tree stand and rifle from a blind.
 
my personal favorite personal defense ammo is magtech guardian gold 185 grain +P. they pack a punch and generally get good reviews. you may try some out just to make sure your 45 does well with them. I've killed deer at 50 yards with 9mm so your 45 will definitely do the job, especially if you can get them running at a decent velocity which can mean going with lighter bullets but 185s will still pack more than enough punch for deer.

EDIT: harcast to mushroom, they are really, the gold standard of mushroom, it's hard to get a jacketed bullet to mushroom as well as a cast bullet.
 
I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest a 185 gr Hornady XTP over a hot load of a powder that will give top velocity such as CFE pistol.

The heavy bullets aren't going to expand as well on a deer unless you hit it square in the shoulder. The lighter construction and higher velocity of the 185 gr hollow point will do more damage and make a larger wound cavity than the heavier bullets. That's why you see a lot of .45acp self defense loads using 185 gr bullets. What works best on humans will work best on deer.
 
I think 50 yards is pushing it with a 45, but if you can hit one at 25-30 yards I think the 45 will kill it.

Heavy and slow vs light and fast.

Under the right conditions both work. A lighter HP bullet moving fast will likely put one down faster with a lung shot. But with a less than perfect shot penetration will be limited and you may never recover the deer.

The heavier hardcast SWC bullets may not drop it as fast, and may require more tracking. But will add a bit of insurance on shots from odd angles.
 
That's a 15 yard gun, not a 50 yarder. Not even close. Be ethical please. 20 yards tops, unless it's an HK Mark 23, and then make it 25 yards tops. At least in my opinion. Mostly due to practical accuracy; more so than terminal ballistics. But it's been done, to be sure. If it's legal, go for it, but you gotta wait til one gets close - better get some serious scent control plans working....
 
I have shot deer with several standard auto SD cartridges out of necessity. The results were remarkably unimpressive. Yes, they will die, if you can follow the blood trail far enough. But if they bleed internally you will lose them.

An arrow is far better than most auto SD rounds for deer hunting, far bigger wound to drain blood. Remember, standard auto SD rounds kill by bloodletting, like an arrow, not shock like a rifle, but leave a relatively small hole. Note that most people shot with these rounds actually survive (not that a deer will get ER medical care).

The minimal auto round I would deliberately hunt deer with is a 10mm, which is head and shoulders above a 45 ACP. If you are really st on a 45 I would look into a 460 Rowland conversion. .357Mag, 41Mag, and 44Mag are far better choices.
 
I agree with Spaniel. Unless you can get hold of something more potent, you are far better off just sticking with your bow.
 
In 1976 I witnessed a mule deer shot with a .45 auto
FMJ at about 15 yards.
Shot in the shoulder it ran 10 yards and was dead when it hit the ground.

For whatever that's worth.
 
Why would an arrow wound cause faster bleed out than a .45(or bigger) cal hole through and through?
IMO with .45 acp you don't want 'light and fast' simply not enough energy or velocity to cause the damage you're looking for. It's a pistol, not a rifle. Maybe .45 Super would be OK with some 230 grain HP's @ 1100FPS but I'd prefer the insurance of a nice sized exit hole, personally.

Since the OP is restricted to 'mushrooming bullets' I'd suggest an 'overbuilt' HP designed for velocities higher than typical .45acp impact velocities. That way you have a 'mushrooming bullet' that has little to no expansion, which should act more like a SWC/WC while technically obeying the law. Or does the law specify that the 'mushrooming bullet' must open up on impact?
 
Well, an arrow is likely to make a hole at least 2x the size of an expanded .45 bullet AND it will cut anything it touches rather pushing it aside.

I believe that a non-expanding bullet would be a serious mistake. Deer are no thicker, heavier skinned or boned than a human. Whatever works for self-defense will work just as well on a deer.
 
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