45 acp Hunting Loads
I disagree with all the posts stating that the 45 acp is not an adequate deer
cartridge. Perhaps in days gone by this round was not adequate. However recent years have seen a plethora of new generation rounds that extend all cartridges, and in particular the .45 acp into accepted deer harvest ability. I have taken two bucks, each over 175 pounds (one 220 pounds) with this cartridge without any wounding, ethical concerns, or other usual arguments to the contrary. Both were clean kills; one dropped in it's tracks and the other was a through and through lung/heart shot that enabled the deer to run 50 yards. The damage was massive: both lungs collapsed, heart/pericardium shredded, two broken ribs. i would never use a SWC or similar "old" type projectile.
Both kills were made using Double Tap ammunition with 230 gr. bonded JHP which in a 5 in. barrel presents 1010 fps with 521 foot pounds of energy (compare this to the Remington .357 mag. with 482 foot pounds). Both bullets were intact retaining over 96% of their original mass with an expanded diameter of almost twice the 45 caliber. The first deer literally was lifted almost a foot off it's feet and dropped like a bag of potatoes. Penetration in both was well over 12 inches; in the second it was 14.5 inches.
No one seems to think it's inhuman to shoot a deer with a bow and arrow, when after the shot the deer has to be tracked close to a mile. The delivered energy between a .45 acp and a bow/arrow is not even close. i have friends that regularly hunt with the venerable .45 and have all their lives with excellent results. Another popular cartridge is the Cor-Bon 45 ACP +P/185 grain which has a muzzle velocity out of a 5 in barrel of 1075 fps. The Cor-Bon is designed specifically for deer using a Barnes-X Solid Core copper jacket and base bonded to the hollow point, and shows virtually 100% retained weight with full expansion essentially 100% of the time.
These, and others, are recent additions to the .45 acp cartridge using powder and projectiles designed for hunting deer, a relatively new phenomenon. To compare these designs to others, even two years old, is an exercise in futility. The .45 has come of age for deer hunting.
That being said, like all low power combination, that being virtually any pistol (one can't compare ANY pistol with a 30-06 or a .338 Win-Mag, by definition they are low powered) limitations apply. One should never attempt a shot at a deer outside of the kill envelope, which for a .45 is usually 40 yards, and preferably less. The angle of the shot is important; no one should shoot without a broadside view with the vitals clearly seen, and no deflecting branches and such in the way. A small branch that would mean nothing to a 308 Winchester will spell disaster for a .45 acp. Most importantly, a 25 yard shoot with open sights using a pistol is NOT the same as a 45 yard shot with a scoped rifle. Common sense must rule. The hunter should also be proficient with his .45, at the target range routinly being able to hit what will be a small vital area. This kind of hunting is not for novices, or even fairly good shooters: it is for hunters that have years of experience using a .45 and are confident that they can make the shot, and also know their limitations and when to back off. No one wants a crippled wounded animal.
Most of us hunt in deer stands. Our main compitition are bow hunters, and I have seen many more deer wounded by an arrow than a .45 acp. If the above limitations are taken to heart, and the hunter makes it his/her mission to be an excellent shot using good equipment (my Kimber can shoot 3-4 inch spreads at 40 yards easy; the problem is me doing it!), a /45 within it's distance limitations is fully capable of taking down any deer in North America. The .45 acp has finally come of age as a bonafide deer hunting cartridge given the technological advances. As long as one approaches the hunt with the .45 acp's limitations in mind there is no problem; just as one wouldn't take a shot at a deer using a 30-30 at 300 yards.
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radwjw