.45 Colt vs. Deer

Sure, the use of pistols was not unknown, but a buffalo or two by that method cannot be compared with hundreds of teams of men each shooting hundreds of buffalo per day with rifles.

I'd bet that the actual kill rate was rather low percentage, given the ballistics of cap'n'ball revolvers. And even with the advent of the SAA in 1873, their availability was not that widespread.
 
I was told that in the old days people would shoot buffalos from trains as a game. Colt .45 was undoubtedly used to quite an extent, if this is the case. Unless i'm completely wrong about the timeframe. Dunno :)
 
Some limited experience

I've taken two Hill Country does with .45 Colt cartridge.
First was at maybe ten feet --not yards, but feet-- with a 7-1/2" barrel Ruger Blackhawk. Load was a home-cast Lyman/Ideal 454424, 265 gr. SWC with 10 gr. Unique. [NOTE: This load is too warm for SAAs and clones.] Bullet struck mid-neck and the doe fell in her tracks.

The other was at about 20 yards, with a Colt Single Action, 4-3/4", same bullet as above but with 9 gr. Unique. High lung shot. The doe ran about 25 yards and fell dead.

My personal range limit with handguns is about 40 yards, but I don't use optical sights.
 
I always was told the distance to shoot was the distance you can hit a 6 inch "desert" sized paper plate, you know, the kind the women's auxiliary puts the cake on. Those stapled to plaster lath's stuck in the ground at varying distances are a very good approximation of the kill zone on an average sized deer.

I have killed a few deer with a 4 5/8's blackhawk. most were really close, the ones that snuck up behind me in a stand. I have killed several with a .45 colt in a trapper, a real one, with the 14 inch barrel. and its lightning.

Daughter and I have killed U.P. black bear as well with the trapper, and I have shot hogs with the blackhawk, I now have a redhawk in .45 colt that I am working on some warm loads for. I use the LBT style bullets, hard cast, and they kill a good sized feral/mix hog with ease.
 
Killed several deer with my 4 5/8 .45 blackhawk. 255gr. SWC on top of H110 (don't remember how much) It's always in a crassdraw holster when I'm deer hunting. It's fun killing things at close range with a pistol and good to have a back-up gun in case your rifle decides it's retired. I HAD to use it one day. I started climbing down out of my ladder stand, rifle slung on right shoulder, diet cokes under my left arm. A coyote is standing 5ft. away on my right side and the pistol was the only option. nailed him.:D
 
Loneranger If you own atleast any ruger all the Buffalo bore 45lc+P rounds make atleast twice the energy at 100 yard that you need to be legal. The small 260gr makes 1028ft lbs at a hundres yards.
 
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