Is .45 Colt Long powerful enough for whitetails?

interesting that some say "45 non-expanding" is fine on deer, but in another thread "45ball in acp" is not a good choice for self defense.
in my openion; any .45" projectile traveling above 900ft/s is good for both hunting and self defense, for short range of course. but that is my thought and anyone can disagree with it.
 
Let's remember that "Whitetail" can mean a tiny southern deer of 75 pounds to a huge northern deer that goes 300 pounds on the hoof.

Respect the deer.

Use a weapon that suits the size and farthest distance of the largest you may encounter........and feel a need to harvest.

Don't be caught short.
 
interesting that some say "45 non-expanding" is fine on deer, but in another thread "45ball in acp" is not a good choice for self defense.
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Well, maybe when the deer get more aggressive, carry knives and guns, people will come around to expanding ammo being more necessary for deer.

You can kill a deer or a person with a Daisy BB gun or .17 hmr. People have been sniping deer with .22 lr for decades.

You can't just say is this cartridge, caliber, bullet type is enough for deer/self defense without a lot of really specific distance, shot placement, anatomical considerations, etc. A 150mm Howitzer isn't enough for deer if shot in the fluffy tail.

Larger calibers, more velocity, more energy, various types of expansion are all meant to increase the damage beyond a simple poked hole, thereby increasing the odds of attaining the desired result.
 
My 45 Colt loads with a Hard Cast 285gr SWC at 1057 blow through hogs and deer, from any angle, to 40 yards. This is a medium load that shoots into one hole at 25 yards. I haven't shot my 41 or 44 Mag in 20 years after developing this load.
 
150mm Howitzer isn't enough for deer if shot in the fluffy tail.
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You Texans need to practice more!:) Actually I was a Texican for while back in the early 1980's; the only place I ever lived where you were allowed to drive with an open beer in your hand and a handgun sitting on the dashboard!
 
stagpanther i am a native texican, but the pistol on the dash works in several southern states. not so much the open beer though.


is texas the only state in the union that distance traveled is measured by empty beer cans in the floor ?
 
Oregon

I think that is pretty common in both Canada and Alaska, not legal, common. In Oregon the state patrol will find a little stale beer in the empty can and write you up for open container also.
 
Ricklin said:
In Oregon the state patrol will find a little stale beer in the empty can and write you up for open container also.
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I doubt any state will let you get by with that now. You'd probably get written up for an empty can that had been on the floor for a month. In MS as long as you're 18 you can have a loaded handgun anywhere in the car. It doesn't have to be on the dash.
 
I'd say it would depend on how you load it as .45 Long Colt can be had in a wide variety of power levels both factory and handloaded. I, personally, wouldn't feel comfortable deer hunting with the light "Cowboy Action" ammunition that's available as it's usually very low velocity (usually 700-750fps) and often loaded with LRN bullets. Will "Cowboy Action" loads kill a deer? Sure, people have successfully killed deer with .22 Shorts and pointy sticks but I wouldn't trust it to do so quickly and humanely.

Personally, the minimum I'd feel comfortable deer hunting with a .45 LC would be a 250-255 gr flat-nosed bullet at 900-1000 fps which really isn't pushing the cartridge all that hard (the original loading of 40 gr black powder will get you there from a 7 1/2" Colt SAA). Of course, the more powerful "Ruger Only" loadings which rival .44 Magnum should be more than adequate.
 
Can you really shoot out to 75 yards?
I used to practice pistol for league shooting at 50 yards and thought I was ready to go deer hunting with my .45 Blackhawk. I learned a lot.

Shooting in the field (forest and rough) is very different from shooting at the range.

I took second place at my club, back in the day, at the NRA bullseye Wed night league. That's a much better than average pistol shot.

I learned that all sorts of crazy things happen out in the wilds. I'd say 98% of my deer were shot at less than 30 yards. I also shot a lot of twigs, tree branches and saplings. I have more than a few tales of "How the heck could I have missed? It's only 50 paces!" Well, nothing gets you humble like buck fever.

I tried the Contender with shooting sticks, set on a hill side and ... er... that's not where the deer are. And if you're using shooting sticks, may as well use a rifle, once you've bagged a few.

A good stout load under a Hornady XTP will punch a big hole in lungs/heart area. This is no time for Cowboy loads. Respect the animal. They are tough critters and you'll feel rotten for a year if you wound one and it runs off. More than a year, if you've got heart.

I didn't have good luck with cast bullets. We're in a CWD area and shooting in the neck isn't recommended. The XTPs worked well, though.

ps. No one ever asked if .44 Magnum was enough.
It's enough for anything in North America!
 
I have downed an elk at 200 yards with a 5" .357 mag with one shot. Factory no name jacketed hollow point.

Was it ethical? No. Legal? Yes.

If I ever do it again, I would rather it be with my .45 Colt pushing 325 grain cast bullets at 1200 FPS.
 
We're in a CWD area and shooting in the neck isn't recommended.
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Please explain CWD and how what ever that is relates to neck shots.

Originally Posted by stinkeypete View Post
Can you really shoot out to 75 yards?
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There's a rather famous anecdote about Elmer Keith killing a mule deer with a 44 mag out of a S&W M-29 at 600 yards.
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75 yards? Sure. I could regularly ring the 200yd gong on the range using my 7.5" Ruger Blackhawk, .45 Colt. Off hand, one handed. 5 for 6 on bad day.

But, I practiced. :D

I was glad to see the linked article included the information often left out about Keith's 600 yd shot. Keith was very experienced shooting very long ranges with handguns, the shot was taken to put down a wounded deer, and it took him several shots to "find the range" and make the hits.

He didn't go out, spot a deer at 600yds and pot it with his pistol, he was using what he had (the pistol) to keep a wounded deer from getting away to die a slow lingering death.

I've read, and use Keith's method of long range pistol shooting, though I don't use the "creedmoor" position of laying down. It absolutely works.

All you need to learn is how to hold the sights and the bullet impact at the distance. Practice is all it takes, or at least, all it took for me.
 
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