Is a .454 RB enough for deer?

I'm not sure who you are calling "paper punchers" but you seem to make an awful lot of assumptions about people.
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I think he was making that statement because someone mentioned they didn't deer hunt, they just punched paper.

Appears he had made up his mind before asking the question
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On the contrary, I did not have my mind made up or I would not have posed the question. I have made up my mind that my revolver will not be loaded with roundball, from the info posted here. I will work on developing a load for conicals and practice with them. I'm not a target shooter and do not compete with anyone. Most of my BP shooting is done for fun and developing loads and methods to use in the woods. My revolver may not do well with Conicals, or I may not be able to shoot them well, who knows. Then it will be a matter of 3 chambers loaded with shot and 3 loaded with roundball for whatever. Hunting deer and taking shots at 100 plus yards is really not my cup of tea. Getting him in close and beating him at his own game is more of a challenge in my mind. The gratification of having a whitetail close enough to hear him breath is second to none.
 
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And then the other point is that the ball from a pistol at 25 yds still has the energy levels that a rifle does at 100 yds, and at 100 yds a rifle is well known by those who hunt with them that you are likely to get a complete passthrough or find your ball under the hide on the offside.

"This has not been my experience."

The ballistics calculator doesn't lie.

I was strongly against using a ball from a rifle looking at the numbers until, on a few traditional forums, way too many people gave their accounts and showed the pics. It was because of the overwhelming numbers that I decided the numbers didn't tell the whole story.
 
Gentleman,
I'd like to make myself a little more clear.

My last post here is not bullroar. I simply get upset when people talk smack on this forum.

I also agree, the right tool for the right job.

1. I have never taken a shot on any white tail, or any other animal for that matter unless I knew it was going to be a good clean killing shot. if it was questionable, I simply don't take the shot.

2. I shot my first buck when I was 14 years old. I used my grandpa's Winchester 30 30. At that time in Michigan, we were allowed one buck tag and that was it. Years later they changed all that and we could get two bucks and buy as many doe tags as we wanted. This year, we are limited to 5 doe tags. I am 56 years old now. We have an early doe season then a bow season then a regular gun season then a black powder season then a late doe season that goes all the way up to January 1st. roughly three and a half months of deer hunting. Many of us up here hunt and fish for our food. In recent years since they upped the limit, I have taken anywhere from 3 to 6 deer a year.

3. I have never taken a shot on a deer with a bow and arrow past 25 yards. With a black powder pistol, I have never taken a shot much past 35 yards. Cap and ball rifle, 100 yards. In line BP rifle, a little over 200 yards. You can call me a liar if you want to. I have only ever had the one dear get away I mentioned earlier after I decided to take the shot, in my life. I did miss one earlier in my life with a shotgun and a slug and that's when I switched to black powder to begin with. Simply because of accuracy.

4. I shoot a lot and I know what every single one of my pistols, rifles and bow and arrow will do and what they won't do.

5. In southern Michigan, it is bow, shotgun or black powder only. No rifles only exception being black powder. I have an advantage over some other folks as I can get anything I want for my black powder firearms. I won't even take them in the field unless they are perfect. I spend a ton of money on each one to be sure they are functioning at their full potential. For the record, during the regular shotgun season, I use an inline. When it comes black powder season, I use a 50 caliber Hawken and also a black powder 6 shooter. Either a Ruger or a Colt Walker. When stalking field of standing corn, there is nothing better then a six shooter. Up close and personal.

6. Do I punch paper? You bet I do, & a lot of it! I simply have to know what I am using is spot on.

7. It seems the disagreement here is whether something is big and powerful enough to do the job or not. Last year a good friend of mine bought a Smith and Wesson 460. He had a doe this year coming straight at him. He pulled up aimed and fired hitting her right square in the chest. Her guts blew right out her rear end destroying the entire animal. It seems to me the disagreement is what is too little and what is too much.

Kindest regards,

Birch
 
Well I guess I will just compromise and get a Dragoon, not quite as big and heavy as a Walker and holds a tad more powder than my '58. :D:D
 
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my black powder hunting revolver is a early ruger SS old army and it kills deer very well with a round ball. i hunt from a tree stand and ground blind that i share with a friend who uses it in bow season and i use it in the regular and black powder season. i have serveyors blue tape i tie on tree,s 35yds around the stands and shoot no farther than that. the stands are at the bottom of two revines that funnel the deer into a single trail up the mountain and the shots are taken only on standing broadside deer. i admit i have only killed four deer with the revolver(15 killed with BP rifles) but all were lung pass thru hits and the deer all expired within my view. eastbank.
 
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