Standard Pressure 45 Colt for Deer?

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IrvJr

New member
Has anyone here used standard pressure 45 Colt cast lead bullets for deer hunting? I have a Ruger New Vaquero (in addition to my Super Blackhawk) and I was wondering if using a standard pressure 45 Colt load (250gr, approx 900 fps) would be sufficient for mid sized game, particularly deer.

Is this load adequate for deer or should I stick to the .44 mag loads only?

Thanks in advance.
 
I just love a good Keith 250gr. bullet ahead of 9gr. of Herco. It gives you just what you want and is very deadly. Easy to shoot and kills well.
 
I have killed a number of deer out to 50 yards or so with my new model Blackhawk 7.5" loaded with 270 gr Keiths from Lead Head and 10 gr of Unique. It is a comfortable load to shoot, and it hits like a sledgehammer. Its about a thousand fps load. That is the upper end of Standard pressure but not a real hot load. Because it doesnt hammer you with recoil and muzzleblast, it is a very accurate hunting load.
 
Standard 45 Colt enough??

Some people use arrows.... :)

I just bought one of the dinky new Model 25-15 Smiths. I plan to try it out on some of them. I like big bullets. The Smith with its weight seems very mild, in comparison to my Cimarron Open Top. I'm sure they'll both work. OK, I'm not sure, but I believe big holes leak better than little ones (arrows).




Al
 
Brian Pearce did an article last year in which he detailed a hunt for mule deer. He used a S&W .45 Colt loaded with a 270 grain LSWC at 900 fps. Two shots and a few steps and the mulie was dead as a wedge. Neither bullet stopped within the animal.

I doubt you'd do any better by adding 200-300 fps to that.
 
Is this load adequate for deer
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Well, considering that deer, antelope, elk, etc, were pretty much wiped out in the late 1800s with cartridges like that, I would say it will work just fine. Just don't try to shoot the deer through the shoulder, go for a lung/heart shot and you should have no problems.
 
In my Blackhawk and Bisley

I use a 275gr Hunters Supply under 10gr of Unique. It's listed as a 20k psi load by Brian Pearce and velocity is 1050 and very comfortable. 9gr is listed at 991, and 8gr will bring you to 14k psi. and about 900.
 
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