45 cal PRB for mule deer.

[kkmemmott]

I have read a lot of threads here that show the effectiveness of a 45 cal. PRB on whitetail deer. I have not had any experience with hunting whitetails, but have shot mule deer with a 54 cal. PRB and it has been very effective. I was just wondering what you all thought about using the 45 PRB on mule deer since they tend to be a tad bigger in size (with the exception of some of the big Northern whitetails)?

 

[Art Caputo]

Shot placement is key. Place that 45 cal ball behind the shoulder in the heart/lung area and you will have a dead deer, whether whitetail or mule deer. Habitat/distance tends to be more of the factor with mule deer then size differences. I’d try to keep shots around 75 yards or less with 45/50 cal LRB’s...IMO.

 

[GANGGREEN]

We all recognize that the .45 is plenty to kill a deer under the right conditions, but I greatly prefer a .50 and then greatly prefer a .54 over that. That said, because I have a couple of .45s and like to use all of my rifles to make game, I use the .45 for big, PA whitetails. And that said, I really, really try to do so only under ideal conditions with tracking snow and I'm more inclined to seriously limit my shots if I don't have tracking snow (or sometimes even if I do). The problem that I have with your question is that I've never hunted out west and have never hunted mulies, so I don't really know what you're stuck with as far as tracking conditions. I think with a dusting of snow or other reasonable tracking conditions that the .45 is OK, but I think you'd be better served with a .50, .54 or larger. Just my opinion and we all have one.

I will be using a .45 for our late flintlock season in PA this year because I have a rifle that I recently obtained that I haven't harvested a deer with. Fortunately, we have snow on the ground and it looks like it's likely to hang around.

 

[oldwood]

I have a young customer from Colorado that regularly sends me a photo of his yearly mule deer kill , with a Dreppert , Late Lancaster .50 . All seem to be drilled heart lung. Uses 80 gr. fffg w/ .490 patch-round ball.. No tracking ............oldwood

 

[Sparkitoff]

This is just me typing but if I had a tack-driving 45 and a softball-sized grouping 54, I'd take the 54 for mule deer. On the other hand if I had a softball-grouping 45 and a pie-plate grouping 54, I think I'd take the 45. So many variables, it depends. In some places mule deer are in less dense terrain so tracking and recovery could be easier if they happen to go a long way. But that could happen with any caliber....

 

[azmntman]

BIG mulies have a will to live like a bull elk. I would go big myself. small to med bucks .45 good. BIG 30" + .54 every day

 

[Walkingeagle]

Having hunted lots of mule deer here in Alberta, including some very large bodied ones (we have had large does go just under 300 lbs dressed), I do have some experience. With that said, I’ve only ever used .50 or .54, never a .45. Honestly, under perfect conditions, with a well placed shot, at an ethical range of likely 50-60 yards or less, I feel it would do the job just fine. So, with where and how you hunt, ask yourself if you can ensure your capable of doing this. If not, I would stick to the .54. Now, moving away from the prb into a conical style projectile, if your gun will shoot them well, the .45 becomes way more than capable! That extra weight (mass) is a game changer for sure.
Walk

 

[longcruise]

Also, check the regs in the state you will hunt. Required calibers vary state to state but do tend to be larger in the west. My own state, colorado, allows 45 for deer but the projectile must weigh a minimum of 170 grains. That takes it out of ball territory.

 

[kkmemmott]

Thank you very much for you great advice. I think I will stay with the 54. It has done well for me over the years. I have also shot a few mule deer with a 45 cal Whitworth rifle and a 475 grain bullet and that worked great as well. Walkingeagle you mentioned using a bullet in the 45 and I agree with how effective it is. I really like the roundball and a flintlock to hunt with. Not that a conical bullet isn't good, I just enjoy hunting with the roundball.

 

[hanshi]

Most of my deer kills were made with a couple of .45 rifles. Some of those deer were quite large. I've never shot a deer with a .45 prb that didn't leave, at least, a fair blood trail. Some of the blood trails were unbelievably heavy. Many of the deer dropped in their tracks and all deer were killed with one shot. The farthest one was a 75 yard shot and about as far as I'd try such a shot.

But I also don't believe in taking chances. And for this reason a .50 or .54 might be considered. But always remember that if you can't bag a deer with a .45, the same shot with a .54 won't do it either.

 

[chix2111]

I think that if you were to ask a real mountain man what he thought about it, he would say something like "why in the heck would you use a .45 when you have a .54".

 

[Art Caputo]

I think that if you were to ask a real mountain man what he thought about it, he would say something like "why in the heck would you use a .45 when you have a .54".

Yes!...A Mountain Man was more likely to shoot at further distances, and encounter elk, buffalo, or perhaps an 800 pound grizzly.......

 

[chix2111]

I have killed an 800 pound grizzly and I can tell you that when the the moment comes, you will be wishing you had a bigger gun than the one you brought.
Only a couple reasons to use a .45 on whitetail when a .54 is available: A. You are afraid of recoil B. You can't afford the extra .08 cents for powder and lead.

 

[GANGGREEN]

Funny. I tend to agree that all things being equal, a .54 is vastly superior to a .45 when it comes to killing big game (even smaller big game). I occasionally use a .45 or a .50 even though I have a .54 because I like using all of my rifles and enjoy the aesthetics of some more than others, but I'm mostly hunting eastern whitetails. If I were hunting bear, mule deer, elk, etc. etc., I'd always choose the .54 if given the choice and use the .45 for smaller game or for plinking.

I have killed an 800 pound grizzly and I can tell you that when the the moment comes, you will be wishing you had a bigger gun than the one you brought.
Only a couple reasons to use a .45 on whitetail when a .54 is available: A. You are afraid of recoil B. You can't afford the extra .08 cents for powder and lead.

 

[hanshi]

I like the .54 and have used mine on whitetail with great satisfaction. But I started with a .45 some 55 years ago and came to respect it for anything available in our woods. I like the way the .54 drops deer and I also like the way my .62 does the same job. But the .45 and .50 have done most of the heavy lifting in my hunting career, especially the .45. My experience has been that whitetails are rather easy to drop, and that a BIG caliber (I've used plenty) is not necessary. Near as many fell to my .22 Hornet and .357 revolver as they did to the .45 prb during the time I alternated firearms. In every single case only one shot was needed. The .54 is a great all around caliber and a favorite of mine; the .45 just spoiled me, I guess.

 

[kkmemmott]

I think there is one more reason to go from a 54 to a 45 and that is: I would like to try something new, but still have it be effective. I have killed several large mule deer between 60 and 120 yards. These ranges seem, as recommended by other hunters, to be beyond the limits of the 45. However, between 20 and 70 yards the 45 seems to be very effective with a well placed shot. I think that is my interest in trying the 45. It would just mean I would have to get closer.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I use a 45 on mule deer but I am using a 409 gr bullet. I would never use a 45 PRB for mule deer.

 

[Bad Karma]

I have a .45 that shoots a 260grain swc pretty well and it’s got enough umph to do it at 100 yards. I’d use my .40 on deer too, shooting a 330 grain patched bullet. That’s as light as I care to go with a rifle.

 

[Bad Karma]

I have killed an 800 pound grizzly and I can tell you that when the the moment comes, you will be wishing you had a bigger gun than the one you brought.
Only a couple reasons to use a .45 on whitetail when a .54 is available: A. You are afraid of recoil B. You can't afford the extra .08 cents for powder and lead.

My buddy killed one too... he said the most exciting three words in the English language are, “Here he comes!”...

 

[Walkingeagle]

Fyi, I am thinking about using a .45 percussion Kentucky for a bull elk this year, but I will be using a conical of some sort. Just like the idea of a lighter gun to pack around. That is if the post office ever delivers it!
Walk