.45 round ball for deer

[Chuck C]

I am planning on building a a light rifle and would like to be able to use it for deer. South Dakota requires a .44 cal. or larger. I will use a Green Mountain 13/16 " .45 cal. round ball barrel. Does any of you use a 45 round ball for deer and whats your opinion on how effective it is on deer. Any comments would be appreciated.
Chuck C.

 

[tg]

I used to use .40 and .45 on deer they work well when the ball is placed where it should be, I liked to limit the range to 75 yds or less 50 is even better for the smaller bores in my opinion

 

[roundball]

I am planning on building a a light rifle and would like to be able to use it for deer. South Dakota requires a .44 cal. or larger. I will use a Green Mountain 13/16 " .45 cal. round ball barrel. Does any of you use a 45 round ball for deer and whats your opinion on how effective it is on deer. Any comments would be appreciated.
Chuck C.

.45s were my first calibers and I always seem to keep going back to them even though I've added larger calibers over the years.

IMO, the .45 is a good deer[url] rifle...again[/url], IMO...as long as shot placement and distance are held as top priority...I see it as sort of the .243 of the muzzleloader calibers, where I see a .50cal sort of like a .30-30.

I'd grab a rest and shoot a deer at 100yds with a .50cal in a heartbeat...but I might pause with the little .440/128grn ball if he was over 75yds.

And I use stout loads...90grns Goex 3F with an Oxyoke wad in a 32" round ball barrel...has to be breaking 2000-2100 fps...but I shot a 6 pointer at only 60 yards...it was a relaxed, standing, broadside heart shot, but the ball stopped bulging the hide on the far side...only 60yds...makes me a little hesitant to consider one at 100 yards with it...just giving you my honest conservative feelings.

Having said all that, the good news is that the average shot I usually get in thick woods is 30-50 yards so it really a non-issue...just pause and think it through if he's out there a ways and try to decide...is he 100? or is he maybe 120?

 

[PreglerD]

I agree totally with the other responders, but for me the .45 makes a too small impact and exit hole. So to less blood and not so easy to find.

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[jimmy82]

My first (and only so far) bp deer was taken with a .45 T/C Hawken, .440 over 75 grs FFg. I hit the spine midway between the hips and the lower ribcage on a trotting shot about 90 to 100 yards.

The ball did enough to knock her hind legs out. I'm sure if it had been a chest cavity hit it would have been lethal. Not an instant drop like you hear about with .54's and .58's but I'm young and don't mind a hike.

After coming to the forum and learning what the more experienced shooters are willing to teach I wouldn't take a similar shot like that again. I got lucky. As far as power though I was still really impressed with the damage done to the spine. In my book the .45 definitely has a place in a deer hunters arsenal. The next rifle we're planing on getting my wife will be in .45 cal.

 

[KyFlintlock]

I used a .45 last year and shot a doe, she went about 40 yards and piled up. She was around 40-50 yards when I shot her. That is the only time I used a .45 to hunt with, usually use my .50.

I will hopefully have it afield next week.

Good Luck
Wess

 

[playfarmers]

I started with a .45 went to a .50 and now shoot a .54. I took a couple of whitetails with a .45 round ball, more than 30 with the .50 and 2 this season with the .54. I really like the .54 and the only way I would go back to using a .45 is if I used bullets in it.

 

[boar]

I shot one with a .45 Seneca with RB 40grs 3ff at 40yrds and a blind man with a cane could of tracked it, blood trail, went about 40 yrds. This gun will not shoot a max or a real bullet. My good friend shot his first ml deer with this gun, with 55grs RB and it was a trophy deer that he had mounted. It to was a close shot about 35yrds. He wanted to buy the gun in the worst way, but I still have it. Dilly

 

[Chuck C]

Thanks for all the input, you guys are great the way you respond to the posts. I think I will go with a 45 but will choose my shots carefully when deer hunting with it. The deer I shot this year with my 58 Buffalo Hunter was closer than the deer I shot with my longbow that I built.

 

[tg]

You won't regret the choice, it is also a great target and small game gun and easy on powder and lead many years ago it was the standard caliber in many places at club shoots and 'vous, I think a bit of magnumitis hit the ML community, I should not talk to much about that though as I have settled on .58 and .62 smoothbores as my only guns...go figure

 

[Alberta Black]

I just ordered a rifle from TVM in .45 because it is my favourite caliber.

However you do have to respect it's limitations which for my skill level is 60 yards on deer.

Last year I passed up a broadside shot at 75 paces on a very nice 4x4 whitetail. I thought that it was just too far for the .45 but if I had had my .54, this story might have had a differnt ending.

r

 

[Osprey]

I built a .45 this summer for hunting and have killed three with it so far, all PRB. First was a sika, straight down shot, pass through, never looked for blood as it only ran 25 yards or so and fell. Second was a small whitetail buck, 80 yard shot, sparse blood trail, ran 60-70 yards and piled. Third was a whitetail doe, 40 yards or so, no blood trail, ran 80-100 yards, fell/dove into a marsh hole and died in a fine attempt at a disappearing act.

Both whitetails the ball broke the near leg bone, through ribs and lungs, both balls buried just inside the skin on the far side and each fell into my hand when I was skinning. 60 grains FFF Goex.

 

[Stumpkiller]

If I only had a .45 it sure wouldn't keep me home during whitetail season. I've never shot a deer with any round ball smaller that a .50 so I can't judge first hand. NY has a .44 minimum, and my whitetail dedicated flintlock is a .54, but lots of deer fall to a .45 now and for more than two centuries hereabouts.

Larger caliber won't make up for poor shot placement in any case.

 

[B.Habermehl]

I harvested two deer with .45 cal muzzloaders. before moving up to larger cals .54 and .58. Both deer collapsed with in sight. Leaving no blood trail to speak of. This bothered me so I built a couple of larger cal.rifles and a smoothie for deer hunting. Hunting with the .58 I killed a deer this fall. The shot was 30 yds. broadside quartering away 1/2 step or so. Centerpunched the deer's vitals. Go figure the critter still ran out of sight... The tracking job was about as easy as they come, I could have followed the blood trail blind folded and on my hands and knees. This is why I switched to larger cals. for deer hunting. But if the only rifle I owned was a .45 it certainly would not stop me from hunting deer. And I would be certain to take only slam dunk broadside shots. and I probably would try for that preferred archer's shot just to the rear of the shoulder blade to collapse both lungs and rip up the aorta above the heart. In other words all the same care I take using my .58 Best of luck!