.50 vs .45

[Magungo1066]

Make up my mind for me please. Would be used to hunt deer and hogs. Already have a .50 but I want something shorter with a swamped barrel. I have a pistol in .45 and the idea of matching calibers is appealing to me, although I am hesitant in the performance difference between .45 and .50. How does the .45 stack up at say 100 yards? (as far as I am confident taking a shot at a deer) Thanks, -Larry

 

[Griz44Mag]

If hunting the 45 pistol because of its lower charge and slower velocity should probably be used only for very close quarter second mercy shot if needed. Having both pistol and rifle in the same caliber is a big plus. I hunt with a 54 Frontier and carry a 54 Lyman sidearm. A 50 will be just as versatile. For hogs, especially for larger hogs, I would strongly suggest going on up to a 54. A big boar hog with it's side armor at distance needs some extra punch to take down in one shot. If you are good enough to always make a neck shot then the 50 is fine. You don't always get a clean broadside especially with hogs, they stay much too animated to give you a perfect shot every time.

 

[Dave Marsh]

What Griz44Mag said. I do the same 54 pistol and rifle.

Dave

 

[Kansas Jake]

You could also buy a pistol in 50 to go with the 50 rifle.

 

[longcruise]

Get the swamped 50. Loads of large animals killed with 45 but 50 makes em deader!

 

[Crow-Feather]

The Lyman 54 Deerstalker has a short barrel and with a 415 grain slug and 90 grains of 2f, still has 1,000 ft pds of energy at 100 yds..

 

[Eterry]

New member..."Where's the best place to get a steak?" The Gallery..."What you really want is a Porkchop!!" Lol. Wow.

If you can stand the blasphemy from the gallery a conical bullet in a 45 cal should do nicely. And, allow you to carry a pistol and rifle in matching caliber.

Lee has molds for 45 minie and REAL bullets, from 200 to 294grains.
Without checking my reference data I'm gonna say a 45 conical carries more ft. lbs at 100yards than a 50 prb. But I could be wrong.

 

[brazosland]

I went through this exact question some years ago OP. I live in Texas and big hogs show up as often to the feeder as deer do.

I decided that I could load a .50 down to 20 grains of powder if I wanted to so that it recoiled less and was fun to shoot, but I couldn’t load a .45 UP to the same power levels as a .50...big difference between the two.

I was told to Endeavor to Persevere. Endeavor to Persevere. After thinking about it for a good long while...I decided to get a .62

 

[Critter Getter]

I have taken all my Iowa Whitetails with either .45 ( prb, Maxi Hunter, or Maxi Ball and a .50 ( prb). I have never shot a hog. I really like my .45’s as they can be loaded down with a prb or loaded up heavier with a conical. A very “do it all” caliber. Greg

 

[shdwlkr]

If I were planning on hunting hogs I would want a .54 maybe even a .58 and the largest projectile I could load in the firearm. Hogs tend to be a challenge the bigger they are. YMMV

 

[brazosland]

I have taken all my Iowa Whitetails with either .45 ( prb, Maxi Hunter, or Maxi Ball and a .50 ( prb). I have never shot a hog. I really like my .45’s as they can be loaded down with a prb or loaded up heavier with a conical. A very “do it all” caliber. Greg

You all that are running ball and conical bullets in your .45s are shooting a 48 twist?

 

[hanshi]

Years ago I had a .50 pistol built so it would use the same ammo as my rifle. I don't hunt with that pistol but do carry it into the woods. It's a pleasure to shoot accurate, light loads. But it can take loads that impress even me; and I don't impress easily.

 

[Critter Getter]

Yes, the rifles I use to shoot prb and Maxi Ball and Maxi Hunter are .45 caliber TC Hawken with a 48” twist. They shoot the prb very accurate and the conicals are plenty accurate for the hunting I do!! Greg

 

[nkbj]

Hey Magungo,
How many big hogs you got trying to gnaw your leg off up there in New England?


OK, to be serious and try to answer your question, I'd find the rifle I couldn't say "no" to and get it whether it was a .45 or a .50 because what's gonna matter is how well you place the shot.

Either a .45 or a .50 will kill bambis at 100 yards. The .50 has a little more power. Either will do good or bad. A .46 bore will let you shoot revolver ball if that's the way you'd want to go.

 

[Carbon 6]

Buy the 45, it's what you really wan't that's why you are asking for justification. If you didn't want it you wouldn't ask.
Buy what you want and be happy.
Both will kill, so buy the one you want.