Anyone used 45 conical on deer?

[brewer12345]

I am planning on toting my Zouave on a deer hunt this fall, assuming I can get the load work done before the no shooting fire restrictions come in. But I am curious about the other end of the spectrum, namely 45 conicals for deer. I have a TC Hawken barrel in 45 and I have maxi balls and REALs cast up already. How do these perform on deer at 50 to 60 yards?

 

[leadhoarder]

45 caliber rifles and conical or even modern bullets have been killing deer and larger critters for a long time. They work.

 

[deermanok]

I only shoot patched round ball out of my 45 caliber rifle.
I have heard that heavy conicals and stout powder charges can crack the stock of a 45.

 

[brewer12345]

Round ball not legal for deer in my state any more in 45, conicals only.

 

[SDSmlf]

I am planning on toting my Zouave on a deer hunt this fall, assuming I can get the load work done before the no shooting fire restrictions come in. But I am curious about the other end of the spectrum, namely 45 conicals for deer. I have a TC Hawken barrel in 45 and I have maxi balls and REALs cast up already. How do these perform on deer at 50 to 60 yards?

Have taken quite a few deer with a paper patched conical weighing in a bit over 400 grains with a faster twist barrel. Basically the same bullet that all but eliminated the buffalo, though from a cartridge gun. Have found some TC 45 barrels with their 1-48 twists that handle MaxiBalls and REAL slugs well, while other barrels for no apparent reason didn’t like them. You will have to try I’m your barrel to know, at least in my opinion.

 

[tenngun]

Hmmmm .45 conical 70 grains 2f.... I think I’ve heard of that?
Yes a .45 will do deer in real well.
It won’t duplicate a 45-70 exactly but is a killer.

 

[Bob McBride]

A .45 RB with 65g of 2f will through and brought a whitetail at 50 yards every time. I know because dad stubbornly shoots a half dozen a year with one. I use a .50, .54, or .58, depending on what takes my fancy. Usually the .58. His don’t run an inch farther than mine do. A .45 will work so long as you’re not a ‘spray and pray’ sort of hunter, in which case a .58 isn’t even really enough.

 

[brewer12345]

A .45 RB with 65g of 2f will through and brought a whitetail at 50 yards every time. I know because dad stubbornly shoots a half dozen a year with one. I use a .50, .54, or .58, depending on what takes my fancy. Usually the .58. His don’t run an inch farther than mine do. A .45 will work so long as you’re not a ‘spray and pray’ sort of hunter, in which case a .58 isn’t even really enough.

Unfortunately as of 2018 I can only use a conical in 45 in my state for deer. Round ball for deer would have to be 50 cal or bigger.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I have used a 45 for deer and antelope for several years. I'm using a paper patched RCBS 11mm rifle bullet. I also have a fast twist gun.
I have no doubt that this combo can handle elk. Idaho doesn't allow 45's for elk.

 

[fleener]

I have shot a lot of Iowa deer with a .45 conical in about the 500 grain range.

Never recovered a bullet. Every single one punches all the way through. Even the hollow points that I use pass through.

Fleener

 

[R.J.Bruce]

Round ball not legal for deer in my state any more in 45, conicals only.

That's too bad. I can't imagine how much big game in this country, and when we were a colony of Great Britain, has fallen to a patched ball in .45 caliber. Gotta be in the tend of millions.

Take your conicals to the range and test them thoroughly. Don't buy into the false idea that huge powder charges are necessary to kill deer with a 250 grain soft lead bullet. You will probably find that powder charges in the 65-80 grain area will work just fine.

You might want to pick up a pkg, or 2, of pre-lubed wool wads to insert under the bullets to protect the base from the heat of ignition. I would try both .45 & .50 caliber wads. The .50 caliber wad might seal the bore better than the .45 caliber wads.

 

[Bob McBride]

Unfortunately as of 2018 I can only use a conical in 45 in my state for deer. Round ball for deer would have to be 50 cal or bigger.

I understand. I was taking the side of ’.45 conicals work fine for Whitetail’ by discussing round balls. Im a bit bass ackwards as usual.

 

[stank]

I shoot hollow point hollow base Buffalo bullets in 45 cal. 290 grain ??? VERY effective on whitetails. 60 grains of 3f

 

[lonedave]

Here's one of several mulie bucks I've taken with a T/C Seneca .45 and T/C maxi-hunter in front of 70 gr of 2f Goex and another of a bighorn ewe with the same rifle/maxi-hunter in front of 75 gr of Goex 2f....works fine!

 

[jfahlingsr]

I am planning on toting my Zouave on a deer hunt this fall, assuming I can get the load work done before the no shooting fire restrictions come in. But I am curious about the other end of the spectrum, namely 45 conicals for deer. I have a TC Hawken barrel in 45 and I have maxi balls and REALs cast up already. How do these perform on deer at 50 to 60 yards?

I killed my first buck (with a ML’r) in 1978 with a TC .45 Hawkin loaded with a TC Maxie slug, 60 yd 1 shot kill. Changed over to RB&s later because my hand made custom rifles all had slow twist. I’m sure that combo will getter done.

 

[longcruise]

I have been shooting lee .452 255 gr SWCs sized to 451. They seem to shoot with just about any charge of 3f. I might use it for my antelope hunt this and maybe bear also.

 

[hanshi]

A shame when a .45 prb is verboten. I don't like conicals, never used them in my 55 year muzzleloading career. A friend swears by them and the way they put deer down for keeps. But I've never had to take more than the one shot and had plenty of DRTs.

 

[brewer12345]

FWIW, my two ML deer were with .530 round balls and neither were ideal shots. Both deer didn't get far after the shot and neither required a second shot. I plan on hunting with a .570 ball out of the zouave once I have done enough load work, but I can also see myself fooling with 45 conicals and 58 minies just to use something different. Once I am done dialling in the zouave, I will move on to the 45 with balls and a couple different conicals and see what I think.

 

[fleener]

Lone Dave

Quite the country you are hunting. Certainly not flat! Been a few years, but spent some time in a heck of a dust storm where you are at.

Fleener

 

[Oldtimerbow]

I have taken several whitetail bucks with my .45 cal t/c Hawkins with t/c maxiballs and maxihunters using 70 gr of 3 f. Always had complete pass throughs. All shots were from 25 to 75 yds. Taken more bucks with that gun than all my other guns combined. I have complete confidence in this gun and load. I think it would do a fine job on a bull elk with this combo.