Anyone used 45 conical on deer?

[nkbj]

Wads made from molded paper egg cartons with a half inch gasket punch work good in mine.

Prevents this kind of gas cutting.

 

[Rickt300]

My first muzzleloader buck was taken with a Maxi Ball shot from a 45 caliber Hopkins and Allen underhammer. Loved that rifle. I think I used 70 grains of 3F and in three deer I never recovered a bullet. My next deer was taken with a round ball, found it flattened under the hide after going through the rib cage. Doesn't make any sense but all the deer hit with the Maxi Ball ran a ways but the one hit with the round ball barely got out of his tracks.

 

[LME]

I was thinking about how a ball of .45 cal. just didn't cut it when hunting deer size game? It dawned on me that some people including myself didn't think that some would be shooting conicals? It bares mentioning that a .45conical does very well for hunting.

 

[SamTex1949]

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

Just curious what state your in ?

 

[LME]

Just curious what state your in ?

Right now N.C. eastern part! Being you are from Texas Do you know where the town of Hooks in north east Texas is located?One of my relativess, his name is Robert Warren Hooks. Settled in texas prior Civil War days.

 

[brewer12345]

Just curious what state your in ?

Colorado. I think we have a lot of out of state hunters that don't do their practice, so the state has silly high requirements for weapons in big game hunting.

 

[McClura]

I have a TC Seneca, 45 cal that I picked up in the 80's. It shoots great with a 45 Cal MAXI HUNTER or a Hornady Great Plains but the Hornady is no longer made from what I'm told. I have loaned the Seneca to many friends that wanted their kids to deer hunt. I set up a load, Maxi Hunter, 190- grn and 50 grains of 3F black powder or 777. I help them load, shoot and wipe boar clean before they get to hunt. I tell them that they should probably keep the shooting distance within 50 yards or less since these are newer hunters and to keep the energy level up for a clean kill.
This Seneca has taken probably 10 deer over the years and they never had to use a second shot.
It's not a speed demon but it is a pile driver, just like I use low velocity 45 Colt, 300 gran loads in my Ruger and keep the shots with in 50 yds.
Good luck on your hunt.
Mike

 

[longcruise]

Colorado. I think we have a lot of out of state hunters that don't do their practice, so the state has silly high requirements for weapons in big game hunting.

Our regs on ML equipment have become steadily more complicated over the years. I would like to see the caliber restrictions completely removed and simply allow 40 caliber and up for all big game with the only stipulations being the weight of projectiles required for the various game animals.

 

[mooman76]

No reason a 45 RB or conical cant take a deer as long as it shoots accurate enough and you do your part.

 

[brewer12345]

Our regs on ML equipment have become steadily more complicated over the years. I would like to see the caliber restrictions completely removed and simply allow 40 caliber and up for all big game with the only stipulations being the weight of projectiles required for the various game animals.

For centerfire unmentionable you must have caliber of 224 or greater and 1000 foot pounds of energy at 100 yards for big game here. For a doe hunt, that seems a tad over the top.

 

[longcruise]

No reason a 45 RB or conical cant take a deer as long as it shoots accurate enough and you do your part.

Well, for the OP that is a non starter since it's not a legal combination in Colorado. Here, to be legal for deer, antelope, bear, it must be a minimu 40 caliber and projectile weight at least 170 grains. So, not into round ball country until into the 50 caliber range.

 

[NorthFork]

Yup. Kills 'em dead. Just like a PRB. Though with the conical you have quite a bit more penetrating ability. So larger game or just simply larger than normal specimens of whitetail or mule deer are no match for a 45 conical put through the lungs.

 

[R.J.Bruce]

I find it interesting that mid-sized patched balls killed millions upon millions of head of game, worldwide, for hundreds of years, and all of a sudden in the late 20th Century they were no longer capable of accomplishing the task at hand.

Even more interesting is the fact that muzzleloading barrel steel is better than ever before; barrels are rifled more precisely than ever before; the quality of black powder is better than ever before; and our knowledge of how to eek out top accuracy is more widespread than ever before.

But, a .45 caliber patched ball WON'T effectively kill a deer in many American states. And, a .50 caliber patched ball WON'T effectively kill an elk or moose in many American states.

Silly Rabbit Tricks Are For Kids!!!!!!

Reminds me of a story that Doc White told me on the phone about 8 months ago. Seems years ago at one of the western rendezvous, a newcomer was showing off his new .54 caliber custom rifle that he had just taken delivery of. It was going to be the best elk killing rifle ever, or so the guy claimed. One of the old timers there at the rendezvous looked the rifle over, and allowed as how it was a very nicely done rifle. When the newcomer ran out of steam extolling the virtues of his new gun, he asked the old timer who was holding his rifle, if he hunted elk, and if so what caliber did he use? The man handed him his rifle back, reached back, grabbed his eastern style longrifle in .50 caliber, and showed him the comb of the stock. Which had over a dozen small notches carved into it representing the bull elk that he had killed since moving west.

It's not the caliber, as much as it is the hunter. And his/her willingness to pass up questionable shots 100% of the time depending upon his/her rifles capabilities pushing a patched ball down range.

Or, better yet, committing yourself to becoming the best hunter that you can be. Which, admittedly can be tough. As a nation we are less fit than ever before in human history with more than 50% of the population overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. And, that includes the hunting population. Hunters who are not as fit as they could be are more likely, psychologically, to take a risky shot, than a fitter hunter would.

 

[nkbj]

At close range the round ball has the advantage because it's moving faster and therefore produces a substantially greater rate of displacement (think cubic inches per second rather than foot-pounds).

 

[SamTex1949]

Right now N.C. eastern part! Being you are from Texas Do you know where the town of Hooks in north east Texas is located?One of my relativess, his name is Robert Warren Hooks. Settled in texas prior Civil War days.

Had to look it up, Im betting a lot of history there Ive been trough it , mostly down I-30 going east to Texarkana. About 2 hr from where I am. More interesting it sits on the north edge of the RED RIVER Ammo depot ! Do a google earth and look at the massiveness of that facility !

 

[LME]

Had to look it up, Im betting a lot of history there Ive been trough it , mostly down I-30 going east to Texarkana. About 2 hr from where I am. More interesting it sits on the north edge of the RED RIVER Ammo depot ! Do a google earth and look at the massiveness of that facility !

You are right! It is in the north east corner of Texas. After the "Civil War" was over Warren Hooks worked on getting the rairoads in Texas and was the reason the cattle drives ended. I thought this was interesting?

 

[Jay Templin]

T/C Hawken, .45 REAL conical, 75gr FFg. About 35 yards. It’ll do.
Jay

 

[brewer12345]

Well I had the Zouave out today and found a good shooting PRB load which was easy to keep in 6 inches shooting unsupported at the ranges I usually shoot ML deer, so it looks like the 45 will wait for another season to get blooded. I am ready to kill a Confederate doe!

 

[Rudyard]

I shot one Bear but several deer with 451 conicals cant' not not work if hit.
Rudyard

 

[nhmoose]

45 405 grain 70 grains 2fg out of a 45 ML will kill anything in NA same as a 45/70 suppository gun