Anyone uses .45 or smaller for whitetails?

[Amikee]

Hello
I came across a flintlock in .44 caliber. Anyone is using this cal fof hunting, shooting? How about .40? Is it adequate for deer or a little underpowered? The rifle is almost 6 feet long, so accuracy wise should be yummy.
What do you think?
Thank you all for the input.
Mike

 

[Trench]

I have no second thoughts with using a .45ish caliber for deer. Back in the 70's when the BP craze was at it's height, the .45 was probably one of the most common commercially built rifles for that purpose.

I have a .45 being built now, and I'm looking forward to using it at the range and in the field. I suppose you wouldn't consider the .45ish calibers "bone smashers" like the .54-.62s out there, so you'd probably want to keep your shots as close to a broadside as possible on deer. At least, that's my plan. :wink:

 

[rabjr]

Beware your States regs prohibit the use on anything smaller than .45 for deer.

During Muzzleloader Deer Seasons, a muzzleloader means a rifle or shotgun, .45 caliber minimum...

 

[hounddog]

gents, the old timers did not consider a 44 or 45 cal smallish, to them it was a respectable size, it had good auccracy range and stopping power. I have taken a lot of deer with 45s and still own a few, myself I wouldnt be afraid to shoot elk with one, shot placement is the key, to me 50 cal and up is for big dangerous game like3 grizzley and buffaloes, and for sloppy shooters who do good just to hit one of the afore mentioned critters somewhere. I like a 45 I like other cal also. hounddog

 

[hounddog]

gents, the old timers did not consider a 44 or 45 cal smallish, to them it was a respectable size, it had good auccracy range and stopping power. I have taken a lot of deer with 45s and still own a few, myself I wouldnt be afraid to shoot elk with one, shot placement is the key, to me 50 cal and up is for big dangerous game like3 grizzley and buffaloes, and for sloppy shooters who do good just to hit one of the afore mentioned critters somewhere. I like a 45 I like other cal also. hounddog

 

[C Barker]

I plan on using my .45 caliber for the first year she's been around, both in "gun" season and flintlock. :grin: Lung and double lung shots just like in archery seem to be the best options.

 

[tg]

As Trench mentioned back in the 70's the .45 was one of the more common cals. used for all Deer hunting, we have the smaller Blacktails here in W Oregon but I know many who went east to hunt Muleys with the .45 and did very well. I would just keep the shots at 75 yds or less with a good stout but not a shoulder hurting load but very accurate load and keep a tight discipline on the range at which one shoots some Deer will walk but even with a 300 mag some Deer will always be just out of range, good luck and enjoy the journey, I have used a .40 for Blacktails and known folks who do well on Muleys with that smaller ball one just has to get a bit closer is all, stretching the range of a PRB is the biggest cause for the bad press the ball gets about not being a good choice for a hunting projectile from what I have seen over the years when tracking or helping track and pack Deer, bad shot placement/poor marksmenship is a close 2nd IMHO.I have seen countless guys shoot at trail walks before hunting season claiming to be good to 100 yds for Deer season and miss most 8-10" targets that are out past past 60-70 yds, with that kind of shooting the ball size does not matter much unless you can step up to a 24lb cannon.

 

Amikee,
.45/.44 caliber should be big enough for a whitetail deer if you acn place the ball properly. Just because the rifle is "almost 6 feet long" doesn't make it accurate. Make sure you sight it in so that you have more confidence than someone's word creates as to its accuracy.
Mark

 

[stone knife]

It's what I'm going to be using here shortly, I have a TMV Tennessee rifle in .45 coming soon.

 

[hanshi]

The .45 - two of them - has been my caliber of choice for years. I've never found it wanting up to 75 yards, the longest .45 shot I taken. It appears to be about the equal of the 30/30 as far as killing power is concerned.

 

[reddog]

Hello
I came across a flintlock in .44 caliber. Anyone is using this cal fof hunting, shooting? How about .40? Is it adequate for deer or a little underpowered? The rifle is almost 6 feet long, so accuracy wise should be yummy.
What do you think?
Thank you all for the input.
Mike

Man,,,! don'tcha know,,,? Ya need at least .75 fer them dangerous white tails!!! (yankin yer chain) :haha: Seriously, my nephew uses a .45 CVA Mountain Rifle, he just tries to limit his range to 50-70 or so yds.This is in Florida swamp woods so he doesn't feel too handicapped. I think he's using about 70 gr 2f swiss and prb.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've seen them killed with a .22LR and drop like a stone.
Having said that, the last deer I killed was with a flint .45. I think I like the power of a 20 ga. smooth bore better.

 

[rich pierce]

Back in the 70's and 80's I took a half a dozen deer with a .45. One required a followup shot. It was a long shot over snow and the deer looked so clear against the snow it looked closer than it was. Turned out to be 120 yards. Ran 150 yards and fell in a blowdown, tried to get up when I approached. The others didn't go more than 50 yards. As others mentioned, you want good shot placement and to keep range closer than a .50 or .54.

 

[bob4st]

...no problem for .40 or .44 cal... however, as swampy indicated, check the minimum diameter required by your State's hunting regulations... here in NY the minimum diameter is .44 cal. (or at least the last time I checked it was)... good luck and have fun...

 

[Nessmuck56]

I have been deer hunting with a 45 cal flinter,80 grains fff. No luck yet,but got one more weekend to make it happen.I have no doubt about its knockdown power with a well placed shot. New Hampshires deer herd is est. at 80,000 and that aint many!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[S.Kenton]

I killed MANY White tails with my 45 cal.( percussion though) .015 patch and 70 grains of 777. Like others have already mentioned, shot placement and distance are the two key ingredients. 75 yrds or closer and attempt a double lung shot and you should be good to go!

 

[Rifleman1776]

For many years, a .45 with patched round ball was the only whitetail gun my wife or I used. None killed with it ran more than a few yards. Only one loss due to a poorly places shot. And, I doubt it would have been stopped with an .80 cal. ball. A soft lead roundball expands impressively and creats a massive wound channel. I used 65 gr. bp and had a self-imposed limit of 100 yards. I only recovered one ball, all the rest passed through the animal. Go fer it.

 

[majg1234]

I killed a doe last year with my 40cal S MTN flinter,PRB 018 patch 60gr Fffg goex,she was DRT of course range was 40yds and I had commited to shooting 60yds or less with it

 

[larry wv]

I killed one Thur morning. Real heavy 7 point with 15 inch spread. TC Hawken .45 cal 80 grains of 3f (Goex) and a Maxi ball. About 85 yds Foggy low light. Tried to break a shoulder and get the lungs. Ended up to close to the base of the neck so just fell dead. .38 cal is legal in Wv. Will prob use a .40 cal and conical next year since a friend has a mould. Larry Wv

 

[hanshi]

I think all these are .50 caliber balls except the second from the left, a .45. They represent the only prb I've managed to recover from deer. Through and through is the rule.