Frontal shots with 45 prb?

[Skychief]

If you read 'My sob story' post, you know that I had a heavy buck 20 yards from me and quartering real hard toward me. I was on the ground, not up a tree.

My question is, could I have cleanly killed the buck with my 60 grains 3f prb load out of my 42" barreled flinter at that distance (if struck where the neck meets the torso)? Imagine that the spine is not hit.

I did not take a shot there as I was uncomfortable with it and fairly new to 45 calibers (used 50's most of my life and in fact never shot a deer as described with a 50 for that matter).

I ask this of you because I have a friend that has killed a LOT of deer with 45 prb's. He said tonight that I would have cleanly killed the buck if shot as described above.

Anybody have field experience with such a shot at such a distance with 45 caliber prb? What kind of bloodtrail could I have expected also?

Thanks very much, Skychief. :bow:

 

[roundball]

I've killed 7-8 with the .45cal PRB, all out of a T/C 32" x 1:66" RB barrel.
One at 60yds, the others at all 20-40yds.

Two at 20yds were with a 40grn Goex 3f squirrel load while sitting for squirrels, stopped inside the cavity;

The others were 90grns Goex 3F deer loads, broadside heart shot, pass-throughs except for the 60yd guy which hit a rib...so I wouldn't have hesitated with the shot you described.

However, I applaud your conservative approach until you know first hand...a very mature thing to do. :thumbsup:

I have no science to back this up, just my own hands on experience and conclusions drawn from marrying together tests and actual field results...but IMO, gallon jugs of water can be very telling.
I lined up 5 gallon jugs of water in a row and shot my .45cal PRB deer hunting load square into the first one at 25yds.
Jug #1 exploded violently throwing water a full 20 feet in all directions;
Jug #2 also burst but less violently so;
Jug #3 ruptured a couple of 6" splits, losing the water, and the flattened ball was inside it;

A gallon jug of water is about 8 inches wide, and that little ball blew through 2 of them and halfway into a third...traveled through about 18-20" of fairly dense, contained, water and 5 sections of fairly tough plastic...

 

[John Wasmuth]

I have taken several deer with that shot, none of them went more than 3 feet straight down.

 

[MDK_WV]

This 3 point buck was taken with a .50 cal frontier long rifle (39” barrel) with a .495 round ball using a prelubed .015 patch and 80 grains ff Goex black powder. The shot was placed at the left front shoulder in a very slight quartering downhill trajectory at 35 yards taken while still hunting in Barbour County. This buck was taken in second growth timber on a friend’s farm. The deer collapsed upon impact then bolted 10 yards before death. There was no blood trail from the single shot in the shoulder. The patched roundball expended its entire energy inside the chest cavity with no exit. It was recovered in the right ham while butchering. YMMV

 

[John Wasmuth]

Nice deer :thumbsup:

 

[slumlord44]

I have my own sob story on a similar shot. 20 to 25 yards down steep hill. .45 Kentucky precussion with heavy elongated bullet and 80 grains of powder. Stiff load in a .45. Deer standing straight on looking at me. Would not turn so I aimed for center of chest. Deer went up on his back legs and fell over straight backwards. Kicked for a few minutes and instead of dying there, got up, shook his head and lookedat me like he did not know what happened. He walkd off and stopped and looked back and gave me another shot. Never did find him. Little blood trail. Bought my CVA .50 Express Double a week later.

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

Skychief; between my wife and i, we've taken over 15 deer, both whitetail and mulies, with that exact load. 60gr-3f w/PRB. We've only ever found 1 ball. All other have been pass throughs. Because mulies tend to be more curious, both of Karyl's mulie does were shot head-on. One at 57yds and one at 63yds. Her rifle is a late virginia capgun with a 30" barrel. The 57yd shot exited in front of the right ham. The 63yd shot was never found nor did it exit, it's in the gut pile i suppose. POA on the animals was base of the throat. I've also taken a couple of whitetails this way. Please don't underestimate the power of these weapons. Remember the 45-70 springfield is considered a lite buffalo rifle. Only difference is the weight of the projectile. Of course accurate shot placement is always job one.

 

[George]

My question is, could I have cleanly killed the buck with my 60 grains 3f prb load out of my 42" barreled flinter at that distance (if struck where the neck meets the torso)? Imagine that the spine is not hit.

Skychief, I have never shot a .45, so I can't really answer your question. I have taken a couple of deer in very similar situations, though. I have a real aversion to shooting into the abdominal cavity of a deer from any angle, so it they are standing facing me full on or facing away from me I won't take a body shot. I might try a neck shot if things look just right, but I'd more likely let him walk, as you did. They don't have to be angling very much for me, though. Whichever way they are fsacing, I aim at the heart, low in the front part of the chest. If they are turned just a little, so I can shoot at that and have the ball pass through the chest and avoid the belly, either on the way in or on the way out, I shoot. The shoulder is no problem, the ball will break the bones there and get at the heart and big blood vessels. Blood trail is usually very good if you hit the big vessels, in my experience. I expect your .45 would do the same, but that's an opinion not based on experience.

 

[PJC]

I miss read the thread.
comment withdrawn as it did not apply.PJC

 

[Skychief]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys. Seems I may take this shot if no better one is probable. :hmm:

 

[ryanhogg]

I would say, regardless of the ballistic aspects of it, if you werent comfterable with the shot you shouldn't shoot.

I know that dosent help your question any but atleast i think that you made the right choice.

 

[pa woods roamer]

Also shot a big Doe using 60Grs. of 3F, must be a pet load, in my .45. Entered between the Shoulder and Neck. Found the flattened Ball stuck under the Hide in Hind Quarter. She went about 40-50 Yds.

 

[Skychief]

I appreciate all the feedback on this subject guys.


I think I was still in "recurve mode" when this buck stopped at the angle he did. If faced with the shot again, I have more faith that the 45 roundball will drive deep for a quick kill.

Many thanks! :bow:

 

[tg]

i have hunted quite a bit with a .45PRB and woiuld not hesitate to take that shot if it was quarterd far enough it sounded good as you described it, there is no guarantee of a blood trail with any ML shot or projectile, always wait at least a half hour then follow looking for sign,watch till the Deer is out of sight then listen for a bit longer before you start to reload or do anything, often it takes a bit of time for the blood to show if the Deer does not drop right off, mark the trail as you go if you know the area/trails/beddding areas there is a good chance you may know where the animal is headed, but never "push" a hit Deer you can easily make a 30 yds tracking job into a 200 yds one.

 

[Skychief]

:thumbsup:

Thanks tg!

 

[John Wasmuth]

Sound advice.

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

RECURVE MODE, your right about that one Skychief. I hunt with a longbow and the first day of gun season just don't feel right, seems like i'm cheating. Gotta get refocused on shot selection.

 

[BrownBear]

Based on a couple of sad instances, I'm real leery of deadnuts face-on shots to chest. In my experience it has to land exactly dead center in brisket, or the bullet/ball can slide along outside the ribs and under the shoulder. Had it happen once for sure, with a 7 mag and 175 grain bullets at about 80 yards. Deer dropped and bounced right back up, and the "chase" was on. A little snow on the ground so tracking was easy, even if the blood petered out after a couple of hundred yards. That buck went up and down over two ridges, and straight line by the map we finally caught up with it just under 2 miles away.

Skinning and butchering revealed my shot was only a couple of inches off center, cutting a deep groove in rib cage and actually shattering 3 ribs. The biggest mass of blood clots you've ever seen between the shoulder and the rib cage.

Second instance is only by inference, because there was no snow and we lost the deer after a quarter mile or so. Saddest of all, it happened this year at about 35 yards with my new 62 cal flinter. All the symptoms were the same, but there's a very sick deer limping around there now, if it hasn't died yet.

I'll either pass on those shots entirely in the future, or wait for a little bit of quarter in the stance. The part that makes me mad (and sick) is that I could have just as easily whacked the deer in the white throat patch that I usually take face-on. That's instantly fatal with anything close to a center shot, and certainly would be less problematic a wound if the shot went a little wide. Never lost one yet, but maybe even that's waiting in my future. Live an re-learn, I guess.

Edit- We were talking 45, weren't we? :redface:

If it was a quartering shot that let the ball reach into the vitals, I'd have no qualms. I've killed too many with handguns to doubt the killing power of a 45 cal ball.

 

[KyFlintlock]

but never "push" a hit Deer you can easily make a 30 yds tracking job into a 200 yds one.

Very good advice!