Question for .45 roundball deer hunters...

[Skychief]

What percent of the deer that you have harvested with a 45 caliber patched round ball went "through and through" (entry and exit wound) on broadside shots to the ribcage? :idunno:

Thanks for your time! :bow:

Skychief.

 

[mr.flintlock]

I have not harvested any deer with a 45 cal PRB where I have had a complete pass through. The last deer that I killed was shot with a 45 caliber PRB . Although there was no complete pass through, the 6 point buck dropped in his tracks.

 

[hanshi]

I've shot a good many deer with .45s and can only swear to one ball recovered; all the rest were pass throughs. None required more than one shot and they all either dropped DRT or dropped within sight or hearing.

 

[Skychief]

:hmm:

Thanks, I have shot a lot of deer with roundballs, but, never with .45's until last year.

Hence the question.

Skychief

 

[roundball]

It's been many years since I used a .45cal on deer and then it was only a few...I want to say they were all broadside heartshot passthroughs in the 25-50yd range...one at 55 steps hit a rib going in, ploughed across and stopped bulging the hide on the far side...still have the little ball, looks like a little igloo.
.45cal deer load out of a 32" T/C x 1:66" barrel was: 90grns Goex 3F / .018" pillow ticking / Hornady .440"

Will be hunting a new 42" x .45cal Late Lancaster next fall though...

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I`ve had alot more complete pass throughs than not. Sometimes the ball has hit a rib and still exited the deers body. Like I`ve said befor though, due to the cover and terrain where I usually hunt, most of the deer I`ve shot were killed at less than 50 yards.

 

[Rat Trapper]

I have not harvested any deer with a 45 cal PRB where I have had a complete pass through. The last deer that I killed was shot with a 45 caliber PRB . Although there was no complete pass through, the 6 point buck dropped in his tracks.

The only way to keep a conical bullet inside a deer is to shoot it end for end and it still my exit.

 

[410-er]

Shot 3 with the 45 cal.All 3 were with the Senecas and 55 grs of FFFg.All pass thru at 50yds.
Of all the calibers I shot deer with I have yet to find a ball.
Guess I gotta keep trying! :grin:

 

[Skychief]

This is all very interesting. The buck I shot this year was broadside at 15 yards. He was shot through a rib at entry, through the heart and the ball went between ribs on the offside and came to rest under the hide.

It too looked like an igloo as Roundball described. Last year I took two doe with .45 prbs from a flintlock. One passed through, the other did not.

My load for each of these deer was 65 grains of 3f Goex.

I know each deer is different and results will vary. I suppose what prompted my query was the fact that my buck did not drop any blood (of course it's chest cavity was as full as could be). A lack of an exit wound could have been a hardship if the buck had been shot in a thicket and ran a bit farther. That's where my thoughts were when I began this thread. I am not knocking 45 prb's at all. I have taken 3 whitetails with them with 3 shots and all have expired quickly and humanely. I am just more used to having two holes in my deer instead of one.

Perhaps if this buck had been taken through the lungs, in place of the heart, the ball would have exited. :idunno: I really can not say. Maybe a heavier charge is in order if accuracy doesn't suffer (65 grains is what I have found the rifle likes best).

In the end, maybe I am thinking about a moot point as the load has been successful, thus far. :idunno: I just like a little red on the ground pointing the way toward my deer!

Thanks to each of you for your feedback. Please, if anyone else has field experiences to share, please do.

Thanks, Skychief.

 

[luieb45]

From what I'm thinking now, it looks like my .45 hawken is what I'll take. I know you need to probably wait for a broadside shot but the more I think of it, I've never killed a deer anything besides broadside with a gun, shotgun or muzzleloader. Now... with a bow is a different story. :wink: Both deer I've gotten so far this year were quartering at me really hard and both had exits and both died really quickly from those "cheap" muzzy broadheads. But I'll leave that type of discussion for the non muzzy forum. I'm loading my .45 with 70 gr. 3fffg because it likes it and don't kick too hard. The guy that runs our local deer locker that I work for likes to load his smokepoles REALLY heavy. He has a custom .58 he loads with 120 gr. of 3fffg!!! I know a gun can take that but that thing HAS to kick really hard. Whenever I talk about my muzzleloaders he always tells me, "now, don't starve them guns, you'd be surprised because they often like a lot of powder." But I just figure my 75 gr. in my .50 kills deer fine so I don't worry about it.

 

[Tony Logan]

Take the 45 luieb and dont think twice. Just a couple of thoughts:
(#1-If you wait for your shot, pick a spot and let it do its thing, then no problem).
(#2 Don't let the heavy powder charge mess with you, you know what your gun likes best)
(#3 Deer are tough, you hit the lungs/heart or both-they die, shoot over lungs under spine or an artery and they bleed a little just to give you some hope and keep going just like the energizer bunny.)
Not good. Best advice, refer back to #1
I would take my 45 this weekend and still might but TN is opening rifle season so I am itching to christen the new smooth bore. I have only shot it one session and got it on pretty good at 50yds. you need to just pick one and get out there and make some smoke. Good luck.