Is the 45 colt " BIG ' enough ? ? ? ? ?

[bayrunner]

Hey Guys ___Just curios about the factory Colt 45 loadings (Winchester ,Federal etc.),what are they(weight and fps) and are they adequate as a black bear(200-400 lbs.) defense load(penetration wise) if push comes to shove(strictly emergency use only when camping in area where its legal to carry) .I don’t reload yet. So what do you think?____ THANKS BAYRUNNER

[Redhawk1]

If that is all you had I would say yes, but the factory loads are on the light side. I think corbon and garrett make a heavier loaded 45 L/C, but you also have to make sure your handgun will handle them.  

[hank_612]

Cor bon and buffalo bore sell 300+ grain bullets at 1000+ fps and pmc markets a 300 grain JSP at 1200 that would be good too. If I was going bear hunting with a pistol my 45 SBH would probably get the nod with a buffallo bore 325 gr. L.B.T.- L.F.N. (1325 fps / M.E. 1267 ft. lbs.) or a cor bon  45COLT+P -- 335gr HC -- 1050fps/820ftlbs  but grizzly's 45 Colt +P
Bullet Wt: 335 Grain WLNGC Velocity: 1175 fps would do the trick also.

[jd45]

In Rem. & Win. 250gr standard loadings, while advertized as 860fps, I've read the actual velocity is somewhere around 750fps...pretty anemic, I'd say. Don't know about Federal's 225 SWCHP. If the gun can stand it, I'd go with the PLUS-P stuff, jd45

[oso45-70]

BAYRUNNER

In my opinion the modern day 45 colt ammo is pretty light for hunting, To do  the modern day revolvers justice you all most need to hand load or go to one of the ammo makers that specialise in hard hitting heavy bullets.
One of the great things about the 45 is its versatility, from very mild to a very hard hitting behemoth. It happens to be one of my favorits........Joe........

[jd45]

Oso 45-70, you think you're so smart.....I do,too! (grin) couldn't have stated the case better, jd45

[oso45-70]

JD45

Its Obvious i like my big bore Pistols and rifles, Like Redhawk1 says if you make a hole make it a big one. I seem to be afflicted with the big bore syndrome. Better than being a drunk i guess ........Joe......

[Redhawk1]

Big holes make for good blood trails, but most times not needed.    :-D

[jd45]

I, too, am afflicted........I have 2 '92 rifles in .45 Colt, 1 with a 24" octagon barrel, a '73 in .45 Colt, & 2 revolvers (soon to add a 3rd) all in .45 Colt. I hope to use the '92 w/24" for deer this year, and am having a Williams FP receiver sight put on it, toward that end. I love this cartridge-gun combo! Good Shooting! jd45

[canonF-1]

Hey Guys ___Just curios about the factory Colt 45 loadings (Winchester ,Federal etc.),what are they(weight and fps) and are they adequate as a black bear(200-400 lbs.) defense load(penetration wise) if push comes to shove(strictly emergency use only when camping in area where its legal to carry) .I don’t reload yet. So what do you think?____ THANKS BAYRUNNER

If you don't handload and you haven't bought your woods defense gun yet, I would recommend a 44 mag over the 45 Colt unless like mentioned above your 45 Colt is a sound Ruger or custom conversion 45.  Even then, I would shoot good ammo with heavy hard cast bullets.

If you handload or are thinking about getting into handloading, the 45 Colt, in my opinion, is king.  I have several 45 Colts, all are Ruger SA's and one a custom 45 coversion from John Linebaugh.  Again, hard cast bullets such as 300gr+ LBT or True Keith Style SWC's are the best bet.

Like mentioned above, I would not consider any bullet lighter than 300 grs running over 1000fops.  In my tight factory roger SA guns I can run 325's in the 1100fps and feel comfortable in bear woods or as comfortable as one can be using only a sixgun.  My Linebaugh conversion I can begin to tap into true 45 Colt potential.  I routinely run bullets as heavy as 405grs in the 1000-1100fpr range and 350's in the 13-1400fops range and 300'sa in the 1500fops range.  This puts the humble 45 Colt into 454 Casull range or close enough in my book.

Yep, I think the 45 Colt is big enough when one puts the right load in the right gun.  

F-1

[flamenblaster]

hi guys..was just wonder'in..im planning on a lil squirrel shooting and was kinda concerned about the 480 ruger..is it just marginal or should i step up to the 500 magnum?? Also what about penetration..maybe a 400 grn hardcast in 500 mag should do the trick?? any help you guys can give would be appreciated  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:

[Lloyd Smale]

a 250 grain flat nosed bullet at 800 fps will do alot of killing!! I sure wouldnt feel undergunned for black bear as a matter of fact i killed one with a 44 special with a very simular load and it killed it as well  IVe done deer and hogs with loads like that withthe .45 colt and it killedas well  as anything else ive used.. But i guess thats only one bear and its sure not a scientific statement. But in my experience beer are no harder to kill then whitetail and not as tough to kill as a boar.

[Steve P]

LLoyd Smale wrote: "But i guess thats only one bear and its sure not a scientific statement. But in my experience beer are no harder to kill then whitetail and not as tough to kill as a boar."

Bear, beer, boar, deer, wouldn't matter to me.  If it were attacking me and I only had the 45 colt. I would probably shoot it, except maybe the beer, I would pop it's top and blow away it's foam!!   :-D


Steve    

[Will52100]

Just from my experiance with a piny wood's rooter, a 5 1/2" Ruger vaquero and factory "cowboy" loads I was disapointed.  Took nine shots to dispach the little vermin.  Granted several shots were 50 yards plus, and a pig is a tough cookie if you don't hit a vital spot, but disapointing results.  Now that I reload and cast my own I can do much better.  For me in the colt and colt clones it's hard to beat as a max load 38 grains of black powder and a pure lead 250 grain PRS bullet.  Very impressive and kinda hard on the old wrist.  Did a little chrono'n and found that factory loads were around 800 FPS, my black powder loads clocked in at just over 1100 FPS.

If you've got a Ruger or other heavy 45, by all means load it with Buffalo bore or other +P loads, but if you've got a colt or colt clone of the 73' single action about the most power you can safely get is from black powder or a sub.  Something to do with the recoil impulse being longer or some such with black.

[jeager106]

hi guys..was just wonder'in..im planning on a lil squirrel shooting and was kinda concerned about the 480 ruger..is it just marginal or should i step up to the 500 magnum?? Also what about penetration..maybe a 400 grn hardcast in 500 mag should do the trick?? any help you guys can give would be appreciated  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:

ROTFLMAO

For the love of Pete! Go with the .500 and linotype boolits at 1600 fps AT LEAST for squirrels!

Say guys! Are we forgetting the apparently forgotten thought of matching the BULLET to the job?
As well as caliber?
The question was DEFENSE. Both two legged and four legged .
The hardcast boolit at any speed is a poor performer on 'soft' targets.
No I'm not knocking the hardcast boolits, but it has it's place as do fast expanding hollowpoints.
My Vaquero is my 'woods walk' partner. It's loaded with 260 Speer h.p. boolits.
I'd be better with 225 or 250 Gold Dots for 'soft' two leged critters. IN THAT CALIBER.
No bear, or beer (sigh) in my woods.
Winchester makes or made a 225 or 250 Silver Tip. Wouldn't that one be a good choice for a 'defense' gun?
A couple weeks ago I was on my 4 wheeler near my garden and lo and behold an enraged grounhog raised itself up in my pepper patch!
Out came the Vaquero loaded with 255 grain hardcast at about 1100 f.p.s and I drilled it before it could 'charge" (joke there)
The thing ran off. So I drilled in again. And again!
THREE times with a finisher to the head.
The boolits drilled  holes.
Poor boolit for the task.
No, groundhogs (tho tuff) aren't .45 Colt proof. It was not a failure of the CALIBER,  but a failure of the load on the intended target.
With any good caliber one must match the boolit to the task.
A 300 grain hardcast at 1000 fps is an excellent pentetrator but is it the right choice for what task?

[Lloyd Smale]

theres a pile of deer bear and other critters I put up in heaven that will argue with you that i shot with .41s-500s It allways amazes me at some of the wound channels a hardcast bullet with a good flat will produce. Personaly ive never noted a jacketed bullet to do any better with the possible exception of the .454 with light weight jacketed bullets at full veloctity but then penetration was dissmal. But i guess dead is dead. I doubt if on a ground hog even your jacketed bullets would have done much in the line of expansion. Personaly ive never any of the jacketed bullets even the premium ones perform better then a cast bullet or id be using them and i have seen jacketed bullets fail to perform (wounded animals) on bear and pigs due to lack of penetration. Ill stick to my cast bullets for hunting with a handgun thank you.

[Robert357]

There are factory loads for the 45 Colt and then there are factory loads.

Try buying a couple boxes of the following....

http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#low45

If you have a good Ruger BH then you might try the following....

http://www.grizzlycartridge.com/Search.bok?category=45+Colt

Note that in Washington State a typical 45 Colt in a 7 inch revolver is considered just fine for bear hunting.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/handguns.htm

[Medbill]

Wow that's some expensive ammo!  Sounds great but what is good for Northeastern Whitetails that I can buy over the counter?  I'll be using a 2nd generation SAA 7 1/2" barrel.

Thanks,

Billy