.45 for hunting

[spinafish]

Sir: I have a .45/.410 in a contender that I have hunted with.  I havenot shot at a deer with it yet..but have full confidence in it.  I have loaded some pretty warm 300 grain XTP and some hard cast 300 grainers that my barrel really likes.  I have mounted a Tasco reddot sight on my vent rib and it works for both the .410 and the .45 LC.  I think the .410 slugs would be fun to shoot, but for hunting purposed I think one would be better served with the .45...even the milder loaded .45 Silvertip self-defense bullet would be better than the slug.  If I ever go on a hog hunt that's what I will be toting,stoked with my 300 grain hard cast bullets.

[hankbrass]

I carried a >45 Long Colt barrel on my Contender frame for three years. Killed 3 deer with it. The load I used was  a 250 grain XTP @ about 1350fps. Accuracy was awesome and avg. 1" @ 100 Yards. Now mind you this was with a barrel that was not reamed (butchered) to .410. To each his own but I have not been impressed with the accuracy of the .45/.410 combo barrels I have seen shooting on my range. Most seemed to avg. about 3-4" @ 50 yards. While this is perfectly adequate if ya knows yer limitations I still think you are better off  :wink:  with a barrel dedicated to .45 if that is what you want to shoot! I have to say I was very dissapointed with the xtp's. Though very accurate none of the deer I shot displayed any evidence of expansion. Just one hole clean through. I have not personally tried them but would be willing to bet the Barne's .45 Pistol bullets are spectacular performer's judging from friends comments and my experience with other Barnes products. All the deer I shot with the XTP were through the vital's(either heart or lungs) and all involved a  tracking sesson of more than 75 yards. This tells me that energy tranfer was very poor with the XTP. These are my thoughts and experience talking but I have had friends with the same problems with XTP's even at muzzle-loader velocities. Personally I do not wish to see a bullet Blow-up but I would like to see some expansion(especially from a h-point). I would pick a lead bullet with a LARGE metplate if I wanted to poke a long deep hole!