45/410 barrel

[snappy]

Just recently purchased a 45/410 barrel. So far I am very impressed. The question I have is, what are the thoughts of using the 45 barrel for whitetail deer hunting.  Quite a few seem to like the 44 mag. Isn't the 45 close.  I am new to this so this is probably a question that has been answered before.

[doc-and]

Congratulations on your purchase.  I currently have three 45/410 barrels at my son's place in Az.  Great fun for rabbits and such.  I would suggest that you shoot some paper targets with the 45 loads you plan to use and at the distance you plan to hunt and see if the barrel is up to accuracy standards for you.  With 45Colt loads in those barrels its a long jump to the rifling and accuracy is not always there.  That is one reason I purchased a straight 45Colt barrel.  As far as loads go, the Contender will handle any safe handload.  I happen to like this old cartridge (I own 10 different handguns in that caliber)  and think its a great round.  

doc-and

[dakotashooter2]

The 45 is perfectly capable of taking whitetail but there are a few things that you need to do to get the most out of this barrel.
1) Check it for accuracy. These barrels have a long chanber to accomodate the 410 shells. This means more freebore before the 45 bullet hits the rifling which reduces accuracy. You may have to limit your range accordingly.
2) Use ammo from custom ammo loaders unless you handload. Custom 45 ammo can equal or exceed 44 mag ammo in performance. Standard factory ammo is loaded to lower pressure to account for use in some of the older guns such as the 1st generation colts. This keeps the unknowing from blowing themselves up. The encore is a strong gun and can handle much more pressure. Custom ammo manufacturers produce higher pressure loads made for these modern guns. These should give you maximum performance from your barrel.

I have yet to use my barrel for whitetail as I have not found the accuracy I want yet (I handload) and am unhappy with the cheesy rear site on the barrel(the vent rib model). One safety note: Remove the choke before shooting 45s in the barrel or you risk damaging the barrel and yourself.

[spinafish]

I have 14"vent rib model that I have mounted a Tasco Red Dot by way of a B-Square shotgun rib mount.  The RedDot allows me to use the barrel both with the .45 Colt and the .410.  My barrel especially likes the heavy 300 grain loads.  I load my own and use both a 300 grain hard cast bullet from a Lee mold and the 300 grain Hornady XTP's.I use the heavy bullet data from the Hodgdon web-site.  If I were having to settle on a 45 LC load from one of the big three I would  have to go with the Winchester SilverTip...it is loaded to "normal" pressures,but boy does it mushroom pretty...Its designed for self defense,but should work just fine at woods ranges. :grin:

[snappy]

i also have the vented rib, what did you mean about the b-square to mount your red dot. I haven;t got that far, but it was somthing that I noticed, since the sights are unique.

[spinafish]

B-Square is a brand name..they make mounts and rings...They make a mount that is meant to mount a scope on a shotgun rib.  It staddles the rib and is secured to plates that are placed through the vents in the rib by way of screws..It uses three of these plates:front,back and middle.  It is a one piece mount.  Tasco used to manufacture a two mount that works the same way.