45 ammo

[tipiguy]

I am going to give deer hunting a try with the 10" 45 barrel on my contender.   I've been told that it will be good out to a max of 100 yards which is farther than I feel comfortable shoot anyways since I am new to handguns.   What brand of ammo do people recommend?  I was hoping a factory round would be good but I could always pay someone to handload me some if needed.

Thanks for the wisdom...

Rich

[PaulS]

tipiguy,
45 Colt ammo from the factory is anemic because it has to work in any 45 colt weapon. You need more power and weight that the factory loads will allow (with the exception of some specialty rounds that are too expensive to get the practice you need before hunting). Have your friend give you a list of components to load from the Contender section of loading books. Buy what he/she recommends and then work up a load that is accurate in your weapon. Once you have a load that works well you can practice shooting at different ranges - say 25 to 100 yards until you are comfortable with your weapon / load combination. Then you will be ready to hunt with your handgun.

PaulS

[1badmagnum]

357 and larger calibers can be used for game,but 45 is not the greatest caliber to use.I would use a magnum cartridge for the velocity and power needed for hunting.just my meaningless 2 cents:)
good luck and let us know how you do.

[Zeus]

I think you will be just fine with the 45 out to 100 yards.  The "magnums" aren't going to do the job any better really.  Cor Bon has some factory loads but will be expensive to practice with.  Reloading is the best route for practice without going broke.  It would probably be worth your money to get started in reloading depending on how much you shoot.  I'll put an address on here to an article you may like to read.  It was written by John Linebaugh about the 45 Colt and comparing it to the 44 Magnum.  The above poster may like to read it also.  I like the 44 magnum but realize that the 45 is definetely not a deficient round for hunting.  It really is talking about revolvers but mentions that the loads are safe in Contenders also.  I think you may find it interesting.  Have fun.

http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/dissolving.htm

Give that a try and see if it works.  GS

[globemountain]

:grin: I shoot both the .45 Colt and .44 Magnum.  I have killed deer with a .45 Colt load of a 240 grain XTP at 1300 fps.  Goes in caliber size comes out about the size of a quarter.  Kills them dead!  The .45 Colt, loaded properly, is in no way inadequate for deer at reasonable ranges.