45 Long Colt

Been looking at some 45 long colt ammo. long story short i found a brand new ruger blackhawk with a 5.5" barrel for $490 and it's in 45 lc. Factory ammo seems pretty weak (understand because of old guns) and was wondering how it would work on deer? I looked at buffalo bore "deer grenades" and oh my garsh, over 1,200 ft lbs of energy in the 45lc. thoughts??

I wouldn't pay much attention to ft/lbs. of energy. Do you load your own? If so, I would suggest a good 300 gr. hard cast bullet from Cast Precision or the like. Or, you could load up the Hornady XTP 300 gr. but make sure you don't buy the MAG version because that one is designed for 454 Casull velocities.

If you don't load, I would look at hard cast loads from Buffalo Bore. There are multiple companies that produce +P 45 Colt loads in both hard cast and jacketed.

Now would be a good time to look into loading if you don't already.

Yeah I like the hardcast stuff too. I use the 335gr hardcast from Cast Performance with my 45 Colt. Put it over 23.3gr H110, and there isn't anything ya can't do with it on this continent. If ya want to load it down, I just got a load from Jack Huntington that uses the same bullet, but with 9gr of Titegroup. I'm thinking that load will be absolutely perfect for deer. With hardcast, ya don't have to have speed to make them work. Just get them on target, and they will do the rest.

That 335gr pill from hardcast is a good one! XTP's are too though. I used to shoot nothing but jacketed, but once I found Cast Performance, the only jacketed I still shoot are the XTP MAG's in my 460. Everything else is hardcast now.

As Landrum said, loading your own is the way to go for sure!

If yer limited to store bought, I would recommend these guys:

http://shop.reedsammo.com/45-Long-Colt-T-C-Ruger-Loads_c72.htm

I like the 250 XTP in the 45 Colt. Easy on the shooter and hard on deer. If you are going to hunt big bear or hogs you might try a heavier slug, but the 250 XTP is a good one for most game on this continent.

The 250 gr. XTP is perfect in the 45 Colt. The 300 gr. XTP with the mag jacket may be too tough, but that is designed for the Casull and the 460 S&W. The bragging board is full of game taken with XTP's.

I have a new favorite factory .45 Colt load and it's by Garrett Cartridges and it consists of a 365 grain hardcast bullet at an advertised 1,250 fps. Accurate out of my guns (including the .454s) and it is very effective from a terminal standpoint. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on any animal. Shot the hog below with that load. Also really like Double Tap Ammo's 335 and 360 grain .45 Colt + P loads. Also extremely accurate and very effective on big-game.

I run 250gr XTP an 300gr WFN-GC bullets through my .45 Colts.

Have taken game with both bullets effectively, though ironically, not out of a .45 Colt........as of yet. Hope to this year.

If you load, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 250 CSWC over 10.0 of Unique. Go ask Skeeter!

Not sure what you're hunting, probably deer & if thats the case any good cast SWC in the 250-260 gr. range will do the job with room to spare if you run them 1100 fps or so. Where ever you shoot well is the most important because you can place your shot better if you are confident in your ability. Heavier bullets are great but not necessary for deer. Hornady XTP's & Speer's in the 250-260 gr. range also have a good reputation on deer & will give some expansion along with penetration. Hope you get one, aim very tight to the shoulder, half way up & you'll put your tag on some venison. Double lung shots don't waste any meat, they run 40-50 yds & drop, many time less, lights out.

Dick

I agree completely Dick! No more needed for whitetail.

I have decided against the 45 colt for now as I do not hand load and don?t know when I will be able to start and over $2.00 a round for buffalo bore ammo is ridiculous...

Check out the link I posted to Reed's Ammo. They offer similar to B Bore at a lot lower cost.

Underwood and Double Tap are priced right as well. In defense of Buffalo Bore, you pay a premium for premium ammo. Buffalo Bore is very good -- not that the others are bad.

I wouldn't pass up the 45 Colt just yet. Yes, BB may be expensive, but from what I hear, they are about the best of the best for factory ammo. Like they said above, there is cheaper ammo out there that is still pretty good, and it will get ya through for a while. Save the brass from the factory stuff, and you will have a great start on components when you do start reloading.

If you are gonna be serious about hunting with a handgun, sooner or later the reloading bug WILL get you! It sure got me! But for now, there are a lot of other good choices out there, and to pass up such a great caliber when you have a great chance to get one would be a bummer.

I'd jump on that Ruger in a heartbeat. It, too, is one of the best of the best.