Okay, I am not an advocate for the use of the 45 acp for deer hunting but I have a friend of mine that is not in the greatest health and he has a hard time trucking around a full size revolver. He CAN however use a 45 1911 quite well still and was thinking about using it for deer hunting next year. My thoughts were if he could work a load that was close to what a 45 Colt could produce (they are similar anyway in factory loads) that at close range with the right bullet placement, he would most likely be okay. Anyone have any thoughts? What about a cast bullet? The gun is a Colt series 80 that I am smithing for him right now. Beaver tail, hammer, the works. Any help would be great.

Sure why not. I have seen deer shot with less of a bullet!

Hornady has a 45+P offering that is close to the 10mm in energy. With a hot load and good placement within respectable range it will get the job done. Better check your reg's tho, in many states like here in MN the 45 ACP is not legal for deer.

If you go to the bragging board and look up FFJamison you will see where he dropped a doe with his 9mm Glock using 115gr Gold Dot ammo. A 45acp hollow point in the right place will get your friend his deer...

And you don't even have to hotrod the .45. Standard pressure rounds do just fine. I've yet to see a deer reading an energy table.

Not in a hunting situation but I have killed my share of Whitetails at the scenes of Deer / Vehicle Accidents. I generally have choosen shot placement so as to simulate shot placement in a Hunting Situation. As per ranges most have been between 20 to 35 yards.

My experience in these types of situations is that the .45 ACP is much more effective than anything I have ever used in a .357 Magnum. I have used both the old Remington +P 185gr. Jacketed Hollow Point and aa handload using 185gr. Nosler Jacketed Hollow Points loaded with Blue Dot to 1150 FPS. However I have also used the 185gr. Remington Jacketed Hollow Points loaded with Unique to 1000 FPS, as well as the 200gr. CCI Jacketed Hollow Points in the form of CCI Blazer Factory Loads at 975 FPS. All have worked quite well.

I am quite sure you friend will be eating venison using his .45 ACP with a good load at reasonable range.

Larry

Why not consider a better bullet? It's a 45. You don't need expansion. Just penetration & a flat nose. Reasonable range still standing. Whatever that is for most of us.

Great for the 45LC, but some semi's can be real picky about what they will feed reliably.

You have a good point there. I use Keith style bullets in the 44 and I love them. I don't suppose you know of any designs that are out there that will work with the 1911 that are lead? I am not sure that a Keith would feed in the 1911.

There are plenty of flat points & SWC's from Meister & others. Any of them over 200 gr should do. I agree w/Hitman in that you don't need to hot rod it. S4s4u is also correct. Some autos don't like SWC's. That is however an easy fix w/ramp & throat work. Most of the new & improved 1911's will feed them fine. The round nose flat points have similar ogives to any hollow point. They should feed w/no difference. W/the lower velocity of the ACP I'd want to ensure penetration & an exit hole. The great majority of hollow points in "combat handgun calibers" are designed to achieve the FBI's recommeneded 10-12" of penetration in "soft tissue" (humans) w/no exit. Deer do not always react as people when shot & this is not the goal of a hunting bullet. I've carried a 45 ACP since 1986 & love it. It's my 1st choice in a combat handgun. But for deer it is marginal & I wouldn't use hollow points unless I had to.

I put a buck down last season with a federal 230hst out of my 45acp. Shot was about 30 yards broadside, bullet penetrated both shoulders coming to rest under the skin on the far side. Expansion was an inch in diameter and it put him down in his tracks. Hornady xtp, speer gold dot would probably be your better choices. You do not need to use lead IMO.

I tried the 45 ACP last season on a doe at close range(25 yds from a tree stand) I was using the Speer +P hollowpoint loads and hit her right behind the shoulder. Knocked her down and she got up and ran off. Didn't get real concerned cause I figured i'd find her within 50 yds. I knew exactly where she ran but never found her. Also no blood at all. I never had that happen with the 45 LC or the 50AE. I wouldn't use it based on my experience. Good luck.

After reading the pros and cons about 45acp on whitetail I would give the following advice: use a bullet of at least 230grs at the highest velocity possible and make sure you have a close,
broadside double lung shot before pulling the trigger.

I don’t know much about the 45ACP and I certainly don’t want to open up a can of worms… so tell me straight…

There was an article in last months issue (volume 29 issue VI) of The Sixgunner that Mr. Scott Vandy used a 1911 on an Elk. It didn’t state what his powder charge was, but it did state that it shot a 240 XTP at 1300 fps. I know that is in the 44Mag/45LC range, BUT that seams to me that it would be hard on the action. Was he just using a REALLY hot 45 ACP?

I am not debating I am learning on this question. LOL

Duane

I'm not sure either but I know the 1911 will take quite a bit. I've got one I'm restoring and I thought long and hard about converting it to the 460 Rowland which is about like 44 mag in power. I decided since I have enough other guns with big power so I'm going to leave this one a 45.

I had a .45ACP for some thirty years and loved it. However much as I liked it I doubt it be a good choice for hunting.

Also given that a standard Ball round is a 230 grain projectile at around 850 fps, I can't credit a 240 grain projectile at 1300 fps in a 1911. If at all possible you'd need a fully supported barrel and a very heavy spring set.

That looks a lot more like the figures the gent was talking about Rod. The article just said hunting with the 1991… it never said hunting with the 45 ACP.

The .45acp was designed to duplicate the military's .45 Colt blackpowder load, but to work in the 1911, so it should work. IMO

I had a 460 rowland and it will work just fine. Midwayusa has brass for it and I bought the kit from clark custom guns. Definetly supercharges the 45.

I am still not sold on the .45 ACP on deer, but I know it will do a wonder on rabbits and other small game.

I use my .45 Colt for deer and it is quite effective at reasonable ranges, but I am pushing a 300 grain cast at around 1100 fps. I would consider the .45 ACP marginal at best. Can you kill a deer with it? Sure, and deer have been killed with other calibers I consider marginal for ethical hunting as well, calibers like the .223, .30 Carbine, etc. I'm a strong believer in using enough gun for the task at hand. The animals we hunt deserve no less.

Mike