hot 45 colt loads

[stmry]

What is the hottest 45 colt load for use in a SRH 454 casull revolver. I would be using it for whitetail? Thanks

 

[pvtschultz]

You might want to get a hold of Lee Martin or John Linbaugh regarding this question. They've both got extensive experience around this subject and may be willing to share.

Personally, a 325 gr Keith traveling at 1200 fps will traverse the entire length of a deer and probably kill the deer standing behind it as well. There's really no reason for more. Otherwise, Hodgdon has the hottest handload data that you are going to find and Buffalo Bore has the hottest factory ammo that you are going to find. I am surprised that you are not allowed to use the Casull for deer hunting though, that is strange.

http://data.hodgdon.com

 

[stmry]

Thanks for the load tips.
I called the NH fish&Game and they verified that the 454 casull was not on the approved handgun caliber list, and therefore not legal in certain districts.
He attributed the lack of sense to an oversite of the state legislature.

 

[Greebe]

I have seen that the .454 is not allowed in some states. Can't figure that one out. I can not see letting people hunt with something like a 50BMG, but come on what is wrong with a .454? I wonder if those states allow .460 S&W, .480 Ruger, .500S&W and so forth? Dare those big caliber handgun cartridges, they just have too mush killing power. Say whaaaat? :twisted:

 

[VAdoublegunner]

Since the SRH in 454 Casull is designed to operate at higher pressures designated for that cartridge under SAAMI spec, and pressure levels in 45 Colt up to 50K psi are recognized as acceptable in the standard Redhawk (ref: Handloader #217, June 2002, Pearce, 'Understanding the 45 Colt: Matching Sixguns to Loads', as well as references from Linebaugh) you should be OK to go there. But generally speaking, for whitetails you really don't need all that. A 282gr RCBS 45-270-SAA bullet moving along at a leisurely 1000fps does quite well, and if you need to go after moose or elk you can easily step it up to 1200 or so at 32K psi. Or you can get the 250 Hornady XTP to 1400fps in the same pressure range easily.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I bet 'Ruger only' .45 colt loads would be perfect. Why would you need more? Buffalo Bore makes some hot factory 260gr, 300gr and 325gr .45 colt loads.

...Jimbo

 

[powder smoke]

I have seen that the .454 is not allowed in some states. Can't figure that one out. I can not see letting people hunt with something like a 50BMG, but come on what is wrong with a .454? I wonder if those states allow .460 S&W, .480 Ruger, .500S&W and so forth? Dare those big caliber handgun cartridges, they just have too mush killing power. Say whaaaat? :twisted:

Towns with Special Rules:

Deer hunting and night hunting of coyotes is allowed only by shotgun, muzzleloading rifle, handguns in calibers .357 Magnum, 10mm Automatic, .41 Remington, .44 Magnum, .45 Long Colt, .480 Ruger or .50 Magnum, or bow and arrow or crossbow in the following towns:

Belknap: Laconia; Meredith Neck: the part from the Meredith- Center Harbor line to Pleasant Street south and east of Route 25.
Hillsborough: Amherst; Bedford; Brookline; Goffstown; Hollis; Hudson; Litchfield; Manchester; Merrimack; Milford; Nashua; Pelham.
Merrimack: Concord; Hooksett: that part lying from the town line of Allenstown, on the westerly side of Route 3, to a point where the old Portsmouth Railroad crosses the highway, then south of the railroad to the town line of Candia; Pembroke: that part lying south westerly of the following line: starting at the Concord town line at Red Bridge on Rte. 106, south to Burrough (Borough) Road, then easterly on Burrough (Borough) Road to Fourth Range Road, then southerly on Fourth Range Road to Dudley Hill Road, south on Dudley Hill Road to Buck Street, northeast on Buck Street to Route 28, south on Route 28 to the Allenstown town line. (See Bow, below).
Rockingham: Atkinson; Auburn*; Brentwood; Chester*; Danville; Derry; East Kingston; Exeter; Fremont; Greenland*;
Hampstead; Hampton; Hampton Falls; Kensington; Kingston; Londonderry; Newfields; Newington*; Newmarket; Newton; North Hampton; Plaistow; Portsmouth*; Rye; Salem; Sandown; Seabrook; South Hampton; Stratham*; Windham.
Strafford: Durham; Madbury; Lee; Dover; Rollinsford; Somersworth.


stmry As a life long resident of NH hunted there my whole adult life never heard of the " LIST " well I found it. Kind of a head scratcher. ps

 

[greenmtnguy]

The list is for townships that have denser population areas or smaller hunting zones where it is not desired to have a high speed/long distance projectile being used, hence the shotgun slug, blackpowder, "normal" handgun caliber, or bow and arrow hunting limitations.

The "list" is in the state's hunting regulations book, published every August and freely downloadable. I've only lived & hunted in New Hampshire the past 15 years or so, but it has been in the book for as long as I've recalled seeing it every year.


The full power 454 Casull is alot closer to rifle cartridges in terms of trajectory and energy than, say, a "normal" 45 Colt, 44 Rem Mag, or even .480 Ruger. I believe that is why it isn't on the list.

I carry a Blackhawk with Ruger loads - it seems enough for me for close quarters hunting if I'm not carrying my bow.

 

[volshooter]

Interesting topic to me.
The most efficent poachers in East TN use .22 stingers for deer and bear at close range. Shot placement is key. For hog OObuck shot over bait at night is prefered.
We have discussed this before.

A .22 stinger put through a deer or bear's eye will kill.
I no longer associate with those folk but still remember the way. At close range any firearm will dispatch game as long as the shot placement is good.

II remember reading a story about an Eskamo woman who hunted moose with a 30-30. Her story was, "shoot em in ribs and follow them till the die".

I prefer a .308 or a 25-06 and I abide by the game laws.
I did not harvest any last year but my cuz next door killed 3 out of season does with a 204 Ruger.

Caliber for deer is not as important as shot placement.

The Mexicians round here snare them.

 

[63November]

Ruger Blackhawks, Redhawks, and SRHs will digest 23.0 grains of W296/H110 with ease behind a 300-320 cast bullet. I have yet to run one through a moose but I have run them through caribou and other things without the bullet seeming to be slowed much judging by the exit holes. I frankly don't think one needs to run them quite that hard , but I know the two 'Hawks I have seem to be fine inspite of many pounds of powder burned in such loads through them.

As for the previous comment about the 30-30 and moose, don't be fooled by popular lore, the 30-30 has plenty of power to do in the biggest moose, especially if you run a good (heavy) bullet through the ribs. The 300 mags are outstanding moose rifles at every reasonable distance; the 30-30 is every bit as good at 100 yards as the 300s are out yonder.