.45 vs .50

[Tanner Pehrson]

Hi everyone. New to the page and actually real new to muzzleloading. I’m almost exclusively and archery hunter but I have an opportunity to go on a Kansas whitetail hunt next year with a muzzleloader so I’ve been shopping around. I’m thinking about going with the CVA v2 or the paramount. I mostly hunt real open country so range is a big thing for me. I find a lot of good things said about the new v2 in .45 with belted bullets but lot of people also say might as well just shoot a .50 cal with sabots. What’s everyone’s thoughts

 

[GM54-120]

The main reason to go to a 45 is better performance. Take 2 460gr conicals for example. 1 a 50cal and 1 a 45cal. The 45cal will have a far better BC and sectional density.

In a 45cal you can shoot nearly anything a 50cal can shoot and shoot many of them better such as a 40cal bullet. 50x40 sabots wont hold a candle to a 45x40 sabot in a high performance load. The new CVA 45s are a 1-22 twist which is a massive improvement over a 1-28 if you want to shoot higher BC 40cals. Those bullets are longer and will not stabilize as well in the slower twists. ATM there is only 1 other 45cal fast twist break action on the market and its about $900 so the Accura 45cal LR pricing of just over $500 isnt bad.

Most of us have found the real bonus of 45cal. You can size a .452 jacketed bullet for your bore and shoot them without sabots and gain a little more speed too. The best way to do this is with a $160 adjustable sizing die. You should be able to get about 2100fps with a 300gr jacketed bullet with just 120grV of BH209. The Paramount can achieve even more in theory. Some of the higher BC 45cal bullets are not sell suited to sabots and especially in a 1-28 twist rifle. They are exceptional though shot sabotless in a 45cal fast twist.

 

[dwm]

Don’t rule out the 52 cal knight, 1 in 26 twist and it carries good down range energy and is very accurate

 

[ported45]

Yes, with the advent of smokeless muzzleloading we have seen a surge of .45 bullets that have been purpose-built for muzzleloading sabotless and the ability to custom-size them to fit individual barrels. The Swinglock die and others like it are largely responsible for the fact that most people that are wanting "range" in their muzzleloading shooting are turning to the .45 (and even smaller calibers where legal).

This is the opposite of what happened when the major muzzleloader manufacturers were dropping .45 calibers from their lines years ago because of lack of well-constructed saboted bullets to get the job done in the "magnum" .45 muzzleloaders. The reason they were shunned in favor of the .50 was because of the plethora of saboted bullets available for the .50.

 

[GM54-120]

Don’t rule out the 52 cal knight, 1 in 26 twist and it carries good down range energy and is very accurate

BUT there is one tiny problem. The bullet selection for high BC isnt that great for 458s and almost nonexistent in .475. The 52cal really needs a 1-24 to be a better long range rifle shooting sabots. I could shoot a 458SOCOM 300gr at 2200fps+ but the .236 BC just isnt all that great. There are a few better 458s but the selection is very limited and very costly.

45s have been tearing up the Friendship inline matches for several years now and these guys are not shooting wimpy loads. The highend bullets are costly but selection is pretty good. Fury has a lineup of more affordable options for hunting. Some under a buck a shot. A 40cal 250gr Fury at 2100fps+ is gunna carry its FPE a pretty good distance. That speed should be simple for a modern 45cal even using BH209 and at just under 1" long a 1-22 should shoot it pretty good.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

If smokeless is legal in Kansas, you could get a CVA Scout or Hunter in 45-70 and have it converted over to a muzzleloader. Easily a 300yd gun.

 

[ENCORE50A]

I've pushed 50's further than most for the last 5 years. You're not going to get from a 50 what you could from a 45.

 

[sabinajiles]

I am shooting 45 cal bullets sabotless in a SML with a fast twist barrel and am extremely pleased with ballistic performance, accuracy and terminal performance. As others have said, they just perform better than a saboted cal 45 bullet in a 50 cal barrel.

 

[Tanner Pehrson]

Thanks everyone. Just from what little I know about long range rifle performance. I assumed that a .45 is gonna perform better at longer ranges then the .50. For obvious reasons the .50 is gonna have more punch but when I rifle hunt deer I shoot 55 grain outta a 22-250. So pushing anything over a 100 grains is gonna have way more whack then What I’m used to

 

[WV Hunter]

If your hunts have shot ranges of 200 yds or less... either will be fine. As others stated, where the .45 really shines is at longer ranges.

 

[dwm]

Agree, that is why I stated the 52 , all my kills are are not past 200 , and the 52 has been very good and accurate at those ranges. In nj that is considered a long shot. Good luck

 

[GM54-120]

Thanks everyone. Just from what little I know about long range rifle performance. I assumed that a .45 is gonna perform better at longer ranges then the .50. For obvious reasons the .50 is gonna have more punch but when I rifle hunt deer I shoot 55 grain outta a 22-250. So pushing anything over a 100 grains is gonna have way more whack then What I’m used to

It might have a higher Taylor Knockout value but not more energy. TKO values include caliber in the equation but i can assure you a 460gr 45cal conical will plow through any deer like butter. You would gain 4 TKO by going to 50cal (42TKO) vs 45cal (38TKO) in this case. That is why i love a fast twist 45. I can shoot bullets from 175gr to over 450gr. The only thing you give up is the ability to shoot a bullet larger than 45 caliber.

One load ive become quite fond of is a rather smallish 350gr conical at 1200-1400fps. Cheap to shoot and recoil is rather light. Retains over 1000fpe at 100 yards and deadly accurate.

 

[dwm]

I am always ready to be educated, what is your opinion on the 45 1 in 30 twist for deer hunting to 200 yards

 

[GM54-120]

45cal 1-30 is ok until 40cal bullets start to get to around 1" long or slightly more. Mine would shoot a 200gr SST or the Lehigh/Bloodline 185gr very well. It might shoot a Fury 225gr but the 250gr is nearly 1" long so its "iffy".

You can get about 2300fps from a 45cal with a 200gr SST without exceeding 120grV. So yeah its very doable at 200.

 

[dwm]

Have you shot the 40 cal 240 Maximus out of a 1 in 20 yet

 

[GM54-120]

No, i have not. Justin at Knight did shoot some in a local shooting match once and did very well. IMO the CEB 240gr is probably a little better suited to more velocity than you would get with BH209. Maybe in a custom build with heavier loads of BH209 but last i heard guys that have tried them using smokeless have had issues with them.

 

[dwm]

Thank you sir I appreciate your thoughts