.45 or .50?

[WV Hunter]

I'm not a long(er) distance guy by any means, maybe at some point I will be. It does intrigue me, so I'd like to hear what you long distance guru's think...

If you were to only have 1 ML rifle to do long(er) distance Hunting (ie: 250-300yds - whitetails) what caliber/load would you choose and why? It seems to me with my limited knowledge, that a flatter shooting relatively fast load would be easiest to manage for a hunting round. Meaning less adjustment/compensating with a scope.

 

[sqezer]

I just like the .45 better, my question is HOW BIG is a WHITETAIL DEER, is a 300 or 350 gr. bullet needed. It's one thing to be able to shoot paper targets at long range but what we hunt are not paper or plywood, what ever we hunt deserve us as hunters to dispatch them in a clean and quick death. Have respect for the animals we hunt, the whole world is watch, just my .02 cents. :yeah:

 

[jims]

Although the .50 would serve my needs if I only could have one it would be a .45. I could shoot that sabotless or with sabots and .40 caliber bullets. I have done both and dispatched large bodied whitetails without problems with the same.
With sabots I used the 200 SSTs and 195 Barnes. Sabotless I have used up to 290 grains. There is less recoil with the lighter bullets that my daughter prefers.


All shots under 175 yards to date for us. Never had to track a deer more than 100 feet with lung shots, no tracking at all with the high shoulder shots and never a lost deer.

Now some States might frown on the .45 but apparently not yours or you would not be asking. My 2 cents worth.

 

[bestill]

My vote goes fast twist 45 sabotless way more bullet options . If i had to shoot sabot id go with a 50.

 

[Dennis Stankovitz]

Love my 45s. I own 3 of them and shoot 195 Barnes and 200 grain sst out of them all with blackhorn 209. One I shoot sabot less with 260 pt golds I would never change. You will be happy with the 45. I've shot deer at over 200 yds. with them. They have plenty of knock down power and shoot flat.

 

[52Bore]

45 - with a faster twist to keep the bullet stabilized longer.
But, if you're planning on shooting nearly the same bullet/charge in either a 50 or 45 - trajectory is not a factor for your decision.

 

[ENCORE50A]

I'm not a long(er) distance guy by any means, maybe at some point I will be. It does intrigue me, so I'd like to hear what you long distance guru's think...

If you were to only have 1 ML rifle to do long(er) distance Hunting (ie: 250-300yds - whitetails) what caliber/load would you choose and why? It seems to me with my limited knowledge, that a flatter shooting relatively fast load would be easiest to manage for a hunting round. Meaning less adjustment/compensating with a scope.

I have that in my Ultimate BP Xpress, which is more than capable for 300yd whitetails. Lighter bullets loose energy much faster at longer ranges, whereas heavier bullets retain more energy at longer distances.

Long distance hunting requires the use of a rangefinder, its not an option. I put a Leupold VX6 with the CDS turret on the Ultimate. Turn the turret, hold dead on and squeeze the trigger. There's no trying to figure out hold over, dots, lines, which for many HUNTERS can actually cause task saturation. I'm in no way saying those are bad, I just prefer turn the turret to the range I intend to shoot.

 

[1874sharpsshooter]

Fast twist 45 without a doubt . And anybody who disagrees is just plain wrong :mrgreen:

 

[Jirover]

I shoot a t/c 209x50 encore and i think it is an awesome gun. i shoot 100 grains of 777 and 295 grain hp powerbelt. I don't have any experiences with the .45, everyone i hunt with has a 50 cal. so you can see what preference is in our area! i think one of the keys to being happy with your choice of cal is just shooting it and getting comfotable. There are some people out there who still swear by traditionals i don't think i would give up my in line. I think it all falls back to personal experience with either caliber. they both are obviously good performers if there is even a discussion about them.

 

[Yotehunter243]

All my knowledge is in the .50 and .52 cal. But I really am thinking about getting a .45 for deer hunting

 

[mnoland30]

I've got a Encore with a .45 Begarra barrel and 1:28 twist. I'm wondering what you consider that a fast twist. Old TCs are 1:20. A little more detail about your loads or paper patches would be helpful. I'm trying to shoot .45 caliber paper patched 400 gr. pure lead PRbullets. So far, my patches are rough and too loose, but I'll keep trying.

I've killed elk at 220 yards with my .50 caliber Kahnke. It drops deer in their tracks at 200. It kills elk well if they are hit well, but I haven't found a bullet that penetrates the way I'd like. It is very difficult to track an elk when there isn't a blood trail (once they stop running). Even with a heart shot, I've had them run 75 yards. I'm now shooting a 405 gr. Remington bullet in a crush rib sabot and 115 gr. of 777. I'm convinced that a high sectional density (280 or more) is what is needed for good penetration. That is achieved by a 400 gr. bullet in .45, or a which is why sabots make so much sense. If I could find a good .40 caliber bullet at 315 grains and a sabot to fit, I'd be shooting it.

The buffalo runners shot buffalo at 300 yards and dropped them. Seems like we should be to at least replicate that after all these years.

 

[52Bore]

I've got a Encore with a .45 Begarra barrel and 1:28 twist. I'm wondering what you consider that a fast twist. Old TCs are 1:20. A little more detail about your loads or paper patches would be helpful. I'm trying to shoot .45 caliber paper patched 400 gr. pure lead PRbullets. So far, my patches are rough and too loose, but I'll keep trying.

With a current Modern ML, I wouldn't call a 1:28 fast, but that's no reason to worry as it still should shoot.
I'm not sure what PRbullet is, but if you're too loose - have you tried thicker/different paper? 'rough'??
I made a PP HP mold with pure lead (510gr) for the 50 cal Encore inherited from a close friend who passed away. I shot it in the 1st In-line match and did well, right at 1" at 100yd groups and it continued to do well even at 300M.
I like to keep things simple and change only 1 thing at a time to see what effect it has, with PP a few things that make a difference:
Wads: try felt, LDPE, or hard paper, etc..
Flat base, cut your paper close to base or short patch your paper wraps. You' might need a wad or 2..
Cavity base can shoot well without wads.
Paper: original PP was 2 complete wraps of 0.002" paper = 0.008" so your 45 should be 0.442" depending on you bore and paper. There are many bond thickness papers to try - don't get caught up in the 100% cotton paper thing.
Power: I use BP - sorry.
Primers: They WILL make a difference in your group size on paper!
I made a solid 40 cal PP that cast 0.400" and weighs 350gr. not long ago that has a SD of .31 - if you'd like to try some PM me.
Here is my 50 cal PP bullet - can you post your bullet?

 

[alphaburnt]

PRbullet is a manufacturer from Canada. Here is a link, http://www.prbullet.com/

 

[52Bore]

Thanks for the Link. My B.S. meter came on when I read their quote on their home page.
Unfortunately, I did not see any Paper Patch bullets. Closest thing I saw where the LBT.

mnoland30: what are you shooting?

 

[alphaburnt]

My B.S. meter came on when I read their quote on their home page.

If that tripped your B.S. meter, go to this page http://www.prbullet.com/bal.htm and look at their published BC's for the Dead Center bullets. Hope that meter has a relief valve! All kidding aside, I have shot some of their stuff and it was sufficient.

 

[52Bore]

Not so bad, the last sentence about camp fire discussion is correct.
I've read his bullet drop test and now BC, neither have an impact on accuracy.
Hopefully, mnoland30 will get back with his PP stuff.
Thanks

 

[quackpack]

I prefer a .50 and as far as range i've only ever shot my T/C Triumph bone collector at 100-150 yards from http://bucksandjakes.com at clay targets. I'm still trying to adjust for bullet drop. I'm not sure how much bullet drop compares between the .45 and the .50 maybe someone else would care to comment on the difference in bullet drop as I do not own a .45 presently.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

BH209 powder

My .45 hunting load, 100yd zero, 9" drop at 200yds, 195gr Barnes Expander

My .50 hunting load, 100yd zero, 12" drop at 200yds, 250gr Barnes TEZ

 

[long shot]

I prefer a .50 and as far as range i've only ever shot my T/C Triumph bone collector at 100-150 yards from http://bucksandjakes.com at clay targets. I'm still trying to adjust for bullet drop. I'm not sure how much bullet drop compares between the .45 and the .50 maybe someone else would care to comment on the difference in bullet drop as I do not own a .45 presently.

YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR VELOCITY AND THEN MAKE A DROP CHART.