Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Howdy, folks. New member here, look forward to enjoying the discussion.
For my first post, here's a nice buck I took during Kentucky's modern gun season. For the first time, I used my Henry .45 Colt this year, with handloaded Hornady XTP 250's. The day before, I took a doe at about 60 yards. Perfect heart shot, she ran about 50 yards and piled up. The next day, I had a doe come up the hill past me, and about 30 seconds later this boy came following. I took a broadside shot at about 30 yards, and he only ran about 25 yards before going down. 185 lbs dressed, 21" outside spread, 9 points plus a couple of stickers.
Cheers, Brian
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27718
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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Hi Brian - nice buck! Cool rifle, as well. What load do you use in the .45 Colt? Some time ago I came across and article by Ross Sefreid on .44 mag pressures in a .45 Colt. I used these to take 2 elk with a .45Colt Model 94.
-------------------- Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Hi, Daryl. My current load is 23.0gr Accurate #9, 250gr Hornady XTP, WLR primers, Starline brass. That's a stout load, but within the parameters of the "30000 psi" loads from Western Powder's load data. It has a MV of 1710 fps from my rifle.
Next step is to try working up similar loads using the 250gr Nosler JHP and Speer Deep Curl. Then repeat with Ramshot Enforcer powder.
This is a new rifle and caliber for me, I just started working with it over the summer.
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Louis
.375 member
Reged: 13/05/15
Posts: 977
Loc: France
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Nice buck Brian and welcome on the Forum. Louis
-------------------- "Everything that doesn't kill me makes me stronger"
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Iowa_303s
.400 member
Reged: 22/03/13
Posts: 1016
Loc: Iowa, USA
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Brian, nice buck and welcome to the forum! What part of KY are you located?
-------------------- Matt
formerly known as Iowa_303
"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."
"Enkelkinder über alles"
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93x64mm
.416 member
Reged: 07/12/11
Posts: 4426
Loc: Nth QLD Australia
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Well done mate, nice little haul there for the freezer! Your rifle might not be a powerhouse, but there's nothing wrong with your aim - all that really matters anyway. Welcome to the forum - Top stuff!
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
Brian, nice buck and welcome to the forum! What part of KY are you located?
I'm located a little south of Louisville, in Nelson County. Bardstown area, if you're familiar with that.
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
Well done mate, nice little haul there for the freezer! Your rifle might not be a powerhouse, but there's nothing wrong with your aim - all that really matters anyway. Welcome to the forum - Top stuff!
I have the "big brother" to that rifle, in a matching .45-70. I've taken deer with it as well, but it's a little much for the short range shots around here. 100-125 yards is about all you get in these woods. So far, the .45 Colt seems to be a good fit.
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Iowa_303s
.400 member
Reged: 22/03/13
Posts: 1016
Loc: Iowa, USA
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Thanks Brian, I’m going to be near Bardwell in extreme western KY next week but nowhere near Louisville
-------------------- Matt
formerly known as Iowa_303
"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."
"Enkelkinder über alles"
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Wayne59
.400 member
Reged: 20/06/15
Posts: 1219
Loc: Lagrange Ga. USA
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I lived a bit north of you for 25 years in Paoli Ind.
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27718
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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I also shot a black bear with mine, at about 90 yards. 260gr. Speer at 1,960fps. You loads will do just fine on deer and hogs & bears for that matter.
-------------------- Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
I also shot a black bear with mine, at about 90 yards. 260gr. Speer at 1,960fps. You loads will do just fine on deer and hogs & bears for that matter.
That's smoking. What was your load recipe for that?
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tinker
.416 member
Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
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Welcome to Nitro Express
Looks like you had a great day in the field Freezer should be stocked nicely for Winter
Cheers Tinker
-------------------- --Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--
"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27718
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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This was 44 mag. pressures & in R-P brass only. The load was new .45 Colt brass, Large Pistol mag primer, 34.0gr. of now obsolete Winchester 680 powder and 260gr. Speer HP. I found, in the Winchester rifle, no other make of brass was suitable for these loads, not Federal nor certainly the even weaker WW. Ross Seyfried used Fed brass & W296 in his tests, but I found Fed. to be weaker in the web area than R-P brass. His use only of W296, prompted me to 'branch out' into other powders, like the W680, of which I had a lot. I worked to the same expansion of the web as the W296 gave, and of course, obtained higher speeds as a result of the slower burning 'rifle' powder. The Winchester M94 chamber cut-out, like on a 1911 pistol, made the use of R-P brass mandatory. I do not know if the other .45 Colt rifle barrels have the same type of chamber throating. .454 Casul brass might/would have been better yet. Ross' load with the 250gr. Hornady HP was 29.6gr. W296, for 1,587fps. That load was fired in a 5 1/2" barreled single action wheel gun.
Further, in the Jan/Feb. 1994 RIFLE magazine, #151, loads in likely a Brian Pierce article for the Trapper Winchester Rifle(same as mine), Federal brass was used. 250gr. Hornady HP - 28.0gr. W296/H110 - 1,758fps.
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Quote:
Nice buck Brian and welcome on the Forum. Louis
Agree,
Welcome Brian..
As the distances seem relatively close there, many just use open sights?? Just curious..
Nice job.., congrats
Ripp
-------------------- ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27718
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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While open sights work well at close ranges, in thick bush, early and late in the day, they suck big time, especially on cloudy days. I concur, though, open sights are fairly good. I used a 2X scope on my Winchester 94 .45 Colt. That was good enough to shoot 1 1/2" at 100 meters. The accuracy rather surprised me, but you had to hold onto it both hands. It bucked & would convert that 1 1/2" into a 12" high string if you didn't.
-------------------- Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Quote:
While open sights work well at close ranges, in thick bush, early and late in the day, they suck big time, especially on cloudy days. I concur, though, open sights are fairly good. I used a 2X scope on my Winchester 94 .45 Colt. That was good enough to shoot 1 1/2" at 100 meters. The accuracy rather surprised me, but you had to hold onto it both hands. It bucked & would convert that 1 1/2" into a 12" high string if you didn't.
I was just curious..back in the day when we would hunt river bottoms for whitetail, driving them..so running shots, I actually preferred the open sights ... most was reasonably close..100 yards and under..and the deer were usually hauling butt out of there ..
Edited by Ripp (16/12/19 11:52 AM)
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27718
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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My first shot on elk was a cow running across, left to right. The 300gr. HP cast bullet hit her in the neck just in front of the shoulder (I led too far & a little high) but it worked very well indeed. Big veins and clipped the spine. The 2X scope w/post was not a hindrance to the running shot although a higher powered scope might have been. I suspect up to 4X, NP.
-------------------- Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Quote:
My first shot on elk was a cow running across, left to right. The 300gr. HP cast bullet hit her in the neck just in front of the shoulder (I led too far & a little high) but it worked very well indeed. Big veins and clipped the spine. The 2X scope w/post was not a hindrance to the running shot although a higher powered scope might have been. I suspect up to 4X, NP.
I completely agree it would not be a hinderance.. again, thought with the close distances, lever guns, etc.. just seems like it would fit there pretty well..
-------------------- ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
Quote:
Nice buck Brian and welcome on the Forum. Louis
Agree,
Welcome Brian..
As the distances seem relatively close there, many just use open sights?? Just curious..
Nice job.., congrats
Ripp
Ripp,
While the shots here are usually less than about 125 yards, most folks have a scope on their rifles. Most of our hunting is done from tree stands or sitting on the ground, not pushing the deer in front of us. With a scope, it's much easier to make a good shot thru the trees at a deer that's usually walking.
The terrain around here isn't conducive to deer drives, but when I lived in Ohio we did them. In that case, most of us had open sights, on shotguns.
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Nice buck Brian and welcome on the Forum. Louis
Agree,
Welcome Brian..
As the distances seem relatively close there, many just use open sights?? Just curious..
Nice job.., congrats
Ripp
Ripp,
While the shots here are usually less than about 125 yards, most folks have a scope on their rifles. Most of our hunting is done from tree stands or sitting on the ground, not pushing the deer in front of us. With a scope, it's much easier to make a good shot thru the trees at a deer that's usually walking.
The terrain around here isn't conducive to deer drives, but when I lived in Ohio we did them. In that case, most of us had open sights, on shotguns.
Thank you for the info Brian
funny thing, all the drives I have done and deer we have hunted, have never used a shotgun to take one..did so in Zimbabwe on an impala once..but never a deer..
Congrats..sounds like a lot of fun.. and good times with friends, a very important component at times overlooked from the outside..
-------------------- ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
This was 44 mag. pressures & in R-P brass only. The load was new .45 Colt brass, Large Pistol mag primer, 34.0gr. of now obsolete Winchester 680 powder and 260gr. Speer HP. I found, in the Winchester rifle, no other make of brass was suitable for these loads, not Federal nor certainly the even weaker WW. Ross Seyfried used Fed brass & W296 in his tests, but I found Fed. to be weaker in the web area than R-P brass. His use only of W296, prompted me to 'branch out' into other powders, like the W680, of which I had a lot. I worked to the same expansion of the web as the W296 gave, and of course, obtained higher speeds as a result of the slower burning 'rifle' powder. The Winchester M94 chamber cut-out, like on a 1911 pistol, made the use of R-P brass mandatory. I do not know if the other .45 Colt rifle barrels have the same type of chamber throating. .454 Casul brass might/would have been better yet. Ross' load with the 250gr. Hornady HP was 29.6gr. W296, for 1,587fps. That load was fired in a 5 1/2" barreled single action wheel gun.
Further, in the Jan/Feb. 1994 RIFLE magazine, #151, loads in likely a Brian Pierce article for the Trapper Winchester Rifle(same as mine), Federal brass was used. 250gr. Hornady HP - 28.0gr. W296/H110 - 1,758fps.
I've not read any of the sources you quoted, but I did read articles by Paco Kelly and John Linebaugh, about high-pressure loads in .45 Colt. Both of them used W296/H110 as their primary powder. I tried it, but did not get satisfactory results, so I looked for alternatives. That's when I found Accurate #9, and that did the trick, at least with the XTP. I'm going to try to work up loads with #9 and some other jacketed bullets (Nosler, Speer, etc.)
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Brian_Brown
.224 member
Reged: 10/12/19
Posts: 8
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Nice buck Brian and welcome on the Forum. Louis
Agree,
Welcome Brian..
As the distances seem relatively close there, many just use open sights?? Just curious..
Nice job.., congrats
Ripp
Ripp,
While the shots here are usually less than about 125 yards, most folks have a scope on their rifles. Most of our hunting is done from tree stands or sitting on the ground, not pushing the deer in front of us. With a scope, it's much easier to make a good shot thru the trees at a deer that's usually walking.
The terrain around here isn't conducive to deer drives, but when I lived in Ohio we did them. In that case, most of us had open sights, on shotguns.
Thank you for the info Brian
funny thing, all the drives I have done and deer we have hunted, have never used a shotgun to take one..did so in Zimbabwe on an impala once..but never a deer..
Congrats..sounds like a lot of fun.. and good times with friends, a very important component at times overlooked from the outside..
That is so true. Hunting by yourself is not nearly as fun as when you have a group of friends sharing the adventure. Those are memories to treasure.
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27718
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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Quote:
Hunting by yourself is not nearly as fun as when you have a group of friends sharing the adventure. Those are memories to treasure.
Yes - I agree, and this has been my problem since my hunting buddy passed some 9 years ago. I have not felt like hunting, although I did go for a drive with another friend and shot 10 grouse, 2 with an air rifle.
-------------------- Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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