.45 long Colt for deer from a rifle - yes or no?

Totally depends on the bullet being used and the distance it's being fired from in my opinion. When hunting with any handgun round, I limit myself to 75 yards or less. That's my comfort zone. Out of a rifle, you could get up to 150yds maybe. 45 Colt is definitely suitable. Especially if you reload and know your limitations.

Definitely suitable in a rifle. As with any choice pick your bullets and shot distances wisely.
Jeff

Absolutely suitable with the standard loads from a rifle. For some more pep the boutique ammo loaders will have plenty of options. Or handload a bit hotter than SAA loads.

Either way it will be serious medicine for whitetail

260gr / 45 caliber / 900fps has killed a lot of men.
Taking whitetail by comparison is a no-brainer.

@MaxP shoots 2,000 pound bovines with them (out of a handgun), so I imagine there's not a deer alive that it won't cleanly take.
Just choose the right load for the job.

Hokkmike said:

Opinions of many are that in the pistol the .45 LC is not suitable for deer sized big game.

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... many who have obviously never used the 45 LC for said application...

Rifle or revolver, 45LC will happily kill deer.

45 Colt can be loaded hotter than 44 mag (but obviously not for a SAA.) It’ll kill a deer just fine, especially from a rifle.

For a great deal of North American game, from the hand or the shoulder, .45 LC is fine if the hunter knows his limitations and has selected loadings well.

For deer including mule - it's a fine option. Within it and the hunter's reasonable parameters.

Todd.

I see you are from Pennsylvania...heavy wooded areas and fairly close range kinda like Texas.
45 LC will lay out most anything you aim at with the right loads.

IF you don't roll your own loads then Buffalo Bore will be a good choice I think with some of their +P 45 colt cast loads for hunting.

D

NOT my first second third or fourth choice
But No doubt I've killed a deer with hot 45 Long Colt when I don't want to cause early onset arthritis with full boar 454 Casull.

I'm pretty sure cowboys used to put down horses with 45 Colt as well as other cowboys so pretty sure it could kill an animal that's only a fraction of the weight of a pony.

But I'd rather have any rifle 243 or higher caliber first and don't see why anyone would want to use 45 Colt in a rifle for deer hunting with so many better options.

In the right revolver Absolutely if that's your thing

Hokkmike said:

Opinions of many are that in the pistol the .45 LC is not suitable for deer sized big game. What do you think about the same caliber in a rifle?

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Opinions clearly of those not in the know... perfectly adequate for deer or anything else properly loaded.

Absolutely suitable. Just keep your shots inside 150 yards and go hunt.

I've taken. Deer, turkey, and even a wild boar with handloaded 45 Colt. It'll get the job done with some limitations.

Take this for what it's worth. I was told that the .45 Colt cartridge was adopted because it could take down a Horse. Thus very suitable for the Cavalry..

I’d have no issue hunting deer with my 16” Rossi 1892 clone in .45 Colt within 100 yds or so. Plenty of oomph to do the task. The Buffalo Bore 260 grain deer grenade +P load churns up north of 1,000 ft lbs from most rifle length barrels at 100 yards. That bullet will travel clean through any deer hit broadside.

Once you get one it’ll become a favorite... I prefer the .45 Colt over my .357 and my .44 lever guns for fun thwacking of steel gongs and silhouettes.

Stay safe.

My BIL has used .45 LC, .44 mag and .357 mag out of rifles for quite a while, has killed many deer in Western Pa with all 3 calibers. He does limit his distance to within 75 yards with the irons.
He is incredibly recoil sensitive and a lever 30-30 is too much. I can't figure that but he has opted for pistol calibers in rifles and he does just fine. He did trade the .44 and I became upset as he was my go to guy for once fired brass.

Killed a number of large hogs with 45LC in a Rossi 92 lever gun. Will certainly kill deer. Trajectory will require a little more care than rifle caliber but if you can hit it in the boiler room, it will die. A lever / six gun combo is cool to have.

You hunt the same woods I do. Will do just fine.

I shoot it out to 200yds in a 24" Rossi occasionally.
It'll do the job, if you are good enough.

Absolutely. The particular model of rifle would determine what loads can be used in it. The load used would determine your effective range.

Huntolive said:

But I'd rather have any rifle 243 or higher caliber first and don't see why anyone would want to use 45 Colt in a rifle for deer hunting with so many better options.

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I would say the same of the .243 but that wasn't really the question.

Within its range limitations I sure would. The really light cowboy action shooting loads should be avoided, but with any thought given to bullet selection it should be fine. And if you have a gun suitable for the really hot loads it'll beat 44 mag.

I guess the answer based on the replies is yes. I have no issue taking my Rossi, Marlin, or Winchester in 45 Colt out for some White Tails. I reload my own with good results.

Hokkmike said:

Have a SAA .45 Colt six shooter. I was thinking of augmenting it with a lever action rifle in the same caliber. Opinions of many are that in the pistol the .45 LC is not suitable for deer sized big game. What do you think about the same caliber in a rifle?

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Another thing to keep in mind is that the 45 Colt cartridge was developed in response to an Army request. At the time, not long after the Civil War, cavalry was still a major part of the Army and experiences in the Civil War in particular showed that the revolver was an absolutely critical weapon. The cavalry specifically wanted a revolver capable of debilitating a horse and deemed the 45 Colt cartridge capable in that role.

So, if 255 grs at @ 800 fps was deemed suitable against horses at 25 yards, 250 grs from a rifle at 950-1,000 fps is more than enough for deer at 100 yards.