.45 colt hunting carbine

[TexasPatriot.308]

My cattle pastures are overrun with hogs and my favorite go to sidearm is a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in .45 Colt with a 7 1/2" barrel, I use 300 grain Buffalo Bore mainly and it is a sledge hammer for hogs up close. I am thinking about getting a .45 colt carbine with either a 16"-20" barrel. Any of yall hunt with a .45 colt and what are your limitations for it, I know it is barely a 100 yard round for deer, but this would be a brush rifle for hogs when I am looking for a calf say.

 

[dprice3844444]

the 45 colt cartridge in modern firearms using new cases can almost be loaded as hot as 44 mag

 

[Oldschool shooter]

IMHO, a Henry would be my first choice, they have a really smoothe action and are very well made. If you can find a pre "Remlin" Marlin, that too was a pretty nice rifle and hard to beat, might be harder to find though.

 

[redneck2]

I had a little Rossi lever. About he same size as a .22. Never shot it enough to assess accuracy. Nice handy little rifle

I also have a Ruger Bisley in.45 Colt. It's one pistol that everybody seems to shoot well

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

I've used a rossi '92 carbine in .45 colt since 1997 with great success on my place. I haven't hunted any hogs but do hunt deer with it and use it on my 4 wheeler and on horseback. I love the little gun and it will handle the corbon ruger only loads.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

I forgot to mention, I've switched to the Hornady LeverEvolution .45 colt rounds and it is a very capable 100 yard rifle with iron sights.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I also got a Ruger Blackhawk convertible .357/9mm. how does the .357 compare to a .45 colt out of a carbine length barrel. a Ruger M77/357 looks good to me too.

 

[200Apples]

.

how does the .357 compare to a .45 colt out of a carbine length barrel

I'm not a reloader, yet... so bear with me. Most off-the-shelf .357 is loaded with pistol powder and the round will achieve full velocity in a 16" barrel. Anything longer will slow the boolit.

Now, if one handloads for a .357 carbine, one might avail themselves of an 18 or 20-incher.

I've a Rossi 92 .357 in a 16" and, man! is it fast and accurate. As for impact energy, you'd have to refer to those in-the-know and ballistics data...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

the 45 colt cartridge in modern firearms using new cases can almost be loaded as hot as 44 mag

Then why not just buy a .44 Magnum Carbine?

While the 45 Colt is a hammer up close and more controllable in a revolver, IMO it loses something when you try to reach out to rifle ranges. A .44 Magnum would be a better choice in a carbine for piggies.

 

[Badlander]

The 45 Colt will do anything A .44 Mag will and handles heavy bullets better. With less pressure.

 

[bannockburn]

The Rossi Model 92 in .45 Colt with a 16" barrel is a very handy little carbine to have on hand and would be a great companion to your Ruger Blackhawk Bisley.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

Bannockburn, can you give me some ballistics on that, trajectory etc ? recoil ?

 

[CraigC]

I know it is barely a 100 yard round for deer

Huh??? The .45Colt at "Ruger only" levels is easily a 100-125yd deer cartridge.....from a handgun. A rifle will get you to 150yds.

Most off-the-shelf .357 is loaded with pistol powder and the round will achieve full velocity in a 16" barrel. Anything longer will slow the boolit.

Powders are chosen for the cartridge, not the firearm's barrel length. The same slow burning ball powders that yield the highest velocities in handguns will do the same in rifles and magnum revolver cartridges will see increases in velocity up to at least 18-20". Even for medium burning powders.

The 45 Colt will do anything A .44 Mag will and handles heavy bullets better.

No it doesn't.

Then why not just buy a .44 Magnum Carbine?

Because he already has a .45Colt Ruger. The .45 and .44Mag are near ballistic twins, with neither really having any perceivable advantage over the other.

 

[bannockburn]

TexasPatriot.308

Haven't had as much time at the range as I would like; it's probably been over a year and I was busy instructing two young shooters at the time rather than doing any shooting of my own. Have had really excellent results with 250 gr LRN and 7.0 gr. of Winchester 231. Velocity probably runs about 870 to 880 fps and the nice thing is this particular load pretty much duplicates the same performance I get with factory loads. Get the same results in my Ruger Vaquero with some very decent accuracy to go along with being a comfortable round to shoot.

 

[d2wing]

You must be kidding, the .44 mag has twice the energy of the .45 LC. They are not close to twins.

 

[HOOfan_1]

You must be kidding, the .44 mag has twice the energy of the .45 LC. They are not close to twins.

Twice the energy?

Umm....no, not considering they are talking about very stiff .45 Colt loads....

Let's look at some Buffalo Bore loads

.45 Colt
300 grain jacketed flat nose +P
1170 ft-lb

.44 Magnum
300 grain jacketed flat nose
1126 ft-lb

Let's look at Buffalo Bore's stoutest for the two

.45 Colt
325 grain +P hard cast
1267 ft-lb

.44 Magnum
340 grain +P+ hard cast
1649 ft-lb

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

yess Hoofan...I have been shooting my .45 colt Ruger with 300 grain Buffalo Bore, and it does surpass the .44 mag (read up on whether your pistol or firearm can handle the pressures) I was just wondering what the same loads would do out of a carbine that can handle those loads. try shooting a 6 round cylinder out of a Ruger .45 colt and see how your hand feels....it is a helluva round, I kill lots of hogs with it...big, big hogs

 

[StrawHat]

Just curious, does a 250 grain bullet at 900 fps no longer kill hogs? That is the load I used and they seem to die. Of course, that was back in the last century.

 

[Don McDowell]

My cattle pastures are overrun with hogs and my favorite go to sidearm is a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in .45 Colt with a 7 1/2" barrel, I use 300 grain Buffalo Bore mainly and it is a sledge hammer for hogs up close. I am thinking about getting a .45 colt carbine with either a 16"-20" barrel. Any of yall hunt with a .45 colt and what are your limitations for it, I know it is barely a 100 yard round for deer, but this would be a brush rifle for hogs when I am looking for a calf say.

I've been carrying a 45 colt Winchester Trapper since back in 88. You can load it stout and get a 250 gr bullet to a tad over 1600, or you can load it with normal 45 colt loads and still have a pretty decent hammer.
I've found that with powders in the unique burn range you'll get around 100-150 fps more velocity than the handgun. When you start into bludot, 2400, area the velocity gains go to 200 or more fps, and when you get into 296, 5744 and 4198, the gains are in the neighbor hood of 300 fps.
Do be aware tho that when the +P type loads are shot in that little rifle it does become a bit unfriendly, but keeping in the upper end of 45 colt loads, its pleasant to shoot and accurate to a good distance.

 

[huntsman]

IMHO using BB out of a rifle= Marlin and that's why I'm waiting to see if we get new production .45C guns from them.

 

[cluttonfred]

If you can make that first shot count, I've always liked the H&R CR-45LC carbine, now sadly out of production.

 

[cpt-t]

TexatPatriot.308: The 45LC is my personel favorite also. I shoot and hunt some with the 45LC in both a RBH and a Vaquero. For the 45LC in a Lever Gun, I prefer and use a 45LC SS 20inch round barrle Old Rossie lever gun. That I have owned for the last 15 years. I use 7grs of WIN231 and a 250gr or 255gr Hard cast LRNFP bullet, and this load has worked just fine for me on any thing I have ever hunter or shot with it. I find the LRNFP bullets feed much better than LSWC bullets in my lever or pump guns. I have shot a few hogs and deer with this load over the years, and I use the same load for both pistol and rifle. I think the longest shot I have ever taken on a hog or a deer was a llitle under a 100yds. But most of the time most were shot some where between 25yds to 50yds. Now I have a lever action Marlin and a Winchester in 45LC and they are both just great guns,I even have a Tarous 45LC pump gun the is hoot to shoot and it is just as accurate as the lever guns. But I carry my Old Rossi most of the time, and in some pretty heavy brush at times and it has yet to give me any problems. I use to get to go Hog hunting down around OMHA TX a few times a year, befor my Wife`s health started going bad. Now I need to stick around the house and be close for Her. But I sure remember TEXAS HOG HUNTING I really enjoyed it, and I made alot of great friends, and now I miss it more as each year passes by.
ken

 

[200Apples]

.
Begging your pardon, sirs... the OP did briefly inquire about .357...

CraigC

Powders are chosen for the cartridge, not the firearm's barrel length. The same slow burning ball powders that yield the highest velocities in handguns will do the same in rifles and magnum revolver cartridges will see increases in velocity up to at least 18-20". Even for medium burning powders.

As I mentioned, I'm not a reloader yet, but I'm slowly assimilation some information. I remain willing to be schooled.

What's your take on the following?


.357 Ballistics By the Inch


Every off-the-shelf load tested here with the exception of the Federal slows down after 16".

 

[d2wing]

I was looking at conventional loads, since I use a 30-30 lever, I wasn't aware of Buffalo Bore loads. Learn something new often on here. Are those loads rifle only?

 

[HOOfan_1]

I was looking at conventional loads, since I use a 30-30 lever, I wasn't aware of Buffalo Bore loads. Learn something new often on here. Are those loads rifle only?

Buffalo Bore says: Ruger Blackhawk, Ruger Redhawk, Freedom Arms and TC contender only for pistols, but also fine for modern Winchester 1892 and 1894 as well as Marlin 1894