Your thoughts on the 45 cal.....

[Muleskinner]

....for hunting,target shooting, big game,small game.....etc.

[roundball]

....for hunting,target shooting, big game,small game.....etc.

It was my first caliber ever and I've always kept one or two over the years even while expanding / experimenting / hunting with other calibers like the .40/.50/.54/.58/.62.  I think the .45cal is an inherently accurate caliber that offers a lot of flexibility and unless long distances / really big game are routinely involved, they're hard to beat as a general purpose caliber IMO.

TARGETS...depending on the variety of targets, distances shot, and wind conditions, I personally think the .45cal is an excellent choice to cover the full spectrum with accuracy.  However, the .40cal is an outstanding one for most of those situations as well.  What the .45 brings to the table is greater flexibility to do other things, particularly if a one or first caliber gun is being considered.

HUNTING...the .45cal excellent for small game like groundhogs/coyotes, and for squirrels/rabbits with throttled back 30grns powder charges.  However big game would need to be better defined...the .45cal has been good for me hunting eastern whitetails but the relatively small / light ball dicates that distance always be a serious part of the equation.  For typical woods shots here in the east, the .45cal has gotten the job done for me at least to 60 yards.  It would not be my first choice if 100 yard shots were the norm or for bigger size game like mule deer , elk, etc.  The .50cal could be excellent as a one or first caliber choice in that regard...also great on targets, and throttled back powder charges still work fine for small game.

Additional thoughts on the .40cal:
For most distances and conditions I also think the .40cal is an excellent caliber for targets and small game but the tiny 92grn ball gives up a lot for big game.  There will always be references to deer being taken with the little .40cal...just like deer have been taken with a .22cal...but neither are classified as big game calibers because they're not the best choice when distance, bones, and hunting conditions are all factored in.  So if a one or first caliber choice is part of your question, the choice should probably tilt heavily towards a larger caliber...really have to weigh things like what you'll really use it for and if it'll be the only caliber you'll have.  

As one other perspective...for my type of range shooting plus hunting here in NC as I prepare for retirement, I've been selling off most of various rifles and smoothbores accumulated over the years with the goal of ending up with one small caliber rifle (.45cal), one big caliber rifle (.58cal) and one smoothbore (.20ga).

Others mileage may vary of course...

[Daryl]

I think .45 is my favourite for trail walks. It's got enough ball for even the longer ranged targets, to 150 or even to odd large gong at 200yards.  Our own Neil Hunter is difficult to beat at long range when he's shooting his own rifle, a .45, instead of his Lady's .40 cal. rifle. (note his Lady's, not his Lady's - anyway)  The ball has enough ooomf to ring the gongs, even the bigger ones that re difficult to hear or see when shot with a .40 or smaller.
It is also the smallest calibre I would use on deer, purposely.

[northmn]

Depending upon the area of residence and game hunted the 45 can be the most versatile caliber you could buy.  If I had one rifle to use in Northern MN I could get by just fine with a 45 as deer are about the largest game I hunt and can be had up fairly close.  I have shot more than a few squirrels with one and they work as well as any on a target range.  MY 25 is a better squirrel gun and a 50 may give a little more range for deer but I could get by with a 45.

DP

[B.Habermehl]

.45 Is the smallest caliber that will knock over our sillowets reliably. Recoil is light enough for ladiess and children with talored loads. It is my favorite general target caliber. As for hunting, I find it to be the minimum caliber for white tail deer. I have had deer that would not have been found with out snow and dilligent tracking with good heart and lung hits.  For deer hunting I'll keep my .58. Conversly I have had a couple of deer collapse as if hit with a thunder bolt with the .45. Never yet with the .58. Just easier to track due to copious blood trail.  Keep you hunting shots close under 50 yds with the .45 and follow each shoot up dilligently.

[Daryl]

.45 Is the smallest caliber that will knock over our sillowets reliably. Recoil is light enough for ladiess and children with talored loads. It is my favorite general target caliber. As for hunting, I find it to be the minimum caliber for white tail deer. I have had deer that would not have been found with out snow and dilligent tracking with good heart and lung hits.  For deer hunting I'll keep my .58. Conversly I have had a couple of deer collapse as if hit with a thunder bolt with the .45. Never yet with the .58. Just easier to track due to copious blood trail.  Keep you hunting shots close under 50 yds with the .45 and follow each shoot up dilligently.

Which is why I have a coupel .58's now, and a .69.

[hanshi]

Several .45s have resided at my home over the decades and two of the best are still here.  One is nearly 45 years old, the other less than a decade.  One of the .45s is my routine "go to" gun for deer.  They have also accounted for squirrel and bobcat.  One is a caplock the other a flinter. 

My hunting is generally done in woodlands or thick forest where a shot over 50-60 yards is very rare.  I have killed deer handily at up to 75 yards.  Every one of them has been a one shot kill.  For big open fields I usually opt for a .50 or .54. if ranges can exceed 90-100 yards.

I just like the .45.  I perfectly trust it on deer and even hogs and bear.  Rarely have I recovered a .45 ball from anything.  In fact I can only recall off hand recovering but one from a deer.  They are accurate, can be loaded down and have plenty of power for the hunting I do.  For an all around rifle I don't feel the caliber can be beat.   It pretty much does everything well as long as you don't try to stretch it's capability-range wise(on game) and power wise on really BIG critters.  As long as I stay here in the Appalachians it holds first place with me.  It's not a compromise, either, doing "okay" for this and that but not ideal for anything in particular.  It is an ideal caliber for whitetail deer, black bear, hogs, small game and all manner of target shooting east of the Mississippi and for a large part of the rest of the lower 48.

Now, since I've gotten a very nice .62 smoothy, only time will tell if I go the dark route down into slick bore addiction.  That would likely be the only reason one of my .45s might sit out a season in the rack.

[smylee grouch]

I have a 45 cal. origanal ( 150 years old ) and I still shoot it about once a year. Usualy 60 gr. 2 f and 440 ball. Over the years has taken 3 deer and none went over 30 yds after hit.  It isnt my first choice but like to use it on one of the extra doe tags that I usualy get each year. Other wise its a 58 flinter for first choice.   Gary

[stuart cee dub]

.45 is a nice balanced caliber.
Of the calibers I shoot the most .45 cal is my hands down favorite and it the smallest caliber I shoot .
Most of the shooting I do is at informal matches out to 100 yds,but most of it is within 50 yds. There is very little shooters fatigue at the end of the day whereas I get pounded by my Hawkens after 40 shots and catch myself  jerking my trigger.
 
I am building a fat barrelled .40 just because I tried a friend's at the Territorial an think it will make a really good paper puncher .Maybe it will be more of a good thing but it's use is very specialized.

[Mike R]

I may be biased, but my first longrifle was a .45 [I still have it] I built back in 78 in an 'eastern PA' style. It is still the most accurate rifle I have ever shot [42" Green River barrel]. I have a new .45 flinter in Tenn styling [42" Green Mt barrel] that shows promise of being as good. One thing besides accuracy, reasonable powder charges and modest weight of lead in a .45, is that they can be made into light, easy to carry and hold longrifles [or heavy bench guns if that is what you want]. The .45 is perfectly adequate for whitetail deer, though these days I tend to carry a .50 or .54 for big game hunting. It is a bit big for small game.  But, If limited to just one longrifle, it would be a .45....

[satwel]

The first two longrifles I built where in .45. The one I still have is probably my favorite rifle. I like the handling characteristics, accuracy, light recoil and the way a pound of powder seems to last forever. The only problem comes during the 100 yd events when the wind comes up in the late morning/early afternoon. Too much wind deflection.

I don't hunt so I can't speak to the effectiveness of the .45 on game.

[flintman-tx]

After many years with calibers ranging from 32 to 58, my take on the 45 is this: more wind sensitive than the larger calibers if you shoot competition in my part of the world...adequate for game up to and including whitetail...hard on small game if you plan on eating what is left. Having said all of that, I will add this: I have found it to be a very useful, almost all around gun. Besides, why would I want only one caliber. A man always needs an excuse to have something else to play with. Hey...playing with another gun is cheaper than playng with some other things!!!