I Am Becoming a Fan of the .45 CAL

[Kaintuckkee]

I normally like 40 calibers for target work,I still do ,but I have been shooting a .45 cal lately and it just keeps impressing me,I shot it 50+ shots last weekend and it did great,recoil wasnt to bad,not as light as the 40 of course,this is just an old TC I have had for a while with a GM drop in 32" very accurate,loads easy,cleans easy to,any of you gentlemen shoot 45's much?

[roundball]

It was my first caliber almost 20 years ago and has stayed a favorite all these years.
Had .45cal TC caplock for years, then .45cal TC Flintlock for years, now a .45cal Virginia.

Ran mine through a range session just last week...I believe there's just something inherently accurate about a .45cal anything...(including modern handguns)
 

[smylee grouch]

I have an old original plains style percussion rifle in 45 cal.   I shoot 60 gr. 3f Swiss and it does real well on deer with little recoil (it does weigh over 13 lbs.) I have a 45 flinter in the works now and can hardly waite to get it finnished.   Smylee

[hanshi]

My first two rifles over 40 years ago were .45s.  I currently have three (one isn't put together).  I can't think of a better "everything" caliber.

[Dogshirt]

I really like my .45s, but I wouldn't hunt elk with them.

[Roger Fisher]

I'm over 60,000 rounds thru my .45 Getz.  I give her the attention she demands.  Use .454 ball, .017/.018 spit patch.  Bear oil when tooo freezing cold. The majority of mine are .45s.    Shoot her all day (spit) no seperate patch wiping needed or wanted either....  



she is a good ol gal!     

[smylee grouch]

60,000 rounds would wear out alot of modern style guns, thats over half ton of lead. Sounds like you have indeed gave her the attention she needs. Speaks well for your dedication and Mr. Getz too.   Happy Holidays and best wishes.   Smylee

[Ephraim]

My frist build that turned out well was .45 paris and son .
loved it.
Ephraim

[Kaintuckkee]

Good to see I am not alone here...wow 60,000 shots..thats impressive

[Roger Fisher]

Good to see I am not alone here...wow 60,000 shots..thats impressive

Actually she's had 60,000+++++.  And she has treated me well and usually manages a win or two at the shoots....l. She's busy 'every' weekend and often in between + the smoothy and the chunk rifle.  Life is good!

[hanshi]

When you're able to shoot that much, life is indeed very good.

[Daryl]

.45 was the barrel I went with in my first longrifle. It's orginal barrel had a badly crooked hole in it, so be re-barrled it with a GM .45. It's exceptionally accurate and a nice shooting rifle.  It's 133gr. RB would do nicely for deer, however I now have hunting rifles with larger holes that I prefer.

[George Sutton]

I shot a .45 with a Douglas barrel for years. When the groups started to go South I retired it.

Centershot

[Candle Snuffer]

Add one more to the list, Kaintuckkee.  The .45 is far and away my favorite caliber.  I probably shoot my .45's - 95% of the time over the .40, .50, & .54's.  I just like those .45's!

[MarkEngraver]

Hi !  My name is Mark .... and I am a .45-aholic !

I have  four .45 cal ML's , three .45 Colt pistols, two Cowboy rifles in .45 Colt , a #5 rolling block and a Sharps Borschardt in .45-70 ............... .45 ACP ....... .458 Win Mag..........

I need an intervention !
I am building a .36 squirrel rifle to try and break the cycle !

Mark

[Skychief]

Mark, just admitting that you have a problem is a first step to recovery!

I like them .45's too !   They will do anything I need them to.

Skychief.

[Michigan Flinter]

Just finished up a .45 flinter,L&R lock,42 inch straight tapered 1 in 66 twist barrel in southern mountain style for my twelve year old grandson arond Thanksgiving time. He has already taken two deer with it .One shot one kill.

[Stormrider51]

I've owned more .45s than anything else.  Taken more game with one too.  When I was growing up in the 1960's a .45 was considered sufficient for almost anything a man was likely to hunt.  A .50 was considered a big bore.  I guess if I was going up against a grizzly I'd want something bigger but Ol' Ephraim is seldom seen in Texas.  The TVM Early Virginia I just bought is a .50 and that was my only disappointment when I found it for sale.  I'd have preferred a .45.

Storm

[leadslinger62]

   Getting ready to take my .45 Flinter out for the late Pa. Primitive Deer Season. Dropped a few Deer with it in the past. Kills `em just a quick as the ones Iv`e used the .54 on. Easy on the shoulder too.....

[roundball]

I've owned more .45s than anything else.  Taken more game with one too.  When I was growing up in the 1960's a .45 was considered sufficient for almost anything a man was likely to hunt.  A .50 was considered a big bore.  I guess if I was going up against a grizzly I'd want something bigger but Ol' Ephraim is seldom seen in Texas.  The TVM Early Virginia I just bought is a .50 and that was my only disappointment when I found it for sale.  I'd have preferred a .45.

Storm

I guess you know you could buy the identical barrel in .45cal and send it back to TVM to fit the .45 barrel.

I had Matt / TVM build an Early Virginia with a matching pair of Rice B-weight 42" barrels...a .45cal rifle and a .54cal smoothbore...5 minutes to remove pins & tang bolt to swap barrels...essentially a second Flintlock for very little money.

Could get in the build queue now and at the appropriate time nearing your work date, send them to Matt and have them back in a few weeks, etc. 

[Stormrider51]

Thanks Roundball.  That's a good idea and one I'm going to consider.  I think I might have the new barrel made in .40 though.  A .40 and a .50 really would cover just about all the hunting situations I'm likely to ever see.

Storm

[satwel]

Been shooting .45 for 35 years. The first two longrifles I built were in .45. I won the flint aggregate at a territorial match with one of them. I don't hunt, just shoot target matches. My only complaint with the .45 comes when I shoot the 100 yard relay on a windy day. Now, I bring a .45 and a .54 rifle to matches and if the wind is quiet, I use the .45. Saves on powder and lead.

[Candle Snuffer]

I do like the .54 for bucking the wind.

[stuart cee dub]

I have to agree with Satwel, 45 is a great caliber.I have used and enjoyed that caliber for local and territorial matches.Easy to shoot all day long but at 100 a breeze can really wreck a score target.
There are no magic calibers but there are some broadly useful ones. .45  is one of my favorites.

[BrownBear]

I own a full array of calibers from 30 to 75, but with a gaping hole at 40-45 cal.  I've been collecting parts for a very trim rifle intended entirely for field use and no range time beyond load testing and sight-in.

You folks have convinced me that a 40 cal is lots further down the road. I'd feel much better about occasional use of a 45 for deer, even if the rifle will spend most of its days busting bunny noggins.