45cal Kentucky hunting load???

[Hmatley1]

Hello everyone. I’m very new to black powder shooting. I started last year with a Lyman trade rifle flint lock. Managed to figure out how to be accurate and ended up killing a deer with it here in Pa. it excited me so much I decided to hunt the early muzzleloader season which allows any muzzle loaded rifle. I was given an old Kentucky percussion 45 cal rifle that was built and and hung over a fireplace for probably 40 years. I took it out and fired it and was amazed at its accuracy with a RB and 45gr fffg goex at 50yds. I upped the charge to 55 grains and still had excellent accuracy. I’m using hornady .440 Rb, and thunder cloud pre lubed patchs. My question would be is that charge, 55gr fffg, enough for a humane kill? With my 50 call flintlock I’m shooting 90 gr ffg goex and a 240 plain hornady pa conical. I am not one to wing a shot so if I don’t have it I won’t take it. I’m only shooting 50yds or less.

[Hmatley1]

Also wanted to mention. The manual says #11 cap but it falls off, fits very loose. A #10 sticks on good. Does it matter what size cap I use?

[Greg Pennell]

A .440 round ball and 60 grains or Goex 3f powder has shot completely through several deer for me, over the years. I’d go with the load you have, as you seem to have confidence in its accuracy, and it’s all about shot placement, anyway.

Greg

[Bob McBride]

Any cap that fits is fine.

[Mike Brooks]

I have dropped deer on the spot with a .45 shooting 45gr of powder. Deer aren't hard to kill if you hit them where you're supposed to.

[RichG]

my old pedersoli 45 with a Sharon barrel liked 70gr 3f with a .440 rb ,killed plenty of deer. try going up to see what your gun likes, and shoot what shoots best.

[45-110]

"I have dropped deer on the spot with a .45 shooting 45gr of powder. Deer aren't hard to kill if you hit them where you're supposed to."

yes they may be walking dead, but they also may expire on the neighbors farm or head into the swamp where tracking is no fun. "What is where you are supposed to hit them mean" that's awful vague.....neck, shoulder, lungs? I have killed many large Mich. whitetail when I had my farm and we never used a .45, always used a .54 or .58 and even  a 12 ga. slug, and I have to say we did loose a few for the reasons mentioned. Hunting from a blind did allow for accurate neck shots that did drop them on the spot. My nice whitetail on my wall now ran 200 yds with a 12 ga slug thru both lungs.
Bigger is better when hunting.
kw
montana

[hanshi]

Loading a .440" ball over 55 grains of powder will any whitetail you are likely to ever encounter.  More power won't kill deer any better, deader or faster as long as you hit them in the heart/lung area.

[bob in the woods]

My findings are that unless you hit and disable the nervous system , ie brain, neck, spine , a deer will run until the oxygen is deprived from the brain and it shuts down. Lung /heart shots work by rapid blood and pressure loss.  Therefore, the bigger the hole, the better.  I have 20 acres of property. Cross the fence and it's either Crown land or the neighbour's land.
Either way, it usually ends up with someone else claiming the deer.  Since I began using round balls in .54 , .62 and up, I haven't lost one deer.  Now, having said that, my friend hunts with a .45 I built for him and he hasn't lost a deer yet either.
He has open fields on his property, while I have thick woods

[MuskratMike]

Hanshi is right! More isn't always better. Out here in the far west where shots can be a little longer I only use 75 grains of Goex 3f (that's equal to 92 grains of 2f) in my .54 also as Hanshi is apt to point out shot placement and knowledge or your animals anatomy is much more vital than just packing more and more powder.
The "Muskrat" has now given his 2 cents worth on this subject.

[WadePatton]

Any cap that fits is fine.

And squeeze your #11's out-of-round just a little to make them fit more snugly on the nipple.

[Bob McBride]

Any cap that fits is fine.

And squeeze your #11's out-of-round just a little to make them fit more snugly on the nipple.

Yep. I use whatever I have on hand for my non musket cap rifles. They get pinched or they don’t.