RedAllison

ML if all I had to stop a POd blackie was a 45ACP then I would be greatful. BUT it is not anywhere near what I would want to use to actually hunt one or cleanly (and quickly) kill one with. The season before last I purposefully decided to try out a 45ACP on deer just to see what would happen.

I have a buddy with an old pushbolt 45ACP rifle with about a 16" barrel and a 3x9 scope on it. It is very easy to pop cans and bottles with it @ 100yds but he had never tried it on deer. So I bought some warm MagTech +P hollowpoints that certainly should've been flyin as fast as an ACP can push em. I got in a bowstand (don't worry it was gun season!) and waited. Shortly a doe flew by with a little buck hot on her trail. She ran by one time to fast to shoot. But she looped around and came back about 10 minutes later. This time she stopped perfectly broadside @ only 15yds, I couldnt've asked for a better shot.

When I shot her she went down in the front end and scooted about 10' and then got her front legs back under her and took off (the lil buck just stood around wanderin what happened). I continued hunting and took her trail after about 2 hours. She bled poorly and if I hadn't known her travel path (it was a narrow strip of woods) I would've lost her trail through the rustled leaves. Anyway I found her dead a good 250yds away and the damned coyotes had started on her hindquarters! [:@]

The shot had taken her cleanly in the right lung but didn't penetrate the left lung!(That's why she didn't bleed much and ran so far.)I would've thought that at that range and with warm loads she should've had a hole in each side of her. I decided then that there would be no more hunting with a .45ACP for me. As much as I would like to use my Para LDA "Black Watch" SSP, I am not willing to risk loosing or wounding an animal.

I thought and talked about it with others (on this site as well) and we came too the conclusion that the ACP just doesn't have the velocity to push hollowpoints through big game animals. If I were take that exact same shot again I believe I would've been better of with ball ammo. It probably would've at least penetrated both lungs if it did'nt exit through the body cavity on the otherside.

Penetration is key too taking ANY animal IMHO. It's a prerequisite for dangerous game in Africa (and big bears in CAN and AK) and also for bowhunting so why should it not also apply for deer and blackie sized game?

I would rather have my 357Mag S&W than my Para if I were going to try and kill anything other than an intruder with it. If you are looking for a big game pistol then start with at least a 44Mag IMHO!!!
RA