diehardhunter
I was thinking and would it work if I took a .40 cal 155 gr.JHP pistol bullet and put it in a 45/40 sabot. I can get 100 bullets for $7 and 100 sabots for $15. I think these would make a cheap plinking load. Do you think a 155 gr. bullet will work for deer? I will be using around 100 grains of powder.
I think you are asking can you use a 40cal - 155 grain bullet in a 45/50 cal sabot? If that is the question - I would say NO - the 40 cal bullet would be way to loose in a 45 cal sabot, but MMP does make a 40/50 cal sabot that would work.
Also I am not sure that you would like the 155 grain bullets even for target practice - at ML ranges. At 50 yards they might hang in there just fine. You do not say which bullet it is but if you look at the velocity the bullet was design for and the velocity that an ML will/can shoot it - it just might blow up on contact. You can get get a 100 Hornady-200grain 40cal/10mm XTP's that will shoot just fine and will work for target practice and for hunting deer, hogs, and ground squirrels just fine. 100 of them would probably be $12/13....
If you want to shoot 45 cal pistol bullets then another inexpensive bullet would be the Hornady 250 grain XTP. It will shoot well and it has dispatched a lot of deer.
I prefer Speer .452 - 250 grain Gold Dots - but they are more expensive.
Good luck - have fun