If you're pressed for time, 3 shot groups work fine. 5 shot groups give you a more accurate picture of how the rifle is shooting. If the weather is hot, you need to wait longer for the barrel to cool - I figure anywhere from 2-4 minutes between shots usually works for me. I always swab the barrel between shots, so by the time I do that, a couple minutes have passed and it works fine.

Wow! Thanks guys. I guess I'll shoot 5 shot groups. I like shooting the rifle anyway. I figure I've been letting the barrel cool for about 5min between shots. Takes me that long to walk out to the target, swab the barrel and reload.

Chap, I think I'm going to try the 3" over method. And thanks for the ballistics chart. I'm going to print it and keep it in my gun case.

SC Sportsman

Hope some of this might help... and one other thing I might mention bullet BC is a function of Bullet velocity. When shooting ML's and the velocities+ranges that you shootBC sometimes really gets overated. Performace of the projectile through the various ranges is more important to me. There are a lot of people buying really exspenive "pointy" bullets looking for a high BC. I shoot an expensive bullet myself - but is far from pointy and I shoot either one of the two Nosler .452/260 grain HP or the Nosler .458/300 grain PP (300 for elk 260 for deer) and I would have no problem shooting both at 200 yards were the conditions right. Using Chap's "point blank range" allows you to do this very well.

The BC for a Speer Gold 250 grain is .165

45 Revolver Gold Dot HP 45 Colt


Part Number
Caliber

Weight Grain
Weight Gram
Construction
4484
45 Revolver
250
16.2
Uni-Cor
Use
Bullet Coefficient
Sectional Density
Diameter Inches
Diameter mm
Box Count
6
0.165
0.175
0.452
11.481
100

The BC for a 300 grain Gold Dot is .233
45 Revolver Golt Dot HP 454 Casull


Part Number
Caliber

Weight Grain
Weight Gram
Construction
3974
45 Revolver
300
19.44
Uni-Cor

Use
Bullet Coefficient
Sectional Density
Diameter Inches
Diameter mm
Box Count

10
0.233
0.21
0.452

I would shoot the 250's for deer especially at short ranges. The bullet is bonded and can not come apart. Plus it shares some of the characteristics of Nosler Partitions. It will expand to the dot in the middle of the bullet - retain a shank under the mushroom and continue to drive into and most of the time through the animal.

Here is a ballistic sheet for both the 250 and the 300





Here are some pictures of recovered Gold Dots...

Thanks Sabotloader. I do plan on shooting the 250gr gold dots. I have bowhunted my whole life so most of my shots are inside of 30yds even with a rifle. I guess when you get used to hunting a certain way its kinda hard to change things up. That being said, I still like nowing everything is good out to 100yds. You never know when you may need to make a long shot.
I doubt you remember but I PM'ed you back in the spring and you were the one that gave me the link to the place to get the gold dots. Thanks again everyone.

SC Sportsman

Ding! - the light goes on... thought something was familiar.... and I believe you are on the track thinking 100... cause you never know you might see a real trophy @ 135...

Good luck... fact hope you have great luck...

You should not print this chart if you use the 3" over method, you should use SabotLoaders. My chart was for your 50 yard sight in. Which is very flat to 100 yards and then drops off pretty good.
Chap

I wondered how a Fawn would choose a Gold Dot, usually Fawns pick PowerBelts or Shockwaves depending on their mentality--long shooters choose SW, close and easy load shooters who are Fawn choose PB. You chose an excellent bullet. Chap

Mike, I can't read the drop numbers. Can you post the Gold Dot info for 300 on a separate post in this thread, and then in post in this thread post the 250. That .233 seems very high for the 300g, especially with the 250g being .165, which I believe. I was using .147 as the BC for the 250. So your drop numbers will be better than what I did for SC_Sportsman.
Regards,
Chap

Chap

Can do... The .233 BC for the 300 grain is due to the re-designed HP nose on the bullet. The original 300 grain GD had a real hollow point type nose on it. The new one with that small depression raised the BC.

This is a chart from the A&H with 100 grains of T7-2f. In the Knight I am shooting 120 and getting 1860fps.

Here is the 250 again with 100 grains T7-2f