edwardamason

You make a excellent point.


The .45 caliber has been a commercial disaster everytime its been introduced.

The only people making any sense with the .45 caliber are the custom smokeless crowd.

The biggest problem I see with the .45 is who are the manufactures going to sell these too? I know you can squirrl hunt with it but its really too large to squirrl hunt with. I know you can deer hunt with it but a .50 cal can do everything a .45 cal can do and better. I know this because I own both..have shot both and have hunted with both. Other than a small devout group of .45 enthusiest there really is not a large market for .45 in the market place.

I suspect the coundown clock till Knight discontinues thier .45 is clicking. Its just a matter of time. I hear sales are very sluggish on them much like the doomed .52 cal. There simply is not room in this world for calibers outside .50 cal and .54 cal for the vast majority of shooters and this is where the manufactures are aiming thier dollars at.

Here is shot of me from about 1985. I made this .45 Pistol from a Kit with my dad. Shot was 60 yards broadside with patch roundball 60 grains Pyrodex FFg. So Yes the .45 is more than Capable of taking down deer. This I know.

1874sharpsshooter

Much of what you say I agree with .what I highlighted in bold print I have to disagree with. Maybe in your opinion the 50 can do everything the 45 can and do it better but in my opinion the 45 is a much better caliber especially for long range shooting. One of the reasons the Pedersoli Gibbs, whitworth etc are usually a 45 cal with a fast twist. I have 1:20, 1:18, 1:16 twist muzzies in 45 cal and 41 cal that will outperform a 50 cal 1:28 twist all day . And take down any game the 50 will and can even do it at further distances if the person pulling the trigger can do it.

SuperKirby

I have a .45 Contender barrel. It's a 1-28 twist, but that's not my issue with it. My issue is component availability. After things went nuts last December the only bullets I could find anywhere where $1/shot Barnes, and I just can't afford to take those to the range. I would personally rather shoot a .45 and if bullets become more widely available then I'll probably make the switch, but for now the once in a great while that I can get my hands on .40 bullets it's not worth it.

flounder33

I don't have to worry about buying components for my fast twist .451 caliber skwerl rifle.

I cast the Lyman PH 457121 lead conical.

I wouldn't hesitate to take it Moose hunting.

ronlaughlin

SuperKirby

Too bad you didn't purchase them 200g blems Midway had on sale. Perhaps they are still available. They work good. Hundreds of them were available at one time, and ended up in my shop.

ronlaughlin

Why yes, yes i agree, yes i do. After spending considerable time and dinero, shooting different rifles at different ranges, i have formed strong opinions about the capabilities of the rifles, and loads, i hunt with. The 50 caliber rifles have a maximum range of 250 yard. The 45 caliber rifle has a maximum range of 350 yard.



One thing i am considering more and more, which could extend the range of the 50 rifles, is trying 140g of Blackhorn behind an accurate 300g bullet. It is conceivable i will never do this trial, but there seems to be a nagging thought. One reason i may never pursue the idea, is the constraints of 1X scopes for muzzle loader seasons, kinda make such ideas moot.

Future shooting could change my opinion, but at this time, i feel the 45 rifle is definitely better for long range hunting.

Gm54-120

Its kinda odd the 45cals and under won...the last 10? Manufacturers matches at Friendship. Most of those in the top ten were using a 45cal....hmmmm

Knight won home many times with a 45cal 1-18?...wasn't it like 6 times? The White team won or placed in the top ten how many times with 45cals and under?

Its seems a 50cal CAN'T do everything a 45cal can do. Ive never seen a 50cal shoot a 45cal 250gr bullet sabotless at over 2800fps. I can get right around 2100fps or more with a sabotless 300gr and BH209...no problem on a hot or cold barrel. Just 100gr of BH209 and a sabotless 275gr BE gives me about 2000fps.

Good luck doing that in the summer heat with a sabot and a 50cal. Ive never blown a sabotless 45cal load. Ive seen several 50cal sabots fail even under good conditions with Blackhorn.

Bullets selection is fine...Bloodlines, at least 2 40cal XTPs and HAPs, 200gr SST, Nosler 200gr, Cutting Edge Bullets (still in beta for sabot loads), cast .45Xs in many weights, 2-3 Barnes. How many different 40cal bullets do you need? Plus all the 45cal conicals that fly better than a 50cal conical of the same weight. They also have better sectional density if the weight is the same. Higher SD helps penetration.

Yeah it CANT do everything a 50cal can do ...well maybe not in a few states with bore size requirement for elk...BIG DEAL.

TNHagies

And I think you all have solved the puzzle. .45s are generally better for long range shooting but the majority of ML hunters don't shoot over 100 yards. So for them, they don't really see the need and that's why they're not as popular. I personally think .45s are a ton of fun. But if tomorrow they all disappeared it wouldn't impact my hunting one bit because 99% of my shots are under 75 yards.

I guess my point is, it's hard to sell ".45s are better for long distances" when the majority doesn't shoot long distances.

10 ga

Most hunters are only out 3-4 days a ML season. They want a pack of pellets and a pack of sabots to last 3 seasons and be available at China Mart. That is just the facts of most ML hunters. We are dedicated and persistent and wanting a top performing rifle but most just want easy access and a couple extra days hunting. Why in heck do you think those cheap MLs crowd the racks at the big box and LGS. I'm hunting with my MLs at least 24 days a year and that is probably 6 years worth for most hunters. Most hunters only need "minute of deer" out to 75 yards and that is exciting to them. I need "minute of turkey" out to 100+ and get it from my 45s. Need I say anything else, after shooting turkeys a deer is easy. 45s rule! 10 ga

edwardamason

350 yards???

Try 500 yards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5WsXP_Kns

Try 700 yards!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j4u6tL0RU

Granted these are speciatly Ml's. But the 50 is more than up to the task.