Colorado Luckydog

I have buddies that can load some hunting rounds but I'll probably use the ones from Corbon. This is from their web site.



CorBon has given the 45 COLT cartridge hunting loads worthy of the designation: +P. These are true high performance loads with the attached +P as an additional caution. In the appropriate modern hunting pistol, our .45 COLT+P loads give near 44 Magnum performance with markedly less recoil.
This is NOT plinking ammo, this load should only be used in those guns that have the steel to handle the power. Guns in .45 COLT that are built on heavy duty frames, such as the Ruger, Freedom Arms, Colt Anaconda, and Thompson-Center Contender will handle this load with authority. This load is NOT intended for handguns such as older Smith & Wesson, Colt Single Action Army, or the Colt clones imported single action revolvers. Common sense needs to prevail!THIS IS NOT COWBOY AMMO!

bigbulls

I would honestly look at Buffalo Bore and Double Tap before before I would look at Corbon. They load quite a bit heavier than Corbon on everything.

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php...t_list&c=8

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/cat...hp?cPath=21_38

Colorado Luckydog

Thanks for the info. I'll check 'em out.

jaw3

I thought 45 Colt brass was not as strong as .44 Rem Mag brass? Wouldn't that be a consideration for reloading?

BigJ71

This has been debunked by "those in the know". The 45Colt brass is plenty strong for +P+ loads as well as reloading. Like anything or any different type of brass, it's design will dictate how many times it can be reloaded and I'm sure some can be reloaded more than others. Perhaps the .44Mag brass can indeed be reloaded a time or two more than the.45 Colt but that would depend on many different factors such as the type of bullet used as wellas the pressure they are loaded to. It most certainly shouldn't be the determining factorfor buying the gun.

jeepkid,

The .45 Colt loaded up to +Pvelocities will equal and in some cases exceed the heavy loads in .44Mag and do it with less pressure.

For instance, I have in front of me as I type this3 boxes of Hunting ammo,1 .44 mag and 2 .45Colt. Look for yourself and tell me the .45Colt isn't enough for an elk or even a brown bear for that matter.

Grizzly Cartridge Company .44Mag +P: 300gr. WFNGC @ 1325fps

Corbon Ammunition: .45Colt +P: 300gr JSP @ 1300fps
Buffalo Bore Ammo .45Colt +P 325gr LFN @ 1325fps

As you can plainly see in this instance the +P .45Colt actually exceeds the .44mag and as mentioned at less pressure which translates to less felt recoil. I would carry a .44Mag stuffed with a 300gr bullet at 1300fps in a heart beat anywhere in North America, brown bear country included and never feel under gunned. Like wise I'd carry my Ruger .45Colt stoked with the same type of load and never once feel like I don't have enough gun with me.

If it will take down a Griz, it will dispatch a Moose, Elk, or any other North American game you so choose to hunt. Keep the yardage the same as you would the .44mag and have at it!

jeepkid

Well heres the breakdown of the Corbon load...using this info, the .223 has more energy so it should also be fine for grizz and elk right...? I don't really care either way, I don't use a .223 for anything but coyotes and I'm not a pistol hunter either...just want ColoradoLuckyDog to know what he's using...

Muzzle Velocity: 1300
25 yards: 1241
50 1187

Muzzle Energy: 1126
25: 1026
50 938

Enough for deer, but elk and grizz would be pushing it for a primary weapon, back up pistol is a different story...

BigJ71

Geeez, Ican't believe I even HAVE to explain this! I'll try to mud this down so it is easily understood.

What you are not taking into consideration is the bullet grain/weight. The weight of the bullet traveling at the listed speeds. Your comparing energy to energy but not taking into consideration the difference between a 55gr (or 62) and a 300+ grain projectile with a far greater frontal diameter. It's like a ping pong ball and a golf ball both traveling at 1000fps.... which one would YOU rather be hit with?Your .223 comparison hold no water.

As for your last statement, you couldn't be further from the truth and you didn't even need to tell me your not a pistol hunter for me to figure it out with that statement.

Let me "enlighten" you.....

A pistol is by far the least effective and should be only the last line of defense against big bears. But just fine to use as a PRIMARY weapon. Why you ask? I'll tell ya. Hunting bears and other big game you have the advantage and generally the shots come as a complete surprise to your target. The bear, Moose, Elk (input whatever you like) for the most part has noidea you have just shot him, only that they have been hurt. The shot was taken at the optimal position so as to hit the vital organs.They willeither fall like a ton of bricks or run off biting (bears at least) at the spot that hurts, only to die yards away. In this situation a pistol will work just fine.

In alife defense situation it's a completely different ball game. The bear is pissed,full of energy and coming straight at you like afreight train. Now your target is a mass of shoulder muscle, think bone and nasty attitude running at full speed. Sure a big bore pistol will do the trick butyou had better hit him right and often or even a S&W 500mag will do you no good.A 223??? good luck with that.

I've hunted with handguns since the mid 80's

Lesson over...and your welcome.

BigJ71

BTW, I know what ColoradoLuckyDog is using because I've been using it for years. The .45Colt loaded with +P ammo with the proper weight and bulletdesign,in strong revolvers (Like his new Blackhawk) is more than capable of taking down an Elk (or whatever else is roaming North America)at the range he suggested (50yds).

That's what he's using!

jeepkid

Okay...I was just using the 2000lbft minimum for my reference...

BigJ71

Minimum energy listings and guidelines are just that...guidelines. Just as important is bullet design, You will need a different bullet for Elk than you will for bear. For bear protection you want penetration. You want to break big bones and reach the vitals from shot angles you wouldn't normally take. You can be pushing 2500lbs of energy but if it's behind a hollow point or poorly designed jacketed bullet you're not going to be happy with the results...especially if your life is on the line. A hard cast gas checked flat nose will penetrate far greater thana jacketed soft point even traveling at a slower speed with less energy.

As mentioned, A pistol would be my last choice in big bear protection....a 105 Howitzer being my first. That's not to say it won't do the job, it will. I've hunted and fishedin big bear country and carried a Ruger Blackhawk .45Colt as a sidearm and never felt it wouldn't do the job.

That being said, when you actually see these big bears in the wild, your first thought (mine at least) is "I wonder if I brought enough gun"