ammo for .45 MLs ?

[JeffB1961]

asking for future reference .....
so 50 has a lot more ammo options , but that 1:20 twist is supposed to be the bees knees according to some . what are some good (and hopefully budget friendly or not too wallet busting in price) full bore and saboted bullets for .45 muzzle loaders ? do saboted bullets typically shoot as accurately in .45s as full bores ? or does one typically shoot more accurately than the other ?
and ...... why would someone want a .45 muzzle loader rather than a .50 ?

 

[eekjellander]

asking for future reference .....
so 50 has a lot more ammo options , but that 1:20 twist is supposed to be the bees knees according to some . what are some good (and hopefully budget friendly or not too wallet busting in price) full bore and saboted bullets for .45 muzzle loaders ? do saboted bullets typically shoot as accurately in .45s as full bores ? or does one typically shoot more accurately than the other ?
and ...... why would someone want a .45 muzzle loader rather than a .50 ?

most likely they own several 50 cal and want something different/Ed

 

[WV Hunter]

Also, .45 fast twist has the ability to stabilize and shoot bigger (longer) bullets much better.
Almost every long distance ML shooter uses a FT .45 and big (heavy/long) bullets

For the weekend warrior that shoots deer at 100yds, well there isn't a big difference or advantage

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I like to shoot deer with a heavier lead bullet(330+) in my .45s. Slow and heavy bullets with a wide flat nose knock the snot out of deer everytime.

 

[CatamountRob]

I have .45’s just because I like them. I’m not a heavy lead or long range shooter. I’ve shot a few deer with them using Barnes MZ’s in 195 grains but right now they don’t seem to be available anywhere. I’ve got a T/C Omega and a Black Diamond. I had a .45 WA Patriot but I didn’t care for it and sold it. Once I’ve had the chance to stock up on .45 Barnes bullets I’m going to buy a couple of the new Traditions rifles in .45.
There are a bunch of local places that I can walk into any day of the week and buy all kinds of .50 stuff but none of them stock anything for .45’s so I have to plan ahead.

 

[GM54-120]

Imagine shooting a 40cal 240gr Fury OT at over 2100fps with a BC over .300. A 45cal fast twist can do that with ease. You basically have a point and shoot load to 200 yards.

 

[billyboy*]

and ...... why would someone want a .45 muzzle loader rather than a .50 ?

Flatter Trajectory & RECOIL!
Locally, I shoot a .40 Cal for my Deer & Antelope

 

[Widude]

My main hunting M-L is a 45 cal Knight Elite. Yes, for the average 75 yard shot, a 50 cal or whatever is fine.

I normally shoot a Barnes copper bullet, 195 grains, or a Hornady XTP, at 200 grains. Both bullets are .400”, held in a light blue ‘crush-rib’ sabot from Harvestor. With 115 grains of Blackhorn 209 my chronographed speeds averaged out at 2218 fps. This setup works fine for me, Zeiss Conquest 3-9 scope.

 

[Blacksheep]

I have an old style CVA Optima which has a 1/28 twist . It will shoot the PR Dead Center 200 gr very well inside of 1.5 @ 100 with 80 gr 209 . Does anybody have an idea what the top end of bullet weight is for this twist is ?

 

[edmehlig]

I have .45’s just because I like them. I’m not a heavy lead or long range shooter. I’ve shot a few deer with them using Barnes MZ’s in 195 grains but right now they don’t seem to be available anywhere. I’ve got a T/C Omega and a Black Diamond. I had a .45 WA Patriot but I didn’t care for it and sold it. Once I’ve had the chance to stock up on .45 Barnes bullets I’m going to buy a couple of the new Traditions rifles in .45.
There are a bunch of local places that I can walk into any day of the week and buy all kinds of .50 stuff but none of them stock anything for .45’s so I have to plan ahead.

I love my 45’s especially being I can cast my own .

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Im just a little disappointed that Hornady and Federal dont make their Bor-Loc and Bore riders in .45 cal. I would love to shoot that new Hornady bullet.

 

[JeffB1961]

thanks for the replies folks . i'm gonna wait till after hunting season and see if i can find a great deal on a CVA MR-X , LR-X or maybe even a knight mountaineer . a few weeks ago midway had a green laminate/stainless bare primer mountaineer for a right at $600 and the CVA's can be found for similar or less $ . i think i wanna stick with 50 , but 45 does have a lot of fans and most are very familiar with MLs with years/decades of experience . i really like the simplicity of cleaning my optima , but the knight looks to be better built than accuras/MRX/LRX with better parts . the timmy trigger , green mountain barrel and everything made in America . i'm not gonna use my china phone/computer and profess to be a die hard only buy American type of person , but if something is made here and in or near my price range it does get extra consideration . the CVA's are pretty but the mountaineer is a better looking gun and their green laminate stock whoops the cva IMO .

thanks for feeding my curiosity , jeff

 

[GM54-120]

The only deal with the Mountaineer is its heavy. I would love to have something like a base Optima V2 in a 45 1-20ish. I would shoot them "tiny" 340ish grain Gould HPs forever and crack out the Knight for longer range stuff.

 

[JeffB1961]

i probably won't be walking more than a very few hundred yards to a blind/barn so weight isn't a big factor for my use (i think ) .
but , i guess if i had to trail a deer i'd need to take it for what ever distance incase a follow up shot is needed .
BTW , does Knight have a maximum bullet/projectile weight for the mountaineer like CVA does ?
and can they be used with the same max powder charges as CVA's paramount series ?

wow , just checked and there's almost a 2 lb difference . hadn't expected that much .

 

[GM54-120]

BTW , does Knight have a maximum bullet/projectile weight for the mountaineer like CVA does ?

Nope.

 

[Pathfinder60]

asking for future reference .....
so 50 has a lot more ammo options , but that 1:20 twist is supposed to be the bees knees according to some . what are some good (and hopefully budget friendly or not too wallet busting in price) full bore and saboted bullets for .45 muzzle loaders ? do saboted bullets typically shoot as accurately in .45s as full bores ? or does one typically shoot more accurately than the other ?
and ...... why would someone want a .45 muzzle loader rather than a .50 ?

It has been said that a fast twist 45 caliber muzzleloader is the most accurate rifle in America. That is a bold claim. But there is plenty of evidence to support that claim. But the rifles that can make that claim are custom smokeless rifles built to bench rest standards and cost well upwards of $6K and going to $10K. Specialty weapons in the extreme but yet, they do exist. Having said all that, there are much more economical variations. This is a very specialized subject and one best left to those that have a passion for it. It is most definitely NOT for beginners.

 

[edmehlig]

Personally, I'd rather cast my own than be dependent on a manufacturer.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

A friend just got an old jewelry plating machine. Says i can use it if i plate some stuff for him once in a while. I would like to copper plate some of my cast bullets.

 

[NickelGL]

So Saturday i was at the lgs where they had a like new omega 45 with a 54xx serial number. I couldn't say no to the price. From my reading its a 1/20. What are you guys casting for the .45s???

 

[michiganmuzzy]

So Saturday i was at the lgs where they had a like new omega 45 with a 54xx serial number. I couldn't say no to the price. From my reading its a 1/20. What are you guys casting for the .45s???

I shoot a 330 Gould and a 45-340i.