Accuracy of 45 long Colt

[m41]

I am needing to know the effective kill zone of a 45 cal long colt in a Henry lever action rifle

[johngross]

Originally Posted by m41

I am needing to know the effective kill zone of a 45 cal long colt in a Henry lever action rifle

I guess you want to know the maximum distance you can put a hurtin' on a person or animal if they were hit by a 45 Colt fired from a rifle? If that's the question, I would say a long ways. Probably 1,000-1,500 yards at least. Maybe more?

But...you put the word effective in there. Considering the ballistic coefficient of a 45 caliber handgun bullet (short and fat), its initial velocity, trajectory, the type of sights, ability of the shooter, etc, then the chances of hitting a man or animal sized target repeatedly will be way less than 1,000-1,500 yards.

Best I can offer with the information you provided.

[Cdog]

Lots of variables. Some rifles will withstand much higher pressure than your average handgun will.

If you’re loading standard revolver pressures I’d feel comfortable out to about 100 yds. A 250 gr pill traveling at maybe 1000 FPS from a longer barrel is still going to drop rather quickly.

As posted above, effective range has a lot to do with how familiar you are with your combinations actual trajectory.

The case capacity and build will allow magnum loads. You don’t want one of those loads to end the life of a beautiful firearm not designed to handle such pressures.

[s&wchad]

Not sure what you’re looking to kill. If I was using it for deer, I’d probably use Hornady Lever Revolution ammo and limit my shots to 150 yards or less. 125 yards is probably a more responsible distance. I’d also practice a fair amount at various ranges before hunting and use a laser range finder in the field.

I checked Hornady’s ballistic calculator. With a 100 yard zero, the bullet drops 22” at 200 yards. At 300 yards, the drop is 149.9”.

[rockquarry]

About thirty years ago, I bought a new Winchester 94 AE 16" Trapper in .45 Colt. I've never hunted with it and generally shot the same load that I used in a handgun - a cast SWC of 260 grains and 8.5 grs. Unique powder. Muzzle velocity from a 6" S&W is around 825-850 fps. From the carbine that increases to about 1,100 fps.

Sighted 2" high at 50 yards, bullet drop at 100 is about 5" - 6", indeed considerable. I'm sure the trajectory could be flattened with a heavier load and a longer barrel, but it would still be about a 100-125 yard hunting cartridge at best and only in the hands of a capable shooter.

[LittleCooner]

Agree with rockquarry on the 100-125 yards of real world application. And those flat nosed short bullets that have a low ballistic coefficient are not going to shoot very many small groups out past that 125 yard mark, so hitting a target past that is going to enter the realm of long range shooting.

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Originally Posted by m41

I am needing to know the effective kill zone of a 45 cal long colt in a Henry lever action rifle

There is probably a better way to phrase that question......jest sayin' ....

[pittpa]

Originally Posted by CAJUNLAWYER

There is probably a better way to phrase that question......jest sayin' ....

It could only have been better if it was a new member first post.


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[mtgianni]

How long is a piece of string?

[crstrode]

The effective kill zone is more a function of the shooter than the equipment. Especially with a pistol cartridge in a typical iron-sighted gun.

[gregintenn]

Depends...
Rabbit? Far as you can hit him.
Elephant? Not too far at all.
Deer? Somewhere in between.

[MRB1]

I took a hog at slightly less than 100 yds with a Model 94AE. The bullet penetrated the shoulder shield and she dropped within a few feet of being hit. MASSIVE hole.