|
How many of you guys have actually killed anything with either round?
My use of the .223 includes prairie dogs and rock chucks, by very conservative estimate, into the low four figures. An equally low estimate on coyotes would be "dozens", but I bet it's in the low three figures. With that experience, observing what happens when even an average coyote gets hit, I would never use it on anything larger.
I've never hunted with the .45 ACP, but I do have extensive experience with its predecessor, the .45 Colt, the very round it was intended to match ballistically. Early on I thought I needed modern day "magnumized" loads featuring 300 grain bullets at 1,200-1,300 fps. It took me a few years of putting up with that level of blast and recoil to learn otherwise.
My hunting is now done with loads that mimic the original black powder .45 Colt. They are pretty darn close to the .45 ACP when it is fired from the Thompson. The only difference between them and my old "magnum" loads is that they don't dig as deep into the hillside on the other side of the animal. They still go all the way through, even on one 3/4 angle "raking shot" on an elk.
I've killed a pretty good variety of big game in the last 30 plus years with that load. Game that there is no way on Earth a .223 would do anything but wound. The real world difference in killing power is tremendous. "Paper ballistics" only tell us so much. They are far too heavily weighted to velocity, which simply does not provide a realistic picture of what is really needed.
Don't discount the .45 ACP based on "energy" alone. Bullet weight and diameter have a role in this as well.
|