45-70 hunting load

[pleadthe2nd]

I'm relatively new to the old 45-70, bought the new Ruger made Marlin 1895 sbl back in March, been trying different loads since then, all cast 385-405 grain running at a little over 1600 fps, using IMR 4064, and 4895 with excellent results, but found a box of Hornady 350 gr fp interlocks today, and loaded them to 60 gr IMR 4895, accuracy was excellent, had to dial scope down about 6" from where the 405's were hitting at 100 yards, velocity is now at 1'867 fps, I'm impressed, and will use this next weekend for our opening firearms deer season, normally I use a revolver, but this is the first year Illinois is allowing rifles, single shot, straight walled cartridges, we are allowed to modify the rifles to single shot, so I have a 3/8" oak dowel rod made for the magazine tube, it fits perfectly inside the spring, so I don't have to remove anything to be legal. This load is performing great up to 150 yards, my max distance at my backyard range.

[45MAN]

IIRC, THOSE ARE THE BULLETS HORNADY LOADED IN THEIR 450 ROUND

[pleadthe2nd]

The Hornady's are sized .458, I prefer. 459 in cast, or the rifle does, I should say, but the Hornady's shot great, can't wait to see how they perform on a fat doe

[boolitdesigner]

You don’t need that heavy load for deer…. It will get you a lot of jellied blood shot meat. The old timers used a 300 gr. Cast bullet going about 1,500 fps. That is pure murder on about anything it hits.

I’ll be using a 400 gr. hollow base bullet going about 1,300 fps out of a trapdoor carbine myself.

[pleadthe2nd]

Agreed on the heavy load for deer, but figured I could get a little more distance with higher velocity, which could be helpful where I'm planning to hunt opening day, also I've seen worse bloodshot meat from an arrow, than what a 12ga slug has done at about the same velocity as my above load

[revolvercranker]

Nov 11, 2023 17:07:48 GMT -5 boolitdesigner said:

You don’t need that heavy load for deer…. It will get you a lot of jellied blood shot meat. The old timers used a 300 gr. Cast bullet going about 1,500 fps. That is pure murder on about anything it hits.

I’ll be using a 400 gr. hollow base bullet going about 1,300 fps out of a trapdoor carbine myself.

Knowing you, you'll use whatever is the easiest for you to hit a deer, which in the past few years or more has been you Browing shotgun bolt rifle with a scope and Hornady sabot sluts that you claimed shoots an inch easy at 100 yards. Been a long long time since you took a deer with a handgun. I'd be surprised you use that Trapdoor carbine. 

You had better hurry up getting that Henry 360 Buckhammer.  You remember what you told me about the end of this year. I'm still saying it's not going happen. 

[boolitdesigner]

Well… you’ve given yourself away. New things or untried avenues always have more import than well tried avenues. As for the 360 BHM, the fools have to get it out there and quit setting on their thumb.

Deer with a handgun is a very well tried avenue that doesn’t present any needs to fulfill. I don’t often tell what already been done… even to you!

[pleadthe2nd]

Well... thanks for the useless contributions

[revolvercranker]

I don't get where we're bickering, old Bob and I are Amigo's from quite a ways back. The think about December is a personal thing between he and I.

He's right about you don't need really heavy loads for the 45-70 and he will tell you I learned the hardway and that was on my shoulder. I've since reduced the power and it's still one heck of a deerslayer. I do have lighter moulds, but the current heavy bullet is doing such a great job I see no really to stop using it. It mushrooms some, doen't blood shot much meat, and it passes clean through the deer. Can't ask for more then that.

Bob the 360 may not materialize with Vista being bought up by a young Czech guy. Not a company, but an individual. It's survival depended on both Henry (to make the rifle) and Remington (to make the ammo). I hope it does for the states that be able to use a rifle whereas they couldn't befor. Maybe Winchester could bring out a short enough .375 . Hard to tell since they have the 400 Legend which I haven't investigated.

[pleadthe2nd]

Thanks for your input, and didn't know the relationship between you fellas, I know this is a heavy load, it should be very close to Hornady's American Whitetail 12 ga sabot factory loads, which use a 325 gr interlock, at approximately the same velocity I'm getting from my 45-70, I'm trying to mimic this for my hunting loads, because at the farm, shots could exceed 200 yards, at home about 70, and I want them down quickly, or they could end up on the neighbors property, and retrieval becomes a real process, it'll be nice to use a much handier Marlin, than the ol' Mossberg 500

[revolvercranker]

No problem. I'll tell that if you are shooting cast in a 45-70 shoot the fattest bullet that will let the case chamber and you will find that bullet diamter to be around .461 to .462. It made my 1886 carbine shoot much better.

[foxtrapper]

Nov 12, 2023 21:50:44 GMT -5 revolvercranker said:

No problem. I'll tell that if you are shooting cast in a 45-70 shoot the fattest bullet that will let the case chamber and you will find that bullet diamter to be around .461 to .462. It made my 1886 carbine shoot much better.

Had work done on a Marlin 1895 cowboy by David Clements. He slugged the bore at .460! So fat is where it’s at!

[revolvercranker]

Foxtrapper, dang, that is fat. You may be okay if your chamber will accept a case with those fat bullet diamter's I quoted you. Thing is having a mould that will cast fat enough. What I do is cast my bullets and lube them getting the ready to go and using my bullet swager to swage them "up" to the diameters I quoted you. I made the die for the swage too at the size need and I also made the punch so that I get a cup base copied from Lyman. Leaving the lube in the groove prevents losing the lube groove when swaging. They shoot very good.