45/70

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Thinking about trying lead bullets, something like the Laser Cast or Oregon Trail 405 gr. Any tried these on deer? A good powder and starting load for at least 1300 fps?
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
I use lead 405s all the time. 1650 fps. Wheelweight alloy. Expect no expansion with the heavyweight in any alloy. Must hit bone for a drt otherwise expect them to run some. I hear lighter hollowpoint lead will expand at lower velocities. Lead works super but I itz harder to hunt as it needs patience on choosing the shot. Blood trails are usually great and I have never recovered a 405 lead bullet in over 20 years. They just go right past the deer
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Thanks for the info. I guess I'll stay with my 300's and pull the throttle back some. They are at 2000 fps and deer DRT but it's rough on my bum shoulder.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Yep, the 300s are down right painful at the top end velocities, worse than the lead 405 load i've been using for years. Try the 300s down around 1600 to 1700, bet they'll fee down right PussyKat-ish
 

Dinny

Button Buck
IMR 3031 may be the best powder for the 45-70. Start with 40gr and increase until your shoulder tells you to stop.

Thanks, Dinny
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Lots have told me about the 45-70 recoil. I have limited experience with it. The ones I have shot have not been bad at all. Which loads are the recoil killers?
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
300g factory in the lever actions seems worst for recoil. Heavy weights bullets running over about 1600 to 1700 fps get tiresome. IMHO the factory 300s smack you while the heavyweights are a more tolerable hard shove.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I find the 300's at 1800 fps aren't terrible but I want to try 1600-1700 fps. At 2000 fps they are rough off the bench, at 2100 fps they are brutal.
 

pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I run 300 gr JHP through my Marlin 1895.
I’m currently using IMR 4198, and getting around 2,400 at the muzzle.
Previously I was using IMR 3031 and getting around 2,100 at the muzzle with close to a max load.
With a load of 52.0 grs or so of 3031, you should be around 1800 at the muzzle with a 300 gr bullet. This is the starting load for Trapdoor rifles according to my IMR reloading manual.

My Dad shoots 405 gr bullets in his 1886’s and his Sharps. I’ll hit him up to see what powders he’s using for those.



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pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I use lead 405s all the time. 1650 fps. Wheelweight alloy. Expect no expansion with the heavyweight in any alloy. Must hit bone for a drt otherwise expect them to run some. I hear lighter hollowpoint lead will expand at lower velocities. Lead works super but I itz harder to hunt as it needs patience on choosing the shot. Blood trails are usually great and I have never recovered a 405 lead bullet in over 20 years. They just go right past the deer

I agree with this wholeheartedly. If you shoot a deer with a 405 gr lead bullet, you WILL get an exit wound. My Dad shot a fair sized buck with his Sharps last year with a frontal shot at about 100 ish yards. The bullet exited the ham.


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45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I run 300 gr JHP through my Marlin 1895.
I’m currently using IMR 4198, and getting around 2,400 at the muzzle.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good God I can't imagine 2400 fps!! My shoulder said enough at 2100 fps on the bench. Standing up is not near as bad.
 

pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Good God I can't imagine 2400 fps!! My shoulder said enough at 2100 fps on the bench. Standing up is not near as bad.

I just don’t know any better....LOL!!

I honestly can’t tell a difference in felt recoil between my old IMR 3031 load and my new IMR 4198 load. They both have less recoil than my 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.


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45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I just don’t know any better....LOL!!

I honestly can’t tell a difference in felt recoil between my old IMR 3031 load and my new IMR 4198 load. They both have less recoil than my 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.

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Maybe it's the RL7 I use??
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
In my youth I experimented with 357 mag JFP in 45 cal sabots with black and smokeless.. .... 100 yd accuracy was good. Recoil nill. No idea the velocity. Perhaps a thought if your of an experimental bent.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
In my youth I experimented with 357 mag JFP in 45 cal sabots with black and smokeless.. .... 100 yd accuracy was good. Recoil nill. No idea the velocity. Perhaps a thought if your of an experimental bent.

Hmmmm now that's an interesting idea. I'd bet you could get some decent velocity gains over a 357 Mag rifle if using the black high pressure sabots.
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
Yep, the 300s are down right painful at the top end velocities, worse than the lead 405 load i've been using for years. Try the 300s down around 1600 to 1700, bet they'll fee down right PussyKat-ish
Try this^. I shoot something similar -- 270 grain soft points at about 1700 fps -- out of my .44 Mag lever rifle and the recoil is nill.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
4570. Re your pm. I'll dig about a bit on powders I may have used with sabot shells. 6og fff black for sure but I'll holler on the smokeless if can find my records.

Sorry for delays. Big retirement ceremony for me and had to actually attend it and the rehersal the day before!
 
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