Moose hunting with a 45-70

S

S1nnerman

Regular
Super GunNutz
Rating - 100%
101   0   0
Location
Quebec
Hey guys

I'd love to hear about which factory ammo and/or reload you use for moose hunting with the 45-70. If you could also share some details such as point of impact, penetration, distance, etc that would be great

cheers
mario
 
Last edited:
Never shot a moose but I shot a black bear at 12' as it was coming at me in the thick stuff. It spent almost an hour huffing and growling going back and forth then got really quiet. One big huff nd the branches started moving. I saw black and fired only to hear it thrashing in the undergrowth for 15/20 seconds. The bullet caught it just behind the skull went thru the neck under the spine and out the back of the far shoulder. 2" exit hole. Very little meat damage. Lots of bone chips from the shoulder socket. Load was a Remington 405 gr fnsp at 1550 fps. Bullet exited. That was the day I'm glad I brought my sxs 45/70 instead of a crossbow that I had planned to take to hunt that bait site. Not sure how it would have ended had I had the bow
 
brybenn said:
Never shot a moose but I shot a black bear at 12' as it was coming at me in the thick stuff. It spent almost an hour huffing and growling going back and forth then got really quiet. One big huff nd the branches started moving. I saw black and fired only to hear it thrashing in the undergrowth for 15/20 seconds. The bullet caught it just behind the skull went thru the neck under the spine and out the back of the far shoulder. 2" exit hole. Very little meat damage. Lots of bone chips from the shoulder socket. Load was a Remington 405 gr fnsp at 1550 fps. Bullet exited. That was the day I'm glad I brought my sxs 45/70 instead of a crossbow that I had planned to take to hunt that bait site. Not sure how it would have ended had I had the bow
Click to expand...
freaking WOWWW !!!
thats quite the story. man i would have pissed my pants

thx for the info and convincing me that i made the right choice with the 45-70
 
Nice bull moose dropped near Elk Lake Ontario at 230 yards with a Marlin 1895 using the factory Hornady 325 grain FTX ammo.
One shot kill.
The lungs were mush like that canned cranberry sauce I buy for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Meat on the ground kinda dispels the reports that: 1) the 45-70 is a short 100 yards or less caliber, 2) the 325 grain 45 caliber FTX is a crappy bullet.
 
Push a big heavy wide bullet thru a mooses chest. It won't go far
Practice at various ranges learn the trajectoy and let the light into big game

The old 45/70 isn't fast or flashy and many younger guys can't figure out the rim but it's been with us for what 140 years. It works

There's a great article for those who think of it as only a short range bush gun. It was written by sandy hook. Google "Sandy hook 45/70 2 Miles". Good read
 
S1nnerman said:
Hey guys

I'm gonna go moose hunting for the very first time this year and I decided to go with the venerable 45-70.

Could you, experienced 45-70 hunters, share a few hunting stories with me ?

I'd love to hear about which factory ammo and/or reload you use for moose hunting with the 45-70. If you could also share some details such as point of impact, penetration, distance, etc that would be great

cheers
mario
Click to expand...

Factory ammo...thanks for the laugh.

I handload for the 45-70. I use Lyman 457193 bullets cast out of 20:1 alloy with a stout charge of IMR3031. Squirts 'em out at 1950 FPS which is plenty out of an 1885 (fairly light rifle). Only ever shot a young mulie with mine but it works like a hot damn. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on moose.
 
My loads for .45-70 consist of a 405 grain Remmy soft point that is stoutly loaded. It has accounted for a fair amount of game, but only one moose before I sold that guide gun. It punched clean through the critter and left a fist sized hole out the opposite side from about 30 yards. Moose didn't go far.
 
my marlin hunting load is 41 grain imr 4198 and cast bullets 420 grain NOE hollow point and flat point mold.
i have yes to recover a bullet since they have always been a pass thru.
big hole with very little meat damage.
i know that 41 grain 4198 is not the hottest load out there but that's what works well in my GG and my shoulder stays in tact.
it does the job very well. deer bear and moose.
just practice more and more, know your bullet drop.
i practice until it becomes second nature and develop reasonable muscle memory.
try to simulate hunting scenarios as much as possible, such as snap shooting, shooting when yur heart is pounding by doing some push ups or jumping jax just before approaching the bench etc etc....
play safe and have fun.
 
There is a great story in the Nosler reloading book also about the 4570 and an african hunt. His was loaded up a bit but shows how much power they have.
 
The Remington 405 gr is fairly soft but does a great job letting light in. My last bear took one thru the back and out the chest about 5-6' from the muzzle. Speed was 2350 fps at twice that distance. Exit hole was truly fist sized. However the bullet was fired from a 458 wm.
Recovered bullets from sand back stops are very wide. 1" or better with impact velocity around 1500 fps. Factory loads from my 45/70 with that bullet. Remington express $69+ tax/20 only managed 1420 fps 10' from the muzzle. 50 yard impacts were 3/4" easily. The higher velocity impacts often cause jacket separation but the large amount of lead stays together well to get the job done
The only other factory ammo I've tried in 45/70 was hornadys leverution stuff. My double didn't want to regulate it at all. Very accurate in each barrel just 12" difference vertical poi. Those bullets shed the jacket every time when fired into a sand backstop. I never choreographed them. Not sure if this helps or not. I'm sure each factory load is capable of reaching the vitals on a moose broadside however the 45/70 is at its best when hand loaded. Much cheaper as well
 
thanks for all the info guys.

I have read this article http://www.shootersforum.com/leverguns-their-cartridges-general/9085-penetration-45-70-458-magnums.html and it seems that impact velocity should be 1600 fps or less in order to achieve the best penetration. What are you thoughts on that ?

Anybody else used the remy 405 factory ammo and or the factory hornady 325 ftx on moose ?

thanks
 
If you look at loading data you will find at least 3 different load ranges for the 45-70.
trap door action, lever action and bolt action.
Trapdoor action being the lower end of the pressure range.

as far as I know and im sure someone could correct me if im wrong about this. all factory ammo is loaded to trapdoor pressures due to safety resons.

that way anyone can purchase an off the shelf box of ammo and shoot it in any 45-70 action without the risk of blowing the action.

Like brybenn mentioned, the 45-70 is at its best when hand loaded for your needs.

as a side note , yes I do agree that you do not need to have the bullet run at screaming speeds to do the job.
This is a heavy moving bullet that transfers allot of energy onto its target.
 
Smaller ammo makers like hms garret and buffalo bore make factory loads hotter than what should be used in trapdoor.

Penetration is the bullet overcoming resistance. The harder it impacts the more resistance the bullet faces. There are sweet spots where certain bullets will penetrate better. However there are many factors such as shape and construction. A 4-500 gr slug with a wide flat meplate at 1600 fps will go thru most any animal. It has the momentum to over come its resistance and keep going.

I know my 45/70 at 1550 fps will out penetrate my 458 wm firing the same bullet at 2350 fps. However the targets reaction is much more noticeable from the win mag.
I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a moose with a factory Remington express 405 gr soft point if I didn't reload
 
brybenn said:
Smaller ammo makers like hms garret and buffalo bore make factory loads hotter than what should be used in trapdoor.

Penetration is the bullet overcoming resistance. The harder it impacts the more resistance the bullet faces. There are sweet spots where certain bullets will penetrate better. However there are many factors such as shape and construction. A 4-500 gr slug with a wide flat meplate at 1600 fps will go thru most any animal. It has the momentum to over come its resistance and keep going.

I know my 45/70 at 1550 fps will out penetrate my 458 wm firing the same bullet at 2350 fps. However the targets reaction is much more noticeable from the win mag.
I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a moose with a factory Remington express 405 gr soft point if I didn't reload
Click to expand...

would reloading the remington 405 bullet to about 1600 fps at muzzle would be a good idea or should I use hard cast bullets ?
 
S1nnerman said:
would reloading the remington 405 bullet to about 1600 fps at muzzle would be a good idea or should I use hard cast bullets ?
Click to expand...

Personally I like more bullet and more speed than you would get from duplicating factory loads. Even a tougher bullet at that speed would make me happier but getting up around 1800 would satisfy me even more. With a tougher bullet you have a little more leeway if a shot presents from quartering away.
 
I use the 405 rem and IMr 4198 38-40g in my marlins Baikal and Rossi. Taken a few moose with them. Usually use in early season when lots leafs on the trees. Ranges have all been under 50y but leave a nice blood trail. I would not hesitTe to shoot then 250y if had to
 
Personally I believe 1600 fps gives excellent results for the Remington 405 gr fnsp. Nice full mushrooms and mild recoil. I've switched to hard cast for the simple reason of breaking big shoulder bones on big bears in thick cover. I use a sxs and often when hunting have a rem 405 soft in one barrel and a 405 gr hard cast in the other. When baiting both barrels are hard cast
For moose if you take chest shots the Remington bullet will do just fine. I've never shot a moose but I'm sure you could shoot thru the shoulder If you wanted

I'm driving that bullet at 2350 fps in a win mag and it does well on penetration. Sand mud water jugs and railroad ties anyway
Reloading will be cheaper allowing you to shoot more. I'd suggest load it to 1600 fps and shoot various things. If you feel comfortable with the performance then stick wit it. If you want more power add more powder. If recoil bothers you back off on the powder. The 45/70 is a reloaders dream.
It can be a big ass pellet gun or an elephant gun with proper loads in th right actions of course
 
ok well its done.

Marlin 1895 gbl
Leupold scout scope (fixed 2.5x)
405 gr hard cast bullets (bullet barn)
IMR 3031
Federal 215
starline brass

since it is not gas check I was told to limit the speed to around 1500 fps

any thoughts on that ?

thanks again guys, I appreciaate all your comments and advices
 
You might get away with a bit more speed depending on the bore diameter and bullet diameter. Ideally your bullet should be 2 thou larger than the bore diameter to achieve a good seal and limit leading.
 
Remember, you don't need a ton of speed to kill a moose with the 45/70. Just enough for good penetration at reasonable ranges is all you need.

I like my 425gr cast at 1600 fps as a baseline, up to about 2100 max to keep the recoil "pleasant"....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom