hunting 45-70
- Thread starter Lfsabch
- Start date
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Read and enjoy.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214749
Fear not, if you can hit it in the right place with a 45-70 at any range you can see it, it will die.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214749
Fear not, if you can hit it in the right place with a 45-70 at any range you can see it, it will die.
RangerRick
Regular
- Location
- Marathon, Ontario
I have used Marlin's 1895 in one variation or another for just about 20 years now. I currently own a tricked out blued guide gun that is very accurate out to 100 yds. plus. My big 1895 SS was sighted in for 4" high at 100yds with 42o grain hard cast, and was spot on a moose's vitals out to 200 yds.
My little guide gun is set up for 3" high at 100 yds, and would be good, with its current loads out to 150.
Rick
My little guide gun is set up for 3" high at 100 yds, and would be good, with its current loads out to 150.
Rick
I agree, in fact that "puny" 30-30 round has killed more deer than likely any other in N. America. You put it in the right place, it will go down in short order.
45/70
45/70 Cartridges and many similar ctgs., low velocity... heavy bullets useing black powder at about 1300 fps is why there were tens of thousands less buffalo by about 1876 in America.
According to records left behind, very many were one shot kills at 300 yards + ...so deer at 120 yards are not safe !
45/70 Cartridges and many similar ctgs., low velocity... heavy bullets useing black powder at about 1300 fps is why there were tens of thousands less buffalo by about 1876 in America.
According to records left behind, very many were one shot kills at 300 yards + ...so deer at 120 yards are not safe !
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
I've dropped a bit of 'paper' and other targets with my Marlin 1895GS, using cast & jacketed bullet loads. I plan to use it, hopefully on game this year, but haven't shot anything with it,
yet.
yet.Well i can honestly say this is one cartridge i keep saying i am taking hunting for deer each yead, developed loads and ready to go 500 gr cast bullets big slow and heavy! but for some reason i never take her maybe this year?
But oh ya it will work no doubt in my mind!
But oh ya it will work no doubt in my mind!
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Depends how long you let'em hang.
Railroad ties and such..
Have only shot about 8 deer with the 45/70....furthest about 150 yds and the rest 100 and under. A 350 gr. Hornady at just 1900 fps...gives substance to the "bang- flop" often quoted. None took more than one step at most...and most just fell over.
Have only shot one bear with this load...was having some lunch sitting on a mountain sidehill back in the early 1980's when the bear came out of the Xmas tree sized stuff about a hundred yds away. He kept angleing along a game trail we were watching and was headed up towards where we were sitting. My dad bounced a few rocks off him at about 30 yds...but it only made him grunt a bit and he continued up....so at about 20 yds, with the bear slightly down hill from me I shot him in the chest. Bear instantly dropped into the "bear rug position" and never moved.
Finished the sandwich and walked down and noted the 350 Hornady hit him square in the chest and had exited out one of the back hams. Bear was only a 5 footer and the 350gr Hornady. had shot clean through him... end to end .
.....Some years later I'd moved up from haveing started with a 330 gr cast Hpt. in the 70's to the Lee 500 GC. .. found a load that shot exceptionally well at a mere 1300 fps and later had occasion to locate a round slab of dried Fir. It had been cut about 16 inches thick but was wider through the sides...at 25 yds I shot the wood at a downward diagonal angle and located the cast bullet under the slab. Never had a tape measure so useing the 22 inch brl of the #3 ruger I saw the bullet had penetrated through about 19-20 inches of wood. Gas check was still somewhere in the fir slab but the recovered bullet still weighed 468 grains when I got home.
....would guess some buffalo hunters may have got a broad-side pass-through and got two with one shot with that type of penetration..
..........
Have only shot about 8 deer with the 45/70....furthest about 150 yds and the rest 100 and under. A 350 gr. Hornady at just 1900 fps...gives substance to the "bang- flop" often quoted. None took more than one step at most...and most just fell over.
Have only shot one bear with this load...was having some lunch sitting on a mountain sidehill back in the early 1980's when the bear came out of the Xmas tree sized stuff about a hundred yds away. He kept angleing along a game trail we were watching and was headed up towards where we were sitting. My dad bounced a few rocks off him at about 30 yds...but it only made him grunt a bit and he continued up....so at about 20 yds, with the bear slightly down hill from me I shot him in the chest. Bear instantly dropped into the "bear rug position" and never moved.
Finished the sandwich and walked down and noted the 350 Hornady hit him square in the chest and had exited out one of the back hams. Bear was only a 5 footer and the 350gr Hornady. had shot clean through him... end to end .
.....Some years later I'd moved up from haveing started with a 330 gr cast Hpt. in the 70's to the Lee 500 GC. .. found a load that shot exceptionally well at a mere 1300 fps and later had occasion to locate a round slab of dried Fir. It had been cut about 16 inches thick but was wider through the sides...at 25 yds I shot the wood at a downward diagonal angle and located the cast bullet under the slab. Never had a tape measure so useing the 22 inch brl of the #3 ruger I saw the bullet had penetrated through about 19-20 inches of wood. Gas check was still somewhere in the fir slab but the recovered bullet still weighed 468 grains when I got home.
....would guess some buffalo hunters may have got a broad-side pass-through and got two with one shot with that type of penetration..
..........
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
My loads of 418gr cast bullets chugging along at 1950 will frappe deer well past 200 yards.
Off the few animals I've shot with a 45-70 (moose, bear and mule deer) non "bang flopped" with tight behind the shoulder hits using Hornady 350 grain RN. Certainly killed'em good enough though.
If one can get a handle on the arched trajectory of this cartridge, I have no doubt it is capable of clean kills at 300 yards +. A 300 - 405gr (or heavier) has lots of momentum and a .458" bullet doesn't have to expand much to make a really big hole.
If one can get a handle on the arched trajectory of this cartridge, I have no doubt it is capable of clean kills at 300 yards +. A 300 - 405gr (or heavier) has lots of momentum and a .458" bullet doesn't have to expand much to make a really big hole.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
There are a number of cast bullets I've been using, most of which I get from a local guy, ranging in weight from325gr to 535gr. Curiosity, exactly what bullet is your 418gr?
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
It's the Lyman 457193 which weighs out at 418 as cast. I think they're advertised as a 405 FN. The Old Man had the mold in his odds and ends box when I took up the 45-70.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Thanks for the info. Just for the hell of it, checking in my copy of the Lyman 1st edition Handbook of Cast Bullets, they have the weight for that bullet # @ 408-410grs and in their 3rd edition the weight listed using #2 alloy is 420grs.
Rather than casting my own, I now get all my cast bullet supplies from a local guy and the profile of his are very close to what you're using, with the exception his have GC's. I'm getting a selection of three from him with that profile, 325gr, 420gr and a 530gr. Thanks again.
The first big bore rifle I owned was a Winchester Model 1886 in .45-70.My first deer was shot with this rifle using a factory 405 grain cartridge.Shot a few other deer with this rifle and 405 or 300 grain factoty ammo. Have no complaints about its ability to get the job done.
