45-70 Cowboy loads for deer hunting

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klaus enuff

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What are your thoughts about using a Cowboy load as a deer round? I am thinking about using the HSM loads, 405 grain flat point, I believe they might go up to 1300fps. I feel comfortable with it and can't see any reason why I wouldn't be.

I just picked up a new Marlin stainless trapper with 16.5" barrel, I got some of the HSM cowboy loads and 430gr "Bear" loads to try out, the bear loads sound quite stout at 1800 fps
 
Why not load it up. There will be no difference for the deer only recoil on your end and better trajectory. Should be able that get around 1750 fps
 
sgt.rock said:
No different than some 12ga slugs. It will work well if you limit your range to less than 100yds
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Why the 100 yard limit? The trajectory is going to be a rainbow but you are not going to stop that bullet when it gets there.

That load is essentially the same as the original BP load that was used on everything up to Buffalo.
 
Fox said:
Why the 100 yard limit? The trajectory is going to be a rainbow but you are not going to stop that bullet when it gets there.

That load is essentially the same as the original BP load that was used on everything up to Buffalo.
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And they hunted Buffalo from hundreds of yards away using volley fire... Sometimes just because it'll work doesn't mean it's a good option...

OP, it'll kill, assuming you can hit anything with the rainbow trajectory. I wouldn't use it though, there are much better 45-70 loads available and I'd be looking at using those hsm bear loads if you don't reload.
 
I've taken a couple deer with my 405gr cast projectiles. I reload them to a cowboy load and they only come out st 1350fps from a 24" barrel. Longest was 150 yards and it did great.
 
A 405 at 1300 or even 1200 will completely penetrate ANY deer and kill it dead at well over 1000 yards, trajectory is the only issue. For deer around 100 yards that will be ideal light recoiling, with no meat loss.
 
My 405gr 4570s make a bigger wound cavity then my 308 GMX does to put that in perspective for you. 150 yards is my max on that load simply because of drop and velocity. If I'm going farther or taking an animal with a thicker hid I bump up the fps and the bullet hardness.
 
I have killed a # of deer with the 45-70 loaded from 1100 to 1300 fps, from 50 yrds to 245 yrds and yes, as all the others have stated the underlying limitations to your success is the ability to judge distance & trajectory very well.

The buck I killed at 245 yrds was a full grown mature 400 lb mule and as Fox stated the 400 gr cast slug went thru and thru breaking ribs on both sides...he made 4 jumps and died.
 
I wouldn’t spend a minute worrying about wether or not hat load will kill deer. With a proper cast bullet that load will kill most anything as has been said.

The beauty of that load is that you can shoot and shoot sun up till sundown without killing your self through recoil. It’s pleasant to shoot and if you load and cast your own you can beat surplus ammo and almost handgun ammo prices. Which is key because the only glitch with this load set up is a guy should shoot it lots at varying distances and from different positions to account for the trajectory it is bound by.

Have fun with it. It’s a good one.
 
It’s like playing hockey with a golf club but it’ll kill deer. A lot of far less interesting choices will make the deer hunting easier, but then again folks enjoy bow hunting too. If you like it, have fun it’ll work.

Clay00019 said:
I think the deer will be doing a back flip after getting hit with that flying pancake round.
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Contrary to popular perception quite the opposite, it will penetrate with little tissue disruption, and carries low amounts of energy. A .270 will be far more violent in terminal effect, even a .243 would make it look bad on deer. The deer will run flat out 50-150 yards and fall over most of the time with the hard / and or slow .45-70 load.
 
I wouldn't worry about it at all out to 100-125 meters. Maybe a bit more if you're good at range estimates and a good shooter. Print out a drop chart with your desired zero, confirm it's relatively accurate (shoot at 25,50,75,100,125) and there you go. You might have to turn down some farther shots though.
 
Ardent said:
Contrary to popular perception quite the opposite, it will penetrate with little tissue disruption, and carries low amounts of energy. A .270 will be far more violent in terminal effect, even a .243 would make it look bad on deer. The deer will run flat out 50-150 yards and fall over most of the time with the hard / and or slow .45-70 load.
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X2...

But a 405 @ 1300 will do a fine job of killing... you will have two holes and a good blood trail. While it may kill at further distances, from an accuracy perspective, you might want to keep your shooting to a 100 yards (ish)... I have taken many deer with soft cast loads, at 1200-1500 fps, out of .45/70, .45/90, .45/120, .375 Win, .38/55, .405 Win etc... something of that nature is what I reach for when I head into the swamps.
 
Thanks everybody, pretty much how I feel too, I wouldn't be looking to make any shots much over 100 yards and within that range slow and heavy will be just fine.

It's funny though how some will insist that a "proper" hunting load is needed, as if a hardcast is a milsurp FMJ.
 
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