Moose with a 45-70?

Jasonsmack

Jasonsmack

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Sask - Southwest
Just wondering what bullets you guys are using for moose. Not far enough into reloading yet to make my own so what is the norm for factory loaded stuff? My gun seems to be very accurate with the 300 grain HP Winchesters. Thinking of trying some 405 grain flat points with no jacket.
 
FWIW.....the 350 Grain round nose from Hornady is an awesome performer.
They are also the Factory Bullet in the 450 Marlin Mag too:cool:
I've dumped a few Bears with them....smashing perfomance:D
 
I like the Speer 400 grain flat nose over 56 grains of Varget for about 1800 fps in my unported Guide Gun. I took two moose with this combo. One shot each - kills 'em real well.

JW
 
baldtop said:
I like the Speer 400 grain flat nose over 56 grains of Varget for about 1800 fps in my unported Guide Gun. I took two moose with this combo. One shot each - kills 'em real well.

JW
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Sounds pretty hot - hot is good. Maybe I should scramble a bit and try to load a few of my own up.
 
You guys are assuming he's using a Guide gun, or a Ruger, he didn't say, and he could be using a trap door. Lets find out the strength of his action before laying on the heavy stuff eh?
Even the standard black powder equivalent factory loads are plenty for moose, (within their range) and even out of an old trap door Springfield, or modern copy, they work fine. You may find that the 405 bullet weight is most accurate.
Mine, a custom 1886 Winchester likes my home brewed 340 grain hollow point bullets cast from wheel weights.
 
As an aside....John Y Canuck.....how hard is your Gould Hp? How fast do you shoot it? Does it hold together or fragment/expand on large game? M T Chambers produces the same bullet 15-1 but doesn't recommend it for Moose! We may have to change our recommendations based on your experience, also do you know B.M. of Mitchell Ballistics in Lindsay (he wrote the book on heavy loads in the 45/70)
 
I guess you can tell that some of us are 45/70 gunnutz and any posting on this cal. always draws our response.....I consider it the best big game gun bar none especially when you figure the average game in the East is shot at under 80yds. and out West the av. is 120 yds.(I read that some where)....I like to limit my shots anyway as it contributes to as humane a kill as possible!
 
Marlin 1895G. Sorry for not indicating that initially. I will be hunting North of Meadow Lake so 120 yards is likely a long shot for up there.

Ben can you direct me to a link or info on the MT Chambers stuff? I tried a google and came up with lousy links and info. I assume that they are a bullet manufacturer and not a cartridge manufacturer?

I had dad pick me up some factory loaded 405 grain stuff last week but I did some research and it looks like it would only be good for cowboy shooting. The muzzle velocity on this stuff is under 1300 fps. I guess I will not be hunting with it.

Around here the average range for an animal shot is as far as you can see and dare take a shot. Lots of room to take long shots at that coyote after he runs out of breath! I have to use the 308, 30-06 and 50 for those ones though.
 
M.T. Chambers is a family op. and I'm the front man so you could p.m. me or e-mail me at mtchambers@skvelocity.ca... were in sask. and our e-mail is sporatic(have to convert smoke signals)....we specialize in large bullets for large game in smokeless and BPCR.
 
I have also used the 350 Speer on a few moose and had great results. Great penetration and the moose went down fast. I know another guy who has used the 350s on bison with the same results, both Speers and Hornady as well as some 350X bullets. This is also about my favorite round. I have used it on lots of game over the past 20 years with various bullets. It's never let me down. What is does in the Ruger #1 and #3 carbine is just amazing. In the levers also it is quite a cartridge. It's effects on game is something worth seeing. Match your bullets to the game of course. The 350 Speed was designed for .458 velocities and works well in heavy loads, the .405 Rem and 400 Speer were designed for the levers and slower velocities. The .350 Hornadys work well over a wide velocity range.
 
Yeah ...Trapdoor Springfield... there is a beauty hanging on the wall at the Gun store right now, antique, no registration required, old school Bear and Moose medicine. I may just bite the bullet on that one.
What kind of hand loads would you recommend for a trapdoor J/C?
 
Keep the loads light in an original or any trapdoor. The max is listed as 28,800 CUP. So, black powder loads or the lightest section in most manuals is devoted to the trapdoor and similar. Great old find, there are others shooting them still.
 
Casull said:
I have also used the 350 Speer on a few moose and had great results. Great penetration and the moose went down fast. I know another guy who has used the 350s on bison with the same results, both Speers and Hornady as well as some 350X bullets. This is also about my favorite round. I have used it on lots of game over the past 20 years with various bullets. It's never let me down. What is does in the Ruger #1 and #3 carbine is just amazing. In the levers also it is quite a cartridge. It's effects on game is something worth seeing. Match your bullets to the game of course. The 350 Speed was designed for .458 velocities and works well in heavy loads, the .405 Rem and 400 Speer were designed for the levers and slower velocities. The .350 Hornadys work well over a wide velocity range.
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WRT the 350gr Speer, I found you had to crimp way into the ogive to get them short enough to feed from a lever gun. I ended up trading them to a buddy for some Hornadys.
 
Silverado is right, the 350 Speer doesn't feed from a stock Marlin mag well when in the canular. It does feed fine in the Browning 86 or Winchester 86 levers and of course the single shots. The 350 Hornadys do feed from the Marlin mag when seated normally.
 
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