Stopping Power Of Hornady 325FTX Bullets

T

terry_g

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Canada's North West
I was at the range yesterday and I found a Hornady 325FTX bullet on the bank at the 200 yard target.
I it is probably one of mine. It would have gone through a piece of paper and a layer of 3/8" plywood
then hit the hillside at 200 yards. I am surprised at the condition it is in.
I bought a box of Hornady ammo to try out my new 1895 Marlin. From what I had read I was expecting a lot more recoil.
My reloads using the same bullets and 46.5 grains of 4198 have substantially more recoil.
I suspect the bullet is from the factory loaded ammo.

I am planning on carrying the rifle in the bush with me in case I confront a black bear.
I am a little concerned about the stopping power of these bullets.

Terry


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Dirt does wierd things to bullets,I have a .270 TSX that I fired at a cardboard box then hit the frozen ground and
came to a stop about 25 ft behind the box.I was thinking of digging it out of the ground when I saw it laying there unexpanded
about a foot behind where it had hit the ground.
Is it possible it was fired at a 100 yard target and was stoped by the snow at 200;then exposed when the snow melted.
 
I would guess that the wood caused it to tumble and it didn't hit the dirt square on. There was a video I saw a while ago where even 50BMG rounds tumble after passing through some light (~1/2") branches. Perhaps try shooting it straight into the dirt instead of through a board first or try a soft wood tree. If you have it available you could try a few phonebooks put together.

Even factory leverevolution ammo isn't loaded as high as is safe in many firearms. Since the ammo could still be fired in a trap door rifle meant for black powder loads they need to keep the pressure down for liability. Official SAAMI spec for 45-70 is only 28,000CUP but modern lever rifles can be loaded up to 40,000CUP and dropping block rifles like a Ruger No.1 up to 50,000CUP. This is reflected in load data in manuals that list, usually, these 3 power levels with notes to only fire the ammo loaded with that data in the specified types of firearms. I don't know what Hornady's policy is but most factory 45-70 is only loaded to the SAAMI max as they can't control what type of rifle you put it in.
 
That's decent velocity for a 325gr bullets. I fire 300gr JHP's at 2350fps out of a 22" barrel with my handloads and it has stout recoil. They are near max in the power level 2 category for modern lever rifles. Perhaps the Hornady stuff is hotter than SAAMI? That makes me wonder though; what pressure do manufacturers use to proof 45-70 firearms with? I've read that proof rounds are anywhere from 125-150% max pressure but max of the black-powder-safe SAAMI pressure or higher pressures often reached by handloaders?

I know some people use dangerous game ammo on bear but I haven't hunted bear before so can't say for myself. I have seen (non-laboratory) test results where a hard cast lead alloy bullet out penetrates even FMJ's. If I where to go bear hunting with a 45-70 I'd probably splurge on some Barnes 300gr TSX bullets and work up a load. At $1.10 per component bullet I wouldn't use them without good reason.
 
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