Which round to use?????

The 325 FTX is a good choice for deer... I have found the accuracy to be consistently superior to my cast laods... I also use the 225 FTX bullet in my .44 RM and the 200 FTX bullet in my .358 Win on deer.
 
scotiangunlover said:
have you had any trouble with the bullets separating and breaking apart?
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Probably not, because jacket separation isn't a big issue on deer. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm just saying if it does happen it won't have a major effect on whether or not the deer dies.

Jacket separation is a concern on larger animals, where weight retention is required to penetrate deep enough to get to the vitals. On a deer, it's far less of a concern.
 
Checking through my inventory of components, the biggest calibre variety/selection I have is for the 45-70 and 458WM. Eight jacketed, nine actually and the Rem 405gr, the most recent member, is absent in the photo. And in addition, five cast to select from, missing is a 395gr LFNBB..





The following are my 45-70's I load for.
= Marlin 1895GS
- Marlin 1895GBL
- Magnum Research BFR.







From the two choices you've listed, and sticking a little with something along more traditional lines and weight, my #1 choice would be the 405gr Remington.
 
Whether the bullet remains in the animal or not is a discussion of its own. The only bear that moved when hit with my 405 gr fnsp was the only one that kept the bullet inside her. It was fired from a 458 wm at 2450 fps mv and hit at 160 yards. Broke 6" of the spine just above the rear hips and traveled up breaking all but one rib and smashed thru the front shoulder and was against the hide in the chest. It weighs 369.something and is the size of a twoonie in diameter. That bear went 40 yards before I shot her again. She was about 180 lbs dressed. I realize either will work for deer but if the op chooses to hunt other game then more than just anything maybe needed

The off season is great for playing around and shooting. Living on a farm I had my own shooting range and got a lot of trigger time
 
brybenn said:
Whether the bullet remains in the animal or not is a discussion of its own. The only bear that moved when hit with my 405 gr fnsp was the only one that kept the bullet inside her. It was fired from a 458 wm at 2450 fps mv and hit at 160 yards. Broke 6" of the spine just above the rear hips and traveled up breaking all but one rib and smashed thru the front shoulder and was against the hide in the chest. It weighs 369.something and is the size of a twoonie in diameter. That bear went 40 yards before I shot her again. She was about 180 lbs dressed. I realize either will work for deer but if the op chooses to hunt other game then more than just anything maybe needed

The off season is great for playing around and shooting. Living on a farm I had my own shooting range and got a lot of trigger time
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i do have some HSM 430 grain bear load in my safe too but i figured that was just overkill for deer.
 
Papaclaude said:
Interesting that you've done all these tests. You have me convinced. I know that cast lead bullets provide excellent penetration and mushrooming. I use pure or close to pure lead, powder coated. I'll try some expansion tests with them. I tried in wet sand with my cast 44 Mags and consistently get a nice rounded button about 7/8 to 1 inch diameter, with about 95% retention. I had not heard of the jacket shedding with the FTX's.

Congrats on your work.
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Thanks. I love my 45/70 and 458 wm. I haven't tried any cast in my 458 wm yet. I use 405 gr rem and 400 gr woodliegh ppsn in it. Once I use up the Remington bullets it will get the woodlieghs steady
 
scotiangunlover said:
That's my concern with the FTX from what I've read on here. I don't want to ruin a bunch of good meat.
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I have not recovered any bullets, but the wounds look great, no fragments found anywhwre in the animal... if you were shooting them at 3000 fps, you might have an issue, at .44 RM & .45/70 speeds, don't worry... even at .358 Win speeds it is not a concern... I have a new M77 .358 Win Carbine, that I have my pet FTX deer load set-up for, it is extremely accurate and I am sure that it will prove as effective as all of my other .358's on deer.
 
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