New guy

[muffinman]

Hi guys I just joined and have several questions. I have reloaded for awhile but am just starting with cast bullet. I have cast my own .44 Keith boolits and they worked great. Now I want to try casting for my .45-70 guide gun. I have lots of ww just wondering how fast to drive them ,what mold to use ,favorite powders stuff like that. Want to make a hunting load mainly for deer and wild hogs. thanks mark

[kodiak1]

muffinman welcome to the board.
If you want to drive them over 1600 you will need to gas check or have a very veryt good lube. I run mine at about 1300 to 1450 fps no gas checks ww casts in 405 Grn. Use different powders and have good luck with most of them, but like 5744 about the best.
Have used cornmeal filler and had good luck that way also.
Ken.

[muffinman]

Hi Ken Im guessing I dont really need to go over 1600 fps to take a whitetail or a hog. Have you tried the Felix lube I have been reading about? Also Im guessing I should use the biggest meplat bullet I can? thanks mark

[MT Gianni]

Hi Ken Im guessing I dont really need to go over 1600 fps to take a whitetail or a hog. Have you tried the Felix lube I have been reading about? Also Im guessing I should use the biggest meplat bullet I can? thanks mark

1600 will kill em dead. I would add the biggest meplat that shoots accuratly to your thoughts as they can look pretty but impact at sight picture is what you want. Gianni.

[Ricochet]

I used to shoot ~400 grain bullets out of my 1895 Marlin at 1700+ FPS (which it will do with minimal leading using 3031), but nowadays I'm happy with 325-340 grain boolits in the 1500-1550 FPS range. Lots easier on the shoulder. And a hollow point Lyman #457122 will do just fine for hunting at that speed. I find about 35 grains of surplus WC680 with a magnum primer gives that speed and seems to be a safe load in my Marlin. I use a bit of Dacron filler with it.

[LAH]

Welcome to the board Muffinman. One of the best bullets for the 45-70 is the RCBS 45-405-FN. You can see it here: http://www.rcbs.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=4&s2=9&s3=83&pg=4

It's a gas check bullet and requires the extra step of seating the check but IMHO, well worth the effort. This bullet at 1200-1400 fps will be plenty for deer or boar, even very large barn yard hogs.

A light plain base bullet is the Saeco 015. It's a 300 gr. FN with 3 lube grooves. I like the little bullet and their moulds.

My rifle is a repro '74 Sharps and I load it lite to moderate using AA5744...Creeker