what style bullet would you use

[xdmalder]

So here's the choices. I have a NOE 265 grain bullet mold in .454 diameter. It can be cast flat nose, cup point, or hollow point. The velocity will be between 1100 to 1300 fps. What style bullet would you use at what velocity? You can even state the alloy and hardness if you so choose. This will be for deer hunting out to 150 yards max but most likely under 100

[jabo52521]

I use a similar sized boolit to hunt deer. My choice is a solid for penetration. It's cast out of straight ww and driven at 1100 fps.

[MBTcustom]

Stick with the flat point. Cast it out of COWW + 2% tin air cooled. Shoot it at 1100FPS and listen for the pop.

[xdmalder]

Forgot to mention it has a meplat of .33"

[Grendel99]

They will all get the job done if you do your part. I'd throw in some pure with paper weights at a 1 lead to 2 ww's ratio (go higher or lower on the pure per your velocity and intended shooting distance.) with the cup point. Put that bullet through one or both of its shoulders and it will probably drop. If the deer doesn't, then follow the big blood trail the cup point bullets make on exit.

[runfiverun]

flat point, 11-1200 fps, and the slightly softer [than ww] alloy is my preference too.
I'm assuming this is from a lever gun.

[sharpsguy]

Flat point,ww, 1100-1200 fps, no question.

[Blammer]

I prefer the cup point and WW alloy, air cooled.

[xdmalder]

I never said if it from a rifle or pistol because some people have strange ideas of what a bullet from a rifle vs a pistol is capable of. It is from a levergun. I had Ranger Point Precision convert a Marlin in 44 Mag to 45 Auto.

[BrentD]

I have a new bullet that I'll be using this year. A 420 gr flat nosed bullet case 40:1, paper patched and backed with an as yet undetermined amount of 3F Swiss.

For moose.

[Beerd]

a 45ACP levergun! now that's something you don't run into every day.
..

[xdmalder]

Yeah its a blast. He shortened a new Douglass barrel to 16.75". Short stroked the the lever and slicked the action. Bedded forearm and stock. Replace mag tube with an aluminum mag tube and lightened and balance the stock. It has a Skinner express sight with brass stem on it.

[Larry Gibson]

Cup point or HP cast of 20 -1 lead - tin alloy. Expansion will enhance terminal affect and if there is no expansion the terminal affect will be the same as with the flat point. Thus with many shots you gain some advantage with the expanding bullet. Penetration will be quite sufficient for deer.....probably through and through with the exception of a long raking shot or Texas heart shot (such shots I don't take, just my choice). I'm finding a Lyman 245 gr GC'd SWC HP'd of 20-1 alloy at 1300 fps to be a very effective cast bullet out of my own 45 ACP rifle (M98 Mauser with Rhineland conversion).

Larry Gibson

[xdmalder]

Bump up

[Michael J. Spangler]

No comment on what style to use.
Just have to say that rifle is awesome. I would love a 45 acp lever gun. Beautiful.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

I am not a cup or hollow point person due to the need for a consistent impact velocity being a requirement for consistent results as per expansion.

However, Larry makes some points considering the level of velocity you will be dealing with.

Were you to be confining your shooting distances to ranges where a full wad cutter would stabilize and providing they would feed reliably, they might be a worthy option to consider.

Using a Wide Flat Nose cast bullet, cast of 50/50 - Wheel Weights/lead and water quenched as they drop from the hot mold, in my 45/70, I am a firm believer in large meplats. Awesome results on deer and elk.

Also I much prefer the reliability and consistency of the WFN when compared to the iffy expansion results of the hollow point/cup point. The WFN is always wide, not requiring a consistent velocity level to obtain the desired expansion along with the possibility of "expanding bullet" over or under expansion at higher or lower impact velocity.

Just an Ol'Coot's thoughts on the subject.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[xdmalder]

I am not a cup or hollow point person due to the need for a consistent impact velocity being a requirement for consistent results as per expansion.

However, Larry makes some points considering the level of velocity you will be dealing with.

Were you to be confining your shooting distances to ranges where a full wad cutter would stabilize and providing they would feed reliably, they might be a worthy option to consider.

Using a Wide Flat Nose cast bullet, cast of 50/50 - Wheel Weights/lead and water quenched as they drop from the hot mold, in my 45/70, I am a firm believer in large meplats. Awesome results on deer and elk.

Also I much prefer the reliability and consistency of the WFN when compared to the iffy expansion results of the hollow point/cup point. The WFN is always wide, not requiring a consistent velocity level to obtain the desired expansion along with the possibility of "expanding bullet" over or under expansion at higher or lower impact velocity.

Just an Ol'Coot's thoughts on the subject.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

I was wondering if you would make a comment over on Marlinowners.com or not? Didn't know if you were over here or not. Right now this rifle shoots everything pretty good. Plain base. Gas checked. All different weights and I haven't even developed a load for accuracy yet.

The cup point is dropping at 263 grains and the flat point is dropping at 273 all with WW. Since the cup point is fairly deep and the hollow point is very deep, I'm leaning towards the flat point. I have only used cast on two deer with my 45-70 XLR with a RD 360 at around 1950. Results were pretty good. Just curious if with the velocities I mentioned with the meplat I will use is that enough to get more the .5" hole in .5" out. And if that is what is capable of is that enough? I tend to say yes it will be. My take without personal experience is this bullet at around 1250 and flap nose would travel through an elk nearly end to end. But I have no experience doing this. Kind of looking to see what some 45 Colt shooters are seeing with terminal effects of the old 255 at 900 fps.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

xdmalder,

End to end of a mature elk is a really long long ways and such performance would depend ------

I never really expected to retrieve one of my 465gr Wide Flat Nose bullets, but did so on a quartering shot in a big cow elk.

Bullet struck the heavy upper front leg bone before taking a rib, all the way through the lungs, a huge full paunch and stopped just under the hide ahead of the off side hind. Ended up at 327.9gr

Had the bullet not struck that big bone, I believe it would have exited and would the shot have been head on and not struck the spine, I suspect it would have exited.

I don't know if your 265gr bullet would be able to complete the trip on an elk or not.

My son put a .44 semi-wad cutter cast bullet of about 250gr end to end through a smallish white tail, but WOW an elk is a totally different and much larger critter.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[xdmalder]

I am saying end to end just to give perspective. I only take broadside shots. Even if I'm shooting my 300 win mag. I dont plan on using it for elk but on a broadside shot I don't think it would have a problem especially since I do boiler room shots only. I never go for a bone.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

xdmalder,

Hunting being what hunting is, a bone sometimes gets in the way.

The cow elk taken the year after the one from which I showed the before and after bullet photograph gave me a nice side to side behind the shoulder shot. Yet, when all was said and done, the near side entrance did take it through some of the near side shoulder tissue. The shot exited where expected, but something changed between the time the signal went from the brain to pull the trigger and the point at which the bullet impacted.

I hear what your saying, but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.

We plan and hope for the best, but once that trigger breaks, we'll take what we get.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot