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Thread: What is your best choice for 45 70 hunting bullet?

  1. #1
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    Blammer's Avatar
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    What is your best choice for 45 70 hunting bullet?

    Looking at getting a 45-70.

    Was wondering what the best bullet wt and style would be for deer and pig hunting?

    Most likely will get a mold and cast my own for it.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    DonMountain's Avatar
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    RCBS 45-300 FNGC. I went through the 500 grainers and other heavy bullet molds before advancing to this one. Lighter recoil, better accuracy, higher velocity, and has killed every deer I shot it at. The 500 grainers killed deer too, but it took a lot longer for the bullets to get to the deer, so they didn't die as fast.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    The Lee 340g.

  4. #4
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    I like the lee 340 for low vel. If I need to step up the power level the 350 Ranch Dog design is a good one.

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    Whatever the twist likes best.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
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  6. #6
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    RCBS 45-300 or NOE's copy with the HP, cup point and flat nose Pins . Also the NOE SC460-350 with Pins
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  7. #7
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    405gr fn that goes around 1300fps

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    480 gr. NEI. Stem to stern penetration on everything I've shot with it so far....and that's a pile of game. They don't move except for down.

    Should probably add all were fired from a Shiloh Sharps, 45-70 loaded over 60-62 grs. of real BP. Velocity, around 1100 fps. When fired from my Shiloh in 45-90 over 80 grs. of real BP velocity moves up to around 1200-1250 fps. Never was very enamored of light for caliber bullets in either cartridge.
    Last edited by sharps4590; 12-21-2018 at 09:18 AM.
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  9. #9
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    I vote for the Lee 340gr also. I load mine in the 1200-1300fps range. 1/2" hole in...and about 2" hole coming out on a whitetail. Not much meat loss.

    redhawk

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  10. #10
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    I prolly have 50 molds or so for the 45/70 but like the 545 gr. wfn gc and is my go to bullet for the biggest of game I encounter, not my first choice for game at longer ranges. Not for the recoil sensitive.

  11. #11
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    Blammer,

    Make that something of 400gr or more and with a Wide Flat Nose (WFN) profile. A velocity in the mid 1000 - 2000 fps range will flat get er done!

    Been there and done that with a 465gr at 1650fps - pile of deer and 3 elk!. You don't need warp velocity and there is little to gain trajectory wise by using light for caliber bullets!!!!!!!!!!

    Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    the caliber is so versatile one boolit won't cover it
    for deer probably a gould boolit for anything bigger
    a 425 gr HOCH and for mean toothy stuff something in the 500 gr\dept.

    I had Tom @Accurate make this one for me
    http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=46-420C-D.png
    Hit em'hard
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  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    I have and have shot in an 1895 2010 Marlin ;

    462-420HB/PB RNFP MP , shoots well enough both ways into middle lever gun loads . Prefers rifle powders , H322 and 4198 worked but with narrow windows of good loads .

    460-543 NOE (458132) too much nose length to keep me warm and fuzzy loading it deep seated even paper patched . Single fed was fine and produced groups good enough to keep me interested in subs and TD loads . Much more than that was a lot of not fun .

    Mountain Molds 453-350 RNFP custom . Paper patched made 4" gongs @ 50 yd off hand easy . I don't know how fast they were going but they were into mid lever gun data .

    459-340 RNFP Lee .....well it show up an kept in TD levels it shot ok . Not great , not terrible , it showed up and ran .

    458193 Lyman . This is the rock star 4198 got me to the top of the lever gun loads and way past the fun zone . H322 had the best groups just into lever gun data . Unique was great for middle TD loads . This one showed the most alloy , powder and speed flexibility .

    I find no need for a GC mould or really any alloy beyond what you might use for +P Colts or 45 ACP .

    The 45-70 save for maybe #1 or Siamese Mauser isn't a sub MOA cartridge , 3-5 rounds maybe , not in the long haul . Typically lever guns run 2.5" CTC I have a gun smith friend that did everything to a 96' and shot 3000 rounds over a yr testing loads and 3 barrels . His gold star was 2" at 100 for 10 shot groups .

    Under group buy discussion on the NOE forums is a 459-425 to 450 copy of the 300 gr Barns TAC-X dimensions in a cast bullet . Straight across is 384 gr so fill in hollow cavity and keep the resulting FP for losing the poly point it should go 405-415 gr .

    So there ya go ...... Lot of something here .....
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  14. #14
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    Lee 405gr. RNFP PB. Killed the last 3 deer with it over 15gr. Unique.
    You can miss fast & you can miss a lot, but only hits count.

  15. #15
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    In the Marlin lever’s I had I really liked the RD 460-350 GC , RD 460-425GC and the BRP 462-465GC .
    Parker's , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy Static line's Avatar
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    I've settled on NOE's 350 gr. Ranch Dog design with a gas check.That bullet in my JM model Marlin gives me groups in the 1-1/2" range at 100 yards and has taken three White Tail up to and including about 150 yards.

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  18. #18
    In Remembrance Reverend Al's Avatar
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    I have an old Browning B78 in .45-70 with the "killer" curved steel buttplate that shoots either the Sierra or Hornady 300 grain HP's into sub MOA at punishing velocities. For a cast boolit I still love the old Lyman 330 grain HP Gould Express or the RCBS 300 grain GC ...
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  19. #19
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    In my opinion, as long as you can hit the deer, anything coming out of a .45-70 will do the job.

  20. #20
    Boolit Bub 244ack's Avatar
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    Hard to beat the Gould 330 grain hp for deer sized animals. Ranch dog 425gr for everything else

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check