45-70 Deer Killers

[Guy La Pourqe]

How are ya fellas.

Deer season is sneaking up on us and I’m hoping to get my first animal with a Roller repro and my own cast lead pills.

I want to burn smokeless powder and duplicate the performance you might expect from The Holy Black. I’m currently burning IMR-3031 with the bullets moving around 1350 FPS. For a bullet I have either a Money or a Postell, both a smidge over 500 grains.

Think there’ll be any issues when the metal hits the meat? The gun doesn’t seem to care what I feed it and both bullets will go into 2 or 3 MOA off the bench if I do my part.

As always, your two cents are sincerely appreciated. Good luck in the draws, boys, and best of luck in the upcoming season.

[NSB]

No issues. You'll probably never recover a bullet with that load. I'm still waiting to recover one after about a dozen kills with several guns in this caliber. It makes a big hole no matter what bullet you use. I've yet had one go over twenty yards, and most just dropped in their tracks. My loads all ran around 1200-1400fps. A good powder for that gun is 2400 if you have some to try. It's also the least fussy cartridge I load for.

[725]

I've taken numbers of deer with a slow .45-70 boolit. They tend to drop dead in their tracks. I use a 400 grainish flat meplat with +/- 40 grs. of 3031 or 30 grs. of 4198 (+ Dacron in the 4198 case.). Both safe in my guns, but I can't see yours, so work your loads up safely yourself & use good judgement. (In other words, never do any load somebody gives you on the net!!). Check a printed manual. With that said, my buddies call this the "Matrix" load; just turns the life forces off. Your 500 grainers are going to be stunning - on both ends I 'spect. Good luck.

[Guy La Pourqe]

Yeah, I’m just loading up and confirmed my load. I’m burning 35.5 gr. Of 3031 under a 515 gr Postell. (I use 1.5 gr. of Dacron filler too and had to bump the charges down to make book velocities. My records show that one moving a smidge under 1300 FPS.

It’s a Pedersoli of recent manufacture, and I didn’t see any pressure signs so I figure I should be alright. It’s good to know that it should do the job.

[Edward]

I second 2400 powder 25grains under 1/2 grain dacron (fluffed) and its good to 200yds on deer with a NOE 350 grFN/PB .460 sized to .459 and the freezer (2) swear to it Ed

[NorthMoccasin]

Save your shoulder and try a 300 to 350gr at 1200 to 1500fs. The Lyman 457122 (339gr HP in my alloy) is THE deer killer in my 45/70's. Complete penetration, good expansion. Bison loads not needed for whitetails.

[richhodg66]

My only deer kill with a 45-70 was with that Luman 457122, but not hollow pointed that my Dad cast so it was harder than I'd have done myself. I used 30 grains of 5744, wimpy even by Trapdoor standards. Two and a half year old doe, maybe 50 yards. Not quite bang-flop, but close. She took two steps and fell down. You really don't need a freight train.

The beauty of the .45-70 is that it's powerful even when it's not.

[CLAYPOOL]

Can any one chime in using Unique in the mild loads with the RCBS .45 - 270 SAA bullets..?

[NSB]

Can any one chime in using Unique in the mild loads with the RCBS .45 - 270 SAA bullets..?

Yeah, it's the wrong diameter for a rifle. It's .452" pistol bullet, not 458" rifle bullet.

[KCSO]

Both are not good deer bullets as they are too heavy and too pointed. They zip through deer in and out and don't expand well unless they tumble. My deer load is a 330 Gould at about 1200 for less recoil and better killing power. This will still have enough energy and penetration to do on elk and such, but you do get bullet expansion in deer size 150 pounds or so, game. Otherwise a flat nose bullet no heavier than a 405 would be a second choice.

[Drm50]

I've killed several deer with Rem RB and Trapdoor. All shot with 322gr Gould Express Hp from old Ideal mold. I ran them in 1200fps range with Unique. Cast on soft side 75% lead : 25% WWs. All shots under 100yds and no deer left the viewing area. I have had a Marlin 1895 for 40yrs and although I have taken it as backup deer gun on out of state hunts over the years have never shot a deer with it. It is extremely good shooter, the only reason I still have it. The above load was my target load in it also. As far as picking a cast boolit for deer the one that your rifle shots best is what you should go with. Deer ain't Cape Buffalo and 45/70 is more than necessary with any bullet. Heavier game such as Elk, Moose or big bears require more attention to the bullet. Even the 322hp soft cast at 1200fps exits at 100yds on classic broadsides.

[marlinman93]

I can't imagine almost any load and bullet combination, short of plinkers, that wont take deer in a .45-70?

[bigted]

One of my favorite boolits is the Lyman 457122 that I ground the hollow point stem off even with the nose of the boolit. This boolit moving along at 1200 to 1300 FPS will prolly do for any walkin, crawlin or flying critter on the north american continent.

Easy on rifles. Easy on shooters. Catastrofic on big, medium or small game.

Easy on the lead supply. Easy to load for.

I bought the Lee 340 grain flatpoint but have yet to try em out. Bettin they will be good shooters also.

RCBS 300's should be great too.

[Chill Wills]

For what it is worth - the old Ideal 456 192, if you can find one, is 350 grains and is basically the Gould 457 122 HP with out the hollow point. I found a much abused copy of one and got it cleaned up and casting adequate bullets. It is much faster to produce than casting the 457 122 having to mess with the HP pin.

It casts plenty large and shoots fine when a lighter bullet in desired.

[Gray Fox]

I found I can drop a standard .177 BB in the 457122 mold and it settles right in the hole for the hollow pointer. It casts at 350 grains. I leave it as is for a single shot and file the BB flat for an 1895. Simple, but it works, and doesn't preclude using the HP as intended. If I could figure out how to make the boolit release the BB it would make a good cup point HP. GF

[17nut]

Veral Smith says: 70% meplat or better and between 1400 and 1700fps hit speed for optimum energy performance in the animal. The large flat nose will create a substantial temporary wound / mass displacement and shock the animal.

[Good Cheer]

My brothers hunting load is is a minute of angle accurate 500 grain pointed spitzer paper patched swaged soft lead launched at 1800FPS.
It expands just fine, nothing ever walks away and I'm always afraid he's giving himself shaken baby syndrome.

[rockrat]

You might be able to take your BB's and tumble them in a coating using powdered graphite and alcohol, to help them release

[EDG]

I shoot those same weight cast bullets at 1100 to 1200 FPS using 23 to 25 grains of the discontinued SR4759. You could use similar burning rate powders like 4227 and 5744 to get the same velocities.

I can recommend these loads because they provide near one inch groups at 100 yards in 2 Browning BPCRs and a Pedersoli Billy Dixon rifle.

Recoil is not too pleasant for bench resting but it should be ok for hunting.
You want to be careful hunting deer though. Be sure there is nothing behind your target animal because the 500 grain bullet will not slow down much after punching through from any angle.

[Wolfmanjack]

I shoot a 353 gr wfn cast from accurate mold. I use water cooled wheel weights because they provide the best accuracy in my gun. Load is 12 grains of tightgroup. I took two deer last year with this load/bullet combo. First shot a doe that was a bang flop. Second a small buck that made it all of about 30 yards before falling over. I don’t have a chrony but I can’t imagine it’s going very fast at all. It’s a pleasure to shoot, not punishing at all.