405/420 light load for handicapped deer hunter.

[284LUVR]

Hi guys, first time poster here from West Virginia. looking for a light 45/70 405/420 grain bullet/ load for deer hunting. Something along the line of a .444 Marlin or a little less in the recoil department. 75 -90 yards max.

A little about myself and the need for a low recoiling load may be in order to clarify my thread/post.

I had a stroke a few years ago so pulling my rifle firmly into my shoulder with my left hand is no longer possible for me to do.Usually hunt out of my jeep with my rifle on on a pillow resting on the window frame. Legal BTW. 270 Win. is fine but my friends '06 shooting 180s usually tags me with the scope which leaves my normal 45/70 loads out of the question.

Care to recommend a hard cast load for my Marlin Micro-Groove 1895SS that won't be sending me to the ER for stitches from the scope.80-90 yards max. I really miss shooting the big bore and can't see it languishing in the safe.

Iron sights are possible in the future but the Ghost ring sight doesn't float my boat as I'd rather have the quality of a Lyman or Redfield.

If you can suggest a load that I can shoot out of the jeep the irons will probably go back on.

Thanks friends, Denny.

[NSB]

For your stated need and requirements (shooting deer at 80-90 yds max.) and very little recoil, I'd suggest using Trail Boss powder with a 400-405 grain cast bullet. Really, really soft shooting. Use 13.0 grains of TrailBoss for about 1,000 fps. It actually shoots pretty accurately and will kill any whitetail you hit out to 100yds and go right through.

[skeettx]

Denny
Welcome on your first posting!
+1 to what NSB says,
Light recoil and very effective on close deer
Mike

[btroj]

24 gr of 2400 shoots very well in my Marlin 1895 and gives 1350. If I carry that rifle for deer this fall that is the load I will be using.
I hold the rifle pretty loose with that load. I have been bit by the scope twice with heavier loads because I forgot to hold on tighter. It hurts like heck.

[284LUVR]

NSB, skeettx, btroj, Care to share what bullets you are shooting ?

Thanx guys, Denny.

[btroj]

A 405 gr plain base from a long ago Lee group buy. It is very similar to the NOE 460420. Mine tend to run 405 to 410 g depending on alloy.
I have used the 425 Ranch Dog with the same load and had good results with it also.

[NSB]

Montana Bullet Works Lyman .458 sized .459 #2 alloy BHN 15 and the other one was Laser Cast 405g FP sized .459

[skeettx]

Lots of different ones, but my all time favorite is the 457483
SWEET
Mike

[aspangler]

24 gr of 2400 shoots very well in my Marlin 1895 and gives 1350. If I carry that rifle for deer this fall that is the load I will be using.
I hold the rifle pretty loose with that load. I have been bit by the scope twice with heavier loads because I forgot to hold on tighter. It hurts like heck.
+1 on this load. Accurate and not much more recoil than a 410.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

+1 for lighter loads and a 300-350 gr boolit... get her out of the safe, good luck

[Lead Fred]

Limbsaver # 10003

The pad that came on the Marlin GGs are not worth a darn.

Tamed my nastest 45/70 rounds.

My standard load for 405s & 425s is 34gr RL-7

[Mk42gunner]

Not hard cast, but the Gould bullet, Lyman 457122 was designed for shooting deer at BP velocities. It weighs in the neighborhood of 330 grains, which will also help cut down recoil.

The only problem might be finding one that will cast big enough.

I had a Pachmayr Decellerator on my 1895SS.

Robert

[Lonegun1894]

I shoot a lot of the Lee 450gr FP in my H&R Buffalo Classic with the steel butt-plate and when loaded with 10-12grs Unique, it has gone through every deer or hog I have dropped the hammer on and from any angle, while recoiling about half as much as my .30-30 does. I haven't tried this load past 200yds on paper, but it did well, and most of my hunting shots are 50yds or less, but the longest with these loads was at 130yds on a 200ish # hog, and it passed through the full length and exited. I never found it to check for expansion, but the hog dropped in its tracks. Impact was in the forehead and exit was 2 inches to the left of the base of the tail.

[9.3X62AL]

Lee 405 grain plain base on top of 28.0 grains of IMR-4198 gives a close duplicate of 45-70 black powder load ballistics, ~1300 FPS or so. This is an all-day load in either my Ruger #1 or the Marlin 95. Quite accurate, as well. Getting hammered by recoil from big bore rifles is NOT ny idea of recreation very often these days. Turning 50 a little over 8 years ago caused common sense to break out like a plague upon my lifestyle, and a welcome one.

[Duckiller]

Lee 405gr or 335gr in front of a bunch of Trail Boss will take care of Bambi at under 100 yds. For fun I use either boolit over minimun loads of Trail Boss. Minimual recoil. The two boolits feel different when fired but without much felt recoil. From memory velocity is around 900-1000 fps. To shoot Bambi I would probably want a little higher muzzle velocity. Trail Boss should be able to provide this.

[MT Chambers]

I agree with the Gould hollow point, cast 20-1 or so, when pushed between 1000 and 1300fps.

[skeettx]

OK 284LUVR
We have spilled out our guts
Have you tried any of the loads?
Any report?
Thanks
Mike

[mroliver77]

I think it was a drive by!

One thing that I dont understand is why most want to shoot heavy boolits in 45-70 for deer.I have a Lee 330gr for "heavy" work and an oversize 451423 that is 240gr for most of my hunting. The pistol boolit flies flatter at the ranges I use it and kills the heck out of anything deer size.

I too am looking backwards at 50 and recoil is not kind to me.
J

[StrawHat]

mroliver77, are you talking about an oversize 235 Keith? Interesting. I am currently enjoying the Gould boolit, cast 30-1 or a bit harder over a dose of BP.

[mroliver77]

mroliver77, are you talking about an oversize 235 Keith? Interesting. I am currently enjoying the Gould boolit, cast 30-1 or a bit harder over a dose of BP.

Yes it is the Kieth boolit for the .45 autorim. It casts like .455ish and I beagle it to .460ish. It shoots great in my Roller and Marlin MG lever. I think it being soft makes up for any part of the boolit not touching the groove bottom as it is not real round(but is balanced) after sizing/lubing.
J

[284LUVR]

OK 284LUVR
We have spilled out our guts
Have you tried any of the loads?
Any report?
Thanks
Mike

Mike, Sorry for the delay in reporting back to you guys.

My left arm is just about junk in the rifle shooting arena so my bench just has the Dillon sitting on it at the moment for pistol shooting. Been loading a boatload of cast boolits for the 357 mag from Dry creek bullets and Rimrock.

Gonna do my darndest to get my Rockchucker bolted back on this week. Found some Trailboss. Just gotta go pick it up.

Gimme a week or so and I'll let ya know if the scope tags me and then we'll see how it prints on paper.

Thanks, Denny.

[groovy mike]

I have not chronographed it and do not know what force it striked with but 25 grains of H322 under a 405 grain CB has almost no recoil and is the most accurate load I have in my Marlin 1895G. It will hit anything I point it at out to 100 yards.