What is your best choice for 45 70 hunting bullet?

[Blammer]

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. :)

[DonMountain]

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.

[big bore 99]

The Lee 340g.

[Loudenboomer]

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.

[waksupi]

Whatever the twist likes best.

[Smoke4320]

RCBS 45-300 or NOE's copy with the HP, cup point and flat nose Pins . Also the NOE SC460-350 with Pins

[500Linebaughbuck]

405gr fn that goes around 1300fps

[sharps4590]

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.

[redhawk0]

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

[MT Chambers]

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.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

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

[white eagle]

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_detail.php?bullet=46-420C-D.png

[Harter66]

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 .....

[EMC45]

Lee 405gr. RNFP PB. Killed the last 3 deer with it over 15gr. Unique.

[6pt-sika]

In the Marlin lever’s I had I really liked the RD 460-350 GC , RD 460-425GC and the BRP 462-465GC .

[Static line]

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.

[hockeynick39]

I use this at about 1650 fps:

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=46-400M-D.png

[Reverend Al]

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 ...

[GregLaROCHE]

In my opinion, as long as you can hit the deer, anything coming out of a .45-70 will do the job.

[244ack]

Hard to beat the Gould 330 grain hp for deer sized animals. Ranch dog 425gr for everything else

[WHITETAIL]

Right now I am doing tests on
a few 45-70 boolits.
So far the NOE 420 PB FN
is winning. The boolit drops
for me at 411 to 415gr. I just
weigh them and keep them separate.
I have some more shooting / testing
to do.:Fire:

[Winger Ed.]

I cast a RCBS that I think is supposed to be 405, but my alloy comes out closer to 420, and it clocks at around 1500 in a Marlin CB.
I like it, but the first time I fired it, I wasn't sure which end was more dangerous than the other.

[dh2]

I am using an NOE .460-405 HP with very good luck with it , Yes it is heavy for the job but my rifle likes it.

[45-70marlin]

Gould 330 gr. Or rcbs 300 gr. Gc. I use both with 2400, good bullets.

[725]

460-420. Super accurate out of my H&R. Feeds & works well from a Marlin lever gun. About 415 gr from my alloy. Proven killer. For the 15 or so deer & couple pigs I know dropped by this bullet, they were all one shot drop deals. Nice wide meplat - good lube grooves. Flies great.

[no34570]

I have to say,using my Ruger No3 45/70 I use Ranch dogs 350gr,it flattens everything I have shot and if I want bigger,I go for a 420.-500 gr cast.
I think the 350 gr bullet is the all round one,for me anyway,I also use the old Gould mould and NOE copy of it also.

If you look at my profile picture,it shows a CBE cast bullet of 430gr,it is a two part bullet one mould casts a harder bottom while the other casts the softnose and they are joined together,I have used them on a few very big pigs and they were flattened,the base is a 220gr and the soft nose is 210gr or 135gr

[ghh3rd]

350 Ranch Dog has been my most accurate boolit, and still has plenty of wallop while also having a flatter trajectory.

[pls1911]

The RD 350 or the RCBS 300 are among the most versatile bullets for the 45/70.
Both are exceedingly accurate and will perform well up to 1800 fps without much issue, and MUCH ;less recoil than 400+ grain slugs.
They're not fussy about lead hardness either, anything from 12 to 20 BHN works fine if the bullet fits the bore well.
AND of course the gas check give a little extra room for imperfections and always leaves a sparkling clean bore with about any lube.
Even at 1500 fps either bullet will fully penetrate pig muscle and bone 30-36" at my hunting ranges. I've never been able to recover a bullet, and every pig shot was DRT.

[Blammer]

Thanks for the info guys!

[Randy C]

send me a pm I will send you some, what is your twist and barrel length, the moulds i use are not listed here but there readily available. when you are ready, I hope you find the perfect place the first time out,,,new rifle needs to be heavenly first time out.

[RugerFan]

In my Marlin Guide Gun the RCBS 45-300-FN has been the most accurate followed by the RCBS 45-405-FN. I've done some experimenting with the RCBS 45-500 and NOE 45-535. Not quite as accurate as the lighter versions, but adequate for my hunting applications.

[EVR]

Best .45-70 bullet I've found is the now-discontinued Lee 402 grain Hollow Point. Acts exactly like a Nosler Partition, with the front HP section blowing up and providing severe trauma with the remaining 300 grain cylinder penetrating very deeply.

I've killed deer, bear and range cattle with it and it is impressive. I have tested it besides my .375 H&H Magnum in water jugs and boards and it will out penetrate most lead core SP .375's while evaporating the first couple jugs which is what I want in a game bullet. This is a really impressive bullet. Not sure why it was dumped by Lee but they ought to bring it back.

One cow I shot was crazed by being struck by a car, went berserk and terrorized the neighborhood. I shot it between the eyes as it came for me, the bullet striking it at about 25 yards. I later dug the bullet out of its shoulder, the slug having penetrated the skull and then pulped the vertebrae down to the shoulder for 24 inches of penetration. Given what it encountered on its way, this is outstanding, really impressive performance. I've never collected one from a bear or deer.

Here's one of the bear I killed with it many years ago from a first year Ballard-rifled Marlin 1895. My load used 3031 powder and a felt wad column for 1640 fps.

https://i.postimg.cc/GpYCsL6F/Tebbs-Bear001.jpg

[giz189]

I like the Gould boolit. Casts 340 grains out of my mould. It's accurate and kills very well out of my Marlin CB and my muzzle loader.

[EVR]

I like the Gould boolit. Casts 340 grains out of my mould. It's accurate and kills very well out of my Marlin CB and my muzzle loader.

I remember reading about that bullet which I think in an old version allowed a .22 blank to be inserted in the HP. Paul Matthews had high praise for it. It seems tho that it is a fast-opening bullet best used for lighter game?? The old Lee "402" HP really isn't what we would consider a typical HP, but rather more like the above-mentioned Nosler Partition.

I think the Gould would be a good deer killer and might serve well for hounding bear. Fellows I hunt with use .444's and do not like deep penetrating bullets and have avoided the .45-70 for that reason as the slower moving and typically heavier .45's do tend to penetrate deeper, tho I would like to do a test of fast 240's in the .444 and the Remington factory 300 driven at 2100 fps to see a good comparison.

[Norske]

Consider your recoil tolerance. You will find your barrel prefers one bullet weight above all others. A prefit Pachmyar(sp?) Decelerator recoil pad will help with the recoil a lot, and they look nice. Any bullet weight from 300 to 40 grains will be effective. Avoid commercially cast bullets with a bevel base, they don't usually slug up correctly to seal the bore.
I find the Lyman factory equivalent load of a 405 grain cast bullet and 38.5 grains of IMR 3031 powder to be comfortable.

[stubshaft]

RCBS 405 gr.. It is extremely accurate and I have harvested a lot of hogs and goats with it...never needed a follow up either.

[NorthMoccasin]

+ 1 on the 330 Gould. Acts like a nosler partition. Deep penetration on whitetails . Shot an 8 pt quartering in the point on the shoulder and found the rear half under in the skin in the offside ham. Never recovered one from several other deer shot with this bullet, just silver dollar exit wounds. 1200 to 1400 fs is plenty. Heavier bullets not needed for whitetails IMHO.

[Ozark mike]

Lee 458 500f will knock the snot out of anything from rabbit to grizz bear and bigger without tearing up precious meat at 1750 fps outta 1895gs and 1500fps with bfr 7.5 if you can handle recoil and not sprain a wrist

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I've shot about a dozen elk and a few deer with the 300gr Barnes Original(soft lead, pure copper jacket) at 2200fps. In cast, the RCBS 300gr FN GC works well and is accurate. Heavier bullets just add recoil and eat up lead. The 300gr punches through the shoulders of bull elk and usually exits, liitle need for more.

[Messy bear]

Best .45-70 bullet I've found is the now-discontinued Lee 402 grain Hollow Point. Acts exactly like a Nosler Partition, with the front HP section blowing up and providing severe trauma with the remaining 300 grain cylinder penetrating very deeply.

I've killed deer, bear and range cattle with it and it is impressive. I have tested it besides my .375 H&H Magnum in water jugs and boards and it will out penetrate most lead core SP .375's while evaporating the first couple jugs which is what I want in a game bullet. This is a really impressive bullet. Not sure why it was dumped by Lee but they ought to bring it back.

One cow I shot was crazed by being struck by a car, went berserk and terrorized the neighborhood. I shot it between the eyes as it came for me, the bullet striking it at about 25 yards. I later dug the bullet out of its shoulder, the slug having penetrated the skull and then pulped the vertebrae down to the shoulder for 24 inches of penetration. Given what it encountered on its way, this is outstanding, really impressive performance. I've never collected one from a bear or deer.

Here's one of the bear I killed with it many years ago from a first year Ballard-rifled Marlin 1895. My load used 3031 powder and a felt wad column for 1640 fps.

https://i.postimg.cc/GpYCsL6F/Tebbs-Bear001.jpg

Do you have a picture of that Lee?

[EVR]

Do you have a picture of that Lee?

Here ya go. I THINK it's just their regular plainbase old .45 bullet with a HP. Fantastic hunting bullet. Note the long shaft below the HP.

https://i.postimg.cc/tCkDT2cn/LEE402-HPBullet-005-640x360.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/htGs7VFy/LEE402-HPBullet-006-640x360.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/vZSz7DbQ/LEE402-HPBullet-008-640x360.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/XvGgs3Y9/LEE402-HPBullet-010-640x360.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/MGCm44nN/LEE402-HPBullet-011-640x360.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/T1Gq2Dqc/LEE402-HPBullet-012-640x360.jpg

[StrawHat]

When I used a 45-70, I was happy using the 330 Gould bullet. Cast 20/1 it did what I thought it should.

Kevin

[PHyrbird]

i like the Hornady 325g FTx, 350g Interlock, & 250g Monoflex (solid copper w/ HP). I had a Marlin 1895 that did good to hit a paper plate @100yd. Plus the scope gave me 2 scars in my eyebrow & 3 broken pairs of glasses. Then the Siamese Mauser would group 2" @ 100yd with a Lyman receiver sight. Guess which one I still have.
For the cast I've had the RCBS 300GC, The Lyman 400g, & a Lee 450g; of the 3 I prefer the RCBS. I bought a second one when the first disappeared. Perhaps the gas check helps with groups. Not sure how well the 450g will perform yet. Haven't made time for group testing so far. Another surprising option was 400g swaged lead .452 with a double layer of onion skin paper patch, a hollow point pure lead boolit. They grouped as good as factory 405g ammo, just a whole lot cheaper.
Now I do agree with greglarouche that any thing you hit with a 45-70 is likely to drop, & I agree with many the Marlins are designed to hammer the shoulder. I LIKE my Siamese, the straight stock & heavy barrel combine to push not smack. It's a gem.

[Petander]

I'm on the hard & heavy side like in most calibers for big game.

465 grain Robert Applegate mold, cycles in a Marlin. BHN 18, not brittle. And I push these pretty fast with Vihtavuori N130.

240097.

I also use Hornady 350 FN for moose @ 2150 fps, they hold up and expand nice. Got a few recovered under the hide on the other side.

[Lonegun1894]

I use two bullets. For deer and hogs, I use the Gould, which casts at 335gr for me. Works excellent, not much recoil, good accuracy of around 2"@100 out of my 1895. The other is the NOE 460-429, which I load warmer and got to have a heavier load for when I get to do a moose hunt when I grow up someday. Accuracy is 1.5"@100 out of the same 1895, but the recoil is enough that my groups start opening up with a longer string of over 20 rounds without a break, so I don't shoot long strings of these. They have also worked great on deer and hogs, but the Gould works just as well, and is cheaper on lead, powder, recoil, etc. so it gets a lot more use.

[T-Bird]

+1 for the Gould for deer, I shoot it at 1400fps from my 1895 Marlin cb. Recoil is mild and results are good.

[Petander]

Many people mention Gould. Light bullets are nice to shoot,my plinker is RCBS 325.

If you coat your bullets and want a light HP ,how about this NOE design? I've been interested for a while already.

242297

[Abert Rim]

I'm on the hard & heavy side like in most calibers for big game.

465 grain Robert Applegate mold, cycles in a Marlin. BHN 18, not brittle. And I push these pretty fast with Vihtavuori N130.

240097.

I also use Hornady 350 FN for moose @ 2150 fps, they hold up and expand nice. Got a few recovered under the hide on the other side.

Petander, congratulations on the Robert Applegate mold. Wish he still made them. They are works of art.

[Texas by God]

That sure is a good-looking dog.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Petander]

Petander, congratulations on the Robert Applegate mold. Wish he still made them. They are works of art.

Thank you, yes that was like yesterday... I still have the box,just checked and I got the mold in June 2005. I remember how I opened the box,remember the weather...and my amazement. It was my first custom mold and first brass mold as well.

A real treasure. Funny how the time flies...



That sure is a good-looking dog.

.

Thank you,another treasure. Sometimes we get lucky.

[quail4jake]

405gr fn that goes around 1300fps

Yup! that's the one, at least in my Sharps...