Best lead alloy for .45-70 hunting?

[warren5421]

What is the best alloy to hunt deer with in a .45-70 Sharps? Been using .405's and Postal I bought but am going to start casting my own. Have the Lyman dies.

[hc18flyer]

Not hunting yet. I am casting 95 % lead, 2.6 tin, and 2.4 antimony, loading trapdoor loads. Runs about 11.5 bhn, by alloy calculator. Intend to stay in the 1300 fps neighborhood for hunting too. Thinking I want to go to 25 to 1 now? I will be following this thread too. hc18flyer

[stubshaft]

I use 16 to 1 in my hunting loads for my 45/70's, the animals usually end up DRT!

[Johnch]

For low velocity ( Trap Door loads )
I use 20-1

As I move up in pressure and velocity I increase to a harder alloy

John

[Good Cheer]

Up until 1987 I had a beautiful trapdoor stamped 1889 that had a huge groove diameter.
No way the chamber would accept cartridges loaded with bullets that big.
So I shot black with heavy soft lead that expanded to fill the rifling.
Conclusion: Add enough tin so that it's easy to fill out the mold and get lovely boolits.

[Winger Ed.]

I add just enough goodies plus a little bump of them to get good fill out.

Until you get up past the mid-teens, fairly soft boolits will do fine.

[Edward]

What is the best alloy to hunt deer with in a .45-70 Sharps? Been using .405's and Postal I bought but am going to start casting my own. Have the Lyman dies.

Toss up between 30-1 /pure works well too/Ed

[BLAHUT]

I load pure lead for all my 45/70s, 45/60, even use pure in my bear gun for fishing, all at about 1200 FPS or a tad less. very accurate in all my guns.

[Walstr]

Not hunting yet. I am casting 95 % lead, 2.6 tin, and 2.4 antimony, loading trapdoor loads. Runs about 11.5 bhn, by alloy calculator. Intend to stay in the 1300 fps neighborhood for hunting too. Thinking I want to go to 25 to 1 now? I will be following this thread too. hc18flyer

Greetings;
I add about 4% Pewter [tin] to the COWW for a great mould fill out recipe. I learnt this alloy "age hardens". I placed a 4 month sample on my anvil, smacked it with carpenters 16/18 oz hammer & there was little evidence it was 'disturbed'! Its a bone crusher for sure.

Some fellow casters & hunters experimented with "annealing" the nose via hand torch & pan of water to protect the main body.

I'm launching with Marlin 1895GS @ 1500 FPS, Alox lubed, 405gr. @ shooting bench. Best 3 shot group was .6" @ 100yd., 34.5gr of IMR 4198. No leading. 4 moist patches cleans the powder residue with a few lead flakes included.

Boolit [slug] w/grooves harvested from a squib load to stay in the barrel, then "push" out with a dowel & gentle hammer taps. Yes, it's a "bore rider"; my first design & Mountain Molds machined it. He's retired now.

304464 304465

[Digital Dan]

530 grains, 30:1, Lord Black. Shoots 5 in 1.5” with an elbow rest and tang sight. Boom-flop

[gunseller]

With real black I have used pure lead and acww. With a 500 grain pointed bullet I shot a deer at 600 yards. Deer went about150 yards. Using a 400 grain fn cast of acww over enough IMR3031 to get to 2000fps out of my Marlin 1895 deer move just over 2 feet down. Good luck with your sharps.

[Ramjet-SS]

With real black I have used pure lead and acww. With a 500 grain pointed bullet I shot a deer at 600 yards. Deer went about150 yards. Using a 400 grain fn cast of acww over enough IMR3031 to get to 2000fps out of my Marlin 1895 deer move just over 2 feet down. Good luck with your sharps.

I am curious as to the meplat diameter of each boolit you used. My experience in the .458 diameter calibers that a WFN can be hard and still drop deer hard. Even at lower to moderate velocities.

I have one of the Henry single shot rifles a I load a 460 grain WFN over Unique that thing drops deer like the hammer of Thor that boolit leaves the barrel at 1350 FPS I might add that gun is an absolute treasure to shoot and carry.

[warren5421]

I use a 1884 built Trapdoor, a H&R Trapdoor, Sharps, Marlin 1895 with 32” barrel and Parsons 6x scope, and a stock Marlin 1895. Like the trapdoors best. Buffalo Bill used Lucretia Borgia, a .50 Trapdoor to make his nickname.

[Sgt H]

I use 30/1 for deer with the Lyman/Gould 330 HP from my 1886 Browning and Sharps. Not pushing them extremely fast, about 1450, equivalent to the original express loads. Have had a couple at very close range (20-30 yards) where I had multiple exit wounds. Still very effective. Been considering 20/1, 16/1 or 96/2/2 but don't know if any of those would be better. Have not lost one with my present loads and those that run don't go far, often a bang-flop.

[GregLaROCHE]

I suggest using the softest alloy you can without leading at the velocity your shooting. Add a bit of tin to help with fill out. It really helps to get nice boolits. I wouldn’t have any antimony in the alloy if possible.

[Wolfmanjack]

I use water cooled wheel weights. This is what my gun likes. If I could get away with a softer alloy I would but unfortunately every softer alloy I’ve tried has lackluster accuracy. The hard alloy in a wfn profiled bullet has been impressive on taking whitetail deer. I try to shoot them in the shoulder and they don’t go far. Muzzle velocity is low probably 1200-1300 fps.

[gunseller]

I am curious as to the meplat diameter of each boolit you used. My experience in the .458 diameter calibers that a WFN can be hard and still drop deer hard. Even at lower to moderate velocities.

I have one of the Henry single shot rifles a I load a 460 grain WFN over Unique that thing drops deer like the hammer of Thor that boolit leaves the barrel at 1350 FPS I might add that gun is an absolute treasure to shoot and carry.

The 400 grain wfn is around .350. I don't know who made the mold as I bought it in a box of reloading stuff for only a few $. The 500 grain is pointed but with 63 grains 2f it matches the sights on the trapdoor. It will also shoot under 2 inches at 2 hundred yards when cast of ww.

[beltfed]

gunseller,
Trapdoor "2 inches at 200"...
You have hellish better eyes than I do to shoot that well with the Buffington sight and blade front.
also you forgot to use the usual term "all day long"

Just funning you
beltfed/arnie

[warren5421]

My trapdoor shooting the Lyman 125 has done 2" 10 rounds @ 200 yards in my dreams. At 77 I do good to hold 4" at a 100 yards. At a 100 yards the Lyman has always put the meat in the pot. Using the Marlin I have to hand load the round as the bullet is to long for the action but with the scope 200 yards is easy. Using 67 gr of FFFg it will do 2" AT 200 YARDS if the the wind god isn't playing with me.

[pworley1]

I just use clip on wheel weights with a little tin.

[beltfed]

I use 9+1 COWW/Lino , 457483 FN bullet clocking 1740fps from my
'86 Win. One shot one kill. Little meat damage.
beltfed/arnie

[gunseller]

Sorry I missed stating that the 2 inches is shot with my custom Remington RB. Same load 63 grains 2f and 500 grain bullet.