I inherited (more like keeping for my children) a Marlin 1895 from my father-in-law. After looking at the price of ammo, I'm planning on adding it to the reloading menu. It came with a few jacketed hollow points, but those are also kind of expensive. Anyone used just plain lead round nose flat point 405grs for deer?
45-70 for deer?
- Thread starter Armymutt
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fallout mike
Member
I load for it for deer hunting but have not used cast boolits. It should be good to go though. Its on my list to buy a 405gr mold to do that very thing.
Shanghai McCoy
Member
I know a fellow who loads 405 cast bullets in his 45/70 model 95 and used it very successfully on hogs last year.
critter
Member
They will certainly punch a big ole hole through any deer, hog, bear or backhoe. There will be a bleed hole both in and out IF perchance a SHORT tracking job were to be needed.
Been working since about 1873 or some such. On the good-better-best scale, they may not be "best" but they are on the high side of better.
SHOT PLACEMENT is the key. There will not be much "shock value" unless something solid is hit, but not to worry.
Have fun shootin' those big ole punkinballs. (BTW my Ruger #1 shoots 'em like a laser.)
Been working since about 1873 or some such. On the good-better-best scale, they may not be "best" but they are on the high side of better.
SHOT PLACEMENT is the key. There will not be much "shock value" unless something solid is hit, but not to worry.
Have fun shootin' those big ole punkinballs. (BTW my Ruger #1 shoots 'em like a laser.)
I can't imagine there is anything you could put in a .45-70 that wouldn't crush a deer.
Different bullets will have different trajectories and terminal ballistics...just get to know your hunting bullet on the range, determine it's limits, and have fun.
I hunt with one during our "primitive weapon" season and i can tell you...the deer do NOT like it. It's not a flashy, flat-shooting, long range cartridge...but anything that does wander inside the kill zone...is gonna get a cinder-block sized hole through it.
The best blood trail I ever saw was from a .45-70. I shot a doe at about 40 yards and it looked like a fire hose of blood gushing out of the ENTRANCE wound. The trail went about 6 feet.
Different bullets will have different trajectories and terminal ballistics...just get to know your hunting bullet on the range, determine it's limits, and have fun.
I hunt with one during our "primitive weapon" season and i can tell you...the deer do NOT like it. It's not a flashy, flat-shooting, long range cartridge...but anything that does wander inside the kill zone...is gonna get a cinder-block sized hole through it.
The best blood trail I ever saw was from a .45-70. I shot a doe at about 40 yards and it looked like a fire hose of blood gushing out of the ENTRANCE wound. The trail went about 6 feet.
xXxplosive
Member
At a 100yds or less the 45-70 will down anything on the North American Continent..have personally seen bears that were left hemraging from every orifice of their body and I'm not exaggerating. IMO.....your way over gunned for a deer....even my .444 Marlin is just a hammer on deer size game and that's only 240gr. not .405gr.
Coltdriver
Member
I have loaded up some 405 grain dead soft lead rounds at ~1500 fps for an elk hunt this year. I am sure the round will pass right through bone or anything else.
The 45 70 wiped out millions of buffalo with a black powder charge that ran a 405 grain bullet out the barrel at around 1300 fps.
I sighted mine in with a scope with a couple of hold over marks on the reticle. Zeroed it at 100 yards, first mark gets it out to 120 yards and the third mark gets it out to 150 yards.
I am taking the 45 70 to make the hunt a bit more sporting. You might even consider the 300 grain lead rounds at a slightly higher velocity to extend your range without having to calculate an artillery arc.
The 45 70 wiped out millions of buffalo with a black powder charge that ran a 405 grain bullet out the barrel at around 1300 fps.
I sighted mine in with a scope with a couple of hold over marks on the reticle. Zeroed it at 100 yards, first mark gets it out to 120 yards and the third mark gets it out to 150 yards.
I am taking the 45 70 to make the hunt a bit more sporting. You might even consider the 300 grain lead rounds at a slightly higher velocity to extend your range without having to calculate an artillery arc.
351 WINCHESTER
Member
If your Marlin has a micro groove barrel you might want to ask what to do to keep your bullets from tumbling. If I knew I would tell you, but from past experience in my .30-30 the lead bullets I used tumbled very badly.
Liberty1776
Member
Couple good things about the 45-70 with lead bullets on whitetails. You don''t have to drive them fast to be effective. (Fast, is relative, and won't really improve the lob-style trajectory) and... you will be able to eat right up to the bullet hole - no losing both shoulders from hydrostatic damage.... just my opinion...
Flintknapper
Member
This doesn't speak directly to your question about a solid lead 405 grain bullet, but a bullet I can heartily recommend is the Remington Jacketed Soft Point (bulk bullet 405 gr.)
It is meant to be used in the venerable 45/70 but I use them in my .458 SOCOM which produces velocities consistent with mid-range 45/70 loads, so you could expect similar performance from your rifle.
All of the bullets (on the left second pic) were recovered from either Whitetail Deer of Feral Hogs.
It is rare to recover one, since normally they pass through (at almost any angle) but you can see.... they expand well.
At higher impact velocity (1600 + fps) they will sometimes shed their jacket, but it really doesn’t matter, the bullet continues to penetrate and expand….even if not so ‘controlled’.
They are superbly accurate (in my rifle) and will always be a staple bullet of mine to load. Give them a try!
It is meant to be used in the venerable 45/70 but I use them in my .458 SOCOM which produces velocities consistent with mid-range 45/70 loads, so you could expect similar performance from your rifle.
All of the bullets (on the left second pic) were recovered from either Whitetail Deer of Feral Hogs.
It is rare to recover one, since normally they pass through (at almost any angle) but you can see.... they expand well.
At higher impact velocity (1600 + fps) they will sometimes shed their jacket, but it really doesn’t matter, the bullet continues to penetrate and expand….even if not so ‘controlled’.
They are superbly accurate (in my rifle) and will always be a staple bullet of mine to load. Give them a try!
WaywardSon
Member
Flintknapper....Thanks for taking the time to dig around and find those bullets. It is always interesting (to me at least) to see how a bullet performs on game. I've recovered a few, but never from the 45/70. Good job. Now get back to those piggies
2 years ago I used a Springfield trapdoor carbine with 405 grain lead cast bullets to take a doe. The round dropped her in her tracks at 70 yards. You should have no problems with them. You are correct for hand loading, the only way to go and in the 1895 you can load a lot more stout if you want over trapdoor loads.
40-82
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I've killed maybe twenty deer with an RCBS flat nosed 405 grain design, which with my alloy weighs out to about 420 grains. It works fine, and you'll recover a bullet. If you're open to suggestion, I would recommend their 300 grain mold instead. The lighter bullet has less recoil and I've yet to recover a bullet from a deer.
dprice3844444
member
35Remfan
Member
45-70 405gr lead round nose gets a big thumbs up on deer. Heck, I would use it on black bear and at close range hunting on elk. Big big hole and lots of penetration.
I would hestitate to use a 200gr lead round nose 35 Rem on deer.
I would hestitate to use a 200gr lead round nose 35 Rem on deer.
chas08
Member
I've used the 300 grain Hornady Leverevolution ammo in my 1895 with excellent results on deer. Including a very large bodied Pennsylvania 10pt. a couple of years ago that dropped in his tracks with a double lung shot in the crease of the shoulder. As I understand it they are available for reloading now.
Nite Ryder
Member
I have five different 45-70's (all rifles) and I reload for them, however I have never used 405 grain bullets and don't plan to. I also have two Encore barrels in 45-70 and the heavier bullets increase the felt recoil, which is not pleasant in a handgun. Most of my 45-70 shooting has been from the two Thompson pistols, but I've done a fair amount of shooting my Sharps single shot rifle. The most recoil comes from a small light weight Ruger #1, but the loads for that particular rifle are somewhat hotter than loads for the Sharps and loads for the two Marlins I have. Most reloading manuals will show three separate loads for 45-70, depending on what kind of rifle you are going to be using. These rifles will certainly kill a deer, or just about anything else that gets in the way. We have one fellow in our town who has successfully taken many African game animals with his 45-70's.
cpt-t
Member
Armymutt: My Son and I have several 45-70`s two Sharps & 3 1895 Marlins and the load we use most of the time is 35grs of IMR 3031 and a Hard Cast 405 gr LRNFP bullets. This load is very comfortable to shoot and You can shoot it all day it is our Cowboy Action Load. I think it gives about 1250 fps don`t have a chornagraft. We got a cahnce to go Pig hunting down in Texas and I packed the wrong ammo my Son bought some Corbon and Garrett hot factory loads. We did not find this till we were there and ready to go hunting. My Son was really mad at me, but we had to use the light loads I had packed. Befor dark My Son had to 2 pigs on the ground and I even got one. We had full penatration on all 3 and 2 were DRT and one went about 25 to 30 yds. All 3 were shot at 75 yds or less. This is the load I hunt with, on just about everything, and on Deer it is like using THORS HAMMER. I have shot the heavy loads in my Marlin 1895 but find them very unconfortable to shoot. I am 70yrs old now and am getting more recoil all the time.
ken
ken
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Mmmmm?
A 405 cast bullet 45-70 for deer?
For sure!
Just don't shoot one standing in front of the rest of the deer herd.
Or you will be well over the legal limit with one shot!!
rc
A 405 cast bullet 45-70 for deer?
For sure!
Just don't shoot one standing in front of the rest of the deer herd.
Or you will be well over the legal limit with one shot!!
rc
......What RC said......+The 405 was the original load for the 45/70. Killed thousands of bison and has taken every big game animal on the planet. The nice thing about "Thor's Hammer" is it doesn't destroy much mean at all. The round is big and slow. Hardcasts will go completely through an elk from north to south. No, you aren't going to get 500 yard kills with a 45/70 with out spending a pretty fair amount of time at the range burning up lead. But 100-200 yard harvests are entirely achievable. I always have to laugh when I read other forums where guys talk about the inadequacies of the 45/70. What they are really doing is admitting to poor bullet choice and/or poor shot placement.
Lloyd Smale
Member
ive shot a number of deer with the 405 rcbs mold bullet and ate backstraps every time.
grubbylabs
Member
Most Marlins like a fat bullet, Mine shoots a cast 400 grain bullet really well. After seeing what it did to a cast rear truck axle I am sure it will slow down exactly when it feels like it and no sooner.
CSA 357
Member
i shoot 300 gr hollow points in my browning 1878 i have killed many deer with this hand load over the years and it has always done a good job
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