"Owing to this ability, the 45-70 provides a degree of lethality not generally found with other calibers, even ones producing much greater power. This is best evidenced by comparisons with the mighty 458 Winchester Magnum. As conventionally loaded with 500-grain expanding bullets, the 458 is notorious for its relatively shallow penetration. Consequently, when really heavy game is hunted, it is quite common for roundnose solids to be used. Unfortunately, roundnose solids tend to be slow to incapacitate big game. By comparison, the 45-70 can be loaded with blunt non-expanding hard-cast bullets that produce much deeper penetration than the 458 with expanding bullets, and cut a much larger wound channel than the 458 with roundnose solids. Also, the speed of incapacitation is much faster with a blunt non-expanding bullet than with any roundnose solid. Simply stated, proper hard-cast bullets effectively split the difference between under-penetrative expanding bullets and the slow to incapacitate roundnose solids.
http://www.handloads.com/misc/linebaugh.penetration.tests.asp
OK: Lets start with his first statement:
458 Win Mag FMJ 500 2,260 47.0 n/a The bullet tumbled, hit the wood floor, and re-entered the paper.
One of Garretts penetrating Hammer heads:
45-70 Garrett Hammer Head 415 1,850 23.0 n/a Mushroomed and straight
Puts it performance wise right here:
480 Ruger LFN 306 1,058 25.0 7.5 (stopped 1/2� past the bone)
or here:
45x2 7/8� Sharps Lead 543 1,412 26.0 16.0
Year tested:2003
Appears when it hits something hard, the bullet mushrooms, and doesn't penetrate any more then another, 'under penetrating' soft point:
500 Nitro Express SP 570 2,150 25.0 n/a Mushroomed and straight
Guess I should really worry that the .500 Nitro Express is going to under penetrate, and not stop stuff:
500 Nitro Express Solid 570 2,150 48.0 n/a Tumbled and undamaged
Now, if we move up in weight, the Hammer Head sort of
works as described:
45-70 Garrett Hammer Head 530 1,550 55.0 n/a Front swaged out and tipped
Wonder if bullet weight, and casting hard enough, so that it doesn't expand, are the real keys?
What this bit information does show is that we do have cast bullets, even in handguns, that depending on weight and bullet design, will penetrate as well as solids in actual big game hunting rifles. That said, the amount of energy that is transfered, and the wound channel are clearly different.
Garrett's argument creates a straw man,
"As conventionally loaded with 500-grain expanding bullets, the 458 is notorious for its relatively shallow penetration. "
NO ONE I know is going to Africa with bad bullets, and loads in the 458 win mag. In fact, seating bullets out a little bit, or using Double Tap, or others, you can get 458 Lott type performance from the 458 Win Mag.
With the new bullet designs, there is no reason to let such garbage affect your choice, or delude you into thinking the 45-70 is really worth more then a 480 Ruger.
Barnes TSX bullets will not fail, and, if pushed too fast, the petals come off, and the shank penetrates like a flat nosed solid:
http://www.barnesbullets.com/products/rifle/tsx-bullet/
Barnes also makes a banded solid
that combines the strength of a solid Machined from homogenous copper/zinc alloy with the flat metplat Garrett gives so much credance to.
Finally, GS Custom makes solids that are far stronger then the old 458 bullets, and, when pushed faster, they just expand and penetrate more:
On the left in the picture are two 458 bullets that were fired into a steel drum filled with wet sand. Speeds were 2700 fps and 2300 fps from a 460 Weatherby rifle. The middle bullet picked up a layer of steel on the nose from the lid of the drum. The right hand bullet is the final production version of the bullet with the driving bandsoptimised for minimum pressure / maximum speed.
Also, you can get the very flat shooting, great feeding HV bullet, that acts as a softpoint, until it's moved too fast, and, they the petals break off, and, you have a full caliber,
shank going straight through the target:
Garrett has tried to do something that I really do understand. Wide metplat bullets, do penetrate, and cut a big hole.
Garrett is charging premium ammunition prices, 70-120 dollars for a box of 20, for cast bullet loaded ammunition, and, you can get those same cast bullets for .50-75 cents, and load them yourself.
The only Ammunition he recommends for elephant, rhino, hippo or cape buffalo is 120 dollars a box, and, uses HORNADY's Copper Clad Steel Jackedted Flatnose solid.
Those list for 53.00 for 50. So, you are paying roughly 100 dollars for a box, 20 rounds of 45-70 brass, primers and powder, not to mention it says Garrett on the box.
Conclusion:
Garett's ammunition is very expensive, and, he is charging
premium solid prices, for cast bullet loads. This is not unique. The large caliber pistol rounds are likewise an area
of over-pricing, due to a lack of competition.
The problem with cast bullets vs. monometal solids, or machined bullets are the consistency of the bullets produced. It is possible to cast a bullet, harden it just a little too much, and have the bullet shatter on impact, or break up, when it hits bone.
You don't have this problem with monometal solids.
My guess is you could get a custom run of loads, with real big game bullets, for what garrett is charging for Cast bullets.
His big game bullets have one thing in common with the
Nitro Express rounds: They are absurdly priced.
Phil Shoemaker, one of the more famous Alaskan bear guides just gave up his beloved 458 Win Mag for a .375 Ruger for backup this year.
Why? Free gun, free ammo, and, he maybe getting paid.
Why not get a hold of him, since he's probably scene more bears then most of us will in 200 lifetimes...
