45-70 loads for deer

J

johnwilliamson062

Moderator
Put my 45-70 Katahdin with 1:20 twist rate Encore together and it balances well.
Next step is to put some lead down range(hopefully tomorrow afternoon). The used barrel I bought came with a couple boxes of Rem express 405 grain and a couple of Win Super X 300 grain.

I've not fired a 45-70 before, so I am expecting stout recoil similar to a 12ga. Will be starting off a lead sled though. I only expect to take shots inside 150yards max. Probably try to keep it in 75 yards this year unless I get out to shoot it a few more times than likely. I was looking for some lighter loads and found some Ultramax 405 grain pills that are about 300 fps slower than the Winchester. Seems like a more than poweful load for deer at that range or even out to 150 yards. Probably near PBR from 0 to 150. Thought or other loads I might try?

I will not be reloading this this year. I do have the 45-70 specific reloading manual from cabelas with loads from several sources.
 
I've shot hogs and stuff with 45/70 and you don't need the super fast loads to do the job. I reload all mine, but the lower velocity factory 405 gr. loads will work just fine for the distances you are going to hunt. I load an approximate equivalent to the factory light loads, and they normally penetrate and exit a hog just fine.
 
The 45-70 has been my favorite caliber for the last five or six years. I ended up with High Walls, Lever 1886, and a couple of Sharps. I've shot eight or nine deer with them so far and I have yet to recover even one bullet. All you need to shoot completely through even the largest whitetail is a 405g Rem JSP, and it will do it at any angle. My most accurate loads are with the 405g and up bullet weights. I shoot mostly Rem 405g loaded to around 1400-1450fps. They're pretty easy on my end and devastating on the deer's end. The Ultramax loads may not shoot as well since they are loaded way down and the bullet (lead, not jacketed) doesn't obturate much,if at all, at those velocities. They shot "OK" when I tried them at 50 and 75 yds but not so well at 100yds and beyond. You may have better performance than I did though. I'd suggest trying what ever you have on hand and picking the best grouping one for hunting. All will kill deer easily enough. Good luck.
 
That UltraMax (of which I have several boxes since they load w/ Starline brass)
will kill anything East of the Mississippi -- and most everything West of it as well.

It's soft lead (a good thing) and I've had no problems with accuracy out of either
my `95 Marlin, `74 Sharps, or Lonestar Rolling Block

... and it's downright pleasant to shoot. :D
 
If the question is what .45-70 load is adequate for deer, the answer is ALL of them. The black powder load has been taking deer since 1873, and the current factory load is the same weight and speed, although usually a jacketed bullet, and will do the same job the same way.

400gr (405) @ 1300fps approx. gets it done quite well. A little faster helps a bit with trajectory, but nothing is going to make it a "flat" shooter, and recoil goes up FAST with increases in bullet speed.

Choose which ever factory load shoots best in your rifle, and practice with it. They all work, and I have yet to meet a deer that could tell the difference...;)
 
i load a ruger #3 to a higher speed to cut down the drop, not for more killing power. if i load a 350gr bullet at 1400fps in my repo sharps and sight it in for 100yds it will drop 11" at 150yds. if i load the 350gr bullet to 1900fps in my ruger #3, i cut the drop in half. eastbank.
 
I had a Ruger #1S in 45-70 and it could hurt if not careful with loads. a Ruger#3 gives me the shakes just looking at it
 
Missing my Marlin 1895-SBR...
Anyway, Leverevolution 325-gr & 350-gr are the sweet spot for .45-70, just like Big D said :D

What they do to a Florida Whitetail deer is pretty much a DRT (Dead Right There) as long as you do your part...

This guy pretty much did all the work for you, and breaks the science down in an easy-to-read manner, with pics for fun :)
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/Game+Killing+Fundamentals.html

Make sure you put the critter in front of a tree so you can dig the bullet out for re-casting for use on range days ;)
 
sight it in for 100yds it will drop 11" at 150yds.
Click to expand...
Really? Have to make sure I pick the bigger target. Got a call from one of my tenants after work today and didn't make it to the range. Hopefully tomorrow...
The Hornady SST slugs are what I was shooting, but out of an autoloader. I will see if I can get a hold of the 325 and 250 leverolution cartridges before the season kicks off.
 
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Sight that low-recoil UltraMax 4" high at 100.
You will be point blank ±5½" from muzzle to 150yds

Aim center-chest on deer and ignore range within that regime.
Simple.
;)
 
"The Gould Express bullet, loaded with 85 grains of Hazard's Ducking Powder, will shoot practically as flat as a .45-90 and with greater accuracy."

The Gould Express, a 330 gr hollowpoint, is still available as Lyman 457122.
Montana Bullet Works sells one similar from a custom mould.
And, of course, you can load it with smokeless.
 
you will not need a bigger target, just learn how high to hold for the longer ranges. if you hold 6-7" up in a deers chaest with a 11" drop at the 150yds deer you will miss. i shoot the faster loads as my shots can be from 50-150 yrds very quickly. when i carry my sharps 74 with cast bullets at 1300-1400 fps i set on game trails and the shots are mostly 100yds or less. i don,t use speed to kill,but to be able to hit and kill more humanely at a little longer range.eastbank.
 
Hold neither high nor low.
Sight in for point blank impact of ±5" irrespective of actual distance within your 150yd hunting regime.
Ignore range in your sight picture at that point.

See Post #12
 
With my range as short as it is I want to do as Mhavey indicated with setting up for PBR less than 150yds.

I think there is some odd restriction on using hollowpoints for game hunting in Ohio. Not sure how much enforcement and I think the hornady style polymer tips are ok.

Peabody sports has a few boxes of the 325 grain hornady, so I am going to pick that up. Would like to give the 250 grain a try, but no one seems to carry it locally. Or online for that matter. I imagine the bullet is too light to shoot well.

I called field and stream in miamisburg to see what they had and they hung-up on me.

Calling around found something else funny. Several shops have rifles chambered in 45-70, but no ammunition.
 
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Be advised that the Hornady cases are shorter than regular 45-70 cases and you'll have trouble reloading them in regular dies if you save the cases for later on. You'll find that the 325 Hornady's recoil about the same as the Rem 405g bullets and probably won't shoot as well. Not one of my 45-70s shot them as well as the Remingtons. Good enough for deer hunting but just not the best by a good margine (I'm an accuracy nut besides a deer hunter).
 
Most people will agree that the .44 magnum in a handgun will kill a deer with a well placed shot, right? The
45-70, in a 300 grain round, the standard, not high powered, is almost twice as fast and powerful as the .44 magnum. The standard rounds have nearly three times the energy.

IMO, any .45-70 rounds will effectively kill a deer that is well hit. The bleed out will be impressive. The only question will be the distance you are shooting at, and whether you can actually put a bullet where it belongs. If you can't make at least 9 of ten hits while practicing at your maximum expected distance, you should re-think your choice of weapon.

all IMO.
 
I'm not worried about the lethality of the rounds. I understand any of the factory loads will work well on an Ohio white tail well past 150 yards if I do my part. That is why I am looking at the lighter loads. I am really hopeful the 250 grain Hornady shoots well, even though I know that is unlikely. I considered a 44 mag barrel or getting a 460 SW carbine length barrel, but I saw no reason to give up the option of longer ranges for the same price.

Honestly, the last few deer I've taken were within 50 yards. Two ago I probably could have bayoneted. Partly because I have realized if I spend a couple days scouting for every day I plan to take in the woods I get the best results.

I meant I would need a larger target to sight in. Make sure I didn't gab one of the little shoot-n-see circles I have, but instead a large paper with grids.

Hornady cases are shorter than regular 45-70 cases and you'll have trouble reloading them in regular dies if you save the cases for later on.
Click to expand...
Are the hornady dies compatible with the Hornady cases? Other cases? If either the 250 or 300 shoot well it is probably what I will use as I will buy them to shoot when I need brass. I have been pretty happy with their SST slug performance and all the 9mm defensive rounds I have tried. i will probably work on casting a bullet in the long-term.
 
I believe Hornady is now making die sets for their shortened cases. In fact, I'm sure of it. I just never bothered with them, other than shooting a box to see how they shot, because I had/have a lot of regular cases and I like to reload. The problem with the lighter bullets is the length to diameter ratio. The 250 grain bullets are just too short for the bore diameter. I know they do it in muzzle loaders but it's not the same with the rifle. The rifle has a throat and leade where the bullet has to leave the case, jump the gap, and enter the rifleing. Short just doesn't work as well here.
 
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