Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers 45/70 - What are you shooting in your's?

.457 round ball and about 6 1/2 grs Unique for grouse and small game, 400 gr Barnes Original over 53 grs IMR 3031 for carry loads, 400 gr bulk Remigton bullets with the same charge for practice or critters that don't need Barnes bullets, tho the gun is mostly a carry gun rather than a hunting gun. Shoot a few 300's for plinking sometimes. Same charge work for them also.

I cannot understand why everybody seems to want to load them so fast?! Mine does well with cast bullets,not even hard-20:1, and under 1300. That same power/bullet combination was killing bison at 3 hundred yards back in the day. It penetrates like a cannon shell but still upsets quite well.

I have been meaning to get some 405 cast bullets and load'um over 2400 but I have not got around to it yet.

For deer hunting, I like to replicate the .30-30's trajectory, but other than that, with the heavys(in my case, 430s), I run about 1650 to 1700. That's probably still faster than you like, but that is about as fast as you need to push them.

Have you read the "Sandyhook tests" and their conclusion on the .458 500 grain bullet? The testers were impressed.

I have two large game critters that I killed with a blackpowder cartridge and the results were/are impressive. 1400 fps w/ a 420 grain bullet is not going to bounce off of anything with fur or hair. Admittedly I was using a 540 grain bullet @1400 but the 420's were used 138 years ago to stomp buffalo. The actual issue is to learn your rifle and have sights that have enough adjustment to take advantage of the range the 45/70 will give. A nuice advantage to the 1100-1400 range is that a relatively soft (30:1 in my case) bullet that WILL upset and do serious killing. The loads the fellas here seem to like that use lead slugs are all hardcast. Now most fellas wouldn't shoot an elk with a 458 Win Magnum and solids but appear to have little prob using a lead bullet that isn't going to upset either,same-same a 458 solid. Gotta admit that puzzles me just a tad. There is Parker-Hale mold for a 458 bullet that is 470 grain and seats deeply enuff to have useable powder space for smokeless that would put one in the envelope I mentioned. I watched one of those slugs knock a 1000 lb cow buffler OFF its hooves and come down on its back legs up. All this at 1400 fps. THAT is killing power.

ET is trying to tell you boys something very big, very profound, and most of all, very important. The bullet he is talking about is the Lyman 457121PH. It is a nominal 480 grain flatnosed bullet. Driven at 1200 to 1350 fps it is a HAMMER. I have used it in Africa and North America, and it shoots all the way through both shoulders of a 1650 pound bull bison, all the way through kudu and wildebeast, and knocks zebra off their feet. Deer and hogs are simply devastated.

Loaded to 1250 fps in a 45-70, RECOIL IS MILD. The rifle doesn't kick you silly. I shoot it in my various Sharps, and my 1895 Cowboy Marlin. The bullet has a short nose and a long body, and cycles through the Marlin and the 86 Winchester with ease. Cast it 30-1 lead to tin, and load 36 grains of 3031 and you won't believe how pleasant it is to shoot out of the Marlin, and just how deadly it is.

When someone tells me they are driving this or that 350 or 400 grain jacketed bullet at 1700 or 1800 fps out of their lever gun, I just shake my head and wonder, because I KNOW the rifle is simply kicking the hell out of them--and the real surprise that they don't even know about is that this 480 grain flat nosed bullet is out penetrating their faster, lighter bullets by a considerable margin.

Bottom line: Get the Lyman 457121PH mold then load 36 grains of 3031 or 67 grains of 3f black powder and start to enjoy shooting your 45-70 again. Be prepared to be amazed at how well it kills BIG animals without tearing up meat.

And thank ET for letting you in on the secret.

I do stress the importance of having a really good set of sights. I have an 1895 Marlin Smith ladder sight on mine. Regulating it out to 300 yards is no big trick. Use a good rangefinder and you are in like Flynn.

That was impressive I must say!

i was just asking about rldr 7 up in big game reloading forum.
i loaded remington 405's over 42.0 grains of rldr 7 and was wondering what the velo was, before i dug out the chrono.
very mild recoil, and awesome accuracy.

think i'm gonna load up a bunch for ?
i plan on using it for walking down the mountain in the timber for elk.

guessing 1700 fps...

Go play outside.

This is off topic, but you wouldn't happen to have heard of a CST-610EVL, would you have? I am just guessing by your screen name.

Nope. Sure haven't.

In My CB Rl-742 Grains runs the Remington 405's at 1800 FPS.
Too Much for everyday shooting but manageable for hunting.

Sucks from the bench though.

Bearcat74:


Those will be some punishing loads if that 2400 is fps. Please be safe.

God no, Alliant 2400 powder.


I am far too fond of my right shoulder to put it through 4052400fps!

I load mainly for my Marlins, though I have both the H&R Buffalo Classic, and the Ruger #1. I went through my experimental stage which meant shooting high velocity/pressure loads within normal published guidelines. I shot several deer with the 300gr. bullets and decided I liked the Speer as much if not more than any of them because I could drive it faster. I also decided no matter how fast I drove it, it still wouldn't be flat shooting. I shot my one and only elk with a 405gr. self cast going nearly 2000fps. He died quickly with end to end penetration, but it simply isn't needed. I now shoot and prefer my 405gr. 11 brinnel hardness boolit going 1480fps out of my Marlins. This is powered by 25gr. of 2400 an kills with great gusto. It also is quick to follow up shots, and in general is so much easier to shoot that you seldom need another shot.

325 grain hornady ftx with imr 4198 powder. loads are rite off hornady's web site!

Remington 405 and IMR-4198 to duplicate Remington's factory load.

This has probably been discussed before but does everybody think the Remington 405 is tougher than the Speer 400 and what would an optimal velocity be for the Remington 405 for a sturdy black bear? Better not to push them too fast? 1600 fps OK. Faster? Thanks in advance. (My rifle doesn't like the Hornady 350s very much so I'm thinking to go with the 405 grain bullet.)