several of my hunting buddies have become almost exclusively dependent on or at least vastly prefer use of rifles they purchase solely for use with cast projectiles, one guy purchased a ruger #1 in 458 win hes used for over 8 years now with several 400-450 gas check bullet designs for elk, ones got a 416 remington, he picked up cheaply at a gunshop, he shoots only with 400 grain cast bullets and several guys in my elk club hunt with 45/70 marlins using 350-405 grain cast bullets.
theres ZERO debate these rifles work very effectively, all have collected elk in the past decade, but I wonder if this is just a local fad of sorts?
I know my marlin 1894 44 mag carbine is rarely fed anything but a 310 grain lee over 21 grains of h110

I have a 45-90 that I intend to use cast only in it.

X2

I have 3 - 45-70s and a 45-90 I exclusively use cast bullet loads in. One of the 45-70s is a lever gun, the rest are single shots. I have 4 - 6.5x55 Swedes and a couple of 30-30s I use both cast and jacketed bullets in. I have a lot of lead on hand and enjoy casting and shooting lead. I have taken at least 8 whitetail deer with the 45-70s.

Oops . . . forgot about the '92 clone in 45 Colt . . .

I have a Winchester 1886 in 45-70, Winchester 95 in 405, Winchester 95 in 30-06, and a Winchester 92 in 45 Colt. None of these have had a jacketed bullet down the pipe.

Jim

When I bought the 1895GBL, cast bullets were my primary consideration, but not exclusively.

wow thats about 50 cents each or $500.00 a thousand

a mold and gas checks sets you back about $110
lube sizer $180 lead melter $70

sizer die $26
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690947/Pro-4-20lb-Melter-110-Volt-

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...be-SizerLubricator-With-Heater-115-volt-

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...-45-Caliber-point458-405-Grain-Flat-Nose

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...-point458-Diameter-Gas-Checks-1000-Count

yeah, for about the same cost as the first 1000 commercial bullets you could be set up to produce your own in a good deal less time than you might think, and be knocking them out with a better alloy of 95% wheel weights and 5% pure tin at less than 1/3rd the cost per bullet from then on

I mostly shoot the 405gr cast, non gas checked. They are only about $70 for 250.

I built a SxS 45 Colt that I intend on using nothing but cast in.

I've posted this picture before, so I will spare y'all telling the boring story behind it again. Rifle was is Marlin 1895 Cowboy.

405 grain Lyman 457193 bullet (actually weighs about 413 gr) as cast and recovered bullet (weighs about 410 gr) after going through both shoulders of a whitetail and recovered under the skin on the far side.

Hell that might even take out a Sasquatch....I don't know what more a guy would be looking in slug preformance

many of the guys that seem fascinated by hyper velocity magnums might look down on those cartridges like a 450 marlin ,45/70 or 458 win, might be amazed at how effective they are in the field in the hands of a decent shot

that is something I want to see! sounds sweet!
I have 2 95's and 2 94's, 2 375 win 94, 2 30-06's and all my hand guns that only eat lead. better terminal results and a lot cheaper. plus the bullets are tailored to each gun's taste.
one of my 94 marlins wont shoot jacketed worth hitting the barn from the inside but will with .430 cast will shoot .75 inch 5 shot groups at 100. I just bought 500 pounds of lino and figure that will last me the rest of my life.

I just bought Bob Bell's 71.
Gonna be cast I've decided.

http://westernbullet.com/45riflecaliber.html

340: After years of hyper loads for everything from .223 to .338 WM and even a .444 Marlin New Model, I got a wild hair to try some 460gr & 490gr bullets from MONTANA CAST BULLETS to try in my H&R Ultra w/.444 Marlin barrel. Just something to try and see if the [Old Timers] knew something about 'Heavy and Slow' that the Jet Set doesn't realize.
Got some Trail Boss to try first; Maybe some 5744 or BP substitute. Don't know what'll work, just poke around 'til I find something that will.

WILL.

OTTER: METHINKS...The 'Wolves' may be scratchin' at our doors now.

the best results I ever got from my 444 marlin when I owned one was from the hornady 265 grain jacketed bullets over a max load of IMR 4198 but
to be fair the 295 grain NEI was also a good projectile

my marlin had the micro groove rifling, the later versions may be more accurate with cast projectiles
but I found the 45/70, 450 marlin and 458 lott and 458 win are just better suited to use of cast projectiles than the results I got from the 444 marlin, that in no way suggests it won,t work, because it does and does well, but the 444 marlin twist rate won,t stabilize the heavier projectiles as well as the 458 caliber bores in my experience.
everything I tried in that 444 marlin i owned that weight over 320 grains was not particularly accurate past about 150 yards.
you generally have no issues with a 350-420 grain cast projectile in most 458 bore rifles, many larger case cartridges will allow fairly high velocitys over 1800 fps with a 400-420 grain, something you can,t do with a 444 marlin

and while your free to disagree I think the 450 marlin caliber BLR is a significantly stronger and more accurate cast bullet rifle choice

I've used their .358" and .430" Keith style in my revolvers with good results (accurate, minimal leading).

Haven't tried the .458" stuff, but will in the future. Very good prices.

I keep forgetting how good that guy's prices are. Why did I get into casting again?

With a few 8 pound cans of powder, 500 cases, a few thousand primers, with cast bullets I don't have to buy bullets ever again.
I work up loads with two or three cast bullets in each caliber that I load for, I'm good for the rest of my life.

Jim

With some cartridges, there's little or no advantage to using anything but cast bullets. Some I use include the .32-20, .32-40, .38-55, .405, and .45-70.

Just recently purchased this '86 Winnie 45/90.. it'll never see anything but cast and BP..

Well all 5 Sharps rifles I bought have only fired cast bullets propelled by black powder

...got one just like it