Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 45-90 SMOKELESS LOADS FOR STRONG ACTIONS

All:
I bought my Miroku/Winchester 1886 .45-90 with 26" full octagon barrel at 9.5 pounds, with the express intent(pun intended) of hunting with it with both standard and heavy loads.

A couple of friends and I collaborated with our own handloads and had the 300 grain Nosler PP up to 2600 but they exploded at that velocity, so we backed down to 2200 fps which is the upper limit of that bullet's useability on game; it is devasting. That load has also flattened a big leopard with one shot.

We loaded NF and Kodiak 450 grainers up 2000 and 2100 respectively but were not satisfied, so Grizzley Cartridge took the Kodiak on up to 2150 fps. That load knocked down a bull ele with a frontal brain shot but expanded and did not penetrate the brain, so the somewhat slower NF was used to finish it off with a shoot through. The Kodiak load also flattened a running bison in rather spectacular fashion and did shoot through.
Yes, it does recoil but does so without enough barrel lift to obscure the target. If needed, second shots can be taken very rapidly.



PS The 1886 also shoots .45-70 factory ammo just fine and with modest recoil.