Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 45/70 sharps for moose how fast should I drive a 350 Hornady FP

I have a cow moose tag around Breckenridge Colorado this year and I have a sharps rifle I really want to shoot a moose with. I have a 375 ruger with 250 TTSX @ 2800 but I want to hunt with my Sharps the first few days. With a 34 in barrel I was curious how fast I can push a 350 Hornady FP without it being in danger of shredding itself. I think I can go up to around 2200 safely in that long a barrel but the last thing I'd want it to have a moose at 20 yard with nothing but a shoulder shot and the bullet not get where it needs to go. thanks

cody

I don't think you could push the 350 FP fast enough from any 45-70 to really hurt it. Seen a few comparisons between it and the 350 Swift.. I have ran a bunch out of my 45-70 Guide Rifle at 2050 and never seen any indications of them ever coming apart..

I have loaded the 300gn Hornady to 2900fps in my .460 Weatherby and used it on game, so I would expect the 350gn version to withstand the .45/70 loads at several hundred FPS slower.

The Speer 350's worked well at 1900fps in a 22" barrel so I would expect the Hornady's to do as well. Sure won't bounce off.
John

Why not load it with a 500 gr cast bullet of the government style, load it to 12 or 1300 fps and be happy. They probably haven't made a moose that could stop one of those out to 100 + yards on a broadside shot, and probably a lengthwise shot would go most of the way thru.

that bullet, I believe its that one, in factory 458 win mag stuff, did way to much damage to javelina this spring for my tastes... FWIW. No clue on velocity though either. Factory federal IIRC

If you're dead set on that bullet in your Sharps, watch warp speed pressures with smokeless, I'd settle a good bit on this side of 1750 fps with IMR-3031, or better still, get a 500 grain cast lead bullet black powder lubed and shoot 70 grains of Old Eynsford FFG black powder.

What you need is a 45/70 AI creed

Somewhat faster than I was driving the F150.... probably.

I shredded a 350 Hornady FN in a large Bull Moose out of a 450 Marlin. I believe that's at 2,200 fps. First shot I hit lungs and no bone and it tore a grievous hole but didn't exit. My second shot it was quartering away and I hit it in the hind quarter. That bullet fragmented into a hundred pieces.

A 500 grain flat nosed hard cast bullet at 1250 fps is what you want. That or a 520 grain Lyman 457125 Govt bullet at 1200-1300 fps. You will shoot all the way through the moose from any angle with the govt. bullet.1500 plus fps is counter productive and doesn't add anything but recoil.

I had a 350 Hornady come unglued on a broadside rib cage shot on a black tail buck. Bullet was launched at 2550 from my old 458 and the buck was 210 yards away. I immediately stopped using that bullet, had much better luck with the 350 Speer.

That said, moose are easy to kill and a cow won’t be much bigger than a big bull elk. Poke her in the engine room with about anything and wait a tick until she falls down.

I'd listen to Sharpsguy and call it a win..

I've never hunted moose, but several years back some azzhole hunted Nilgai with a 45/70. It took him multiple shots to knock down 2 of them. The 3rd one took three hits and ran off.

Never hunted moose and likely never will get the chance so considering my level of expertise, why not a 405 grainner, cast or coated?

Use the 350 Swift in place of the Hornady. Bullet integrity couldn't be higher and with a case full of RE7 the Swift was incredibly accurate from my 1895SBL.