Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 45/70 Hornady 325 FTX for deer?

If you're going to load your 45-70 with smokeless and a copper jacketed lead bullet, at least load the old 350 gr round nosed Hornady, I would never piss in the old Warhorses face by loading it with a plastic tipped bullet.

I load mine with Black Powder and cast lead bullets, good luck and happy loading and hunting.

I like the hornady FTX lever factory ammo for whitrtails!

I would just have you consider using magnum primers instead of regular ones.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on please!

I just don't need a pointy bullet in my open sighted 45-70.

I've used it on deer and 1 coyote from my .450 Marlin. Every deer has been bang flop, not a twitch afterwards. All exited. The coyote was a mess.

I was very satisfied with very little blood shot meat also.

Me thinks big and slow makes the butcher glow!

I'm looking at getting the CVA single shot in 444. That has the 25" Bergara barrel. I probably would use the FTX in that.

After doing some more shooting I think I am good to go for deer this fall. My load is using the Hornady 325 FTX seated to 2.56" in shortened cases measuring 1.795". I am using CCI 200 Primers and 48 grains of H4198. Not certain of the velocity as my chronograph is acting up but I think it is about 1900 fps.

I have a Leupold 2-7x scope with additional aim points. Zeroed at 100 the next dot down is on at 150 and the next one down is on at 200. Accuracy is plenty good. 1 group at 100 and 1 at 200 and 2 groups at 150. Average accuracy is 1.45 MOA.

I meant to say thanks to all of you who shared your experience. Greatly appreciated!

I was able to kill 2 does this fall with this load. The first one was shot the day after Thanksgiving. She was about 20 yards away and was quartering away slightly. The bullet entered at the back end of the rib cage and exited and broke her offside elbow. She ran about 25 yards and died. Not much of a blood trail.

The second doe was killed yesterday. She was broadside at 60 yards. The bullet punched through her lungs, leaving a similarly sized exit hole as the entrance hole. She ran about 50 yards. Not much of a blood trail.

I would prefer a better blood trail. I fear eventually losing a deer.

Not sure what bullet to try to give a better blood trail.

Anyone have any experience using the Lehigh 305 grain controlled fracturing bullet?

Rufous,

Good job on the 45-70 Short. I live in MI also and was thinking about cutting back the 45-70 case to 1.8" like you to meet the regulations for the southern deer hunting zone. Did you have a problem with thick necks on the shorter cases to seat the bullet? I, along with a few of my buddies have been hunting for years with 45-70's and find cast bullets work great in it as well as they do in 44 mag and 45 colt handguns and never had a problem with deer, boar, bison and bear with them.

Gumfighter

I am not having any problems with thick necks. I killed a doe last year with my 45 Colt revolver and a 290 grain cast bullet. Worked just fine but again, minimal blood trail. That is my only complaint but so far I have easily recovered all 3 deer.

What town do you live in?

S. Lyon, near Brighton. I usually shoot for the shoulder with cast. Usually drop right there. I bought a bunch of Remington 458 dia 300 gr HP years ago. Still have some left and use them once in a while. Shot a big 8 point a few years ago on a friend's farm in Kentucky with it about 1800 fps in my marlin. Thru both lungs broadside at about 20 yards, dropped right there. After the holidays I am going to try cutting back the case and working up some loads for it with cast. Probably keep them about 1400 to 1600 max. Should work Ok for me. I don't shoot over 100 yards on the property I hunt. In fact, most of the shots for me are bow range or 50 yards max in most of the blinds I use. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

Gunfighter, in order to reload with the shorter case you will need to have a machine shop shorten the resizing die and you will need a custom Lee Factory crimp die.

I got a buddy who can grind down an extra resizing die for me and I'll order a crimp die. Thanks,