Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General .450 Marlin

Just pulled the trigger on an 1895M in .450 Marlin. Looks like factory ammo is limited to a 325 gr. FTX. I’d rather handload some 405’s. Anyone have any favorite loads? Any experience with the .450 on deer/elk/moose/etc?

I have a .450 Marlin in a Browning BLR. I like both.
I handload, Speer 350, Barnes Original( can't remember bullet weight) and 325 grain ftx's.
The ftx's are not a sturdy bullet and Hornady doesn't recommend the for well- sure shoot well.
The .450 performs identically to a juiced 45/70 on game, imo. It is a superior design though. The case is thicker walled and webbed and more appropriate for higher pressures. Safer, imo and this is why I switched.
It is very easy to deform the 45/70 case by simply dropping it.
Hope this helps- I haven't seen the need to go heavier than a 350 grain bullet.Cheers

I used 45.3gr H4198 with a 400gr jacketed bullet as my practice load for a couple years. I had good luck with 56.7gr of Varget with the 400gr Speer too.

Thanks!