Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 45-70 bullet for elk

I wished the same thing so I bought some 400g Speers to try. Then I got back into casting and haven't tried the Speers yet. I've been casting and powder coating a 410g cup point that I how works well at about 1600 fps from my guide gun. My old load of Hornady 350g flat noses at nearly 2100 fps over benchmark is just no fun to shoot. My barrel isn't ported.

Bb

Joe, how soft is that alloy?

Bb

5-6 BHN. Might want to add a touch of tin if you seek total penetration although, I never had one take more than a half dozen steps after being introduced to it.

I've shot a couple elk with the 400 grain Speer on a max load of RE 7. Never took a step. And never found either bullet. The first went end to end on a cow facing me at 210 yards.

Jusk shot my 6th bull with the old 45-70. ( also have shot 4 cow elk and 2 cow moose with the old girl) i have had great success using the 350 hornady RN and FP but switched to a 405 hard cast 3 years back and it has performed equally as well. I like calling them in close and prefer a high shoulder shot for fast anchoring. This year my bull came into my calling to 40 yds and hung up behind some dead fall. I couldnt see the shoulder but could slip a round into his heart. He turned and got 20 yds away and was looking quite ill so i pounded one more through his neck and dropped him right there. I used to have a 1895 with 22in barrel and ran the 350s @2200fps. It absolutely smashed elk. I have since switched to a 16.5 in marlin dark and currently push the 405s @1640fps. 3 elk and 1 moose since 2020 have fallen to this load all within 100 yds. I absolutely love the effect a high shoulder shot has on these big critters as they dont get far from the first shot. You can also eat right up to the hole which is a big bonus. My main reason for switching to HC is availability and price. In my neck of the woods if you can find the hornadys they will run around $65/50 wheras a local castor sells his hard casts for $68/200. And no availability issues.

Or just visit Garrett:

http://www.garrettcartridges.com/4570420tech.html

And solve the problem, save they are not cheap.

RAS

20yrs ago I used the 405gr JSP Remington out of my guide gun at 1800fps. I shot exactly one bull Elk at 15 paces. Frontal shot. Penetrated 30", broke his spine and stopped in his grass bag. Bullet expanded to .9".

Well the Rem JSP has been out of production for some time, so I'm glad to hear that hardcast worked as good as the 350gr Hornady. Btw, were you using LBT-style WFN?

Yes, it is suitable, depending on distance.

The 300 grain Hornady HP will work under the right conditions, broadside non angled shots, but there are so many better choices.

Ive used the 45-70-a lot-on elk in timber on my property and adjacent National Forest. Ive used 500 grain pure lead paperpatch at around 1250 fps, 405 Remington soft points at 1500 fps, 430 grain hardcast at 1600 fps, 420 grain soft cast at 20-1, and the Hornady 350 gr FN at 2000 fps. Everything Ive used worked very well at ranges to 163 yds, with only one bullet recovered, pictured below.

This bullet, a 350 grn Hornady FN, struck a small bull (maybe 400 lbs live weight?) behind the left shoulder at a steep downward angle at 163 yds. Impact velocity was +- 1480 fps. The bullet took a rib going in, both lungs, and shattered the humerous below the offside shoulder. The bullet was found in the bone fragments beneath the hide at that location. The recovered bullet measured .719" and weighed 313.9 grns, just under 90%. Rifle used was an early Marlin 1895. My belief is that my 430 grn hardcast would have broken those bones and exited.

I will be using a Trapdoor Springfield (from 1886) in 45-70 on elk in a couple weeks, shooting a cast pure lead 457121 475 grn bullet with 66 grns of 3FG.

Regards,
Manny

Very nice. I need to break out my 1884 Trapdoor sometime. The only equivalent I've used is my Sharp 74 and Rolling Block

I have a friend who uses nothing but the 350 Hornady RN and loves it. He’s killed a pile of caribou and a 69” bull moose with them loaded to about 1850fp

I have a friend just like this...nothing but the 350 RN....Mule Deer, Elk, Bear protection.