Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Straightwall cartridge choice?

Been a while since I perused the regs in those states, academically only, but some seem to have requirements based on caliber, case length etc, others lists of legal rounds. Some IIRC have both, presumably to cover new developments.

Being in Texas, I don't worry about straight-wall cartridge regulations. But reading threads like this one, I wonder why hunters don't ever consider the .357 Maximum? Just too anemic for those giant up-North whitetails & black bears?

Legal in Ohio. I've taken five or so with a model 99

Tough to find brass and guns that shoot it.

I have been experimenting last several years since Iowa went straight wall. Had a .45-70 First as I had an 1886 so chambered. Did the job but trajectory even with 300 required holdover and getting a fast load in a light rifle hurt the shoulder. Shot 1 deer with it and it worked, however the bullet was too heavily constructed in my opinion.

Shot a few with pistol cal carbines, .357 mag, 44 mag and .45 colt. Mostly in 1894 lever guns and a ruger #3 in .44mag. Better accuracy than my slug guns, less recoil. They all killed, however wouldn’t shoot again past 75ish yards with .357 or past about 125 with the others as bullet performance left me unsatisfied when we recovered. Used xtp’s l, nosler’s, and hard cast. With the hard cast being my favorite.

Currently using a rebored Marlin 336 in .375 win. Fast follow ups, good blood trails, and fairly flat shooting with out a lot of recoil compared to the .45-70. Shooting 200 grain speer’s over reloader 7. Getting close to 2375fps in it. I have shot between 7-10 deer with it from 12yards to just over 160. Yet to catch a bullet.

Now have kids hunting deer for youth season here and set up a pair of .350 legends. 5 deer shot, 68 yards to 120 yards. One was hit on run, high shoulder made it about 30 yards. Rest were on standing deer and none went over 5 feet. Shooting factory 180gr win power points.

Had both a ruger American and an AR build in .450 bushmaster. Key word, had. Loud, recoil about like a 20ga slug gun. Bullets were failing to open much beyond 120 yards. The American had feeding issues and would bind on feeding rounds. On the ar if you loaded the same round a few times times we had issues with the bullets coming out of cases and dumping powder in gun. As we do deer drives and may load and unload the gun 5-6 times a day it was just too much of a pain. Nobody in our group of 15 hunters shoots a 450 any more.


Of that group since rules changed we now carry l:
.375 win -1
.45-70-1
.350 legend-4
Slug guns-9

However, 2 guys have just purchased .350 L bolt guns and one is building a .350 ar upper.

YMMV but this is the journey we have been on since we started to use rifles here.

Gosh, you’re an insufferable phuggtard.

I've lung shot moose with a 375magnum. None of them flinched. Just stood there till they died. Same with a large Mountain Caribou in the Yukon.

Is that a "real" enough cartridge for you?

The only moose that I knocked off it's feet was a small moose that caught a 250gr Speer behind the ear from a 35Whelen at close range. I suspect I would have had the same results with a smaller "pansy" cartridge.

I really like my 405 Winchester 1885 Traditional Hunter. But if the purpose of this question was to find a rifle with less recoil than the 45-70, I would not choose this caliber!

Still, it's a lot of fun to shoot.



For the low-recoil straight-wall shots I use my Browning 1885 in .44 Magnum that my gunsmith mounted a Malcolm scope on for me:

44 MAG is a good choice if shots are limited to about 100 yards or so. - Sherwood

This ^^^

I concur with Scott.

Agreed! I have 7 stands that I hunt out of where the range is about 75 yards are less. This is where I favor my .44 Magnum. I found that my Browning shoots better with the "lighter" 180gr Remington bullets instead of the heavier 225 Hornady LEVERevolution ones. But at these close ranges the smaller bullet still does a great job of dropping the deer quickly.

Michigan has a OAL limit. I'm not sure what it is exactly but I do know it limits a person to pistol cartridges or the Bushmaster class of cartridge both of which do nothing for me.
Fortunatly I live where I can use any centerfire caliber so my 38/55 and 405 see some blind time.

Here in Michigan the case length for limited rifle zone (straight wall case) is 1.8"

For the handloader a 444 Marlin can be loaded down for deer easily. Just as a 45-70 can, with the exception of using .430” bullet weights that start around 200 and 225. Barnes’ 200 gr and 225 gr XPB can be loaded down to 1,700 fps - 1,850 or pushed as fast as 2,550 fps and 2,350 fps. You could shoot the Hornady 200 and 240 xtp in the same manner loaded down or loaded up. Truth is because of the multiple style .430” bullets available for the 444 Marlin it can use (jacketed SP, jacketed HP, Barnes Monos, Hard Cast, etc.) from 200 gr HP at 2,650 fps or 335 gr HC at 2,125 fps there’s nothing the 444 Marlin can’t be tailored to for tackling game from 100 lbs - 2,000 lbs. Doesn’t get much respect, but it’s the best and most versatile tube feed lever cartridge there is in my opinion.

444 marlin for sure

If you reload, you can do what I did. I bought a decent Marlin 336 from the 1980s, and had it rebored and chambered for the 38-55. It has the same bore diameter as the .375 Win., so it is easier to find bullets. The brass can be found, and Starline released a batch when I was looking, but you can make brass by opening up 30-30 brass. Some of the older rifles have larger bores, but I'd rather have one like mine. In a strong action like a 336 Marlin, you can get better performance without worrying about pressures, as long as you use the manuals. I had a 45-70 for years and killed deer with it, but I started having neck problems which made it necessary to downsize my caliber. The 38-55 is just a straight walled 30-30, 25-35, or .32 Special. That whole family of cartridges came from the 38-55 in the 1890s. JES rebore did my work for me. Just a note, he does everything by phone, so you leave your number, and he'll return your call.

360 Buckhammer. I know this cartridge just came out this year and has limited availability, but I think this could be one of the best ones to come on the market. If you like levers and single shots that is.

I wanted a rifle chambered for a cartridge that was legal in mid western states and limited zones, that would also be legal for Miss. primitive weapon season. I've got the 45-70, 444 and Whelen, but wanted less recoil. To fit these parameters, I bought a CVA Scout in .350 Legend. I could have been happy with that. When the 360 BH came out, I knew that for me, it would be a better cartridge than the Legend. After waiting for a bit for CVA to produce 360 Scouts, I said to heck with it and had the Legend rechambered.

I now have a Scout chambered for a cartridge in a rifle legal for all those restricted areas, that gives ballistics slightly better than the great 35 Remington. I've ended up buying two cases of Remington factory ammo that cost me $26-28.00 dollars a box. I'm getting +- one inch groups with it. I'll be using it this year for Miss. primitive season. At the rate I'll use that up, I don't see me loading for it anytime soon.

I’ve killed deer with the 357 mag and the 350 Legend. My son and nephews have killed a truck load with the 357 mag. Anywhere from 50-125 yards. Every caliber listed will get it done. I have a lever action 45/70 and a bolt action 450 BM.

If you don’t like the recoil of the 45/70, don’t get the 450 BM. I really like my 350L. But if the 400 legend is what they say, it will be a great caliber.

Rules here in MI are assine. Can't use a bottle neck or a tapered round out of a lever gun cuz it shoots to far but I can go buy the newest ML or a 450/350 and I'm good.

I thought AK was bad on some of their decisions but mi is up there and worse in some cases.

I like my 450's don't get me wrong but damn......no common sense