Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 45-70 #1 w/500 grainers

Hell use a cast bullet at 1400-1500. Cast it at 30:1. It'll smoke any critter I can think of outof its sneakers at any range you care to set the sights! Why use such a hard cast slug that it is actually a solid in performance?? At the lower speeds they penetrate like an anti-tank round and kill like a safe fell on the critter. This is a 545 grain bullet after penetrating 36" through my moose, INCLUDING a full paunch. The moosekillers here can tell ya what that is. This is from a Sharps Rifle and was castat 30:1. It smoked a moose out of his sneakers with 1 shot

Yep, got me one of them .458 Winnies too... It just manages to keep up with my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 Improved!

Nothing against the Winnie, but it does weigh 11 lbs loaded, whereas the Ruger weighs in at 7.4 lbs, is 38 inches in length and only "kicks" at 83 ft-lbs shootin' them 500's.

Hey! This are the Big Bores forum, ain't it?
Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Well......after all is said, I think I'll leave the 500's alone and stay with the 350-405 class slugs in jacketed bullets. Although I am curious about the the longer throat. After the throat is lengthened does it affect your accuracy with the lighter (350-405) grain slugs? Is it worth the effort and money to get the work done? Also, never heard of a 45-70 Imp. just figured that would be a 45-90 which means even more money

Ray did the surgery last very long or was the Doc. good at his job and had it out fairly quickly? Sure glad I wasn't drinking a
coffee when I read your post. Cheers NC

I've been trying to stay away from here all day - AND to keep my mouth shut. Two failures at once, but that's not new.

I cast and shoot 500 grain bullets through both my #3 and my custom Siamese Mauser. Velocity has exceeded 2,000 FPS with a few loads and these are NEVER going to be used again in the #3. In the Siamese Mauser they don't really hurt - but the lovely STEEL - VERY CURVED butplate on the #3 - well it just proves that I would make a poor masochist. The jacketed 300 grain HP and 350 grain RN bullets will do anything I really need to do on this side of the ocean, but shooting those gignormously large cast 500 grainers - even at 1,500 FPS is soooooo much fun I simply can't talk myself out of it.

I used the Mauser with the 500 grain Hornaday solids and softs in Tanzania and they worked - period - perfectly on anything I thought needed more than the 300 grain Hornaday softs and solids I had loaded in my .375 H&H.

Bottom line - shoot what makes YOU happy - even 500 grain bullets!

bluesman I bet those 500 grainer are still going & going, they
have to be real penetrators on game. What did you shoot and did you find any of the bullets.Thanks for your time. cheers NC

1Minute, I cranked those Remmie 405's out of my Guide Gun a little over 1900 one time, just for giggles. It's definitely a T-Rex load. That's one thing about the old .45-70...it can be loaded from mild to wild, depending on your fancy and your target.

Try the 560 gr cast lead at 1200 fps!
I sold mine after that experiment. The 35 Whelen is like a kiss from your sister after shooting Elmer Keith loads in a 45-70 Ruger single shot.
The Ruger #3 feels like a logsplitter attacked your shoulder with that hard buttplate!
I suggest running the 350 gr Hornady just under the speed which would detach your retinas!
whelennut

Northcountry,
Naw I pulled it out, wiped it off, cleaned my fingernail, blew my nose, and continued to shoot with my clean thumb lying on the right side of the pistol grip,!! No hill for a stepper!:)