24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
F
Fischer Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
Tonk, give it a try. I hit that velocity a grain under max and with zero signs of excessive pressure. Extraction felt like an unfired round. I loaded a couple at 60 grains but only gained something like 13 fps - but, from 55 to 59 grains, I got big jumps. I'm just looking for trajectory that suits my kind of hunting, while carrying a big bore lever gun. I will say that in all of my reloading efforts, my two Marlin big bores are the only rifles that have actually hit or surpassed advertised velocities. Micro groove, perhaps???

BP-B2

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,499
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,499
Mine runs awful close with Ballard rifling.

Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,090
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,090
Fisher I read what your saying but if I really need that much power, I will just reach for one of my .458 Mags with a 350 grain Hornady XTP ok. I don't know why HODGDON put that load on the internet as they sure never put it in any manuals I have or any of my friends at the gun-club know about. It just strikes me as being a little funny is all. Good Luck with your load but I do believe I am sticking to what I already have ok. My 45/70 shoots good accuracy wise. I spend more time hunting with my .444 Marlin 1895 model really! However, I do shoot them both a lot at the range.


Thank Our Veterans!
GOD Bless Them All

UNIONS BUILDING AMERICA, SALUTE ALL THE UNION TRADESMAN

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
F
Fischer Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
You'd think I was messing with plutonium. Tonk, you know if they published it, there's a built in safety margin. I didn't buy a 45-70 to load it down below my 444 and I know that there's no practical difference in the two calibers for hunting purposes. I was looking for a reason to add another lever gun and darned if I didn't find one - a third more power. Mission accomplished! Hey, you never know when a cape buffalo might show up in central Florida. I'll be working on some heavy bullet loads, just in case.

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,468
B
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
B
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,468
A 250gr Barnes tsx at 2600 fps is a beautiful thing....

IC B2

Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 19,251
B
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
B
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 19,251
Hodgdon's 2006 Annual Manual - 45-70 Government (Lever Actions) - 300 gr Sierra HP H4198 55 gr starting load for 2221 fps, 60 gr max load for 2424 fps.

Hodgdon's 2008 Annual Manual - 45-70 Government (Lever Actions) - 300 gr Sierra HP H 4198 55 gr starting load for 2221 fps, 60 grain max load for 2424 fps.
IMR 4198 53.7 gr starting load for 2293 fps, 57.2 gr max load for 2407 fps.

These aren't "internet loads", but rather taken directly from Hodgdon's printed reloading manuals.


MAGA
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,752
S
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
S
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,752
I've killed half a dozen deer plus a russian hog with the 300 gr HP at around 1900 fps. Most of the deer had a nice neat half dollar sized exit wound and a short blood trail. I shot the hog at about 20 yards right behind the shoulder and recovered the bullet in the cartilage plate behind the other shoulder. It weighed 270 grains.
My Marlin 1895 shoots groups like a varmint rifle with that load, so I never felt the urge to try anything different. grin


The critters have to win every time, I only have to win once. www.swanspointoutfitters.com
www.lazybar-t.com outfitters
65-43-22-5
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
F
Fischer Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
Well, 2400 fps may be too fast for this bullet. I fired a couple into wet phone books. They penetrated 9 inches and fragmented, the largest piece weighed 124 gr. I'm 100% sure this will drop a deer in it's tracks, but there's no telling where the shrapnel will go. I'd like to try some cast bullets, maybe gas checked. I haven't cast in over 20 years and don't really want to gear up - is there a source for gas checked cast bullets?

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,499
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,499
Give the Speer UniCor a try. You will like it.

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
F
Fischer Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
Thanks Vic - looks like some good advice! I check out some reviews on those UniCor bullets and am impressed. I'm gonna try them.

IC B3

Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,104
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,104
I've got 4 45/70s that I load for right now(looking to get another one) for a light loaded trapdoor to a HOT loaded Brn 85. My son and I have used Hornady 300's for years on our Miss deer with no complaints.

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,583
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,583
Originally Posted by Fischer
Well, I'm pretty sure that anything you shoot in the spine is going to need a finishing shot, the spinal column not being a vital organ.


A shot to the upper spine will drop an animal instantly. I once shot a pig who was running along a steep hill. Just as I touched off he stepped in a depression that caused him to drop 6", which put the shot in his spine. By the time I recovered from recoil he had completely disappeared. All I could hear was the sound of his body sliding down the hill. I recovered him with his head in the stream at the bottom.

The problem with spine shots is that it's a small target and unlike the classic behind the shoulder vital area, the value of the surrounding area drops dramatically.

Back to the OP's question, the 300 HP is to facilitate expansion at the low speeds of factory loads. It will expand too quickly at higher speeds for best results. Use a soft point instead.

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
F
Fischer Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
You'll have to excuse my relative lack of experience at shooting animals in the spine. The only animal I ever spined was a deer I hit in the spine with an arrow, having misjudged the distance by a few yards (Before I discovered rangefinders and faster bows). That animal needed a finishing shot. The only other information I have on the subject is second hand, so I won't include it here.

But as to the 300 grainers working at high velocities - you are correct. I tried slowing some down yesterday and shot through the phonebooks again. At 1700 fps, I shot completely through 14" of phone books, saw a spray of confetti out the back and lost the bullet. Added a couple more phone books and recovered the bullet at about 16", perfectly mushroomed to .695". Very enlightening...thanks for all the great information. I am learning about the big bores and having fun doing it.

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
F
Fischer Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 691
Originally Posted by Vic_in_Va
Give the Speer UniCor a try. You will like it.


I'm resurrecting this thread to thank Vic for the tip on the UniCor bullets!

With the same load, they chrono'd slightly faster than the Hornadys at 2449 fps and when fired into wet phone books, penetrated a full 18-20". I fired 2 bullets. They did a classic mushroom to about .97" and retained weight was 268 & 279 gr. That's impressive.

That ought to get me through a deer...

Thanks Vic!

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,499
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,499
You're certainly welcome!!

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 66
J
Campfire Greenhorn
Offline
Campfire Greenhorn
J
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 66
I prefer the Sierra 300 gr HP's for their short length, but they are not available currently. In their absence I am going with the Hornadys you mention.

-JR


The more I build up a tolerance to recoil, the more I need to get my fix.
Page 2 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
102 members (10gaugeman, 338reddog, 405joe, 7mm_Loco, 10gaugemag, 10 invisible), 1,387 guests, and 693 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,589
Posts18,397,873
Members73,815
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.149s Queries: 16 (0.005s) Memory: 0.8759 MB (Peak: 1.0103 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 08:40:52 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS