Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers 45/70 - What are you shooting in your's?

My 1895G gets a diet of 405gr Rem + 42.0grs RL7 and I get great accuracy. I was curious what loads you guys use and what you have found to be the most effective. The 300gr Nosler has a great following but you can't find any right now. The 300gr Speer Unicore seems to be a great bullet as is the great variety of hardcast.

Beartooth Bullets Piledriver Jr. with 40 grains of RL7. Pic of said bullet...https://beartoothbullets.com/images/bullets/BTB-45R-425gWLNGC2.jpg

Makes a big hole all the way through, any angle, any critter.

325 gr LeverEvolution right now...very accurate in my rifle and a good speedgoat load. I haven't got around to reloading yet as I ran into a very good deal on the LeverEvolution and have a box or 3

I have several but my main two are the 425 hard cast behind 46 grains of RL-7/Starline brass and CCI#34 primers, for 1850 fps out of my Guide Gun pressure checked at 35,000 PSI.The other is a 300 Nosler Parttion at either 2105 fps or 2313 fps also with RL-7....

Jayco

Federal Fusion 300 gr.

I use the Speer 300 grain UniCor, and have used the Hornady in the same weight, but it is not near as tough. I am using H4198 and running these right at 2200 fps.

For deep penetration and good bone-breaking ability, I find it hard to beat the Beartooth PileDriver Jr., with the Cast Performance bullet of the same weight a close second. I tend to run these around 1650 to 1750 fps. They can run faster, but I haven't really found it necessary.

The 300 grain Speer pretty much does what I want to with a 45/70, which is limited to whitetail deer, Black bear, and hogs.

405 gr Remington FP's with 50 gr of Benchmark seems to be my recoil limit. Have tried 55 gr, but found it to be pretty punishing.

Also have some 350 gr Hornady FP with RL7 that works pretty nicely. I find my 1895 Marlin is not real fussy as to the load --they all shoot pretty well.

I also use some home cast 405 gr wheel weight that are water quenched with some AA5744 at a meagre 1300 fps. That one punches clover leafs at 50 yards with open sights and penetrates into the backstop better than the 350 Hornady FP. Think for short range deer stands, that is my load.

Speer 300 gr Unicor hp (thanks Vic) at 2400 fps. It's accurate and in my neck of the woods (the southeast), this will do it all. And, it shoots "flat" for a 45-70.

Fischer, that load oughta flat "whomp" hogs.

Holy crap!

300 grain Hornady HP with enough IMR 4198 to get 2250 fps out of a marlin 1895ss. So far all I've killed is a doe, a coyote, and jugs, but it killed em all very dead. I had it running something over 2400 fps, but recoil was a little stout.

420 grain casr (30:1) over 70 g FFG Express. IF ya REALLY want to see a killing machine, go to theAfrica Forum and look at the vid Jorge put up for Sharpsguy killing a zebra in Africa with a Shiloh Sharps 45-70,a 480 grain slug and BP. He gives you the range too.

In my 1895G I use two loads. Deer load, 300gr Hornady JHP on top of 48.0 of IMR4198. I get 2000fps with this. Accounted for 4 does Thanksgiving weekend. Usually my shots are well with in 100 yards. The last 4 I shot were 150 to 175 yards all. Every one went right down. One did twitch.....I think. The second load is a Hornady 350gr RN on top od 45.0 of IMR 4198. This load gets me 1820 fps on average. Reserved for hogs with an attitude and larger black bears.

At 100 yards they shot same point of impact. 11" drop at 200 with the 300's and 15" drop with the 350's at 200 yards. All my shots I have taken at game has been well within those ranges.

Groups at 100 yards is 1 to 1 1/4 with either

These are some awesome loads. All I hunt is deer with mine, we have hogs but apperantly they are either invisble when I chase them or I am just a very bad hog hunter.

I use the same load 405gr Remingtons, on black bears its a great load 1/2" hole in 1" hole out. I even recovered one broke both shoulder bones and ended up in a ceder tree 10' beyond the bear 1" in the tree, the bullet weighed 357 gr. .627" wide. Blood shot meat about the size of a hard ball. You won't get that performance from a 300gr bullet.

coyotewacker, good deal on the 405 Rem performance. I have yet to unleash mine on anything but paper and water bottles. I know for as fact that it will stop a charging 20oz bottle everytime.


Here is an impressive report on the Speer 300gr Unicore:

300gr Speer Recovered

My go to load, for my guide gun, is the following:

WW brass
Fed. 210 primers
51 gr. H4198
300 gr. nosler part.
Lee Factory crimp.

I've taken bear, hogs, and 7 head of African plains game with that load.


maddog

I shoot the 400 gr Speer. A moderate amount of 3031 at 1600 or so. Recoil is not bad, accuracy is great, thumps deer and bears impressively.

Joseph

I like to be able to take shots up to 200 yards, what is the trajectory like with your load?

Like a rock. My longest shot is about 75 yds. If I was wanting to go 200 yds there is only 1 bullet I would use. Hornady's Leverevolution. Ive never used them in my 45-70, but I have in 35 Rem. From my sample of 1 I like em. Im yet to hear something negative from anyone that I respect.

Joseph