Son-in-law asked me by email what the best straight-wall cartridge for Iowa is, now that they are legal as opposed to shotgun and handgun only.. He doesn't handload - at least not yet.
I suggested the .450 Bushmaster in the Ruger American, a Marlin (a real one, not a Remlin) in .444 Marlin or a .45-70 (again in a real Marlin or one of the newest ones but definitely not one of the early Remlins) or a 45-70 in a Ruger #1.

I also suggested my .375 Win would be a great option. Had it at the range yesterday and was blasting clay pigeons at 300 yards at will and pinging the steel at 500. Couple of problems with the .375, though. First, while bullets are available from Sierra and Les Volmer, the now discontinued Hornady 220g shot best in my rifle. The Speer 235g also work pretty well but as I recall from early experiments, they require special load considerations. Fortunately I have about 600 bullets on hand and hundreds of cases. Second, I paid $350 for my Marlin 375 and really like the rifle. With the Wild West Guns 'Happy Trigger', Warne WD rings, Leupold scope and Williams Firesights, I probably have $700 wrapped up in it. Saw a plain Marlin 375 on gunbroker yesterday, $1400 minimum bid, $1600 'Buy now'. Told my son-in-law he was SOL on the.375.

Curious what people here would recommend?

If it were me I'd probably run a 45-70 with a 300 around 2200.. With a decent zero it'll shoot to 200 without much trouble. If you have a reticle that you can holdover with I'd take it to 300, with dialing it being my preferred way of getting it done.

My partner has a Ruger 45-90... I think that might be pretty cool too with pointed bullets.

It sounds like you covered it pretty well.
-Jake

I'd probably get a .38-55.

I use .444 in Ohio. But most there seem to be leaning to 45-70.

I have to admit - having the .375 just whetted my appetite for a .45-70. So now I have both, plus a .30-30. Damnn rabbits...

The .45-70 did a nice job on a 6x6 bull elk at 213 lasered yards. The day before I took a mulie buck with it at 197. My hunting load is down 22" at 300 but prints softball-sized groups at that range. Talked to my son-in-law last night and think he is leaning .45-70. Would not be surprised (and more than a little jealous) if he chooses a Ruger #1 instead of a Marlin. A #1 is on my wish list.

I thought the same thing about the 375 Win, wanting to buy a barrel for the Encore.

WTB: 375 Winchester barrel

Finding the only likely option was a custom barrel (for 375).....then checked into the 460 S&W for an Encore barrel. Around 2900 fps for a 200 grain Hornady bullet.

460 S&W Encore 20 inch

The guy was resting his barrel directly on the sandbag.....no-no for group, fine for chrono only.

Anyway, after pricing the 460 S&W stainless barrels at over $300, settled on a $425 Ruger American Ranch in 450 Bushmaster. .450BM shoots .452 bullets......same diameter as the 460 S&W.

Most factory loads for the 450BM are 225-260 grains (at around 2200-2300 fps). Would be interesting to see what a handloaded Hornady 200 grain FTX would do for muzzle velocity.

I've killed a good many with the 38-55 and it has never let me or other friends down. Wonderful round. I shoot Buffalo Bore ammo.

Ruger Ranch in 450BM

$250-275 or so and an old beat up Marlin 30-30 will get you a freshly rebored 38-55 from JES Reboring in Oregon. Sure can't complain about mine, seems to shoot great with about anything I feed it. 2 week or less turn around doesn't suck either. Handloading just about required though. Cases available from Starrline, plenty of places offer cast bullets if you don't cast your own, RCBS Cowboy dies.

With these changes in the regs, I wouldn't be surprised to see bullet makers bring back a few of the old favorites.


Okie John

The 38-55 is not an option. The regulations specify a list of cartridges that does not include the 38-55. There is a catch all category:
"Center-fired straight-walled rimmed cartridges chambered for handgun use with bullets from 0.357” to 0.500” diameter with a case length from 1.285” to 1.800."
It doesn't appear the 38-55 will fit this criteria. No logic to this as the 375 Winchester is allowed but it is what it is.

444 or the 45-70, both are hard hitting rounds and ammo is no problem with either.

So far the likely candidates are:

450 Bushmaster / Ruger American Ranch, Gunsite Scout or #1; or an AR15
444 Marlin / Marlin
45-70 /Marlin or Ruger #1 or #3

45-70

Get several. lol I was set on using a pair I picked up here, an 1886 Winchester in 45/70 or an older 1894 in 45 colt but thought that a bolt gun might be the ticket for open fields so just ordered the 450 ruger American from buds. Variety my friends

We're trying a Ruger 'American' with a Leupold 'American' Marksman scope.

? ? ?

Aside from being 'disqualified' by Iowa game laws-- as listed on P 1 of this thread.

This snipit from Deer Hunting Forum --- Pumps & Deer Hunting -- Whelen Nut used a 38-55 in either 2015 or 2016 for deer in Kansas, the following is Cut/Copied/Pasted for reference.


Originally Posted by BobinNH
Yeah Paul the 38-55 kills them.....sort of. grin

It's better than a spear. smile


Yup better than a spear grin But as a famous gunwriter once said, 'it's the bullet, not the headstamp' that kills the critter. I should have used a soft lead bullet instead of hard cast. Made for a long tracking job. mad Live and learn!

So have you decided which thunder stick you are going to bring this year? end quote

Jerry

So the .375 Win is OK but the .38-55 is not legal? They're the same thing. And the .38-55 enjoyed a great reputation among hunters. Read some of the old books and articles. I can't help that one guy used the wrong bullet.

Yup, that's the way the regs read.

Not the same thing, but close.

I always liked the 40 cal stuff from win and sharps...

Regarding the .375 Winchester.

If anyone has experience with the 235g Speer I'd like to hear about it, either with respect to loading or on-game performance. The bullet was designed for the .375 H&H but i'm curious how it expands at .375 Win impact velocities. I'm thinking about giving it a try, although I already know some special loading procedures are necessary concerning COL and crimping.

TIA

The triple four is handicapped by the microgroove barrel in some cases. Microgrooves are known to not handle longer bullets.
However I have read the 444 action in the Marlin is " stronger " than the 1895 45/70? I own both. If I was on a budget I would get the 45/70 because you will most likely have a cowboy shooting buddy the readily casts bullets in that caliber. U can go up and down the Ballistic scale and brass will always be around. Plus most will have a traditional rifeling.

There are also Winchester Lever 45/70 s the 1886?

The Ruger number one has its own reloading page / parameters. Much more ( insert correct term). Hint hint more powder can get added to the load.

There is a wonderful book called 40 years with the 45/70 author slips my mind..........huh? Go ahead trolls this lines 4 U.

Any ways the book has a lot of letters written by Elmer Keith, Jack O Conner P.O. Ackley among others.

45-70....although I did just get my son a Henry All Weather 44mag, like mine shown here in 45-70. Havent seen a Deer walk away from a 44mag yet.

I opted for a circa '77 Marlin 44 a friend got for me. I'm a little tired of boomers and where I'd hunt would be in the trees so a good soft point at ~ 1600 fps will be plenty antidote for any whitetail that I see.

The one I have will hit gallon milk jugs with a Burris Red Dot sight at 200 unless I lose my glasses. Any buck beyond 150, C'est le vie.

Take a look at Barnes load data for the 45-70 with the 250gr TSX. Smoking fast for a 45-70. Just don't mix up the load information. The ruger load is too hot for the Marlin action. You'd also need a 24" tube to reach those velocities. Something like the Marlin XLR or similar.

http://barnesbullets.com/files/2014/11/45-70RugerNo1.pdf
http://barnesbullets.com/files/2014/11/45-70Marlin1895Web.pdf

He might want to look at Pedersoli 444. It's based on the Win 71 action I believe and it comes with a scout scope mount. I think it's called a boar buster or hog hunter or something like that.

The .444 and .45-70 don't fit that criteria either.

Both of which are way overkill for Iowa deer anyway

I have a Winchester Model 92 in .45 Long Colt that has proven to be a reliable deer tree stand gun.


These loads are also safe in all modern Model 1892 lever guns as well as all Winchester & Marlin 1894's

Buffalo Bore Hunting Ammo
Grain Weight - - - - -300 Grains
Muzzle Velocity - - -1200 Feet Per Second
Muzzle Energy - - - -959 Foot Pounds
Bullet Style - - - - - - Jacketed Flat Point

The 444 and 45-70 are specifically mentioned as allowed. The other criteria are for cartridges not specifically listed. As I said: no logic to it but that is how the law reads.

Yup, same with the .375 Win (allowed) and the .38-55 (not allowed). Essentially the same cartridge except the .38-55 has a slightly (0.065") longer case and lower SAAMI pressures.

.38-55 cases drop into my .375 chamber just fine and I've worked up loads with them at higher pressure than the .38-55 spec. Gained over 100fps. Gave up on the project because I have hundreds of .375 cases and didn't want to have to keep track loads using both types of case.

I have used my 444 Marlin in past years during the late antlerless season.

265gr Hornady FP's on top of a moderate charge of 4198 at around 2200fps. Great performance on the couple of deer and one bear I've put to rest with it.

Ole whitey don't take all that much killing to justify the high dollar bullets, the heavies, and the extreme velocities. My opinion anyway, ymmv.

It's funny, I can poke a deer with a 357 out of a hand gun, but not from a long gun. At least the way I read the law.

muleshoe,
The 357 Mag is just fine in a rifle too. Any cartridge legal in a handgun is legal in a rifle too and the 357 is on the allowed list.

Okay, after re-reading I see it. Thought I saw 375 instead of 357. The dyslexia must have kicked in a bit.

Yup, to different critters.

My Marlin 375 (.375 Win) gets 2396fps with a 200g Sierra, 2230fps with the now obsolete Hornady 220g and 2219fps with the Les Volmer 220g.

Headed to the range Saturday with my hunting partner of the last 19 years. With a little luck I'll get to build some test loads with the Speer 235g before we go. Using these will turn my levergun into a two-shooter (one in the mag and one in the chamber) but at least they are available.