45-70 Made meat

abj

Active Member
Got my first deer with the 45-70 buffalo classic. I cheated and put a scope on it(sorry). Any way, Alloy is 2-tin, 4-antimony, 4759-27 grains @1350 ish, 300 grain round flat, sized .459, bevel base. Shot was at 90 yards and entered just behind shoulder and exit was the off side just in front of ham. Both lungs gone, he wheeled and ran 20 yards.
The only thing that almost went wrong was I was zero at 100 and the shot was down hill and guessing a 40 foot drop in 100 yards and the shot was about two inches high, luckily I was holding for a high heart shot but still resulted in a double lung. If I remember right, on that incline or decline you are supposed to hold low. No expansion at that speed and none needed but almost no bloodshot meat. I'm happy.
Tony
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
you triangulate the animal up/down to your level [it's a swinging arc] and that is the length of the shot.

usually there ain't time for that so I ignore all the rules and hold where I want the bullet to hit.
an inch one way or the other means little when you hold for the lungs, it can when you aim for the heart only.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Think "sevenths" on uphill or downhill shots. Every 12.85* of downward or upward angle given to a shot removes 1/7 of the bullet drop occurring on level ground at a given distance. Gravity has its greatest effect on a flying bullet's trajectory when that bullet flies at right angles to that force.

Congratulations on making venison with that big ol' bullet!
 
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JSH

Active Member
Congratulations.
My argument on optics. If they were available 100+ years ago, you don’t think folks would have took advantage of it ;-)
 

abj

Active Member
Thanks for the pat on the back guys. My main goal for posting the story is to deliver the gun and load info in case anyone could use it. That load is now in my pet loads group. When I zeroed it at 100 the first 3 shots were touching. I really didn't think a 300 grain Bevel base would shoot that well.
I was pleasantly surprised and shot pretty soft as well.
Whats funny about the whole thing is I had some factory stuff laying around and shot a few and said this is not fun. So I went to some old loading manuals and that is the only test load I tried and it worked. Sometimes you just get lucky.
Thanks again,
Tony
 

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
Tony Good shooting.
The only difference between your load an mine, is that i use 2400 at the same velocity out of a Bushmaster. I am even using the same weight bullet.
 
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Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
45-70 with cast is just an ideal deer cartridge. Took a few with mine and would use it again.

well done.
 

Ian

Notorious member
300 grains in a WFN profile at 1300 fps through the boiler room is meat on the table any way you launch it.
 

Franklin Hagg

New Member
I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on 45 70 with cast 350 grain bullet. Also I have 2 lbs of 2400 alliant powder I would like to use up in the loading. I have a Henry steel framed rifle.
 

Walks

Well-Known Member
If you can't find the reloading info on the Alliant website, I wouldn't know where to look.
Never heard of using 2400 in a .45-70.
 

Missionary

Well-Known Member
I have never yet met a corn cruncher that a 350 grain cast FN chugging along at 1550 fps would not overpower and drill a sizable hole clean through.
And 2400 will get you there with no problem.