oso,
Appreciate the reply.
With bullet weights from under 300 grs. up to 550 grs. or more, the shorter 18.5" barrel and light carrying weight (I never use a sling, gets in the way when stalking) the 45-70 cartridge, though much maligned by some, is my favorite. I have never had an occasion for concern with its ability to knock game flat at reasonable ranges, which to me is around 100 yards.
In June of '04 I was hunting Limpopo Bushbuck in South Africa with another hunter, a PH (Prof. Hunter) & two Zulu trackers. It was heavy thick thornbush, tall reeds and trees near a a dry river bed. The PH had instructed us that bushbuck can be very aggressive when cornered or wounded, so make the first shot count! If it is wounded, be ready for a quick action and stay alert! Just in case you are not aware, a mature Bushbuck is about 120 lbs. and has 12 to 17 inch knife-like spiral horns that are very sharp and they know how to use them to best effect.
We were walking through the thick stuff and we all saw a quick movement out ahead at about 40 yards. The PH checked it out with his binocs and pointed out a mature male broadside to us in the heavy shadows of a large acacia (thorn) tree. After a few seconds I had him spotted, raised my GS offhand (it has a 4X Leupold due to old eyes), found his shoulder and sent a 350 gr. JRN on its way...
After the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be found! The PH asked if I hit him several times as we searched the area where he had been...I answered yes each time, but he didn't seem convinced. Everybody was tense and was getting that panicked look...I was beginning to doubt my own sanity. After what seemed like hours, but was no more than 3 minutes, one of the Zulu trackers let out a yell and pointed to a spot about 50 ft. from where we had originally seen the buck. He was stone dead! The 350 grainer had hit him point of shoulder and exited in the same exact spot on the other side. Both shoulders were broke and he had still made it out of our sight!
The PH hurried us back out about 100 yards to a dirt road and called the cruiser on his hand-held radio. We loaded the buck and the PH said we needed to find a safer place for pictures, "...too many nasties about in here!" I learned later that crocs, hippo, brown cobras and plenty of other buckbuck were everywhere. I even took a pic of the "Beware of..." sign just off the main road out of the property. It was a great hunt and the 45-70 was the ideal gun for the task! :grin:
