Marlin 1895 LTD (Davidson's Run) .45-70

[Joel W.]

I just bought my first .45-70, I am already anxious, as I have to wait on it to be shipped from Louisiana.  I have just under a month to get the rifle in, get dies, brass and bullets, and get zeroed.  I have an old straight tube Weaver 2.5x scope that I plan to mount and hopefully I will be good to go.  By the way, this rifle is the 18.5" octagon barrel model.  I got it for about the same price as a guide gun and this one doesn't have that god-awful noise maker on the end of it.

My question/s are as follows:
1.  I am hoping to make use of the Hornady 350 grain flat point.  I will be hunting whitetail at 150 yards and in.  What powder should I start with?  My manuals seem to show a preference for IMR 4198, and maybe IMR 3031.  Is this bullet choice a step in the right direction?  I kinda feel like the 300 grain HP is a tad light, and the 400 grain bullet would be just like me, a tad overweight.

You guys that use this cartridge on deer and hogs are the cause of all this.  I hope you know that you are definitely in the doghouse with my wife because your ravings about this cartridge are what caused me to send for another rifle..... :lol:

[WD45]

Joel, welcome to the side of the 45 :grin:
Although a lightweight for the 45 70 a 300 gr bullet is no light weight !
That 300 grainer will drop any whitetail here in KY as long as you can put it in the right spot. Make that a lead FN and you will have no problem with ELK either.You may need something heavier when they start issuing rhino
tags
The only thing you will gain using something heavier  is maybe a sore shoulder.

[Arrroman]

My favorite load in my marlin is a 300grain RemingtonHSP bullet with 60grains of IMR-4895 in Starline brass. This load shoots MOA in my rifle. The velocity is just under 2000FPS. I use the 40grains of the same powder with a 200grain Hornady roundnose in my .35Remington and it shoots MOA too. Good luck hunting!

[Joel W.]

Thanks guys,

I put together an order today, and had them send me 50 of the 350 grain Hornady's.  I know that 300 grains is a lot of projectile, maybe I was just caught up in the "big bore" fever and got to thinking a little to heavily.  I also sent for 100 pieces of Starline brass, I have never loaded any of their 45-70 brass, but their other types of brass have always impressed me.  I am really looking forward to getting this rifle in my hot little hands.

[globemountain]

I have worked up loads with 300 grain bullets from Sierra and Remington.  The Remington 300 grain JHP works very well with about any dose of H4198 from 45 gr to Max.  I load 48 grains of H4198 and a Rem. 300 fr. JHP as my Deer hunting load. shoots MOA and puts deer on the ground "right now".

[Joel W.]

Globe mountain,
I am glad to hear from the boys from Kentucky.  Do you hunt in the East or West?  I was raised in the East, but I live in Somerset now.  I usually end up hunting Taylor County, (Campbellsville).

[globemountain]

Howdy from Northeastern Kentucky.  I live in Carter County, near Olive Hill, Ky.  I hunt in Carter County mostly.  I was born in Mt. Vernon, in Rockcastle County.  Some of my family still lives there.

[Joel W.]

When I Trooped out of the London Post, I ended up in Rockcastle County from time to time.  I am a Detective out of the Columbia Post now, and I turned Rockcastle and the rest of the Post 11 counties over to the younger guys.

[globemountain]

My Dad's cousin was a KSP, I think, out of London.....His name is Herbert Ray Adams.   I thinks he's been retired for awhile.

[Joel W.]

I know of him, he was retired before I came on I think.  If I am not mistaken, he worked Pulaski County here where I live.  I was assigned to McCreary County the whole time I worked out of Post 11.