Marlin 45-70 Lever Gun Bullets

[Ron Miller]

I've got a newer Marlin Guide gun and am loading the Rem 405 gr.  This seem to be a pretty good bullet. What bullets are you loading and why? I'm looking for a good bullet for Black Bear this fall.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Ron, so far I have only loaded 350 grain Horn. in my Marlin 45-70.....I have heard they are a good bullet for deer, but will also work on elk...the other one I had I shot 300 grain Horn. HP in it...they seemed pretty soft so that is why I went with the  350.'s Honestly, when I order bullets from a supplier that has 405 gr. Rem. I plan to buy some...these when I reorder...-
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[Ron Miller]

A while back I went out and bought some Winchester rounds (CXP2) a while back just because the box says “Idea for game such as Antelope, mule deer, whitetail and black bear”. I haven't shot any of them yet. I’m pretty sure that they will take out the lungs in a broad side shot, but if I was to hit the shoulder or leg on the way to the lungs I don’t really believe this bullet will hold up. I've got a couple of hundred of the Rem 405 gr. I've loaded some of them already and they shoot well but I could be wrong about the penetration.

[davem270win]

The 350 gr Hornady is a tough bullet. In Paul Mathews book on the 45-70, he has a picture of a 3" tree, which he shot thru before hitting and taking a deer. I think it will work well on Bear.

[jlchucker]

I've used the Remington and Speer bullets, but these days I mostly use my own cast bullets. A big ole 405 grain slug, poking along at about 1600 fps, jacketed or cast, is nothing that game animals care to stand in the way of.  Somewhere out there are idiots who think that you can't shoot a cast bullet out of a microgroove Marlin. Somewhere out there are a whole bunch of Marlin owners who know otherwise.  Try some carefully loaded cast bullets sometime. 

[Redhawk1]

I have shot a lot of different bullets in my 45-70, I prefer the 405 gr. hard cast gas checked bullets from Montana Bullet works.  They shoot great, and I have taken 3 black bear with them, and my buddy took one with the same load in his Marlin 45-70.

A 405 gr. hard cast bullet from a 45-70 or 450 Marlin will work on deer to Moose.

[Ron Miller]

My rifle doesn't have the microgroove, Maybe what I've got will do the work.

Thanks guys!

[jlchucker]

My rifle doesn't have the microgroove, Maybe what I've got will do the work.

Thanks guys!

Ron, you've got the perfect Marlin.  Cast bullets will work fine and dandy--and even if yours was microgroove, with a properly fitted bullet it still would. If I were you I'd work up a cast bullet load and never look back. Jacketed stuff is getting hard to find, I'm told--and that 405 grainer has been successfully used on stuff a lot bigger than deer and bear.  Other than what I've already got laying around, I use cast bullets now pretty much for everything except in my 7mm-08.. and the only reason I don't yet use cast bullets in that is because I haven't bought a mold and worked up a load for it, but that's coming.

[Redhawk1]

My rifle doesn't have the microgroove, Maybe what I've got will do the work.

Thanks guys!

The perfect reason to use some hard cast bullets.

Check them out here, I use the 405 gr. Flat nose gas checked at .459 dia. in my Guide guns..

http://www.montanabulletworks.com/page7.html