Taking whitetail with 45-70

[ousooners1baby]

Do you guys load the up or down to take the whitetail? Explain you loads maybe?

[LONGTOM]

Factory Winchester 300 gr HPs.
Between my best friend and myself we have taken over 160 whitetail with that load and have lost only 2 deer and had to track less then a dozen.
Our guns seem to love them.
We would never use anything else!!!
 
 
LONGTOM

[KIMBER45]

I reload. I shoot a 405 gr. Remington bullet about 1600fps. Careful. It's dangerous to trees that get behind the deer, as my avatar proves.

[45/70fan]

I load a 300gr Remington hollow point to 2000fps with R7.  Bang FLOP!!

[coyotejoe]

On deer or even elk there is no need for bullets heavier than 300 grains, not saying you can't use heavier just that there is no need. Suit youreslf as to jacketed or cast, both work fine at speeds between 1,000 and 2,000 fps although it might be hard to get an accurate cast bullet load at 2,000 fps. The old black powder 45/90 had a fine reputation as a hunting rifle with a the 300 grain bullet at about 1500 fps and that is easy to duplicate in a smokeless powder 45/70.

[ousooners1baby]

Which powders and how many grains are you using?

[jeepmann1948]

Whichever or Whatever 45-70 load you use on a deer is the equivalent of hitting a plastic water barrel with a fully loaded semi.
 See my signature line
George

[Norminator]

Bang-Flop is as eloquent a description for the 45-70 as I have seen.

[Cheesehead]

A maximum charge of Reloader 7 pushing a Remington 350 grain round nose.

Cheese

[sawzall]

How much meat do these factory JHP rounds ruin? I was planning to use a 405g LFP cast from acww at about 1500fps for whitetails next fall.  I figure I could "eat right up to the hole" with this load.

[nanuk-O-dah-Nort]

I've used factory 300HP's and 405SP

both killed, the HP destroyed more meat.

in my ML, a 400gr semispitzer, that I can guarantee you won't expand on deer, makes a 1.5" diameter hole all the way through a deer, from whatever angle, blood trail like a painted highway turn arrow, and little blood shot meat.

I'd say, go with what ever shoots more accurate.  in a 45 cal, anything between walking speed, and 1500fps is going to take a deer.

[gcrank1]

I cant remember how many 'hunt reports' Ive read that tell about the 270 or 7mm or 30cal. that 'expanded to 40something cal.' and took the critter clean.......so a 45-70 doesnt even have to expand and its there already. I'll use my cast bullets without reservation.
Placement is everything regardless.

[Spanky]

There's NO need to hot rod the 45-70 to kill deer. A case full of Trailboss and a big fat cast bullet will knock 'em right off their feet without beating up the shooter... or the gun.
 
 
 
Spanky

[cwlongshot]

There's NO need to hot rod the 45-70 to kill deer. A case full of Trailboss and a big fat cast bullet will knock 'em right off their feet without beating up the shooter... or the gun.

Spanky

Absolutely!!  Having said that, My loads are hotter then factory, but they are built for a balance of accuracy and power.

My heaviest load is one of the most accurate, 2000fps with a Speer 400SP bullet using RL7 powder. NOT NEEDED for anything I have killed, but its shoots well and was built to work on big heavy game.

In my Handi 45/70's I like the 350 Speer at about 1700 fps. The handis will generally stand far more then the guy shooting them.

Find a good shooting load and go hunting.

CW

[ironglow]

  Are you guys sure a 45/70 will kill a whitetail?
   Only kidding!!  That was for the benefit who believe that nothing less than a 22-250 will kill a woodchuck!  ..
 
  BTW:  I have long favored the .44 mag rifle for whitetails..and not necessarily loaded to the top.
  Question; I have XTPs in 240 gr..what's a good load behind them?

[bucco921]

In reality any load you choose for the 45-70 will kill a deer- from the lowest trapdoor loads to the hottest "ruger" loads. I say just find a load that you and your gun both like. I "borrowed"  a load a member posted. 48 grains of rl7 with 350 grain hornady.

[bucmeister]

Down here in MS most of the hunters that use the 45-70 for our primitive season tend to favor the Hornady Leverevolution hot rod loads trying to flatten out the trajectory as much as possible.

[petemi]

One good thing about the .45-70 is if ya miss em, the shock wave takes em down    Seriously, I shoot the Rem 405 over IMR 4198 for 1950.  It's not necessary to run anywhere near that hot at closer range.  Like buckmeister, I do it to flatten out the rainbow.  Sometimes I have to shoot to 300 and beyond, and I can't predict when that may happen.......I guess I should mention that it works just fine at ten yards too    I've only shot a few deer with the Handi .45-70 but all gained immediate entry to deer heaven.  All died where they stood.  They were relaxed and none took more than a step or two.

Pete

[gcrank1]

I sorta think that the concept of trying to 'flatten the traj.' of a 45-70 is just wrong..... , God and the US Military got it right  in the beginning.

[petemi]

gcrank1, you're right to a certain extent.  The military tests at Sandy Hook, NJ in the late 1800s were shot at a 36 foot target at a mile.  A deer's vitals are a lot smaller at 300 yards.  I shoot that load because I know where it is from 50 to 300 yards.  I could probably do the same with the same bullet at 1400 fps., but there would be considerably more drop., more to learn and more room for error.  No disrespect intended.

The load I'm shooting is the 405 over 45.8 gr. IMR 4198.  It cloverleafs at 100 yards out of my rifle.  I gave the load to thejanitor and Brent had the same results from his Handi.  I could shoot a lighter load and lighter bullet at the same distance, but I need that MOA accuracy, consistency and stability for distance.  It's not a nice load for bench shooting or plinking, but it is superb in the field.

Pete

[gcrank1]

No worries, Pete! I know ya couldnt see my tongue in my cheek when I typed that  .

[Shu]

I don't know about white tails those are really big compared to the little black tails around here.
It is legal to use any centerfire rifle cartridge and a large deer is about 80 lbs.

[Spanky]

I don't know about white tails those are really big compared to the little black tails around here.
It is legal to use any centerfire rifle cartridge and a large deer is about 80 lbs.

 
Sounds like a 22 Hornet and a 45gr. softpoint would be perfect.
 
 
 
Spanky

[revbc]

Friend of mine lost a couple deer shooting the leverrevolution ammo.  He was just about to give up on the ole 45 until I introduced him to a 350gr water dropped Ranch Dog cast.  All since then were DWS. (dead within sight)

In the Tunica Hills.........that's saying something.

[ironglow]

Actually, here in NY State where the whitetails do grow to a generous size, any centerfire is allowable.  Most hunters have better sense than our legislators however, and don't opt for the Hornet or .17 Rem..

[cwlongshot]

Actually, here in NY State where the whitetails do grow to a generous size, any centerfire is allowable.  Most hunters have better sense than our legislators however, and don't opt for the Hornet or .17 Rem..

Bobby,
 Didn't they stop production/discontinue the Ranch Dog line? (A lee mold correct?) I would love to try some but cannot find any listed?

Iron,
 Question for you... MY last NY license was '08. Is the NO CALIBER restriction something new or only for your zone?  I hunted mostly 46, we have property on the Ulster county line near the Rondout res. I thought it had been a 243 MIN.

CW

[mo_bio]

There's NO need to hot rod the 45-70 to kill deer. A case full of Trailboss and a big fat cast bullet will knock 'em right off their feet without beating up the shooter... or the gun.
 
 
 
Spanky

yep. bang flop

[twoshooter]

I use two loads- 300gr HP or SP over 47 gr of RL7, that is equal to or just a bit over factory, because that was the most accurate with the jacketed for me. I use a 330 gr cast over 33.5 gr of IMR 4198 which should be about 1650 fps in my BC , which I have shot a lot more of than the jacketed. Both speak with authority.
      As related to another thread here- I have moved up to a 500 for some of my shooting- the 50 cal holes are easier to see

[hoytcanon]

    BTW:  I have long favored the .44 mag rifle for whitetails..and not necessarily loaded to the top.
  Question; I have XTPs in 240 gr..what's a good load behind them?

23.5 of H110 or 24.5 of Lil' Gun.

[nanuk-O-dah-Nort]

The military tests at Sandy Hook, NJ in the late 1800s were shot at a 36 foot target at a mile.  A deer's vitals are a lot smaller at 300 yards. 

I have an uncanny ability to stalk deer to withing 1500yds...   I can EASILY get inside a mile!