45-70 350 gr hard cast and reloader 7

[Wolfmanjack]

I was using Re7 because that's what I had on hand. Getting powder where I am is not an easy task. I dislike paying the hazmat charge very much especially if I'm just guessing at which powder to try. I am just ignorant as to the speed needed to harvest deer with the hard cast bullet , but I am learning. The doe I shot last week flopped over a died with the quickness.

I'm shooting wheel weight alloy. Water quenched bullets are what the gun likes with the tightgroup load. Air cooled bullets open the groups to 4.5" at 75 yards.

I am open to advice on powder options for my 353 gr cast bullet. Accuracy is the goal here. I have proven the bullet works on game at my current velocity. If I could increase that velocity and maintain accuracy? Well then that is just icing on the cake!

 

[Ireload2]

You can sure waste a lot of time, effort, trips to the range and bullets because you cut corners on powder.
You can plink with Unique.
In general 2400, 5744, 4227 and 4198 are good powders for mild loads.
I use mostly SR4759 which is close to the burn rate of 5744 and 4227. SR 4759 is discontinued though.
3031 and RE7 are better used for heavy loads. No one really needs heavy loads in a 45-70.

 

[Charlie98]

It’s hard to recommend a powder or bullet... every rifle is different. Rl7 is in the same range as IMR3031, and that’s what I typically recommend For hunting loads. You pays your monies and you takes your chances. Not to split hairs, but your doe didn’t die from the quickness of the bullet, you delivered a fairly heavy bullet to the vitals... it would have done the same thing at 1800fps or 1200fps.

Depending on what else you might load for, IMR3031 can be used in a heap of other cartridges, if it doesn’t work so well in the .45-70, and it sounds like you are remote enough that you could trade it for something else if it didn’t work out... powder is a valuable commodity.

 

[Wolfmanjack]

Roger that Charlie. You think my relatively slow hard cast bullet can make it through a whitetail leg bone at say 100 yards?

 

[Cuz70]

Shot a small doe this evening at 55 yards with the tightgroup load and 350 gr cast bullet. Shot her through the shoulder and she never took another step. 45 cal hole going in and 50 cal hole going out. Apparently my speed is sufficient, now I need a big buck to test the load on

What's the data with the titegroup.Iv'egot 350gr cast hp.

 

[rdnktrkr]

I also use 3031 for 45-70, my friend that cast uses the Lee mold at about 400gr and then we powder coat them. I use different loads for different rifles and mark the base with a marker. I found my Marlin prefers 400gr reloads better than 300gr factory loads

 

[GooseGestapo]

People grossly underestimate the penetration of a 400+gr .45cal bullet at 1,300fps.
Even a medium hard .452” 255gr bullet from a .45Colt Carbine/rifle at 1,100fps will completely penetrate a white tail deer, breaking the humerus on entry and femur on exit. BTDT.
On armadillos, the bullet impact is louder than the 8.2gr of Universal’s muzzle blast.