45-70 Ammo???

LUCKYDOG

LUCKYDOG

Active member
I got a new Henry 45-70 today. I would love to take it elk hunting in second season but not sure I'll get her dialed in in time. I go up thursday.

Anyway, what would be the best factory ammo for elk out to two hundred yards. I'll probably won't be shooting that far but would like to start with the same ammo that I would shoot that distance. I should say that I am not familiar at all with 45-70 ammo. Only what I have read.

There is no grizzleys in my near future, only elk, deer and hogs.

Thanks!
 
Most factory ammo on the shelf will be designed for the Trapdoor and on the weak side, to get the most out a modern 45-70 you will need to reload or get some of the high end custom ammo
 
Originally Posted By: parsonMost factory ammo on the shelf will be designed for the Trapdoor and on the weak side, to get the most out a modern 45-70 you will need to reload or get some of the high end custom ammo

Thanks but I won't be reloading. I don't have time for the hobbies I have now. I don't mind paying for high end factory ammo.

I've been looking on cheaper than dirt, there sure is a lot of hollow point stuff. I didn't think there would be.
 
At 250yrds, the Hornady Leverevolution 325grn load drops 30" from a Marlin Guide Gun's short barrel. Just be aware of how much drop most factory loads will exhibit.

Not sure I'd consider it a good elk load at 200yrds. In my 2011 buck, the slug performed beautifully, but it stopped under the hide on the far side - this was on a whitetail buck which the processor would have gone 315-325 on the hoof (something over 190lbs hanging weight gutted and caped with his head cut off). Obviously, an elk is a bigger animal, so if you're wanting a pass through at 200yrds, I don't think this is the right load. Incredibly accurate in every rifle I've shot it from, from Marlin 1895's to H&R single shots and trapdoors too.

The .45-70 does get away with running very soft bullets or hollow points, at least on deer, since it has such low velocity. The Leverevolution load only gets 1790fps out of the short 18" guide gun.
 
Last edited:
A 400+ gr. hard cast flat point wiped out millions of buffalo launched at pretty sedate velocities. Even that should work fine for elk. The trajectory thing is something you're going to have to accept, that's not what a big bore lever gun specializes in. Buffalo Bore has loads that run from mild to wild. Some of those should stretch out to 200 yards without too much trouble.
 
Hornady Leverevolution 325 gr FTX. The longest I am shooting mine is about 250 yards. Inside of that, you will be putting some good elk meat in the freezer!
 
Check with the maker of your 45-70 and see what they say is the maximum pressure it can handle. Then buy the correct (Buffalo Bore) ammo. On a side note I believe the Remington 400 grain jacketed load would work for you. In the loading manuals there are 3 load levels, low pressure for trap doors and other weak actions, mid level for the lever actions and high pressure for the Ruger loads.

Remember all 45-70 loads have a rainbow trajectory and are very effected by wind. In the last 3 years I have loaded and shot over 10,000 rounds of black powder and lead bullets in silhouette match's and some Creedmoor. Silhouette starts with chickens at 200 meters, then pigs at 300 meters, then turkeys at 380 meters and then rams at 500 meters. The Creedmoor starts at 800 yards then 900 yards and finishes at 1000 yards.

For hunting I would recommend you go out and shoot your rifle and hunting load and see what your maximum range is. Do it on a calm day and then again on a windy day. Only you can decide what your hunting range is.

Good Luck and have fun.
Dan O
 
I have shot Hornady 325gr. Out of my Marlin 1895GS to the 200 yard mark and have been happy. I never got a chance to work up any handloads for this gun yet. It is interesting reading what some say on the "rainbow" of the 45-70, but I site my Big Bore Marlins in at 150 yards and they are deadly out to 200+yards with no second shots. I like my 1895GS, but turn to my 444 Marlin with my handloads to put the meat in the freezer. Good Luck on using your 45-70 this year.
 
Here is the data from the Hornady site. It didn't copy to good but it shows if your 3 inches high at 100 yards that should put you on at 200 yards. It's flatter shooting than I thought it would be.
Test Barrel (24") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
Muzzle
100
200
300
2050/3032
1729/2158
1450/1516
1225/1083
Trajectory (inches)
Muzzle
100
200
300
-1.50
3.00
0.00
-27.80
 
Any of the companies that made a name for themselves around big bores will have good ammo. Buffalo Bore will probably be the most common and easiest to find but they dont load as hot as others like CorBon. HSM has a load that is VERY close to Buffalo Bore's heaviest cast bullet but costs considerably less. The true king of the heavy load is from Garrett but they are not at all cheap.
 
On my Marlin 1895 SBL, I have the Leupold VX.R with the 2-7 Firedot reticle. Using the Hornady Leverevolution 325 gr FTX factory ammo, I have it sighted in dead on at 100 yards. The first hashmark is at 155 yards, the second hashmark is 205 yards and the top of the bottom post is 255 yards. 250 yards is about as far as I would shoot this gun in my configuration. I bought it to carry in closer range hunting situations like timber and heavier brush where the shots are not going to be that far anyway.
That scope I have on mine is a great scope for the 45-70 lever gun by the way. It has long eye relief and a great magnification range for that caliber.
 
If we're talking scopes, on one of my 1895 Guide Guns, I have a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40mm, my wife's 1895 SBL (guide gun with rail) has a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x50mm, and her No.1 has a Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x50mm. My H&R Buffalo Classic, Marlin 1895 Cowboy, and my other 1895 Guide Gun wear standard irons with tang mounted aperture on the longer barreled rifles. My trapdoor clone is standard issue with the folding ladder sight.
 
I heard of bad experiences (intranet) with Hornady 325 FTX’s as to meat destruction and pour penetration. A friend saw the result of a 325gr FTX hit to the neck of a Canadian black bear resulting in an impossible head mount. I emailed Hornady asking if the 250gr MonoFlex might give better results for an Ohio white tail.

The only problem, I did not harvest a deer last year with my 45-70 using 250gr MonoFlex to give you details of the hit.


This was Hornady’s response to my question:

Thanks for contacting us. The 250gr MonoFlex is more than adequate for any deer on this planet. The MonoFlex will expand a bit slower and penetrate deeper than our FTX bullet because of its higher weight retention. Because of the more controlled expansion you can anticipate a reduction in meat damage.
 
My wife and I have killed over a dozen deer with the 325grn FTX's - at long ranges, the meat damage is minimal, at short ranges, it's still less than any deer I've killed with a 30-06. Stay off of the shoulder and there's not much meat to damage anyway, hit the shoulder, and any expander is going to ruin meat.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top