.45-70 Bullets for Heavily Armored Deer - or Bear

[crs]

A friend recently directed me to this article by Joe D'Alessandro, Editor of Real Guns. I found it to be rigorously researched, interesting, and educational; I learned about the GS Custom FN solids and how they stack up against some better known brands. Thought some of you might like an interesting read ==>
http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar171.htm

BTW -This article is recent, but if it has already been posted here, I missed it.

[alnitak]

Would sure like to see a test of these:

http://www.garrettcartridges.com/420.asp

against the standard contenders (found above) and the Grizzly Cartridge. I'd even contribute a few for a side-by-side test.

[Bear 45/70]

the problem with their conclusion;

"The problem with a gun that delivers 2" 100 yard accuracy is that it suggests it will deliver 6" 300 yard accuracy. Add a few inches for pilot error and you would pretty much be assured of a miss at 200 - 300 yards."

Very few people can or will shoot .458" bullets to 200 yards, much less 300 yards while hunting. Most of us aren't Reflex.

[86er]

We are going to shoot the following:

450 Gr Kodiak Solid @ 2000 fps
450 Gr Kodiak Solid @ 1800 fps
450 Gr Northfork Solid @ 1950 fps
405 Gr Punch Solid @ 2000 fps
460 Gr Cast Performance at 1800 fps

These will be tested for penetration in media.

If anyone wants something else included, send me 5 live rounds by June 1st.

[Bogie35]

Nice read.
Thanks for posting.

bogie

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Enjoyed the article. Thanks.

[crs]

86er;
I can donate 5 rounds for the .405 W - Hornady 300 grain rated at 2200 fps. I can also loan you a Win 1895 to fire them, if you do the tests here in the Republic of Texas (oops, did that put me on the janet napolitano suspect list?)

[Modoc ED]

Good article. Thanks.

[TuPapito]

I'd love to see how the 300 grain Nosler Partitions (2200 fps) stack up against those solids, what with Nosler sort of being the industry standard for so long.

I can send you 5 cardtridges, but am wondering if this is limited to solids only?

[Blaine]

This is a Federal 300gr, hot core load from a few years ago....MV was prolly 1700 out of the Guide Gun.....Shooting from above, it hit between the shoulders of a nice blacktail, went thru the spine, turned directly south and lodged in the pelvis.....about 4' of deer and a couple hard bones? Another site I visit has done extensive Nosler Partition .458 testing and finds it superior to nearly every thing except maybe 500 grainers at a moderate velocity.

[Noah Zark]

. . . Very few people can or will shoot .458" bullets to 200 yards, much less 300 yards while hunting. Most of us aren't Reflex.

I agree. I'd never shoot at 200 yds while hunting, if I still hunted. Can't get a decent shot at that distance here in northern Penn's Woods unless on a power line or pipeline clearcut RoW. And then the hills get in the way.

That said, I shoot 45-70 at 100, 200, and 300 yds at the range all the time. Just Sunday I had my new-to-me H&R Officers Trapdoor out and was launching offhand some old Lyman factory-sold cast lead 535 gr Postells ( I got a metric ton of them -- OK, 25 boxes -- at a garage sale last year for $1 a box) with 13.5 gr of Unique at the 200 yd berm with the El Cheapo H&R tang sight, and hitting Minute of 24 oz Soda Bottle with them. I was challenged by two other shooters who were quite taken with the Trapdoor to hit one of their white claybirds on the 200 yd berm and did so offhand with the third shot at it. The H&R Officers felt like an AR15 going off, real light recoil but more of a "push."
Fun stuff!

Noah

[Old Savage]

It is not all difficult to hit 12" steel plates at 200 yds with a Marlin 45-70. I would think most folks who shoot much could do it with regularity.

[tman]

my browning 86 carbine likes hornady 300gr. jhps. at 2200fps. hard to imagine anything walking away after being hit with one of these. good to know that there is something bigger out there for when T REX makes a comeback