Commercial cast bullets for 45-70

[Buckle1080]

Looking for a commercial cast bullet for a newer Marlin 1895 in 45-70 for deer hunting. I'm concerned about the commercial hard cast bullets, whether they perform well in game. What recommendations do y'all have experience wise with accuracy and performance in game? Also I'm looking at a 350 or 405 grain bullet pushed around 1500 fps.

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[JeffreyDeGraff]

I’ve used laser cast 405gr bullets. They are very accurate out of my 1895G. I’ve only ever shot one deer with that bullet, it was a neck shot on a small buck at about 30 yards. That shot out of any rifle would’ve put the animal down, so it is not a testimony at how well that bullet performs on game.


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[Wes Sage]

We have Brass, and 405gr SNS Cast bullets on the website.
Lots of guys using them for hunting here on the forum.
We do have some jacketed options as well for faster speeds and longer shots.
www.sagesreloadingsupply.com

[Buckle1080]

Thanks Wes! Was looking at those the other day. I just was curious as to how a harder bullet would perform on deer.

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[Buckle1080]

I’ve used laser cast 405gr bullets. They are very accurate out of my 1895G. I’ve only ever shot one deer with that bullet, it was a neck shot on a small buck at about 30 yards. That shot out of any rifle would’ve put the animal down, so it is not a testimony at how well that bullet performs on game.


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How fast were ya running your loads? Was there a lot of tissue damage and blood shot meat, or was it like what some folks say that ya can eat right up to the hole?

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[Wes Sage]

They punch big holes. Cast bullets won't normally expand, but have no need with that kind of mass behind them

How fast were ya running your loads? Was there a lot of tissue damage and blood shot meat, or was it like what some folks say that ya can eat right up to the hole?

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[Buckle1080]

Thanks Wes! New to the cast game especially for hunting except for shooting slugs.

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[SAWMAN]

When I first started guiding in Maine I carried a older Marlin 1895 for backup when hunting moose and black bear. I had the bbl chopped to 16.5 inches and initally had a peep sight installed in the rear.
I started out loading the older 350gr Hornady round nose bullets for the gun,which did a good job when it struck bone going in.
Shortly I switched to a 405gr WFNGC bullet from Cast Performance. These bullets are cast hard. The nose/meplate is nearly 1/3 inch. The wide flat nose makes a hole that will not plug up as easily,and lets the animal bleed. Kinda like a leather punch.
These types of bullets are great also because there is no jacket to shed when going thru the animal. The hard lead just kinda folds back into a "blob" and continues to penetrate.
My loads were shot thru moose breaking BOTH shoulders on the way through. They went thru every black bear that I hit. I only recovered two bullets that went thru moose then into a fir tree.
Would reccomend that you move this type of bullet at the fastest speed that is safely possible.
I killed several of the bigger deer with this gun also. They bleed heavy and you can see the energy transfer on impact.
I had a Leupold 1-4X24 Heavy Duplex scope on my gun. --- SAWMAN

[Buckle1080]

Thanks Sawman! Sounds like great performance!

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[JeffreyDeGraff]

The neck shot on that small buck didn’t do too much damage. I don’t remember the velocity but it it was a near max load. Was a clean through shot, not much meat loss if I remember correctly. I’ve killed numerous deer and hogs with the cast performance wfngc bullets out of a 44 mag rifle and 480ruger rifle. Never recovered a bullet, minimal meat loss, some animals ran some just layers down and took the long nap.


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