Reeder Custom Guns - 45-70 cast bullets

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I have been casting and shooting some 45-70 bullets this fall. The round nose is a Lee mold and casts at 460 grains and the pointed bullet is also a Lee mold and casts at 500 grains. I am using the round nose in my Marlin 1895 and the 500 grain in my C. Sharps. Driving them both at between 1100 and 1200 fps. It is kind of fun to shoot steel plates at 200 yards and more with them. Probably shoot a deer with one or the other in the next few days.

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The flat point is a well proven bullet. They stab a hole in one side and out the other. I've shot critters and they just looked around to see that the noise was. I saw dirt flash up on the offside, thought I missed.

Would hate to see you lose a deer. You still need to hit vitals and breaking shoulders down would help too. But you've made short work with your handguns. The pistol bullets work because they are big flat ended.

My worry is pointy would just poke a clean hole. It will kill but it might run off a ways. I've lost Cottontails to 9mm FMJ.

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Still carry hollow points for certain things, but FMJ FN are my first choice. They penetrate better than a HP and do much more damage than a RN.

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the little cartridge has a most enduring quality of typical utter unflappable reliability. The most powerful quality is having it available when needed and the trait MOST folks used to have of NOT wanting to be shot, period. But people are crazy these days.

Ballistically it is about like stabbing someone with an ice pick. No one wants that either, but as a wound it would likely not be immediately telling. Not may first choice of defense, an ice pick, but better than my well bitten fingernails. Deadly, certainly, effective, that gets complicated.

Those pointy cast bullets should greatly improve trajectory, by comparison, as they probably slow down less with range (ballistic coefficient), and may very well tumble on impacting bones and such to exit sideways with a 1" wake. I bet it makes a most formidable looking .45-70 round!

Also as to accuracy I'd think you'd want to seat them wayyyyyy out, just off the lands to minimize the upset before getting there. The blunt projectile is almost in the engagement zone even seated shorter. That's one of the main efforts I am pursuing on the heel bulleted Martini shooting. We'll see if I did my homework or not.

I bought (500) of those Cadet .324" RN bullets. They are softer lead but I have plans to file a flat nose on some for ballistic testing like Gary's "Flattop Tool" to enhance the effectiveness. As to my .32-20 Sixgun shooting I'm sorely tempted to order another (500) of the .314 HBWC to solve a bunch of issues right off the bat. I think the .32-20 so loaded would even bump up to fill the Martini's barrel void.

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We shot some steel containers and performance was impressive. Bullet performance has improved dramatically the last few years.

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for my Kahr P380. I have it loaded with Hornady Critical Defense squishy filled JHP. I had to dispatch a sick goat and was less than impressed. Penetration was acceptable though. You are basically shooting a break top .38 S&W when armed with a .380 auto. Taking a trip backward 100 years, fancy bullet or no.

They were pocket 5-shooters and still take no back seat to a Ruger LCP etc.

I like the sub-compact 9mm lots better.

Is your ammo Black Hills? That is the one I wanted to try. I finally found a guy casting fluted solids! I'll post it soon.

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Scotty-strongly agree about the blunt points being the game load. I have killed deer with the 45-70 with that 460 grain and with another 405 grain blunt point. I don't plan on shooting game with the 500 grain pointed bullet but it is fun on long distance plate shooting with the C. Sharps.

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Good thing i had the dogs, i wont try that again

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Master Class BPCS shooter, his favorite bullet is a Paul Jones Creedmore for his Shiloh Sharps 45-70, his alloy is 30-1 lead to tin.

He has hunted with this same bullet cast from the same 30-1 alloy. He made a jig like Gary's flat point tool for the 22's. Cutting off 30 or 40 grs. of nose really made it an efficient hunting bullet.

He said he has heard good things about the "Government" bullet for hunting also cast soft.

45-70 cast bullets

Honestly I'd not want to shoot game with the pointed

WB IS RIGHT ON!

I've gone to Flat Nose Bullets on defense too...

We were in the gunstore discussing the .25 ACP

I carry my LCP 380 with the fluted bullets...

When things level out I'll get some

45-70 bullets

I figured you knew but fun topic.

9mm roundnose zip right through jackrabbits

38 Specials with RN have the same issues.

My BIL Pat is a

Should be BPCR silhouette

Creedmoor, boy I'm good today.