I shot a nice doe last evening with a 300 Gr. RCBS bullet, cast from 19.5 Lbs. of wheelweights and .5 Lb of 50/50 solder. the charge was 24 Gr. of 2400. Siamese Mauser, 24" Douglas barrel. Range 40 Yds. Hit right front shoulder, huge blood trail, ran 50 Yds. left shoulder completely mangled. Went through heart. I was very impressed with the damage that this moderate load and light, for caliber, bullet did on this deer.

What kind of velocity you getting with that load?

My Siamese shoots 56.0 H322 and Speer 400 SPs at 1900 fps and kills at both ends!

Mine is an 18" Mannlicher stocked/full wood to the muzzle carbine.

Congratulations on your deer.

I have never chronographed this load. It is Frank Marshall's old "stand by". When I first built this rifle, in 1987,I did so with the express intent of shooting only cast bullets. When I "Broke-ln" the barrel I used 300 Gr. Sierra HP with a case full of Reloader 7. My old PACT Chronograph claimed 2465 FPS. It was a killer from the bench. I am not that mad at anything now. Ha Ha.

I refer to my Siamese 45-70 (I built it in '74) as a 450-400-70. I've throated the 24" barrel long so I seat a 400 gr Barnes Original to just under mag length. That really increases the case capacity and over RL7 I push that 400 gr bullet at 2300 fps. Out of the 8 1/2 lb rifle it reallly lets you know you've pulled a trigger, especially from the bench!

I've shot numerous dear with mine using cast bullets from a Rapine 270 gr, Lyman 330 gr Gould, Lyman's 45457483, 457124 (390 - 400 gr) and the Lee C457-500-FN in addition to the same 300 gr RCBS GC'd FN mentioned. Above 1500 fps all do terrible nasty things to little deer. I anaged to drop 2 deer with 1 shot once using the 457482 at 1600 fps. Didn't appear that either deer slowed the bullet down much. I use the Rapine 270 gr FP at 1050 fps on deer at close pistol ranges with little meat damage. I load the 300 gr RCBS at 1400 fps and use it on deer out to 150 yards. I cast them soft with WW+2%/lead at 50/50 and mildly HP them. Agian the damge is similar to what a 44 Magnum does which is paletable (pun intended).

Now that Lee 500 gr FN cast soft at 1850 - 1900 fps is a pig stopper extrodinair!!!!
I will also go from one end of an elk and out the other if one is partial to Texas heart shots...........
Larry Gibson