Looks like I might be taking my 1895 Marlin 45/70 deer hunting this year.

Would you guys care to recommend a commercially available cast bullet for whitetails, please?

BTW it's a Micro-Groove barrel.

Thanks 284WL

Generally, you need cast bullets that are 0.001" to 0.002" larger than bore diameter for use in a Microgroove barrel. Hence, any .459" or .460 cast bullet will work. Any Cast Performance bullet works well in my 1977-vintage 1895, 300 to 460 grains (except the 440 grain) and I have heard of good results with the OregonTrail LaserCasts as well. Beartooth bullets will size theirs to .460" and may shoot better in some cases.

A 300 grain Cast Performance at 1800 fps or a 405 grain Cast Performance at 1500 fps should be all one needs for whitetails.

Jackfish, Have you used any of the above mentioned bullets on deer and if so, do you have a favorite?

Also saw your post about your faorite deer/hog load being the 300 Speer over 55grains of H4198.

I am currently using 300 grain Hornadys and 300 grain Partitions over 63 grains of Bencchmark. Shoots pretty good but the recoil with the factory "pad" is a bit much for any extended sessions. I'd like to go to a heavy slow bullet with a wide meplat as well as installing a Limbsaver to make it more pleasant to shoot as well as being a deer killer.

My 300 H&H is more pleasant to shoot than the little Marlin but not near as much fun.

Comments please. 284WL

I used to use home cast Gould hollow points years ago, but now the only cast bullet I'm shooting is the Cast Performance 420 grain at 1500 fps. I'm using 33 grains of AA5744.

Also check this out: http://www.realguns.com/archives/052.htm

I shot some 300 grain HPs with 56.5 grains of H4198 and WOW, great groups, tremendous recoil, and I'm hoping for spectacular wounds on deer. My first reloads with the 45-70 other than cheap cast bullets I reloaded just to get used to the reloading process.

Jackfish, Thanks for the link. However, today I odered a pad from Kickeez to try them out.I have experience with Limbsavers and Decellerators but I thought I would give this pad a try. Mic McPherson installed one on one of his custom Marlins for a guy over at the Campfire and he was well pleased with it.475 Linebaugh I beLieve. I ordered the Magnum pad so until I shoot it my fingers are crossed.

http://www.kickeezproducts.com/grp_magnum.php


At 1500 what's the recoil like with those 405s

Thanx 284WL

With the 420 grain Cast Performance at 1500 fps, recoil in my rifle is less than my 30-06 with 180 grain bullets and much less than my 45-70 deer load with the 300 grain Speer.

That 420gr bullet from Cast Performance is a great bullet! But Mike Starling is casting a 435gr that looks just like it and he's real easy for me to get to.

I'm thinking I'll push it to about 1,600 and it'll shoot through any three deer that ever walked the planet.

I've got a box of the 420 LBTs but haven't loaded any yet. The factory Remington 405 soft works so well on whitetail I'm not sure a fella needs a ~400 gr bullet traveling any faster than 1200 fps, except to flatten the trajectory a little. I've run lead 405s to 1600 fps and they make me glad I have a Limbsaver pad on my Guide Gun instead of the truck tire the factory put on it.

You guys have any problem with barrel leading at those velocities?

I'm shooting cast bullets with mine, but they are not commercial.

I use the 350gr. LBT LFN with 46 grains of IMR 4198. More than likely these bullets are going between 1900 & 2000fps. I will be chronographing these loads later this month.

I have them grouping 1" center to center at 100 yards and ready for hunting.

I decided to clean my 1895 after approximately 60 rounds of this load and some hotter. I only removed powder residue. There were no lead particles seen and the inside of the barrel is as pristine as when I took it out of the box.

HL

quote:

Originally posted by EMK:
You guys have any problem with barrel leading at those velocities?

Not with properly sized, hard cast, gas checked bullets.

To all responders thank you.I though LBT sold moulds exclusivelly. Care to share where you buy your bullets please? Midway has a bunch but it would be nice to know of others.

Thank guys 284WL

I got my Cast Performance bullets from Cabela's in Hamburg PA. Don't know which end of PA you're in but they've usually got them at the Hamburg or Wheeling stores.

I cast my own 405 grain pill. I load 40 grains of RL7 for a velocity of around 1600 fps. I cast using pure WW. This load is devastating on deer. Buy a mold and roll your own. You can buy a lot of casting supplies if you want, or just buy a mold and inexpensive lube. You can pan lube in your oven. If you have an understanding wife you can even melt and pour your bullets on the stove. Go to the tire store and sweep up some WW off the floor. Smelt your WW outside on your coleman stove. You can flux with a little Beeswax or a toilet ring. Tom.

I bought the LBT LFN GC mould from LBT and cast my own. I used to use the Lyman 450 to size the bullet, but now just use it to lube. Lee makes very good push through sizing dies that won't deform the nose. And you can buy a lot of those dies for the cost of one Lyman, Star or RCBS sizer. Just find someone with an old Lyman they are willing to get rid of.

HL

For microgroove both diameter and hardness are much more critical.The right combination will give excellent accuracy.

I have a 450 and 550 grain LFNGC that are a LBT design. They penetrate deeply even at low velocities. The 450's can do 1800 fps and the 550's can do 1550 fps or they can be downloaded for deer.

I'm currently useing laser-cast 350gr flatnose with 50 gr of H4198 for deer, hogs, and black bear in my guidegun, but I don't know how they'll work thru a microgroove barrel.

I used to use 300 gr hornady jacketed hollow points over 55gr of H4198 but I found that they were completely coming apart. Then I switched to 400gr speer jacketed soft points. I was basically satisfied with that load, but with the rising costs of components, especially jacketed bullets, got me to thinking about cast bullets. I was in the process of collecting up wheelweights and selecting a mold to start with. On the way back from a hog hunt we stopped at sportsmans warehouse and I found 250 count boxes of lasercast 350gr FN for $15.00, so I bought them and now they are all I shoot thru my 45-70.