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New here, however expecting to really enjoy this site.Can anyone tell me of their experiences using straight wheelweight metal for hunting bullets in the 45-70? We hunt moose, bear and caribou for the freezer and I would like to try cast bullets this year.Thanks for your time on this,Ted

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welcome Yukoner

That 45/70 will do right fine with ww metal. I would stay with boolits at least 400gn and over. If your rifle will handle the pressure get the velocity up a bit over factory. If you are shooting a trap door I would soften them WW's a might. Where are you located? We might be neibors. I have been using a Marlin 45/70 as my main stay with cast boolits for about 25 years for 90 percent of my game hunting. The other 10% is cast but in different calibers. I have over the last 10 years become very parcial to 50 cal.  Some of the game I have taken over the years with cast --- elk, wt deer, mule deer, moose, caribou, black bear, grizzly bear, coyote, rabbit, grouce,. I like the old forage three ball load for the smallish critters in the brush. Have faith in your 45/70 mine hase saved me from a couple large critters bent on my destruction. Hold center and drive them fat sluggs clean through and you wont get much of an argument from anything.

BIC/BS

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New here, however expecting to really enjoy this site.Can anyone tell me of their experiences using straight wheelweight metal for hunting bullets in the 45-70? We hunt moose, bear and caribou for the freezer and I would like to try cast bullets this year.Thanks for your time on this,Ted

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Ted,

Welcome to the board.   And this is a very broad question.

There is a wealth of information here in the Hunting section to get you thinking.   And think you must .... to be successful.  This is not just a bullet swap affair.

Things that apply to hunting that include hardness, to bullet design and meplat size, to velocity levels, to penetration potential, to emotional state of your quary.  And how these factors would interact.   And how they "might" be different. 

Just take bear for example.  I would use a completely different set of conditions with cast for black bear hunted over bait than I would for brown or griz under thicker conditions where they might hunt me simultaneously.  And size is not the only factor.  Shot angles can be expected to be different between those two senarios as well as the animals mood and mind set.  (hormonal levels)  Thus what is desired from the bullet would be different also.

You have to understand the differences to select and build a cast load that stands an excellent chance of success.   You have started early and have plenty of time to think about it.  Then you will be able to adjust the conditions above to achieve cast performance that performs as desired. 

But read everything first would be my best advice.  Even if they aren't about the 45-70.  The same thought process applies.  They will .... show you .... how you need to think and what you need to consider or ignore.  Then your questions will become more specific and you will obtain better answers to your questions.

Again, welcome to the board.

Yukoner::::

     If you use a 400 gr bullet at around 1500 to 1600 fps, you will find that nothing will survive the shot. I have been using this combination for near on 40 years in several different rifles. All the rifles worked great. Accuracy was very good to great in every rifle chambered in 45-70 and worked very well in my 458 Win Mag. I have used this combination in the 45-70 and take several large animals and have never found a bullet to see how the metal has reacted to the animal. This load will shoot thru any Elk and goes thru any deer and antelope lengthways. So I don't know what else to say except to say that is works and you can EAT RIGHT UP TO THE BULLET HOLE!!!!!!

     This load will not damage a lot of meat, but it sure kills anything it hits.                                        jebb45

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Yukoner:::: If you use a 400 gr bullet at around 1500 to 1600 fps, you will find that nothing will survive the shot. I have been using this combination for near on 40 years in several different rifles. All the rifles worked great. Accuracy was very good to great in every rifle chambered in 45-70 and worked very well in my 458 Win Mag. I have used this combination in the 45-70 and take several large animals and have never found a bullet to see how the metal has reacted to the animal. This load will shoot thru any Elk and goes thru any deer and antelope lengthways. So I don't know what else to say except to say that is works and you can EAT RIGHT UP TO THE BULLET HOLE!!!!!! This load will not damage a lot of meat, but it sure kills anything it hits.&nbs

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Hi Jebb,

I appreciate hearing about your experience.  I have procured a 405 gr mold and am going to give this a try.  We'll see how this all works out.

As I posted, we hunt moose, caribou and bear.  I have used an old Sako 375 for many years and have never had a problem with it.  You can eat right up to the hole with that one, too.

Just thought I would try the Marlin with some cast bullets for a change.

What lube do you use with the wheelweight bullets?

Thanks,

Ted

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Ted,Welcome to the board. And this is a very broad question.There is a wealth of information here in the Hunting sectionto get you thinking.

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Thanks BA,

I have read some of it and have decided to try wheelweights in a 405 gr mold.  Probably cast a bit less than 400 gr from what I understand.

Will let you know how it goes.

Ted

Yukoner:::::

     So you know, I don't use factory made lube. About 30 years ago, I made my own and I am using the last of 2 five gallon buckets that I put together then. All that lube and about 2 tons of WW cast into bullets for every caliber from 22 up to 458 Win Mag.

     I also use a Gas Check on all my cast bullets, not that they need them, but it does help in the cleaning process in any and all the different calibers I reload. To this day, I have never had a critter COMPLAIN about it was cast or jacketed that caused the problem. When it come to puttin' meat in the freezer, there was never a problem, BANG and the work begins. I would much have wild game to eat 10 to 1 over beef. I use cast bullets because I enjoy WILD GAME to eat and I don't like it blowed all to "HELL" before I get a chance to eat it!!!!!!!                              jebb

Marlinlover:::

     You asked about 30 calibers, funny you should ask! Years ago I had a Savage model 219 in 30-30. I shot it until the rifling was gone and all of it with WW cast bullets. I shot every kind of cast bullet I could make or dind thru that poor old 30-30.I do have to say that was the toughtest little rifle I had ever got my hands on. It made no difference what the load was, it would shoot and accurate! If I remember right the was 20 grs of H4895 and the 31141 bullet w/gas check and triple lubed. I shot everything from rabbits and squirrels to deer and the neighbors Bull when he called(the bull wouldn't stay home so the neighbor decided to make hamberger out of him). I tryed several different bullets, but kept coming back to the 31141.

     I did have several different 03 springfields around and I tried several different cast bullets in different ones. The load that I found for the 30-06 was with the 311413 bullet. That bullet mould is longer made, That design was way before alot of you guys time, but it worked. Today there is a new bullet on the block, it's RCBS's 30 caliber 165 Silouhette design. Let me tell you this bullet is fantastic. I shoot this bullet out of all my 30 calibers except the 30-30. This bullets works very well with 30 grains of H335, AA2230-C, in any 308 or 30-06. Out of my Remington 700/308 PSS, It will stay inside of 2 inches at 100 yards as long as I do my part, and nowadays thats a job in itself, sometimes my part really sucks! I still use my triple lube and things have never been better. I am strictly a meat hunter and don't look for trophy's. Just never got into trophy hunting, I enjoyed eatin' more than hanging them on the wall. I am a true believer in cast bulles and will never change my mind, been shootin' cast for near on 46 years and still havin' a blast.                                                            jebb

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New here, however expecting to really enjoy this site.Can anyone tell me of their experiences using straight wheelweight metal for hunting bullets in the 45-70? We hunt moose, bear and caribou for the freezer and I would like to try cast bullets this year.Thanks for your time on this,Ted

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This is a picture of a Lee 405 FP shot into a series of plastic milk jugs filled with water.  I believe it penetrated 6 jugs and was recovered in the 7th, but it may have been 5 and 6.  My alloy is about 60% wheel weights and 40% lead pipe.  The load is 50 grains of 3031 in Winchester brass, Lee liquid alox lubed.  Velocity is 1650 fps.  There's an unfired one near it for comparison.  Sorry about the picture quality.

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TedThis is a picture of a Lee 405 FP shot into a series of plastic milk jugs filled with water. I believe it penetrated 6 jugs and was recovered in the 7th, but it may have been 5 and 6.My alloy is about 60% wheel weights and 40% lead pipe. The load is 50 grains of 3031 in Winchester brass, Lee liquid alox lubed. Velocity is 1650 fps. There's an unfired one near it for comparison. Sorry about the picture quality.

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David,

How far was impact and what does the bullet weigh?

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David,How far was impact and what does the bullet weigh?

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