Deer load development

[Jrprock]

Starting to get my bearings on some loads for this deer season. I haven't done any loading since winter, let alone any shooting.

My son will likely be using my BBS 45 Colt carbine this season. I've got 225 FTX and 240 XTP Mags. Starting with the FTX, for now. HS-6 and H-110 powders. 1.700'' oal. Just barely cycles through the action, but it does. 14 grains of HS-6 gave me a roughly 1.5" group at 100 yds. 27 grains of H-110 was around 2". I was using a lead sled to ensure consistency.

Needless to say, I think I'm off to a good start. Here's the only pic I took. 5 shots there. HS-6 load.

[JEBar]

nice .... very nice indeed .... having a lead sled really helps in minimizing human wobble

[Jrprock]

I've spent the last few weeks chasing some load gremlins. Loads that seemed to work before were inconsistent this time around. Alas, I found the scope mount was loose .

Through it all I came across some interesting conclusions. My gun prefers the 225 FTX with either H110/W296 loaded up real hot or HS-6 loaded mid-high. Below that and the groups opened way up. With the 240 XTP MAG I can get groups in the 2-3" range with either HS-6 or H110. With 12gr of Universal it groups in the 1-1.5" range. All at 100yds. So tomorrow my son and I hope to find a deer for his first youth season hunt.

I also experimented with the 45-70. Using the 400gr Speer, my gun seems happiest with 45gr of RL-7. Pics are of 45-70 on top and 45 Colt bottom.

[JEBar]

good luck on the hunt, you guys have paid your dues .... hopefully your efforts will be richly rewarded

[Jrprock]

Our hunt was a bust...too hot....too early....oh well, he's got the rest of the season to get one.

Tomorrow we head back to the range with the 45-70. Worked up some more loads. 400 Speer. 45gr RL-7, 58.5, 57.5 and 56.5 Benchmark. I will report here with my findings.

[JEBar]

sorry to hear about the hunt but I'm really looking forward following your load development

[BigAl52]

Ive had good luck with HS-6 in 45 colt also but I havent ever tried H110. Im not real fond of that powder I just havent had good luck with it in other calibers. Id be tempted to try 2400 in the 45 colt but I just havent played with mine as much as I would like just not enough time. Al

[JEBar]

W296 and H110 are our preferred powders for our 357 and 44 mag hunting level loads .... we use them interchangeably

[Jrprock]

I'm a big fan of 110/296. It burns clean and has always been consistent for me. This time around it's been a bit finicky for me. Not sure if it's a batch thing or what.

[Jrprock]

I ended up trying six different loads today. 44, 45 and 46 of RL-7. 56.5,57.5 and 58.5 of Benchmark. Honestly, I don’t know what to make of them. The recoil of the benchmark loads was absurd. I was flinching some I think even with the lead sled.

I ended up getting another nice group from the 45gr RL-7 load(bottom pic) and the 57.5 Benchmark load as well(top pic). This is all at 100yds. The benchmark loads had a POI 12” higher! I missed paper the first shot. Had to try at 50 to see where I was off.

[JEBar]

first time I've heard of such strong recoil with a 45 .. .. I'd be happy with either one of those 100 yard groups

[Jrprock]

This is 45-70 btw. The 45 Colt is quite tame in comparison.

[JEBar]

This is 45-70 btw. The 45 Colt is quite tame in comparison.

OK, now that makes complete sense .... we've made several mods to ours that are designed to reduce felt recoil and they do a good job .... that said, our loads with 400 and 500 gr bullets will still let you know they are there

[BigAl52]

I have the CCH 45-70 and it loves RL 7. I call my load the 747 load. 47 grains of RL7 and a Hornady 350grfp it shoots real good out of that rifle. I tried the same load in the All Weather but it didnt shoot as well. I may need to back it down with the shorter barrel.

[Jrprock]

I have the CCH 45-70 and it loves RL 7. I call my load the 747 load. 47 grains of RL7 and a Hornady 350grfp it shoots real good out of that rifle. I tried the same load in the All Weather but it didnt shoot as well. I may need to back it down with the shorter barrel.

Interesting...

Do you have any experience with that bullet on deer? I’ve wondered how well it would expand at 45-70 velocities given that Hornady loads that same bullet for 458 Win Mag.

[JEBar]

Do you have any experience with that bullet on deer? I’ve wondered how well it would expand at 45-70 velocities given that Hornady loads that same bullet for 458 Win Mag.

Nosler provides the following info on each box of their 45-70 300 gr Ballistic Silvertips :

Ballistic Silvertip Hunting Bullet
Optimum Performance Velocity:

Minimum: 1800 fps (549 mps)
Maximum: 3200 fps (975 mps)

our loads have shown an average muzzle velocity of 2265 fps so they are well within Nosler's design specs .... does Hornady provide similar info for their bullets

[Jrprock]

No, not really. They give guidelines for weight of game. Guess I should give them a call.

[BigAl52]

I have the CCH 45-70 and it loves RL 7. I call my load the 747 load. 47 grains of RL7 and a Hornady 350grfp it shoots real good out of that rifle. I tried the same load in the All Weather but it didnt shoot as well. I may need to back it down with the shorter barrel.

Interesting...

Do you have any experience with that bullet on deer? I’ve wondered how well it would expand at 45-70 velocities given that Hornady loads that same bullet for 458 Win Mag.

Sorry I dont but I wouldnt hesitate to use it. I did carry that rifle last year for elk season in Colorado but we werent able to get a shot at anything. Al

[Jrprock]

Straight from the Hors....hornady’s mouth. 18-2900 FPS for optimal expansion on either the FN or RN 350gr .458 bullets. He indicated that 1500 would likely be the minimum to get any expansion.

I’m still not gonna rule it out. A 1/2 hole through the boiler room will be a dead deer.