AndreusMaximus
Master
So I'm currently in the research phase for wanting to get started reloading 45-70 government, and I'm a bit overwhelmed with the amount of info out there, so I thought I'd post my questions and see if anyone has any advice they can give me from their own experience.
The rifle I'm reloading for is an 1874 Sharps Rifle replica made by Cimarron, so of course any loads will need to be low-pressure loads safe for trapdoor rifles.
My first question is, what type of bullets are best for hunting with? I'm assuming that for hunting white-tailed deer here in Indiana I'd just want to stick with round nose bullets, as the heavy 45 caliber bullet will likely do a number on the deer anyways, and adding any expansion into the mix would only ruin more meat. Is my thinking correct on this? Actually, is it even legal to hunt with round nose bullets here in Indiana? I think I remember from hunter's ed that FMJ bullets are illegal for deer hunting, but are round nose lead bullets legal? If not, should I actually be looking for a hollow point that offers less expansion? And if I wanted to work up a hunting load that would work well for larger game like moose or bear, should I ever get the chance to go hunt those, would it be better to use some kind of hollow point, or are round nose bullets going to be the best choice?
Also, in searching for earlier threads on here, I found some people talking about working out a lighter load for plinking, and then have a stouter load for hunting with. My concern is that I don't want to have to remember to adjust my sights differently while hunting than I do while practicing. If I practice at 200-300yds with a 405gr bullet with a light powder charge, then go hunting with a 300 gr hollow point with a light charge, yes, I can sight the rifle in differently for the hunting load, but if I accidentally fall back into the habit of using the graduated sight like I did with the practice rounds, I'll end up shooting over the top of whatever I'm trying to hit. For this reason, I'm kind of wanting to pick one weight of bullet, and stick with it. Is there any merit to this way of thinking, or am I off the rails here? If it is a doable idea, any suggestions on what the best bullet weight would be for sort of a catch-all bullet?
Sorry, I know it's a ton of open-ended questions, but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. If there's any other general advice or big things I should know before getting started, I'd also appreciate those pointers. Thanks!
The rifle I'm reloading for is an 1874 Sharps Rifle replica made by Cimarron, so of course any loads will need to be low-pressure loads safe for trapdoor rifles.
My first question is, what type of bullets are best for hunting with? I'm assuming that for hunting white-tailed deer here in Indiana I'd just want to stick with round nose bullets, as the heavy 45 caliber bullet will likely do a number on the deer anyways, and adding any expansion into the mix would only ruin more meat. Is my thinking correct on this? Actually, is it even legal to hunt with round nose bullets here in Indiana? I think I remember from hunter's ed that FMJ bullets are illegal for deer hunting, but are round nose lead bullets legal? If not, should I actually be looking for a hollow point that offers less expansion? And if I wanted to work up a hunting load that would work well for larger game like moose or bear, should I ever get the chance to go hunt those, would it be better to use some kind of hollow point, or are round nose bullets going to be the best choice?
Also, in searching for earlier threads on here, I found some people talking about working out a lighter load for plinking, and then have a stouter load for hunting with. My concern is that I don't want to have to remember to adjust my sights differently while hunting than I do while practicing. If I practice at 200-300yds with a 405gr bullet with a light powder charge, then go hunting with a 300 gr hollow point with a light charge, yes, I can sight the rifle in differently for the hunting load, but if I accidentally fall back into the habit of using the graduated sight like I did with the practice rounds, I'll end up shooting over the top of whatever I'm trying to hit. For this reason, I'm kind of wanting to pick one weight of bullet, and stick with it. Is there any merit to this way of thinking, or am I off the rails here? If it is a doable idea, any suggestions on what the best bullet weight would be for sort of a catch-all bullet?
Sorry, I know it's a ton of open-ended questions, but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. If there's any other general advice or big things I should know before getting started, I'd also appreciate those pointers. Thanks!
