thanks, that went well with coffee, eh?
but now the 'ol jello jingle is stuck in my head.

 

Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing

Lots of rifle and pistol rounds to look over from them. Once your on a particular caliber you can click on the summary to view stats. For example 22LR has about nine different loads tested and compared.

 

Interesting!

However, have read enough reports, and this with the 45/70 and greatly excessive meat loss with the FTX - gummy nose - "burger on the hoof" to know I'll never use one of them in anything.

Two nice bucks from two friends were in my shop in less then a week's time this past Fall, one taken with a 45/70 "burger on the hoof" gummy nose and the other taken with a 30/06 and a 165gr Nosler Partition.

Both shoulder shots, which I don't like!, but that's what came through the door to be hung, skinned, cleaned and butchered.

Huge and greatly excessive meat loss with the "burger on the hoof" in this situation, even with a LOT more velocity at impact with the "06".

At least with the 45/70 "burger on the hoof" FTX, Hornady needs to go back to the drawing board!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

 

Interesting!

However, have read enough reports, and this with the 45/70 and greatly excessive meat loss with the FTX - gummy nose - "burger on the hoof" to know I'll never use one of them in anything.

Two nice bucks from two friends were in my shop in less then a week's time this past Fall, one taken with a 45/70 "burger on the hoof" gummy nose and the other taken with a 30/06 and a 165gr Nosler Partition.

Both shoulder shots, which I don't like!, but that's what came through the door to be hung, skinned, cleaned and butchered.

Huge and greatly excessive meat loss with the "burger on the hoof" in this situation, even with a LOT more velocity at impact with the "06".

At least with the 45/70 "burger on the hoof" FTX, Hornady needs to go back to the drawing board!



Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

I agree with statement regarding whitetails but I've had tremendous success with the 325 gr ftx out of my .450 on grizzly bar's. plus

 

I wonder if that is a different bullet then the one used in the 45/70.

I'd not put my life on the line with the berger on the hoof version. No way!

But then, I'm a heavy WFN cast boolit guy.

CDOC

 

Ballistic jel. If you know a telephone cable splicer, ask him for a bucket or two of "encapsulant". Same stuff. Mix up your own, and, you can fill in the hole with more and reuse it

 

The FTX in both calibers I've used do make an impressive wound channel. They've anchored 6 deer effectively for me. I've not suffered meat damage like CDOC describes but it does make vital organ burger. Of course, I don't aim for what I'm going to eat. Regardless of the bullet style or 4 legged variety of quarry.

That said, I have sworn off using them when I expect short yardage shots. They expand tremendously then and cheaper bullets seem like they would be equally or more effective at under 100yd shots. The FTX bullets' ability to expand sufficiently at longer yardages (=slower speeds) that their design affords means one could expect greater than anticipated expansion at short yardages.

The FTX's are great bullets for their intended purpose. Longer shots at deer sized game are their forte'.

 

I've taken 2 deer with the FTX bullets in a 30-30 Ackley both at under 100 yrds. One was facing me and on was facing me at a slight angle. One broke a vertebrate went through a rib and exited on the same side just below the tenderloin. The other one was straight on through the chest, through a lung and exited under the left front leg. It smashed 2 ribs on the way out. 5 minutes earlier in the same field, my buddy took a deer about the same size (small buck) at 300 yrds with a 270 shooting a load with SST bullets. His hit bone and ruined almost a whole quarter of meat. On mine I could almost eat right up to the bullet. I have no issues with the FTX bullets and my handloads clock at 2450 fps. This is however a 160 grn bullet and not a 45-70. I've also seen a 30-06 destroy almost a whole front quarter with a close range shoulder hit.

 

I've always thought that the 45-70 was overkill for a whitetail deer anyway. Heck, I don't use anything bigger than my 30-06 on deer. I have a 300 Win Mag that only goes into the woods when I hunt in bear country, but those days are over because now I have my 35 REM to take to the bear woods. The 45-70 is a great cartridge, but the 30-30 is a better cartridge for whitetail deer.

 

I don't trust them. The deer I shot was broadside 15 yrds away and I shot him thru both front shoulders with a 35 rem Gummy Tip and he ran 100 yards with a broke left shoulder and when I finally found him the hole was 35 diameter in and 35 dimeter out and he did not bleed hardly a drop until he fell and there was blood coming from his nose. I am convinced the bullet did not open up and expand. I like their accuracy but cannot trust them ever again on deer. I think the deer would have run further if he had not got tangled up in the thicket of vines.

 

Ballastics04,

I come down differently on Firearm size on critter,

First, the is no such thing as too dead.

Secondly it is all about bullet quality and integrity.

I never back off from using my 300win mag for deer, but then I use bullets with high integrity.

On my first cast bullet deer, I would need to agree if that was as far as I'd gone.

The 355gr WFN cast at 2300fps was nearly as bad as the results I've seen from the the 45/70 gummy nose.

The difference was that with the gummy nose, there was a huge amount of damage and with the WFN cast bullet, the meat was not minced, it was just gone.

However, with my current cast bullet, a 465gr WFN at 1600fps, there is simply not the minced meat of the gummy nose or the huge hole as with the lighter faster cast bullet.

So back to choosing a bullet to fit the caliber, velocity and critter.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

 

I wouldn't hesitate to use a 45-70 on deer with the right bullet, but without owning a 45-70 I have no idea what bullet would be effective without ruining meat. I also agree that bullet choice is important no matter what caliber you shoot. That's why I enjoy sharing information on this forum with members who have a wealth of combined experience with different calibers, different bullets and different game.

In my 300 Win Mag I use handloaded 150gr and 165gr REM PSPCL loaded at 30-06 velocities. In the bear woods I load 180gr SST or 180gr Sierra BTSP at standard 300 Win Mag velocities. I hunt deer in the bear woods, but I haven't had the opportunity to shoot a bear or deer yet to know how effective either of my bullet choices would be for my 300 WM. I can't wait to try my 35 REM with handloaded FTX bullets on deer. I'll post my results later in the year when deer season kicks off this fall.