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I have been testing with my new bullet for the Marlin 1894s chambered in 45 Colt. As with most of my designs, especially the pistol cartridges offered in the 1894, I want a bullet that will take advantage of the Marlin's strength while boosting the animec performance of the cartridge under consideration.
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This week a hog was needed for the freezer so on the 10th of February I headed out into my Boldt pasture with my 1894S and the TLC454-290-RF. We have have had a little over a week with temperatures in the 20s, very unusual for my part of Texas, so the wind quickly forced me into a deer blind. About 45 minutes before dark, the wind suddenly went calm and I left the blind in search for a hog. I had move only 25-yards when I heard something digging in the dried grass. At first, I thought it might be an armadillo but have learned to let things play out. The digging continued for about 5 minutes and then I heard a squeal that could only be hogs. I realized that despite only be a few yards from this sounder of hogs, I would never see them because of the brush and their movement into the wind. I slowly moved away from them and then moved up several ranch two-tracks that would place me on an intercept. Within minutes, I could hear them approaching. A sow stepped out in the road but she was further than I wanted to shoot. I quickly moved up the road as the more hogs that would move into the road the better the chances of this setup being spoiled. I knelt, she turned sideways, and I shot.
At the shot she disappeared. I soon saw four sets of hooves sticking up above the vegetation that had grown in the two-track. She was dead at the shot. The TLC454-290-RF had accomplished exactly what I had designed it to do; deliver an accurate, devastating blow to a big game animal’s vitals. The shot had entered the rib cage behind the shoulder and exited completely through the opposite shoulder.
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I’m shooting 23.0-grains of H110 for 1510 FPS at 29.0K PSI. My alloy is a Lyman #2 clone with .5% of bird shot added and water quenched for a BHN of 21. As soon as I get a break in the outside temperature, pressure testing will start. The TLC454-290-RF is a gas checked, tumble lubed, round-flat nose bullet with a large meplat. It is designed specifically for the Marlin and cycles beautifully through the action despite the massive bullet nose. The Micro-Band lube grooves work well in traditional lube-sizers.
This mold will be available in another week, you can read the details of the design and sign up for a email notification when it arrives here:
RD's TLC454-290-RF
This week a hog was needed for the freezer so on the 10th of February I headed out into my Boldt pasture with my 1894S and the TLC454-290-RF. We have have had a little over a week with temperatures in the 20s, very unusual for my part of Texas, so the wind quickly forced me into a deer blind. About 45 minutes before dark, the wind suddenly went calm and I left the blind in search for a hog. I had move only 25-yards when I heard something digging in the dried grass. At first, I thought it might be an armadillo but have learned to let things play out. The digging continued for about 5 minutes and then I heard a squeal that could only be hogs. I realized that despite only be a few yards from this sounder of hogs, I would never see them because of the brush and their movement into the wind. I slowly moved away from them and then moved up several ranch two-tracks that would place me on an intercept. Within minutes, I could hear them approaching. A sow stepped out in the road but she was further than I wanted to shoot. I quickly moved up the road as the more hogs that would move into the road the better the chances of this setup being spoiled. I knelt, she turned sideways, and I shot.
At the shot she disappeared. I soon saw four sets of hooves sticking up above the vegetation that had grown in the two-track. She was dead at the shot. The TLC454-290-RF had accomplished exactly what I had designed it to do; deliver an accurate, devastating blow to a big game animal’s vitals. The shot had entered the rib cage behind the shoulder and exited completely through the opposite shoulder.
I’m shooting 23.0-grains of H110 for 1510 FPS at 29.0K PSI. My alloy is a Lyman #2 clone with .5% of bird shot added and water quenched for a BHN of 21. As soon as I get a break in the outside temperature, pressure testing will start. The TLC454-290-RF is a gas checked, tumble lubed, round-flat nose bullet with a large meplat. It is designed specifically for the Marlin and cycles beautifully through the action despite the massive bullet nose. The Micro-Band lube grooves work well in traditional lube-sizers.
This mold will be available in another week, you can read the details of the design and sign up for a email notification when it arrives here:
RD's TLC454-290-RF
