Mine is the cast NOE 530gr FN. It is a copy of the RCBS.

 

I am a 100 and a 200 yds. paper target shooter and load with either smokeless or black powder.

For smokeless, I load IMR 3031. When the Remington 300 gr. hollow point was available and relatively economical, it was my "go to" bullet. Box of 500 did not seem to last very long. But now that it is much more expensive as well as more difficult to obtain -- some say unobtainium --, in the last year I turned to Berry Manufacturing 350 grain flat point. With light Trapdoor loads in my H&R Officer's M1873 reproduction and Ruger #1, it is a pleasant -- easy on the shoulder -- 100 yard bullet. Have yet to try it my Browning 1886 or Marlin 1895 Cow Boy. https://www.berrysmfg.com/item/bp-45-70-458-350gr-rs

With black powder, I have a nose pour adjustable weight round nose paper patch mould from Brooks Moulds. So far the best weight in my .45-2.1" (AKA .45-70) Ballard #5 Pacific and Sharps Business Rifle is 525-530 gr. Also load the same bullet in my Sharps-Borchardt 45-110 and Sharps 45-2.4" (AKA .45-90).
index

 

For my GBL my favorite is the 405gr cast with a GC. My favorite for my SBL is the 465gr cast with a GC. Both loads after work up are almost match rounds with these rifles.

 

405gr cast bullets for me.

 

Crap dude, for which piece?

The 1895 is the Dino Killer Ranch Dog 430gr FNGS, 42gr Reloader 7. Just plain nasty
The Handi gets the 405gr Lyman Original cast from water dropped wheel weights.
The Buffalo Classic likes boolits like Me, big & slow. I used to shoot the Lyman 405 out of it, but then one day a box came from Canada.
It was an adjustable 360-540gr paper patch, hollow base, nose pour.
They are so freakin aerodynamic its hard to miss. Oh yeah, propelled by Holy Black. Have not, and will not try them in the lever gun.
Thems just the favorites.

 

Hey Shorty - right now it's the Cast Performance 405-grain (has a nice wide meplat) with gas check. The "pet" loading for me is 39 grains of IMR4198 (Starline brass and CCI #200 primers).

 

Mine has been the Remington 405 grain JSP's. I load them to 1550 fps. I bought them cheaper then I could get cast bullets for at the time. I still have quite a few left, but have just started to load up some Cast Performance 405 grainers. Haven't had a chance to shoot them yet. I have taken 5 black bears with the Rems. None went more than 40 yards.

 

425 grain 50:50 wheel weight:lead, with a touch of 95/5 tin/antimony solder to bring tin and antimony up to 2% each. Water quenched. Wide meplat - .330". 46-425Q From Accurate Mold. Gas checked and "Mike's Magic Lube" recipe from the cast boolits website. 39.7 grains IMR 4198, for 1710 or so fps. Really accurate.

 

If limited to one, it would be the Piledriver Jr., but I do like shooting the Speer 300 grain Unicor, too.

 

Very happy with the Accurate 46-415VG for cast. The Hornady 350gr FP for jacketed. Both have proven VERY accurate. It took a good bit of work to find a cast load my rifle really liked, but it was worth the effort. Cut'n cloverleafs with'em now.

 

350 Hornady FP

 

I cast and hunt deer with this bullet from NOE. But like the Speer 300 gr unicore plinker also and used it until it became hard too get. If I lived in elk country I would be using 350 and up.

460-315-RF, NOE Bullet Moulds

 

350 pile driver jr. They put the beat down on deers.

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Sierra 300gr HP with 62gr of H335 or Speer 400gr SP with 50-52gr of Varget. I also use 350gr cast loads with 16gr of Trail Boss and 405gr gas checks with 30gr of H4198

 

My deer load for 1895 is 300gr hp- Hornady / 50.5gr IMR-3031 / 1650 fps, I have found the Hornady bullet expands better than the
Sierra, in deer. If after bigger game the Sierra would be a better choice. For target & plinking I shoot the Ideal Gould Express HP 330g
cast ( straight WW ) 20.5gr. H-2400 / 1325fps.
For the old timers I load 405gr FN, cast soft in RCBS mold. Use different powders and run them in 1200fps range. Usually with a
dacron filler wad.

 

This one is my second favorite:

460-405-RF 4 cavity GC, NOE Bullet Moulds

My all time favorite is a HP mold from Miha Previc, the 462 Hammer, that is not made at this time.
Casts a wonderful 322gr. HP w/GC that shoots tiny little groups out of almost all my 1895's!

CPL Lou

 

The Speer Plinker works for me, I have killed several elk with it and they seem to go a few feet and fall over. Recovered only one bullet that traveled down the spine of a cow for 14-16 inches and ended up under the skin of the off side rump. Out of six elk it seems like this bullet works for me..

 

What powder and grain are you using behind that charge?

 

That "Plinker" is still the 300 Unicore. Its just a marketing thing. I know this because when I got a box through the mail they were listed as "Plinker". I gave Speer a call and they 'calmed my fevered brow"! ha Its a good bullet.

 

I load the 300 grain Sierra JHP

 

Are you using H335 or H322? Everyone loves the H4198 as the "all around load"

 

For hunting the Sierra 300hp with about 52gr of IMR3031. That has been the best results to replace incredibly accurate 325LE without all the meat damage. I am trying out the 300hp Hornady this weekend since the Sierra has become a little harder to get.

For targets the Lee 340rnfp with 12-13gr of Unique has been working well. I haven't had much time to wring out the bullets from my new Accurate 46-380BG mold.

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My all time favorite and now and forever more to be used sparingly is the 300 Nosler PP (59 grs H355), have about 200 bullets left, second favorite the 330 Gould HP paper patched sized down to .452 and wrapped up to .460 (50 grs H322) can run them fast if I want too and no need to worry about leading (20:1 mixture), for the willow bogs and heavy bush 550 Crater bullet (37.5 H322) and on an experimental basis a Hard cast heat treated .452 dia paper patch bullet 350-400 gr ( H322 powder) basically a old style pre jacketed era attempt at a Solid got the idea from "The Paper Jacket" Paul Mathews, and being a long RN, figure they will let me reach out a bit more than the flatnosed stuff.

 

300gr. Nosler PP or Speer 300gr. Unicor backed with 56gr. of IMR 4198 in any case that suits you....they both get 2325 to 2355 in a Marlin Model 1895 with a 22" barrel....regards.....bearit....

 

My favorite is my cast Ranch Dog .460"-425gr pushed by H335/50.0gr. Very accurate. Boom, flop.

The BTB Pile Driver Jr. (.460"-425gr) gives me the same results.


Dan

 

For hunting with my JM 1895SS (Micro groove) I like the NOE 460-350-RD GC'd over a mild load of IMR 4895 in Starline brass sparked by a Remington 9 1/2M primer at 1600 fps. Accurate, deadly, and easily shoots to 200 yards though most of my hunting shots over the years have been 80 yards and in with the longest being 140 yards. Recoil is mild.:top:

For plinking and light shooting in my 1895SS I really like the NOE 460-350-RD PB over 12.0 grains of Unique in Starline brass sparked by a Federal 200 LR primer. Very accurate to 100 yards and probably beyond, but drop gets in the way past about 150 yards. I haven't shot it on paper past 100 yards. Recoil is nothing!:wink:

For target competition in my Remington Hepburn a 520 grain elliptical nose paper patched bullet backed by 83.0 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss also in Starline brass sparked by a Remington 2 1/2 LP primer for 1280 fps. Unbelievably accurate from 200 to 1000 yards and probably farther, but 1000 is as far as I've shot. I haven't noticed any recoil in this 14 1/2 pound rifle, but I'm sure there must be some!roud: