Best .45-70 Govt loads for mule deer 16 of 23 .45-70 Govt factory loads carry 1,000 ft·lb and expansion velocity for mule deer; the best reach 300 yd (Hornady LEVERevolution 325 gr FTX). Ranked, with the drop chart for each.
Load gr Max ethical yd MV fps 500 yd ft·lb Shoulder shot Hornady LEVERevolution 325 gr FTX 325 300 2,000 657 behind the shoulder only Remington 405 gr Core-Lokt Soft Point 405 300 1,600 774 behind the shoulder only Winchester Super-X 300 gr Jacketed Hollow Point 300 300 1,880 669 behind the shoulder only Federal 250th Anniversary USA 300 gr JSP 300 250 1,850 668 behind the shoulder only Federal 300 gr Fusion 300 250 1,850 670 yes Federal 300 gr HammerDown Bonded SP 300 250 1,850 670 behind the shoulder only Federal 300 gr Power-Shok JSP 300 250 1,850 668 behind the shoulder only Remington Core-Lokt Tipped Lever Gun 300 gr 300 250 2,100 558 behind the shoulder only Winchester 300 gr Ballistic Silvertip 300 200 1,880 498 behind the shoulder only Barnes Pioneer 300 gr TSX FN 300 150 1,925 444 yes Barnes VOR-TX 300 gr TSX FN 300 150 1,925 444 yes Hornady LEVERevolution 250 gr MonoFlex 250 150 2,025 407 yes Hornady LEVERevolution 250 gr MonoFlex 250 150 2,100 420 yes Remington 405 gr Core-Lokt Soft Point 405 150 1,330 670 behind the shoulder only Barnes Harvest Collection 300 gr Sierra Pro-Hunter 300 100 1,895 328 behind the shoulder only Winchester Super-X 405 gr Lead Flat Nose 405 50 1,150 597 behind the shoulder only Federal Federal Subsonic 300 gr Fusion 300 not enough 1,000 389 yes Federal Federal Subsonic 300 gr Target Soft Point 300 not enough 1,000 384 behind the shoulder only Barnes Pioneer 400 gr JHP FN 400 wrong bullet 1,715 743 behind the shoulder only Federal Federal x Henry 250th Anniversary 300 gr Hollow Point 300 wrong bullet 1,850 668 behind the shoulder only Remington High Performance Rifle 300 gr Semi-Jacketed Hollow Point 300 wrong bullet 1,900 546 behind the shoulder only Hornady Subsonic 410 gr Sub-X 410 wrong bullet 1,075 572 behind the shoulder only Remington Subsonic Rifle 300 gr Bonded Hollow Point 300 wrong bullet 1,000 384 behind the shoulder only
Deer-class rules of thumb; a slightly bigger animal than a whitetail. Legal: CO: 1,000 ft·lb at 100 yd. Floor used: 1,000 ft·lb at impact plus the bullet's published expansion velocity. Orange = a target or varmint bullet (construction, not energy); red = never carries the energy. Sources: chuckhawks.com , www.petersenshunting.com .
All .45-70 Govt loads
Figures are the maker's published BC and muzzle velocity in the maker's test barrel, solved with ZeroDope's point-mass engine at 59 °F, 29.92 inHg, sea level, 100 yd zero, 1.8″ sight height, 10 mph full-value wind. Your barrel, your chronograph and your conditions change them — the app corrects for all three, then you true it on steel. Terminal figures are energy floors from the sources on each animal, not a licence; legal minimums vary by state. © ZeroDope.