45/70 lever action with a Hornady Interlock for Cape Buffalo

[fourfive8]

350 gr Interlock ramped up to 1900 out of a 45-70 lever? Seems like a recipe for a problem for Cape buffalo. I can’t think of a worse bullet for the job. Interlock is nothing more than a Hornady marketing propaganda label, always has been. Sneeze and that bullet’s jacket will shuck its core.

 

[jruby]

I see the 45-70 making a lot more sense in the states. The 458 win across the pond. About the biggest thing you will hunt states side is a bison or a grizzly bear. Across the pond that is just starting to get large. IMHO.

I admire the large bore African cartridges just don't see a need for one states side. Wanting one is different.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

The bad part is there are proven and reliable buffalo bullets he could be using in the 45-70. The only worse choice he could have made would be the hornady 300 grain hollow point.

 

[Frederik]

I think you guys have hit the nail on the head must be a 350gr bullet at those speeds.
The guys shoots well and has enough resource to buy a proper caliber I have no idea why he is doing this stunt with a 45/70 and a crappy quality bullet with a silencer on.
He obviously has issues with recoil.
His PH will cover him with his backup canon

I would also be worried on his reloads with one not firing off with a light strike as he said.

Mind you he has never mentioned if it was going to be a bull or a cow I think this will turn out to be a Cow buffalo hunt in the Eastern Cape.

Sorry but I find this funny a big Youtube channel owner and he obviously looks at enough hunting videos to realize he is taking a chance especially on hist first buffalo.

 

[sgt_zim]

I also don't really get his choice of Varget and magnum primers.

I use RL7, and have used X-Terminator and H322; most 45-70 guys I know use similar fast-burning powders

 

[uplander01]

It wouldn't be my first choice, but with the right bullet, and right hp behind it, why wouldn't it work?

 

[Frederik]

It wouldn't be my first choice, but with the right bullet, and right hp behind it, why wouldn't it work?

It is not the right bullet why put the trackers and PH at risk using less than standard quality bullet?
Otherwise yes it has been done before with proper bullets.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I also don't really get his choice of Varget and magnum primers.

I use RL7, and have used X-Terminator and H322; most 45-70 guys I know use similar fast-burning powders

I may be wrong, but he doesn’t seem to be to be the most experienced hand loader.
I agree that varget is a strange choice, and a magnum primer is unnecessary. I don’t think he is using a single component, other than the case, that I would use in a 45-70 for buffalo.
I also hope his practice is more thorough than what is shown in the video, and that he figures out the cause of that FTF.
I’m guessing it was a high primer as I can’t feel the seating depth very well when using a ram prime.

 

[AZDAVE]

I have watched a few of this guys youtube posts on hunting/culling baboon and monkeys. He is a precision rifle guy. There are much better powders than Varget for the 45/70.

The 45/70 is one of my favorite rounds. I would hunt anything in North America with it the only place I would feel under gunned is in the alder thickets with big borwn's. But for Cape Buffalo there are better options in my opinion.

It has been used in africa on buffalo. If I ever considered it it would be with the 325 CEB solids that @Tundra Tiger mentioned, then I would load to max pressures that my rifle would handle.
Let those that want to use it make sure they have concurrence from their PH before bringing on safari.

 

[DLSJR]

The guy has a dumb idea. Simple as that. Bad setup when there are so many better options.

Back in the days before social media, most people hunted for the experience. Nowadays, too many people hunt for a greater social media presence, ‘likes’, stunts and other inferior reasons compared to hunting for the experience itself.

My .02 worth.

 

[375Fox]

The 45/70 debate doesn’t interest me, however I was caught off guard this guy is South African. I thought stupid looking tactical type rifles for hunting were limited to the US. Looks like the disease is spreading.

 

[B0MBOY]

It's amazing the difference in people's opinions.

On this website, most of the posters seem to share my opinion that its best to err on the side of being over-gunned rather than under-gunned.

On another hunting website, (and this site censors their name) a lot of the members promote using a .223 for everything including bears, moose, elk, etc.

That being said, if you look at a ballistics chart, you'll see the relatively wide and heavy 45-70 loses velocity and thus power fairly quickly, so while a +P loading out of a long barrel might get close to 4,000 FPE at the muzzle, it drops off much more rapidly than something like a .375 would.

.223 you can generally mag dump. Which really helps in the lethality department. I had the opportunity to hunt some pests with a semiautomatic rifle for the first time ever and the ability to just 1-2-3-4-5-6 a running target as if you’re doing a bill drill is something else.

I still prefer 1 big bullet and 1 big hole over half a dozen small ones for meat im planning on eating or mounting. I have a 45-70 and a 375 h&h and the terminal effect seems to be essentially the same on whitetail. The improvement of a 375 h&h for me is the vastly superior trajectory.

 

[sgt_zim]

IF I were to hunt buff with my 45-70, I'd either go with Garret's 540 gr Hammerheads or my own hand-rolled ammo topped with 525 gr Beartooth Bullets Pile Driver. Mine are a little over 1600 fps- LR primers and 41.0 gr of RL7; Garret's I think are around 1500 or 1550

Or maybe work up loads with the CEB. No fargling way am I using anything that says "Hornady" on the box.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Have a look at this video I have just seen. I would be interested in your thoughts …., a reasonable course of action or foolhardy in the extreme??

@SRvet
Ugly but effective.
Those 450graibers have got some speed out of that old cartridge compared to the original load.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I load that bullet in my Marlin 1895 Cowboy .45-70 with 26" octagon barrel. I get about 1850 ft/s with it. Completely devastated a white tail deer with it. But even that load is so hot it will sometimes kick the lever open, so it's probably too hot.

How does a .45-70 loaded up hot like this compare to a .405 Winchester? Teddy Roosevelt shot about everything with a .405 and never got eaten. I would think this hot loaded .45-70 would be on par with it. OK a quick search shows the .405 does a 300gr at 2200ft/s. That probably is a bit hotter than a 350 at 1850 ft/s. Looks like I need an 1895 Winchester

I built a .375 Weatherby to take to Africa. Also have a .460 Weatherby in the works. Both are Model 1917 Enfield actions with A-Square Coil-Chek stocks. Gotta get over there before I expire of old age....

@Jim Golden
Old age creeps up on you quicker than you think.
Pack your bags now and go
Bob

 

[coreydb]

You shots will be close range, but with soooo many differing opinions on this string, talk to your PH. If he gives the thumbs up, know he will be right beside you with his gun for back up. If he says no, don't use it.