Hello THERE, I understand factory loads are not hot enough for Moose hunting .Can I hand load them hot enough to hunt moose with this rifle and if so ,could you give me that information THANK,s HAVE A NICE DAY BOB.

Barnes Reloading Manual No2 Has The Following Loads For The Ruger No.1 300gr. Jacketed Bullet- H322 55 To 59gr. , Imr-4064 56 To 60gr. Max. , Rl7 46 To 50gr. Max., 400 Grain Jacketed Bullets Can Use 54gr. Of H-322, Or 56gr. Of H-4895, Max. I Have Seen Hotter Loads Thean These In Several Issues Of Hand Loader Magazine. Using Up To 500 Gr. Lbt Bullets.

Bobcabin:
Thousands of Bison have fallen to 45-70 of standard pressure, so I expect a moose would too. But, you are right, you can and probably shoot something hotter. Factory loads are kept very anemic as they could end up in an old trapdoor Springfield. Some modern rifles, like the Marlin lever-actions, can handle about double the pressure of the factory-pressure loads. Both Buffalo Bore and Garret Cartridges load to the strength of the Marlin rifles, and they are pretty potent loads. The Ruger No. 1s can handle a whole bunch more pressure than the Marlin class guns, but that becomes a hand-load only proposition.

With a Ruger #1 you can load to within a few hundred fps of the .458 Win. Magnum. I wouldn't say you couldn't take a moose with factory loads. It has been done a lot of times, but they tend to take a long time to die, and in the interim, can wander out into the deep end of the lake, etc. A good bullet to use is the 350 gr. Hornady FP. this can be loaded to 2200 fps. with several powders, including IMR 4198, VIHT N-130 and IMR3031. I have a huge supply of H3031 so I prefer to use that. I like Win. cases, CCI200 primer, and 55 grains of H3031 behind the 350 gr. bullet. You can go up to 58 or 59 grains, but you don't need it for moose, and it will hurt your shoulder. You can use spitzer bullets in your single shot rifle (don't transfer 'em to a lever gun!!!) and the 400 grain Barnes Original is a dandy. According to the Barnes manual, using a Win. case and WLR primers, you can push the Barnes Original (Jacketed spitzer) most accurately using a charge of IMR 4198 of 40 to 44 grains, for a velocity of 1633 to 1796 fps. That'll flatten a moose. You can also use H4895 behind that same bullet with a charge of from 52 to 56 grains for a velocity of from 1796 to 1934 fps. I have a load I like for brown bear protection in my .458 when hiking in Alaska that uses a 400 gr. Barnes X-bullet at about 2100 to 2200 fps. Barnes doesn't show loads for their X bullet for the .45-70. Perhaps this is because the bullet might not open at lower velocities, but it is a good bullet, and accurate in my rifle (with aperture sight). Call Barnes and ask them if this bullet might be an option for you. It should at least penetrate a moose from end to end. You can reach them at 1-800-574-9200. I don't know where you plan to hunt moose, but much of moose country is also shared with very large and aggressive bears, either brown, grizzly or black bears (and the North Country has some BIG black bears). If you have a buddy you hunt with, have that person stand an alert guard with a loaded rifle while you are cutting and packing. If you hunt alone, as I sometimes do, keep that Ruger loaded and a couple of rounds in an elastic stock- mounted cartridge holder or on your wrist, and KEEP LOOKING AROUND. A bear will usually circle you out of sight, then come in rather abruptly if he overcomes his fear of you, the human. Don't give him an even break if he does that, if you know what I mean. They can move incredibly fast once they hit GO!

John S.- I agree with you on the Ruger #1,your .45/70 load selection,and bears!
The X bullets are supposed to open at low velocity,so I think you should be allright there. They may not open as much as they would from a .458,but like you say they should be a penetrator!
As for bears,I agree, keep your rifle in reach and I would also wear a heavy handgun[better than poking them in the eyes!]. Many places here in Alaska,bears have learned that a gunshot means food,and they are sometimes not reluctant to argue ownership with you!
Good hunting,
Festus

The 45-70 is truly a big game cartridge. I read in a recent article of "Rifle" of the author that brought along his marlin lever in this caliber. I would stick with standard loads. The author used a soft tip flat head and when he shot at an impala he ended up killing 2 with the same shot! Furthemore the bullet even exited the 2nd impala it hit. Thats alot of flesh for a bullet to complelty exit through.

With your moose hunting the loads should be fine from the factory. Just make sure of good shot placement!

Humble,

With a Ruger #1 you can load to within a few hundred fps of the .458 Win. Magnum. I wouldn't say you couldn't take a moose with factory loads. It has been done a lot of times, but they tend to take a long time to die, and in the interim, can wander out into the deep end of the lake, etc. A good bullet to use is the 350 gr. Hornady FP. this can be loaded to 2200 fps. with several powders, including IMR 4198, VIHT N-130 and IMR3031. I have a huge supply of H3031 so I prefer to use that. I like Win. cases, CCI200 primer, and 55 grains of H3031 behind the 350 gr. bullet. You can go up to 58 or 59 grains, but you don't need it for moose, and it will hurt your shoulder. You can use spitzer bullets in your single shot rifle (don't transfer 'em to a lever gun!!!) and the 400 grain Barnes Original is a dandy. According to the Barnes manual, using a Win. case and WLR primers, you can push the Barnes Original (Jacketed spitzer) most accurately using a charge of IMR 4198 of 40 to 44 grains, for a velocity of 1633 to 1796 fps. That'll flatten a moose. You can also use H4895 behind that same bullet with a charge of from 52 to 56 grains for a velocity of from 1796 to 1934 fps. I have a load I like for brown bear protection in my .458 when hiking in Alaska that uses a 400 gr. Barnes X-bullet at about 2100 to 2200 fps. Barnes doesn't show loads for their X bullet for the .45-70. Perhaps this is because the bullet might not open at lower velocities, but it is a good bullet, and accurate in my rifle (with aperture sight). Call Barnes and ask them if this bullet might be an option for you. It should at least penetrate a moose from end to end. You can reach them at 1-800-574-9200. I don't know where you plan to hunt moose, but much of moose country is also shared with very large and aggressive bears, either brown, grizzly or black bears (and the North Country has some BIG black bears). If you have a buddy you hunt with, have that person stand an alert guard with a loaded rifle while you are cutting and packing. If you hunt alone, as I sometimes do, keep that Ruger loaded and a couple of rounds in an elastic stock- mounted cartridge holder or on your wrist, and KEEP LOOKING AROUND. A bear will usually circle you out of sight, then come in rather abruptly if he overcomes his fear of you, the human. Don't give him an even break if he does that, if you know what I mean. They can move incredibly fast once they hit GO!

Hi

Good comments here. As a slight aside in agreement, I had a friend who got his Moose in Alaska with a .264 Winchester, and the guide took off to find transport, then the bear came along. Probably had been circling Wes and his wife for an hour. Result was a bearskin rug and about 10 years off of his life (the hunters) when he emptied his M70 Winchester into the bear and ran out of shells. (One of those guys who carries the minimum ammo because of towering confidence.) Does prove that a .264 will kill a big bear, but I think I would be happier with more power, and more ammo.

Larry

I have shot a lot of X bullets, 300 gr., in my TC 15" .45-70. They are excellent deer killers and will shot clean through one lengthways. So long as you keep impact expansion at 1600 fps or above, they expand fully. Barnes told me 1500, but in my tests shooting over chronos into wet newsprint, below 1600 was iffy. At 1500 you might get one fully expanded, then the next one none at all. Same with bullet tripping at 1575, one fully, one a little, one none at all...pictures are posted someplace on here. With the Ruger, 1600 fps is not a problem and occurs a long ways out there. Even in the Contender 1600 is not reached until 175 yards when leaving at 1890 fps. Even if you up to 400 gr. I don't see 1600 fps occurring until a far piece out there.
However, in my No.1 .45-70 all I have shot in it are Marshall's 450 gr. LBT LFNGC. Those things are totally awesome. Check out LoadSwap for some load data.