45-70 Bullets
Check out our in-stock 45-70 bullets for sale below. Please note, this page contains products that are only the projectiles for reloads. Head to this page for our loaded 45-70 ammo.
While by no means a sharpshooter’s cartridge based on today’s standards, at the time of its introduction the 45-70 Government delivered a marked improvement in range and accuracy over the 50-70 Government cartridge it was designed to replace. As one of the more popular classic American cartridges the 45-70 is often favored by old-timers with lever-actions.
The cartridge’s complete name “45-70-405” indicates its original bullet diameter, black powder weight, and bullet weight. 45-70 bullets for reloading can weigh as light as 300 grains or heavy as 500 grains, and generally sport the flat nose profile requisite for proper functioning in a lever action. The soft, pointed polymer tip featured on Hornady’s LEVERevolution bullet does offer the greater accuracy of a spire point profile.
How “hot” you ought to make your 45-70 handloads depends on your rifle. A Springfield Trapdoor’s action isn’t able to handle very powerful pressures, and demands cartridges loaded to less than 18,000 psi. Standard 45-70 rifles must be loaded to less than 28,000 psi, but Ruger’s No. 1 and No. 3 rifles can manage up to 40,000 psi. Be very careful not to handload rounds that could damage an antique!
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