Ruger No. 3/Hot loads

["fk"]

Taking my Ruger No. 3 to range today 45-70, have some handloads that are pretty mild but very accurate. Bore-sighted it the other day with an Nikon African scope 1-4 x 28mm. Its all set up for the big ones. I am shooting Oregon Trail 405gr Cast at around 1500fps. That ought to take anything on the American Continent except for the Grizz. Have to load hotter for it.

Look thru all the books on the reloads for the No.1 and No.3 and you can load them up 4600 ft-lbs of Muzzle energy. Wish I had the money to go to Africa but I don't so I guess I will never shoot anything that hot out of the rifle. Has anyone here ever shot anything that hot out of the No.1 or No.3?

'fk"

 

[captainkirk]

I've shot a factory 500 out of my #1 458 a time or two...

I like the cast loads I prepare with milder doses of SR4759 much better for an afternoon from the bench.

It is nice to know the heavies are there if you "need" them though.

captainkirk

PS I would not be interested to try anything in this power class in a #3

 

[Mike Armstrong]

The #3 .45-70 is a great hunting gun. But I'd raher have my faithful gunbearer do the zeroing from the bench....YOW that little fella backs up! The first thing I should have done with mine was 1) send Fagen a check for a custom buttstock that had a pistol grip you could hang onto, and 2) put a recoil pad on said stock. Instead I had it rebarreled to .30-40 and put a #1 stock on it. Lots of guys just sold them or put them in the safe.

IMO the .45-70 #1 is more practical if you can afford the extra $$$ (Actually now a decent #3 might well cost you the same as a new #1).

 

[TDF]

IMO the .45-70 #1 is more practical if you can afford the extra $$$ (Actually now a decent #3 might well cost you the same as a new #1).

Amen to that. Love my #1 45/70, and you're right I had to pay more for a #3 in 375 win. than I gave for said #1.

TDF

 

[MADISON]

I had a Ruger #3 in 45-70 that I ran some hot loaads through.
I got to fooling around loading loading cast bullets. After shooting the loads, the manuals said my loads were MID-RANGE 458 Winchester.

Other than the loads being over max. and kicking the heck out of me, it did not harm the gun.