I wonder, did complaints over too much freebore result in Ruger chambering the #1 in 45/70 with a throat best suited to 300gr bullets? I can't seat any of my bullets that weigh more than 345 grains and crimp them in the crimp groove, they all have to be seated deeper. They give excellent accuracy mind you, but I always worry because I load and shoot the same shells from my Marlin 1895GS, and I worry about recoil pushing them deeper in the case since I don't use a powder that fills the case. I have most certainly decided that I do not need a 3-9 scope, a 1-5 or 2-7 will be a future purchase for this rifle.

Dave

For holding the bullets in place. I use it in my Guide Gun loads. I know 400+ grain bullets are all the rage in the .45.70 but I have had really good luck with plain old 300 grain Hornady Interlock bullets. Brian Pearce says they are too lightly constructed for anything but deer but he is full of crap as a Christmas turkey. I've shot them clean through both shoulders of two hogs well over 400 pounds with complete penetration at 2200 fps. And a hard cast 300 will kill anything on this planet. In my opinion, a cast 400 grain bullet is a waste of 100 grains of lead. I know others won't agree and it's not traditional but I'm beyond convinced. I have two 400 grain molds and I intend to replace them both with the RCBS 458-300-RFGC before I go back to casting for it. Lead is getting harder to find these days, at least bargain WW's and you'll find soon there will be nothing left but zinc weights. It's getting hard for me to even buy new weights that are not zinc.

I was thinking the LFCD would take care of my worries. For me, the RCBS 405, and my Cast Boolits group buy 412gr WFNPB shoot the most accurate from my guide gun. The 345 from my RCBS 325 Universal mold shoots well from the #1, and shot well from my old Marlin, but the new Guide Gun (circa 2002) doesn't like it nearly as much. I shoot the 412 the most, but given I don't put more than a couple hundred down the tube in a year, I'm not worried about lead for it, now at near 500 rounds a month, the 45 ACP is greedy for lead, which is why I have been buying plated bullets for it, that and it has been too hot to cast. In my personal non scientific penetration testing, of the jacketed bullets, the one I had the most confidence in was the Nosler, even the big Speer 400 couldn't keep up with it, my RCBS 405s, which weigh 420 gr from wheel weights exited on every shot, went through 48" of wet newsprint and dry magazines, gave me the confidence to carry it for moose. I don't think the 412s will penetrate as well, due to the WFN design, but should cut a wider channel.

Dave