Posted: 27 July 2010 at 12:48 | IP Logged

I had to take the old girl out and see for my self that it still shot where I aimed it. It did. I haven't used it for two year and thought I should make sure the shells did not go bad. I ran out to were I shot a lot, the wind was around 12-15 mph heavy clouds and some drizzle. This is not a range so I had to pack my bench and some targets out in to the weeds. Stepped off  100 yards and checked it with the range finder and was wrong as normal. I walked out a bit farther to the real 100 yard mark and put up a target,it took some doing to get it to stay up and kind of steady but it would work. Then out to 200 yards, I never get this one wright so I used the "finder" did some more Mcgivering and I had a target up there too. Then out some more, with the rain the finder would not lock on to my bench so I had to shoot it at the other targets,I took two readings to get it right at 300 yards.Crap thats a long way to walk. Got the target to stand and made it straight to my bench and walked back. lugged out a 100 shells shooting bag bino's,tape and my little camera. I thought I'd try it off my shooting sticks for the easy one ( 100 yard) Bam.bam,bam, that looked good back from were I was so I went to look . OK> that will do, about an inch to the left and about an inch high and a two in one shot.

100 yards is a peace of cake so I tried 200 but off the bench . I did put it up to 8X the old eyes just don't do like they used to.I have a 200 yard mark and a 300 yard mark in the scope but it is for "evolution" shells and mine run hotter but it is close with the 200 hash. I mover over 6" for wind and shot it. Not to bad about 3" high on the 200 mark.

Now 300 yards,man thats still a LONG way out there,my targets are just computer paper size. I tried three shots with the 300 mark and it looked like it was over the target but there is such a recoil it's tuff to tell. Out I go , Bid I say that 300 yards is a LONG WAY out there. All the way out and a good look,nothing not a hole in the target or backer,humm. Just as I thought to high. BACK to the bench. I pushed in three more and thought I'd use the 200 mark and aim 6" high ( top of the target and over to the edge of the paper for wind. NOW that looked better. I dumped them all out and want for a walk. Yup that did it about 3" low and a spread of like 6" that is still dead Elk.

I had the scope all the way up to 9x. To bad I cant pack the bench out with me hunting but that would be a bit more that I want to carry.
 I did wing some shots at a clay bank out past 500 yards and it looked like I might hit an elk if I could range in on him with a few shot first.

Posted: 27 July 2010 at 13:41 | IP Logged

good work D.

Have you thought of more xs on the scope power?

Posted: 27 July 2010 at 19:26 | IP Logged

I'm no expert and know almost nothing about any thing but... I did see some place I think that there was several different 45 calibers for the Cavalry. 45/55-45/65-45/70-45/90 45/100-45/120. The 45/70 was to big to shoot from a horse,they would fall off. So they made the 60 and 55.the bigger ones where infantry. I think the modern 45/70 is actually a 60. There was others to something like a 50/90 boy that thing must have been brutal.I know thats no help but that is all I have ever seen.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/buffalo_cartridges.htm

Posted: 27 July 2010 at 20:17 | IP Logged

 Chuckles article was informative but omitted the lesser .45's in that class. I wonder if the .45-70 case is used full length when loading the .45-55 and 60. Somewhere I recall reading that if you put a 500 grain load in the 55 and 60, it was too long, leading me to believe that the same case was used. Anyone know for sure?.............Kingpin