I am unable to order from anywhere right now the Hornady LeverEvolution ammo in either .35 Rem or 45-70. The 325 grain FTX bullet shoots more accurately out of both my Marlin lever actions than my best loads out of some of my bolt action rifles. I am very impressed with the ballistics and trajectory of those loads which easily adds another 50-75 yards to the effective range of both calibers. Pray for our 2nd amendment and that that our elected officials will come to their senses and get their minds off destroying the 2nd amendment and will work for real solutions to the crime situation.
The MonoFlex loading is also supposed to be very accurate and has a reputation for deep penetration even though it weighs 75 grain less than the FTX loading in 45-70. Velocity is on the order of 250fps faster than the 325 grain FTX loading.
It goes against my deep rooted feeling about heavy for caliber, wide meplat, flat nosed loads for hunting bear as an example. Here is some information on WIDE MEPLAT bullets for the 45-70 Marlin Lever Action. (SEE LINK for more information).
THAT being said, I think the MonoFlex loading is going to prove to be popular, accurate, and penetration is going to be great for such a light load in a 45-70. The bullet is guaranteed not to separate and retains 95% of its original weight. Here is a target showing the Lever Evolution 325 FTX load and three other loads including the Federal Fusion loading. Target is at 100 yards.
Dan
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Resources/Articles/The+Effects+Of+The+Meplat+On+Terminal+Ballistics.html
EXCERPT:
In plain terms, a wide flat pointed solid non expanding bullet, even if driven at handgun velocities, creates disproportionate to calibre wounding where a pointed, non expanding bullet would create a calibre sized wound. It is this dis-proportionate to calibre wounding that is of most interest to the hunter as it is this mechanism that promotes fast clean killing.
The physics involved in wide/ flat meplat wounding are very simple, the flat point meets huge resistance on impact causing the water in flesh to be forced violently away from the path of the bullet, this in turn results in broad wounding. At velocities above 1700fps and using a wide calibre, the .45-70 (.458") which this article is focused around, entry wounds using the widest possible meplat may be up to an inch in diameter with the wound channel slightly larger and remaining the same diameter for several feet. This opens up both the possibility of both broad wounding with solid projectiles combined with penetration not normally available with expanding type projectiles.
At this point it must be noted that, the higher the impact velocity, the greater the resistance. This occurs simply because the water molecules of the animal, cannot move away from the flat point bullet at relative speeds. So as velocity is increased, wound channels increase in diameter however penetration may not necessarily be deeper due to increased resistance at the target. Pointed FMJ projectiles do not seem to show much difference in wounding or penetration at varied velocities. As an example, a 147 grain 7.62 FMJ projectile fired from a .300 Win mag creates the same size permanent wound cavity as it does when fired from a .308 Win rifle. Some extra bruising does occur throughout the lungs however the actual speed of killing remains unchanged and kills with this projectile on medium game are generally slow.
Oddly, although entry wounds with wide flat meplat bullets are almost always large, non expanding bullets of this style do not seem to produce hydrostatic shock at the typically low muzzle velocities produced by big bore rifle and handgun cartridges. By hydrostatic shock, I mean the ability of the projectile to send a shock wave through the ribs and into the spine with such speed that the central nervous system shuts down the brain (temporary coma) during which time the vitals bleed out before the animal regains consciousness, giving the illusion that it has died 'instantly'.
Due to the fact that slow, non expanding wide, flat meplat projectiles do not produce any shock effect whatsoever, when using such bullets on dangerous game, hunters are advised to expect clean but delayed kills, a potentially deadly situation. Flat meplat non expanding bullets definitely give optimum results when striking major bones. When bones are hit, wound channels change from being consistent 1 to 2" wide wound channels to much more dramatic wounding. When this type of bullet strikes bone, the fragments that separate tend to be very large and incapacitating.
On average, again using the .45-70, wound channels created by flat meplat non expanding projectiles are about four times the size of the original .458" calibre hard cast bullet however expanding projectiles in .45-70 will normally produce internal wounds twelve times their original bullet diameter at close ranges and in high velocity loadings. Needless to say, expanding bullets are capable of producing faster kills. The use of a flat meplat non expanding bullet therefore requires careful consideration.
As stated, wide, flat meplat non expanding projectiles are typically slow or 'delayed' killers, even with good shot placement. This can pose serious problems when hunting large dangerous game. Worse still, in a moment of intense stress such as during a charge, poor shot placement by the hunter may lead to minimal wounding where a premium controlled expanding bullet may have been capable of more devastating wounds. It is a tough call, on frontal shots, the flat meplat non expanding projectile driven at moderate velocities, even if missing the vitals or forwards locomotive muscles and bones, still has the potential to smash pelvis and rear leg bones. Several reports indicate that hunters have indeed anchored large heavy animals in this way.
There is not only great room for experimentation with wide meplat bullets, but also expanding wide meplat bullets, an area which most manufacturers have yet to tap into. Authorities on the subject of wide meplats generally view .300" as being the minimum and .360" being the maximum practical width for meplats of .458" calibre. These measurements prove true when tested on game and the difference that an .060" (1.5mm) increase in meplat width makes to wounding and fast killing is often dramatic.
Below are a series of photos taken from a simple days experimentation with the .45-70. The game hunted on this occasion were simply feral billy goats due to the fact that it allowed me to repeat tests over and over in a semi controlled environment- close range bush hunting where the abundance of game allowed me to take identical shots throughout a series of gullies. Average body weights for these animals was 50kg (110lb) and all animals were shot when relaxed, none were adrenalised before the shot.
The projectile used in the experiment was the Speer 400 grain flat soft point, a very good all rounder for a huge variety of game including light/ lean game up to body weights of around 320kg (700lb). What made this experiment interesting is that animals were taken with the Speer bullet fired backwards as well as forwards. Kids, don't try this at home. While the Speer is one of the few projectiles which already offers a generously wide/ flat meplat, firing it backwards offered the maximum width meplat possible for the .45-70. The rifle (a custom bolt action) was also tested for accuracy and surprisingly, the backwards Speer grouped well and showed no signs of instability when observing the uniformity of bullet holes through paper.
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