Ruger's buffalo rifle: it ain't no Sharps, but it shoots like one

Guns Magazine, July, 2005 by Holt Bodinson

Load 2: Since black powder substitutes like Pyrodex and Triple 7 are so popular, I also loaded up some Schmittzers over 90 grains by weight of some GOEX FFg Pinnacle powder I had on hand. Pinnacle powder is a non-corrosive black powder replacement.

Here are a few notes on the black powder cast loads. Primer flash holes were enlarged with a .093" drill. Federal 215 primers were used exclusively. Necks were expanded and flared with a Lee or Lyman expander die. The cases were crimped with a Lee or Lyman taper crimp die. All powder charges were weighed.

Load 3: Next I needed a cast lead plinking load, and I turned to one of my old .45-70 standbys--a .457 lead ball, lubricated with Lee Liquid Alox, seated halfway into the mouth of the case, over 9 grains of Unique. I know this combo sounds a bit bizarre, but it shoots like a house of fire with no recoil and little noise. I can't tell you how much small game I have taken with this load fired in a Springfield Trapdoor. The neat quality of this Scrooge-of-a-load is that a can of Unique will last a long, long time--777 charges to be exact. Plus the fired cases don't have to be resized. You just seat another round ball and go for it.

Load 4: Of course, I needed a full-power .458 Lott load. Hornady gave it to me--79 grains of H335 mated with one of their 500-grain jacketed soft points or FMJ's. Having some on hand, I loaded their soft points.

Load 5: Well, just to keep the Yin and Yang of the test going, I looked over my old field notes for a toned down .458 Win. Mag. load. There it was: 40 grains of IMR 3031, a Rem 9 1/2 primer and Remington's 405-grain SP. File this load away! It will shoot exquisite little groups in any .45-70, .450 Marlin, .45-90, .458 Win. Mag., .458 Lott or what have you.

Load 6: Just to prove Mr. Lott's chamber would accept .458 Win Mag ammo, I included some factory Federal Premium Safari .458 fodder loaded with 500-grain solids.

Before venturing to the range with a tray full of strange looking .458 Lott loads, I needed some optics for the big Ruger. The choice wasn't hard. Out came a Leupold fixed-power M8 3X. Unfortunately, the full size M8 3X is no longer in the Leupold line. I consider it one of the finest dangerous game scopes ever assembled and carried it in Africa for many years. It offers a wide field-of-view so you can keep an eye on the action and a generous eye relief to protect your good looks when the big boomers recoil. Well worth picking up on the used scope market.

FEDERAL PREMIUM AMMUNITION (800) 322-2342 www.federalpremium.com

HORNADY MFG. CO. (800) 338-3220 www.hornady.com

LEE PRECISION (262) 673-3075 www.leeprecision.com

LOADING CARTRIDGES FOR THE ORIGINAL .45-70 SPRINGFIELD RIFLE AND CARBINE BY J.S. AND PAT WOLF WOLF'S WESTERN TRADERS (619) 482-1701 www.the45-70book.com

LEUPOLD & STEVENS (503) 526-1400 www.leupold.com

LYMAN PRODUCTS (800) 225-9626 www.lymanproducts.com

SPEER (800) 322-2342 www.speerbullets.com