HDW, I am aware that Quigley was a movie character and I was kidding. No, he did not inspire me to buy a .45/70 barrel and I am not dillusional about any of the current factory rounds reaching out to 300 yards. There are two factors that prompted my initial question.

1- I have an Encore with a 26" barrel. The Encore barrel is strong and can withstand higher pressures than a Sharps rifle. All factory loads, with the exception of Buffalo Bore, are pretty mild so that they can be loaded into older rifles without having to worry about it blowing up in someone's face.

2- I will reload my own ammo. Being able to pick and choose my bullet/powder combination should present a lot of oportunity to reach out and touch a deer at 250 yards.

The road block that I am running into now is the availablity of an aerodynamic bullet. The only bullets I can find that are not flat-nosed are the Barnes X-Bullets or very heavy(500gr) round nosed bullets. These are a bit of overkill on a Whitetail but I will use them if it is my only option. The purpose for my thread was to ask if anyone knew of other Spitzer style bullets that I could try, not whether or not a .45/70 is a good platform for long range shooting.

Is this an excercise in futility? Maybe.
Might I find a nice load that will do what I want it to? Maybe
Will it be fun trying? Definately!