I purchased some Hornady LEVERevolution ammunition in .45-70 (325grain FTX) to see if it was everything it was made out to be. We can shoot ballistic jell and water jugs all day: but I wanted real-world test results. So I went out and harvested a doe with the ammunition.

First things first: The ammunition fed smoothly into the Marlin 1895. The casings are shorter than standard brass- but it made no significant difference in the cycling. The recoil was sharper than expected- but not horrible. Couldn't ask for better accuracy- it punched the same hole.

To the field: A doe, at 25yards, very slightly quartering away. When I dropped the hammer, she did the standard high-kick and ran into the timber (which surprized me). I heard her crash soon after. It wasn't a hard trail to follow. I followed a paint trail full of huge chunks of lung. She ran 30yards.

The pictures explain the rest. I am personally extremely impressed with this ammunition. After removal of the shoulders during processing, it became clear that the damage in front of the shoulders wasn't from fragmentation- but from a shockwave that was sent under the shoulder blades. I don't know how she ran as far as she did.

Overkill for whitetail deer? Perhaps so.

--Copp

It looks like the same holes that my uncles 300 ultra mag leaves, overkill? yes, but makes for a short trail if it doesn't drop on the spot.

I'd say she got as far as she did because even with the massive trauma, you did not disable the front shoulders with the shot. I've seen deer crumble when shot like that and I've seen the high kick, run off thing. These days I not real fond of tracking and try to knock out a shoulder or both when possible other than bow season. Yeah, a bit over kill but WTH, so is a 3" magnum slug adn that's what I use. It does the job and if ever get two does to line up just right...it will be very ammo efficient! :-)

I agree with the 3 in slugs. I started using them 2yrs ago and will not go back to the smaller ones. They have just the extra punch needed to get the job done. Can't wait untill Fri for Illinois opener, will be sending some out for sure.

I hit her right where I was aiming- I personally am not a fan of direct shoulder hits. The 'break-em-down' techneque no doubt works, but I'd rather trail them for 30 or 50 yards than mess with the added damage/meat loss of a direct shoulder hit.

While I do have my go-to favorites, I hunt with a variety of calibers-- some of which may not have the neccessary mass/velocity/ft lbs to seal the deal with direct shoulder hits. I'll sink into the sweet hollow chest cavity when I can..

--Copp

whenever rifle season comes down i hunt with an old single shot 45-70 govt.
most people say its too much gun for whitetail but... imo thats ridiculous
ive heard people saying oh i shot a hole in the side of a deer so big!......
ive knocked down two bucks with it and each recovery was thirty yards or less with a heart shot