J.R.B.,
I settled on Reloader 7 years ago. Start out with 50.0 gr. behind the 300 gr. bullet and work up, to whatever you can stand. I can handle a little heavier load in my #1 than I used to in my #3. I sold the #3 several years ago to a guy who just had to have it. Didn't really need both of them anyway. 50.0 gr. RE 7 should yield over 2000 fps with the 300 Gr. FNHP Hornady or Remington bullets. I have loaded 'em up to 2800 fps. Don't remember how much RE 7 it took to get that, but worked up to it slowly and never saw any excessive pressure signs. I seat them out 'til they barely touch the lands. That'll rock your world pretty good out of a #3.
I've got some 500 grainers I'm gonna load up for it to try on some hogs. OBTW, a Kick-Killer leather lace-on pad can be pretty useful on a lightweight .45-70 when working up heavy stopping loads. Sure would like to try some of the 500 grainers on a Cape Buff one day. I've got a Leupold M8-3X on the #1 now, but I think I'm gonna pull it off and try a set of NECG iron sights, big aperture rear and big moon bead up front. I've always shot open and aperture sights well and find a big aperture extremely fast with which to acquire a moving target. And man, those big hogs can move fast!
Tom,
Heavier bullets are good. I try for head shots if at all possible, and the 300 gr. slugs do fine when they end up in the brain. Brain shot hogs don't get up and hurt you. I just don't know about those "little' .30 cal. pills, even 220's. They may penetrate O.K. on body shots, and should be great on brain shots, but I'll let you try 'em out and report back to me.
Watch yo' se'f, though.
SRH
