January 5, 2003

Gentlemen, 

I wanted to drop you a note regarding your excellent 45-70 Magnum ammunition.  Several years ago after telephone consultation with one of you, I purchased several boxes of your ammunition.  One of the loads being the 420 gr. LBT.-LFN. at 2000 fps.  Due to a new work assignment in Columbia and the events of 09-11-2001, I was unable to hunt with the cartridges until this past December.  Obviously this cartridge is built for large animals so I took it on a Trophy Bison hunt in New Mexico.  I was using a Marlin Model 1895 rifle with the micro-groove rifling.  While not a tack driver (due to the micro-groove I think), the rifle/load combo was adequate for hunting purposes.  As your know, hunting Bison today is normally not difficult.  I hunted the Armendaris Ranch near Truth or Consequences.  The ranch consisted of 600 square miles.  A large area for the Bison to cover.  I was told there were approximately 1100 head of Bison on the Ranch.

I was very skeptical of enjoying a true hunt for these animals on a ranch.  Bison are not the sharpest animals and I feared it would be a drive up and shoot affair.  I told the ranch manager that I was looking for an old trophy bull and I wanted to take him with my open sighted Marlin and Classic cartridge.  I was told normally the Bison were spotted and shot off the hood of the truck at close distances.  Well, I was there and wanted the trophy and meat so with heavy heart I prepared of an easy "shoot".  While heading out from the ranch headquarters, my guide "Chino" told me about a big bull that he spotted several days prior.  Chino said the bull was huge and had not been observed on the ranch for several years.  The bull resided in an area consisting of lava rock breaks and draws.  Chino said we would be on foot the entire hunt.  I jumped at the chance.  We traveled to a water hole where the bull had previously been seen.  The ice in the tank had been broken and the bull had already watered that morning.  By studying the tracks we could tell he was with two other  bulls.  His tracks were huge.  He had to have been there within an hour as the temperature was in the 20's and the water had not refrozen.  Off we went tracking him, after 90 minutes and losing his tracks in the rocks several times, we found him and a partner bedded in a small draw.  We stalked and closed the rage to under 40 yards.  As I stood to shoot, he bolted from his bed at full speed without even standing for a moment, I was unable to get a clear sight picture due to glare from the sun until he was about 60 yards.  Now this is why I am writing.  I hit him behind the shoulder, a bit back from the heart as he quartered away.  Your bullet with its excellent penetration when through lungs and arteries and ended up under the hide on the far side.  It made him sick enough to stop broadside at 150 plus yards, a distance I did not plan on with the Marlin.  I fired again, a bit back with through and through penetration.  I fired again, and dropped him instantly with a spine shot just over the shoulder.  What was more impressive than seeing that mighty ani9mal go down was the penetration of the third shot, it penetrated completely through the animal to include through the center of the spine.  The spine is huge on a Bison.

I cannot tell you how impressed I was with your bullets.  The first shot was enough, although the Bison we may have had to wait hours for him to die.  The second while through and through was not well placed.  But the third shots' performance was outstanding and very impressionable.  Now I know why your cartridges are adequate for Cape buffalo.  My Bison weighed an estimated 2400 pounds plus, and his horns qualify very high up in the Safari Club Book.  He would have made Boone and Crockett as well but due to regulations regarding free ranging Bison, he does not qualify.  My family and friends are enjoying his meat.  I also donated a large portion of his meat to some needy  folks in New Mexico.  Bison are huge and I live overseas, therefore transporting 800 plus pounds of meat is impossible.  Thank you again for a job well done with the cartridges.  My Marlin 1895 has always been good to me, and forever forward on the big stuff it will be loaded with your ammo.  I know you have changed the load to a 430 grain at 1925 fps, is it comparable and will it perform the same?

Good Hunting and Shooting,

F. Dante Sorianello