HRNDY LVREVO 450MAR 325GR 20/200

Description

Lever-action rifles have traditionally been limited to flat-point or round-nose bullets because pointed projectiles, stacked tip-to-primer in a tubular magazine, create a detonation risk under recoil. Hornady’s LeverEvolution line solves that problem with the FTX bullet, which uses a flexible polymer tip that compresses safely on impact with the primer in front of it but still initiates expansion reliably on target. The result is a spitzer-profile bullet that can be loaded in a tubular magazine without the safety compromise that has constrained lever-gun cartridges for well over a century.

For the .450 Marlin, that matters considerably. The cartridge was designed to push heavy bullets at magnum velocities from a lever-action platform, and it performs that role well with traditional flat-point loads. The FTX bullet raises the ballistic coefficient meaningfully over a flat-point of comparable weight, which translates to a flatter arc at distance and more retained velocity when the bullet arrives. At 325 grains, there is enough sectional density to drive deep through heavy muscle and bone, which makes this load suited to large deer, hogs, and black bear at the ranges a lever gun is realistically shot. Hornady states muzzle velocity at 2,225 fps, producing over 3,500 ft-lbs of muzzle energy — figures that reflect the .450 Marlin’s full-length, belted magnum case rather than the shorter .45-70 it was designed to surpass in a standard-length action.

Cases are boxer-primed brass, so they are reloadable for shooters who want to work up reduced or heavy-for-caliber handloads. Each box contains 20 rounds; case quantity is 200 rounds across ten boxes.