Henry 45-70 brass lever safe & good reloading for newbies

[JEBar]

so I can imagine starting at 44Gr and see what it gives ....

do you have access to a Chronograph .. .. I'm not recommending starting at 44 gr .... what I do know is less than that hasn't worked well for us .... the muzzle velocities can vary by hundreds of feet per second .... you may well be happy firing full power loads, if so, that may be what's best for you .... what I'm looking for is a consistent, reasonably flat shooting, out to 100 yards, low recoil load that is fun to shoot .... if/when I take it big game hunting, I'll have worked up a load consistent with what's needed to do the job .... my best suggestion is for you to settle on a bullet and then check to find load data from the folks who manufacture it ... follow their recommended load data because they know more about their bullets than anyone else .... secondly, only load up a few test rounds at at a time

you have to be careful to respect the COAL (cartridge over all length : 2.550 inch (64.8 mm) ...
and watch the case length: 2.105 inch (53.5 mm) for used cases
the values seems correct to you ?

all bullet and case manufactures in the US are supposed to follow standards .... one reason I do not recommend Hornady Lever Revolution 45-70 ammo is their cases are shorter than standard .... they have to do so because to the design of their bullets .... you shouldn't reload them with any other type of bullet .... I set my bullet seating die to where the lip of the case in in the bullet's crimp ring (AKA Cannelure) .... so long as that is the case, I don't worry about measuring each bullet

Does anyone have a particular book to recommend on reloading, like lyman 50 'th or something else ?

here again, I recommend you get a manual from the bullet manufacture and follow their recommendations .... I have several different manuals but since I use Nosler bullets I rely on what data from their manual

[ESquared]

The Lyman manual is a good place to start, although many reloaders accumulate multiple manuals over time because different publishers offer different "recipes" for the same caliber.

For example, I'm just starting out, and have the Lyman and the Hornady manuals. I may add the Nosler book soon.

[JEBar]

The Lyman manual is a good place to start, although many reloaders accumulate multiple manuals over time because different publishers offer different "recipes" for the same caliber.

For example, I'm just starting out, and have the Lyman and the Hornady manuals. I may add the Nosler book soon.

over the years I've added several manuals to my collection .... older ones by Lyman, Hornady, Sierra, Speer .... they were purchased when Nosler didn't offer a bullet that I needed .... one handy older manual for 45-70 is "The Complete Reloading Manual for the .45-70 Gov't " ===> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JOGNQS/re ... 58012&sr=1 .... its a bit dated but is still a pretty good resource .... we also have all but one of the Nosler Manuals ever published

[BruniX]

i was interested by "The Complete Reloading Manual for the .45-70 Gov't", i have seen it, but ,
Unfortunately , it is impossible to get it.... shipped in France ...

according to you, xhat is the best bullet to reload ? (weight and brand ...)
300gr ? 350gr ? 405gr ?
speer, sierra, h & m , barnes ?

which one do you use?

is it bad for the henry to use full lead bullet (without brass), or even to sink them even ? accumlation of lead in the barrel ?

[JEBar]

according to you, xhat is the best bullet to reload ? (weight and brand ...)
300gr ? 350gr ? 405gr ?
speer, sierra, h & m , barnes ?

"best" --- what do you plan to shoot with your rifle .... what distances do you plan to shoot .... recreational shooting or hunting .... it doesn't take a great bullet to punch a hole in a paper target .... Speer, Sierra & Barnes are all very good companies .... as a general rule, the lighter the bullet, the flatter the trajectory, the lower the recoil .... once you start pulling the trigger of your 45-70 you will quickly learn that you have a very strong rifle in your hands ....

which one do you use?

I use Nosler's 300 gr Ballistic Silvertips (link given in an earlier post) .... they will take down any animal I'm even remotely likely to hunt .... should I ever have the need I can develop loads for 400 or even 500 gr bullets ....

is it bad for the henry to use full lead bullet (without brass), or even to sink them even ? accumlation of lead in the barrel ?

fellows who have a far greater knowledge in this area have reported that one shouldn't fire lead and jacketed bullets in the same barrel .... I've done it in the past but no longer do so .... you can most certainly use lead bullets and if you keep the muzzle velocity down lead buildup isn't supposed to be an issue .... exactly where to draw the line is somewhat open to discussion .... since I don't use them, I'd rather let others who do respond to this question

[BruniX]

thanks !
it is that, , i think :

https://www.nosler.com/45-70-govt-strong-actions-only/


interesting, this surface coating, and look good

and reloading data :
Is it with this bullet that you use imr 4198 , 47.5 Gr,... 51.5gr ?

[Mags]

As mentioned earlier I don't reload. But I am following this topic with great curiosity and interest for the education.

[BigAl52]

Shooting lead bullets in your 45-70 one must make sure he slugs the bore to get correct bullet size for the gun. You should use a bullet that is .001 over the bore size to obtain a proper seal so leading doesn't occur. So if the bore slugs .457 you should be shooting a cast bullet that measures .458. The 405 grain bullet is found quite frequently offered in a cast lead bullet. Ive shot lead in the past in the 2 that I have but I am trending away from the lead bullets as Im not wanting to use lead bullets much anymore. The jacketed bullets are just cleaner. I would also caution one on using the Speer 350 grain jacketed bullet as the bullet is to long for the 45-70 and when loaded and crimped in the crimp groove it will be to long to cycle thru the Henry.

[JEBar]

thanks !
it is that, , i think :

https://www.nosler.com/45-70-govt-strong-actions-only/


interesting, this surface coating, and look good

and reloading data :
Is it with this bullet that you use imr 4198 , 47.5 Gr,... 51.5gr ?

yes, that's what I use .... the loads listed are for actions like the one in our Henry Rifles .... as noted above, in developing a load I'm working in the trapdoor range .... right now I have a dozen loaded with 44 grains of 4198 .... if they prove to produce reasonably consistent muzzle velocities, I will load some more and see how well they group .... if they don't work I'll probably go to 45 grains and restart the process

[BruniX]

according to you, xhat is the best bullet to reload ? (weight and brand ...)
"best" --- what do you plan to shoot with your rifle .... what distances do you plan to shoot .... recreational shooting or hunting .... it doesn't take a great bullet to punch a hole in a paper target .... Speer, Sierra & Barnes are all very good companies .... as a general rule, the lighter the bullet, the flatter the trajectory, the lower the recoil .... once you start pulling the trigger of your 45-70 you will quickly learn that you have a very strong rifle in your hands ....

next 3 - 6 month, i think it will be only pratice on paper target, no hunt...
may be an inexpensive bullet will be reasonable,
like this :
https://www.speer-ammo.com/products/bul ... ullet/2482
this one is less than 50% of Nosler, here

and also, a little less in quantity of powder ,
so a little less than half the cost of reloading in nosler....

may be a good choice to pratice , no ?

there is one thing that intrigues me, the reload data seem to indicate less powder for a heavier bullet.
IMR 4198
36 Gr for 400gr bullet,
and 39 Gr for 300 Gr ....
I would rather have thought that a heavier bullet needed more powder,
but maybe it is to limit the pressure ...?