reloading for 45-70

[ssonb]

I my short foray into reloads for the 45-70 ( cause I have only had one possess me for a coupla months) So far my powder of choice for the majority of loads is IMR 4198 . To me this powder works well for my low to med velocity 330gr to 405gr bullets,It scoops even and measures smoothly ,3031 I have used to push the 300gr jacketed hp and fp to the 1800 and + speed. I have found the Henrys rifling is a little picky on the lead hardness when the loads are pushed much past SS( supersonic) So far I have used the Oregon trail hard cast 405gr with no leading problems, but from past experience with a BBS 44 and home cast lead I knew that the barrel would lead up after three or four rounds....Well it seems that to reduce the costs in feeding the new rifle I have been powder coating the 330gr .456 and 245gr .429 bullets . After a coupla hundred 44s and thirty 456s It does seem to be working very well. I still lube the bullet groves and I get no leading and a slight increase in velocity the accuracy seems to be unchanged. I am currently mounting a scope on the Hammer of Thor( sometimes I don't know got hammered the worst me or the target but it is still fun)I will post some velocity and accuracy data in the future.

[ditto1958]

I think we need to see some pics of this "hammer" of yours.

[BigAl52]

I wonder if you might mean .459 and not 456 in the 45-70. Ive shot 50 rounds of coated 405's from MCB and not had any leading to speak of. My CCH liked 28 grs of 5744 for reduced loads with that bullet and I had real good luck with the 350gr Hornady Flat point and reloader 7. Al

[ssonb]

I really wanted to say .457(missed a key) I ordered the mold small so that when the bullet was powder coated it would now grow to become a .459 and it did... I still need to figger out how to stick sum picures on the confuser.

[bdbrown66]

FWIW, I'm using IMR 4198 for my jacketed 300gr loads (Nosler and Speer) in the 2100fps range. You might want to give it a try.

[ssonb]

The 4198 seems to be my favorite powder now...I was loading with 4198 with 300 grainers to 1850fps...for me I like staying a coupla touches below max loads. OH BTW. the 220 gr loads with 10 gr..11gr..and 12gr Unique ran 1150fps..1270fps...1390fps for what I could tell the loads were very accurate, I had a short shooting test day. I have standardized to 11.5 gr unique for 1310 fps.. the next test day is for accuracy testing.

[BigAl52]

You might want to give the Meister cast 350 grain a try. Im having good luck with it. Al

[ssonb]

I have a few 350's jacketed but have not loaded them up yet, I have fired a few 330gr cast PC at 1550 fps and they seem to be working fine sofer.

[JEBar]

I have 300 grain (jacketed and lead) and 405 grain lead bullets on hand to load for our 45-70 .... I don't think I've wasted any money in buying them because they will all eventually be sent down range .... I've been looking for a 405 grain jacketed solid bullet but haven't found one ... a while back I did find Barnes Buster Bullets 45-70 Government (458 Diameter) 400 Gr Flat Nose Flat Base bullets .... http://www.midwayusa.com/product/550668 ... -box-of-50.... they are produced on a limited basis and according to one of their company reps, they are due to produce a run of them within the next few weeks .... knowing that I will have very limited need to use these Barnes bullets and because they are a limited production item, I will order a couple of boxes on hand .... after considerable thinking and shooting I've made the following decision .... I will use Nosler's 300 gr silver tip ballistic tip for deer and boar hunting (possibly black bear as well) .... if I ever have a chance (realistically doubt it will ever happen) I will use the Barnes 400 grain'ers for hunting larger game than those where I want to use the Nosler bullets .... our lead bullets will all be be used for practice, most loaded to Cowboy Action loads .... once all of the hundreds of lead bullets we have on hand are gone we will move to 300 grain Oregon Trail or Missouri Bullet Company lead bullets for paper punching, I could easily be talked into giving cheaper lead bullets for practice

[ssonb]

Even a 300 gr bullet is a lot of lead to use on paper but it is less than the 405s...I have ordered a 300gr mold so I can cast some target loads. with home brewed bullets runnin 10cent each (including my Powder Coating cost) the powder approx./18cent each and primer 04 cent it runs a tad over 6.00 dollars per box of 20...not bad since I am just going to punch paper and plow the dirt withem....

[JEBar]

Even a 300 gr bullet is a lot of lead to use on paper but it is less than the 405s...

agree .... I'm sure that there have to be bullets under 300 grains that can be used in a 45-70 but not from the suppliers I use .... I admire folks who are able to make their own lead bullets

[Warrendavinci]

Is everyone using standard length brass, or shortened brass, like in the hornady ftx ammo?

[JEBar]

the only case in which I'd use Hornady LeverRevolution brass would be if I was going to load their bullets .... having tried them, I will not be using their bullets so I use Starline 45-70 Gov't Brass https://www.starlinebrass.com/brass-cas ... ovt-Brass/ .... I will also reload regulation length fired brass

[BigAl52]

You just cant look at the cost with 45-70 its the fun factor that just gets over looked.

[JEBar]

a while back I did find Barnes Buster Bullets 45-70 Government (458 Diameter) 400 Gr Flat Nose Flat Base bullets .... http://www.midwayusa.com/product/550668 ... -box-of-50.... they are produced on a limited basis and according to one of their company reps, they are due to produce a run of them within the next few weeks ....

earlier today I was notified by Barns that they started shipping their Barnes Buster Flat Nose Flat Base Bullets 45-70 Government .458" 400Gr bullets on May 18th .... I just checked, Midway and several other sellers still do not have them in stock .... the best source (price, no sales tax, and shipping) I've found is Bullets and Brass --- http://www.bullets-brass.com/proddetail.asp?prod=72472 --- just ordered 2 boxes .... we are currently traveling and will not see them until we get back home at the end of next month .... looking forward to getting back home and working up a load for them

[JEBar]

additional note :

per Barnes they say with a 24" barrel X-Terminator powder gives the most accurate loads .... minimum charge 49.5 grains yields 1847 fps .... a maximum charge of 53.5 grains yields 1968 fps (that's a 98% charge) .... per Barnes :

"The bullet features a thick copper jacket and a heavy lead core, resulting in deep penetration and maximum weight retention.

This premium hunting bullet combines bone-crushing power with pass-through penetration. Unlike conventional expanding bullets, the Barnes Busters track straight without deflection. These tough bullets are specifically designed to deliver maximum penetration, even in large and dangerous game.

These cannelured, heavy-for-caliber bullets drive deep through dense muscle and bone. Bullets remain intact jackets won’t separate from the core. Great for hunting hogs and tough, heavy game; it’s the ideal bullet for those who carry handguns for protection against bears in Alaska and other wilderness areas. "

in thinking about it, a 400 gr heavily jacketed bullet with a heavy lead core traveling around 2,000 fps ought to really hit hard .... eventually I'd like to run some penetration test comparing these Barnes bullets with good 405 gr lead bullets

[BobGinVA]

Gentlepersons: Speer and Remington make good 400-405 grain .457 dia. bullets. Both shoot nicely out of a 45-70. Now, having said that, you won't 2000fps out of lever gun with 400 gr. jacketed bullets...About the best you will find will be around 1800fps..even then, they are no fun to shoot, they truely kill at both ends...If you are looking for a well put together bullet that you can hunt ANYTHING with, find some Hornady 350gr jacketed round nose bullets. These bullets were meant for 458 Win Mags..but shoot beautifully in the 45-70. As far as powder is concerned, you can't be IMR 3031. It doesn't meter the best but the burn rate is ideal for the caliber. As this is the first post I've made, you're probably saying..."Who the heck is he?"..Just someone that has two No. Rugers in 45-70, two 1874 Sharps rifles in 45-70, two Marlin 1895s (45-70s), one with 22" bbl, the other is a Cowboy with a 26". I've been shootin this cal. for almost 30 years (maybe more, I don't really remember). Regards, Shrps74

[BobGinVA]

5th line down, 2nd word should be "beat" vice "be". 6th line down, should read "two No. 1 Rugers..." sorry for the poor typing.. Shrps74

[CT_Shooter]

...Who the heck is he?"..Just someone that has two No. Rugers in 45-70, two 1874 Sharps rifles in 45-70, two Marlin 1895s (45-70s), one with 22" bbl, the other is a Cowboy with a 26". I've been shootin this cal. for almost 30 years (maybe more, I don't really remember). Regards, Shrps74

Thanks for the background info, Bob. Your experience with this caliber is clearly very valuable. You are going to like this forum. It's a place where we can all share some of what we know and learn a little bit more than we knew before; and when it goes both ways, that's when it works best. Thanks for the comments.

[Warrendavinci]

Am getting ready to reload 45-70 for my HO1O using full length hornady brass, large rifle primers, sierra 300 gr hp fp and IMR 4198. My problem is the charge load is not consistent between reference books/online data. I'm target shooting and am looking for some actual powder numbers for mid range load. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks