45-70 load data ?

[rayporter]

order a load data book.
it has everybody's loads in it.

 

[Riesel]

You're on the right track with the Lyman Reloading manual. Some tried and true loads in there. I don't have a 45-70 but I load for a friend and shoot his. I got a pretty good assortment of cast bullets on the forum years ago and It is such a hoot to look at a 510 grain cast bullet with, as I recall, four lube grooves and is like an inch and a quarter, maybe more, long. Get a new Lyman manual, it's worth the money/

 

[rr2030]

Well maybe...
I located the manual, 45 edition nothing there for 300 grain. I do see 292 grain and it calls for 44.0 of IMR3031 with a max of 50.0 I think I should be ok with the 44.0. As I am cruising the net I see some guys talk about using a filler in some loads such as loads that use pistol powder. Whats the deal with he filler ? I just want to load N go.

 

[2506]

27 grs Accurate 5744 and a 405 cast bullet shoots ragged hole groups at 100 yards and runs 1300 fps out of my Sharps 45-70. You can load that Ruger from trapdoor springfield loads to just under 458 Win mag loads. Do not use any filler or card wads with Accurate 5744 powder. It is designed for these large cases and is not position sensitive. If you want to shoot jacketed bullets the 300 gr with RL7 or IMR 4198 works really well.

 

[SSL]

As "Uncle Ed" mentioned, the Ruger #3 was probably one of the worst designed rifles made for recoil. I did have a chance to see and shoot one that had been highly customized with a medium-heavy 24" barrel and a stock built more like a #1. In 45/70, it weighed about 9 1/2 pounds and recoil wasn't terrible. My old #1in 45/70 (probably 8 1/2 pounds with a very good pad) wasn't bad when shot from a more upright bench position. Not as bad as MAX loads in my old Marlin 1895.
Hornady shows H322 and 300-grain bullets starting at 40.7 grains (1500 fps) with 54.8 grains (1900 fps) as MAX. This is from the "Trapdoor" section.
In the 1895 Marlin section, the 300-grain is paired with IMR 3031 with 50.2 grains as start (1600 fps) and maxing at 56.9 grains (1900 fps).
No 300-grain loads are listed in the Ruger #1 load section.
Filler is used to keep powder in closer relationship to the primer for ignition. Not a consideration with most rifle powders.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Reloader 7

 

[dellet]

Keep in mind every decent load manual will have three load sections.

Trapdoor, lever, then modern or actually Ruger #1. The trapdoor loads generally have more cast info.

If you use the trapdoor loads, or even some of the lever, they can be very pleasant to shoot and very accurate. The trade off is you’re always shooting through the transonic range, but people have been shooting that cartridge that way for close to 150 years now with great success.

 

[CharlieNC]

FYI for my Marlin I did a charge ladder using H4198 behind 350 cast bullet. Very wide flat node, and I settled on 41.0gr at 1550fps with not much recoil. Shooting 425 cast Pile Driver with same charge for hunting.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

RCBS makes a great 405 GC mold. I can find the number if you cant look it up. I hated lee molds. They never would cast large enough to fit my bores. I also never got as good a bullet from them after trying everything a clean de-greased (soap and water) cast iron or steel mold is my fav.

 

[lawman29]

Montana bullet works: https://www.montanabulletworks.com/

 

[joshb]

I used to shoot a Miroku Winchester 1886 about 5-6 years ago. If my memory is right, I used 4198 with 300 and 350 grain bullets. I was younger and loaded them fairly stout. Recently, I bought a Ruger #1 and shot some of my old hot loads in it. OUCH!!
I’m just going to suggest loading a lite recipe and try a few. The Ruger is not a heavy rifle that dampens recoil.

 

[2506]

Another thing to know about the 45-70 is with heavy 405 gr and heaver bullets they don't have to be going all that fast to drill a caliber size hole through most anything flesh and blood from stem to stern even at longer ranges. I have documented accounts in some books of old buffalo hunters that tell of shooting through both shoulders of 2000+ bull buffs at 300 to 500 yards as a regular thing. Most of these hunters were using calibers pushing a 380 to 550 gr slug going at muzzle velocity of between 1100 to almost 1500 fps. As one old buff hunter said "you can eat right up to the bullet hole". I shot a deer with my 45-70 Sharps 1874 copy with Lyman's 405 cast bullet with 70 grs FFG black powder that was standing facing me at 111 yards. I aimed at the center of the white patch on it's chest. When the smoke cleared it was on the ground. When I went to the deer I found that the deer had started to lower it's head by the time I shot and the bullet got to it. The bullet struck in the forehead between the eyes. Bullet made saw dust of the neck bones and must have deflected slightly going through left lung and exiting right behind the left shoulder. Bullet continued on a back and down angle and hit the left hind leg just above the knee and shot it completely off the deer. The bullet then hit the hard packed sandy soil of the logging road the deer was standing in and looked like a mole went under the ground for about 5 yards. The bullet came out of the ground and about 5 yards away hit the base of a 6 inch pine tree and completely when through it jerking a palm sized piece off the back side. I lost where the bullet went from there. That bullet left the muzzle around 1350 fps.

 

[Mad_Charlie]

Do NOT use fillers or wads unless the recipe calls for them! Good way to possibly ring a chamber.
I use 38gr of I4198 under a 405gr cast w/gas check, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone recovering from shoulder surgery! Go here.

http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

 

[Shenrods]

I use good old imr4895 - 55g with Spear 305 hollow points. Very accurate. Go up from there with heavier bullets.

 

[rr2030]

Update:

I contacted Mike at Cast Performance bullets, (the bullets I purchased) he gave me their load data for the 300FPGC that I purchased. Using H4198 data they have for the Trap Door Springfield, a starting load of 40g up to 55g and for the #1 I can go up to 65g. So I loaded 50 rounds at the top of the Springfield recommendation of 55g. According to him this is around 1950 fps and lower pressure.

I have read here guys were stating their #1's were around 8 1/2 lbs, my rifle is 7. The recoil is substantial, very uncomfortable. I fired 20 rounds standing, praying I did not un do all the nice work my surgeon did on my shoulder in April. The following day, to my surprise I had no bruises or soreness.

I will load the next 50 rounds at the lower end at 40g and enjoy shooting this rifle a little more, the paper and steel cant tell the difference in velocity, I'll work in a few of the heavier loads now and then until they are used up.

Thanks for all the input, everyone here has been helpful.