Filler for 45-70

[NSP64]

I was shooting 230 gr cast boolits from my pistol, using 12 gr unique. Last week I tried some loads with 1gr of poly filler and got squib loads . They normally run 1200 fps, with the poly they were comming out at 300-500 fps.
I cast the boolit then swag it up to .459, and it gives it a nice flat meplate.
I might use this in a tree stand so position sensativity might be an issue.
The velocity does spread out if you aim down while shooting.
Any thoughts?

[stubert]

230 grains is REALLY light for a 45-70. 300 is usually the lightest, with weights up to the mid 500's. Mabey not enough boolit pull for reliable ignition?

[NSP64]

When I can angle the barrel up it gets consistant velocities. But angle it down and discharge it and it gets erratic. May have to move over to trailboss and rework the loads. I read up on reduced loads in 45-70 and most say a filler is not needed.
Thats why I tried the polyfill. 1gr filled the space nicely, but gae wide SD.
May try C.O.W.

[webfoot10]

Fill the case with dryer lint and then seat your boolit, It holds the powder down on the primer
so you get uniform loads. Crimp that light boolit, to help with pressure build up. I use 10 grs.
of Unique with .458 dia RB's works well.
webfoot10

[Jim]

I experimented with different fillers in .45-70 several years back. The oddest thing I tried was cotton balls. Would you believe they work great?

It's kinda' weird, though, to light off a round and see snow appear about 10 feet out the barrel.

[NSP64]

do you pack the lint or cotton ball in the case or stretch it out to make it fluffy.

[Jim]

I pushed a cotton ball down on Unique or Bullseye and then let the boolit decide the pressure by seating it on the cotton. Much to my surprise, I found cotton balls are pretty much within a coupla' grains of all being the same weight.

[Jack Ryan]

Has any one ever tried just seating the bullet deep to take up space in light loads?

[DLCTEX]

Do not leave air space above a filler or you risk ringing your chamber.

[webfoot10]

Fill the case full of dryer lint, The boolit will pack it down tightly on the powder. The lint
just turns to powder when fired.
webfoot10

[Jim]

Has any one ever tried just seating the bullet deep to take up space in light loads?

That will raise chamber pressure, Jack.

[mpmarty]

Way too light a boolit. Anything much less than 350gr produces erratic results in my rifles.

[NSP64]

I am using these in a 14" contender pistol.

[btroj]

So you got the squib loads when using a filler but not without a filler? Sounds backwards to me.

With unique a filler isn't always needed but I have never heard of a filler giving worse ignition.

You put the filler over the powder and just lightly pressed it into the case? Not compacted down on the powder? Done this way you should get no squibs.

My best suggestion is to change powder entirely and go to Trailboss. You can load a case full and have no worries. Might get 1200 to 1300 fps from it. This would eliminate any problems with ignition.

I also would make sure you have good neck tension with a bullet that light. You need all of it you can get to ensure a good burn.

[44man]

I agree the boolit is too light.
With 12 gr of Unique the amount of filler is not enough to hold the powder down and it will migrate through the Dacron. Unique has such small disks that it will slide into the filler.
I don't think it is needed with Unique anyway. I don't like the powder in the large case either, it would be better to use a bulky powder like Trail Boss or 4759.
I tried Unique in my BFR revolver and it was sad for accuracy as were all the faster powders that took so little space.
Another thing that might cause bloopers is a LR primer. It might be blowing the light boolit, filler and powder into the bore before the powder burns and the primer pressure will also blow the powder into the filler. I use a LP mag primer in my 45-70.
Any powder can cause a problem. My best accuracy has been 4759 but if the charge is reduced it can also fail to ignite.
Anything out of the ordinary is dangerous so when you get a blooper, you never know if the boolit actually left the gun and might fire another behind a stuck boolit. The warning was there so it is time to stop, back up and cure the problem.
If you insist, try this. Cut a newspaper disk and seat it on the powder, then add enough Dacron to let the boolit push it down. NO AIR SPACE and do not compress the filler, let the boolit do it.

[45 2.1]

Lots of advice.......most of it is wrong! Lots of people shoot a RB or Collar button..........that weighs 144 gr. and is good to 50 yds. Do NOT use Unique.........its a quirky powder in the 4570. Bullseye or WW231 work very well for lighter loads. If you going to use a filler, try a foam egg carton wad for lighter loads...... about 1/8" above the powder level, not on it.

[45 2.1]

This one weighs about 225 gr. and was made by BRP. It works well with the load data from this thread: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php? t=87813&highlight=4570+load You want more velocity, then work the charge up till you get what you want.