Accurate 5744 and the 45/70...anybody using it?

[WaywardSon]

Just picked a quantity of cast bullets for my 45/70's...some 350 gr. and 375 gr. Both are LWNFP and have both PB and GC versions. I am looking for mostly Trapdoor level performance in deference to my aging shoulder. I am still looking for the 5744, so far my only reduced loads have been with Unique and heavier bullets.

So... if you have experience with Accurate 5744 for mild loads in the 45/70, I would appreciate hearing about it.

TIA........John

[NSB]

My best group ever out of my Pedersoli Sharps was with this powder. I used 28.0 grains with a Montana cast 405grain bullet. I got four shots into .75" at 100yds and pulled the fifth shot out to 1.25". Very soft shooting and very accurate.

[Don McDowell]

It'll work pretty good, not the cleanest powder in the world, but it does a darn good job of duplicating blackpowder velocity and accuracy. I found 28 grs to work well with 350 -400 gr grease groove bullets.

[StratsMan]

Haven't shot my Trapdoor for years, but all my loads were 5744... Using the Lee 405 grain boolit over 26 grains of 5744, as I recall... I'll do it again, too, but I'm pretty sure I need to increase the diameter of my boolits...

As stated above, it was a soft shooting load....

[WaywardSon]

Thanks guys....plenty of data out there for this powder with jacketed bullets or the heavier cast bullets, but wasn't finding much for the 350-375 gr. range of cast. I appreciate the input. Now all I have to do is find the powder[smilie=b:

[Nobade]

I have fired lots of 45-70 ammo using the RCBS 325-FN-U and 30.0 gr. 5744. It is very accurate and works fine, but any more I just use that powder for duplexing under black. More fun that way.

-Nobade

[smkummer]

The only reason I am not using it is because of cost. They know they have a propietary product and charge correctly. I am using 2400 in 30-06 and 30-40 for less with the same acc. and Unique in 30-30 and 45-70. Unique is giving me 1250 with the 405 grain bullet and enough recoil and acc..

[6pt-sika]

I've used 5744 in the 45-70 with both the Ranch Dog 460-350GC and the Ranch Dog 460-425GC and killed deer with both . Used the 350 grain load to kill the largest rack whitetail of my life so far !

I used 5744 in a variety of cartrudges from the 25-36 Marlin up to and including the 45-70 . 5744 used to be my go to 30-30 cast bullet lever silhouette load .

[Nobade]

The only reason I am not using it is because of cost. They know they have a propietary product and charge correctly. I am using 2400 in 30-06 and 30-40 for less with the same acc. and Unique in 30-30 and 45-70. Unique is giving me 1250 with the 405 grain bullet and enough recoil and acc..

Remember that IMR 4759 does pretty much the same thing for a lot less money.....

-Nobade

[Mike Brooks]

I have used it. I always get some leading with it. for me BP is far more accurate.

[bobthenailer]

Ive had good results with 31 grs of 5744 with the Saeco #017 350gr fpgc in several 45/70 rifles

[flint45]

I like 5744 in my micro groove marlin. 28.0 grains and a378 Gr. kramer boolit good acc. and low recoil.

[6pt-sika]

Remember that IMR 4759 does pretty much the same thing for a lot less money.....

-Nobade

I used 4759 alot in the 45-70 before 5744 but I found 4759 to be a bit more position sensitive then 5744 . Sure that can be fixed if you use toilet paper or something else to keep the powder back against the primer . But I'd rather not do that and 5744 seemed to fix that matter without the added step of some sort of positioning filler .

[sixpointfive]

5744 is a great powder but is expensive.

[school of mines]

I have had good luck with 5744 in my BC 45-70 using Mike V's recommended loads in the Lyman cast handbook for the 457125, 457132 and Lee's 405gr HB boolit.

[Sgt Red Leg]

My kids and I have been using 5744 for 4 or 5 years now. We shoot 30.0 grs behind a 405 gr moly lubed BEAR CREEK boolit. The Moly lub works fine as long as you don't scrape it off during boolit seating. You do that, you WILL have trouble ! We shoot the same load out of a Shilo Sharps MONTANA ROUGH RIDER out to 400 yards w/a tange mounted rear sight - front globe combo, and out of the (two) Browning/Miroku 1886s out to 300 yards also w/iron sights with very good results. The ammo for the Sharps does not need to be crimped. But if you do apply a slight crimp it improves ignition and leaves less unburnt powder grains in barrel/action. That same crimp tightened up a bit also helps out int the 1886. We use standard Win. Large rifle primers.

[TXGunNut]

These days I'd recommend using what you have on hand or can readily find. Don't pass up a bottle of Reloder #7 or KIK FFg if you want to feed a 45-70. I wanted to try 5744 but thought there was something wrong with the price tag. It's a bit more efficient than RX7 but still pretty pricey.

[pipehand]

I tried it in several 45-70's, as well as 30 cal rifles. Doesn't do anything for me that 2400 can't do, except for one jacketed load in .260 Remington. Accurate at one time published reduced jacketed loads for use with 5744. 20 grains behind a Sierra 85 gr. HP recreates the old 25-20 Hi-Vel load in my 260's. Quiet, and sub MOA varmint load that doesn't eat up barrel life so much.

[WaywardSon]

Still unable to find any of the 5744....but did turn up 2 lbs. of the SR-4759 yesterday and bought that. It looks like a great choice as well with very good velocity to pressure ratios. Got some Doc Holiday Tombstones and 100 new Starline brass from Midway last week. Prepped some of the brass last night and am about ready to rock. May put together some test loads today since it is about 32° and snowing:evil: Winter needs to die.

Spending too much time visiting gun shops looking for powder...upside to that is that few of them have much in the way of guns in stock, so haven't really found anything else that I "need".

Thanks for all of the comments!

[lovedogs]

Something you fella might find interesting about 5744 powder. I live in the town where Accurate powder is headquartered and have talked with the guy who was their ballistician for years, Johann. He gave me a formula for starting loads using 5744. Accurate has since published this in several places. Fill the case to the base of a bullet with 5744. I found it easy to just hold a bullet alongside the case to the place it would be seated, make a mark there with a Sharpie marker. Fill the case to that point with 5744. Weigh that quantity of powder. Forty percent of that amount is a good starting load. In other words, 40% of case capacity with powder touching the base of the bullet is a starting load. With lead bullets in a .45-70 you can go lower if you wish. In fact, you can go down until you stick a bullet in the barrel and do no harm. 5744 is dirty burning but it doesn't seem to affect accuracy. They claim if you get it up to pressures it will burn clean but I haven't gotten it to that point. It does seem less position sensitive than some others but it is somewhat position sensitive. It's a very safe and easy powder for light and medium loads, usually with good accuracy.

[Artful]

I use in in 45-70, 375 big bore and 44 magnum - as well 300 whisper/blk - it likes heavy bullets - not so much the light bullets in my experience.

[rhadamanthos12]

I use it in my 45-70, only have about 3/4 of a lb left though. Using a Ruger #1 at accurate arms max listed load with the longer 26in barrel I was getting 1900fps with a 405gr bullet, my 3 shot group looked like a silhouette of micky mouse. When powder becomes available again I will order 8 or 16lbs, it is pricey but it shoots great for me.

[ukrifleman]

Great .30cal powder for cast bullets also.
ukrifleman

[2bizzy]

I have used ACC 5744 now for years with boolit weights between 525 and 545 grns following data in the Lyman manual and am very pleased with it. You don't have to use much for great results so a pound seems to last a long time. Gentle, even with heavier loads in my Creedmore Sharps it dosen't beat you up when firing prone. Later this summer, I changed my alloy mix a softer pure 20:1 behind 30grains of Acc 5744 with a BACO 540 grn. Money boolit dropping at 539grns. Did this ever do the trick! I have never fired such a tight group before this. Average velocitiy recorded was 1490fps with an extream spread of 6.0!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have settled on 33.0 gr of 5744 with RCBS 45-300 FNGC which drop at 330 gr from my mould. This is running @ 1600 fps from my 1895 CB Marlin with 26" bbl. This load is a little stiff but I can still shoot 40 in one sitting, and as I worked up from 25 gr this was the load that yielded an acceptable trajectory for Short Range Silhouette..

I had one 1.75" group at 100 yards with iron sights. (Lyman 66LA)

This load will also knock down anything in N/A although it wouldn't be my first choice for big bears.

Randy

[Ramjet-SS]

I use 32 grains and puta 325 Grain GC WFN in my 450 Marlin In a Winchester TD it is very accurate and hits like the hammer of Thor. That's a couple grains lower than the the lowest published load still pushing 1500-1600 FPS