Help with 45-70 load

[randyrat]

I'm new to loading for the 45-70...Friend of mine owns two of them, a single break action(forgot what kind) and a marlin lever 1895 45-70s.( both modern rifles)

I have a 400 gr mold comming.... I have at hand some 340 gr PB lead, 285 grRN FN PB and 365 gr TL FN......

I've been scanning through my books and can't seem to find anything for loads with these bullets.
I need a mild load for these....Powders at hand right now bunch of pistol powders--Unique,700X, titegroup,4756,RD,BE, WSF ect... Rifle powders i have IMR 3031, 2400....Sure would like to use 2400. When the mold shows up i'll work mainly with the 400 gr bullet and there seems to be enough loads for that bullet.

What i would like is a mild load for all but the 400 gr bullet. In other words one load for all ( 340 gr, 285,&365) with a little adjustment for the difference between 365 gr and the 285 gr bullets. Keep in mine, some plinkin bullets so i can use these up. I'll worrie about the 400 gr bullet loads later.

[wiljen]

16gr unique behind anything 365gr or lighter should work fine as a nice plinker. will give roughly 1350fps depending on bullet weight and barrel length.

28gr of 2400 would be about max with your 365 and should give you ballpark 1600fps.

when you get to hunting loads for the 400gr mold, the 3031 will be your best bet.

[BrianB]

You can use 350 grain load data for the 340's. Also, use 300 grain load data for the 285's.
The only real difference will be that they will generate lower pressure than the data indicates.
I don't have a data book with me and I can't think of the bullet that is closest to the 365 grainer you have.

[mpmarty]

eleven grains of Unique or twenty five grains of 2400 have always seemed to be good to me. Marlin 1895 circa 1972

[AZ-Stew]

You COULD use 405 gr data for the 365. Work up until you get the performance you want. It's less than a 10 percent difference in boolit weight, so it's not a major change. No matter what, the lighter boolit will develop less pressure than the heavier one with the same charge, so it will be safe. Begin with the starting loads for the 405 and I'm sure you'll come up with a load that suits you in short order.

This theory applies to all your boolits. Use data for the next heaviest boolit for which you can find data and go with the starting loads. Work up until you find the accuracy and speed you want.

Regards,

Stew

[Rick459]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=59371

[partsman]

I'm new to loading for the 45-70...Friend of mine owns two of them, a single break action(forgot what kind) and a marlin lever 1895 45-70s.( both modern rifles)

I have a 400 gr mold comming.... I have at hand some 340 gr PB lead, 285 grRN FN PB and 365 gr TL FN......

I've been scanning through my books and can't seem to find anything for loads with these bullets.
I need a mild load for these....Powders at hand right now bunch of pistol powders--Unique,700X, titegroup,4756,RD,BE, WSF ect... Rifle powders i have IMR 3031, 2400....Sure would like to use 2400. When the mold shows up i'll work mainly with the 400 gr bullet and there seems to be enough loads for that bullet.

What i would like is a mild load for all but the 400 gr bullet. In other words one load for all ( 340 gr, 285,&365) with a little adjustment for the difference between 365 gr and the 285 gr bullets. Keep in mine, some plinkin bullets so i can use these up. I'll worrie about the 400 gr bullet loads later.

where did you find 285 gr bullets in 45/70 ? i cant find anything under 325gr

[randyrat]

I did some trading for about 200-300 bullets until my mold came in. There was an assortment of 3 different size bullets. That 280-285 gr bullet is a modified 340 gr mold. Looks like one nice job done on it. My quess somone ground the top of the mold off to the second driving band and redrilled the sprue screw hole.
I was kinda stumped on how low i dare go on the few rifle powders i have in a big case like the 45-70.

[randyrat]

I traded with badge176 for the bullets. He has the 286 gr mold.

[Bullshop]

partsman
We (the bullshop) offer boolits for the 45/70 at 180gn.
BIC/BS

[HammerMTB]

partsman
We (the bullshop) offer boolits for the 45/70 at 180gn.
BIC/BS

Wow...
That must be one stubby little pill....
My RBs for my ROA are 147 gr, .458
So the 180 prolly just puts a skirt on a RB
But they oughta be fun plinkers!
Squirrel loads! :shock:

[Wayne Smith]

A case full of 2F or 3F under any of them!

[Bullshop]

hammermtb
Actually they look about the same length as a 45 acp boolit. The reason they are so light is they are hollow base.
BIC/BS

[HammerMTB]

hammermtb
Actually they look about the same length as a 45 acp boolit. The reason they are so light is they are hollow base.
BIC/BS

Ah! Thanks for that....
I went to your website looking for a pic, but didn't find one.
Still, they sound like they'd make good little plinkers or small game rounds.....

[Bullshop]

Yea we tried to get up pics but it didnt work. We only had up about 20% of the over 200 molds we have available and we ran out of space.
We hope to have up a complete list very soon but still no pics.
BIC/BS

[MtGun44]

10-12 gr Unique makes a nice plinker load, no recoil and low noise, accurate in my
Marlin. Heavy loads can be useful for hunting but punishing from a light rifle like the
Marlin GG. With the big long octagon barrels the weight comes up a lot, I don't know
what they weigh, but it has to be a bunch more than my Guide Gun.

For an accurate 1750 fps load, I use 57.0 W748 with a magnum primer under lead or
jacketed 405 gr. RCBS 405 GC has been very accurate as well as the Remington or
Speer 405 j bullet. Any faster than this is pretty unpleasant and this would not be
a target load, either - very accurate, just too much recoil to enjoy in large numbers.

Bill

[Just Duke]

Randy, I can send you some 405's PB and 485's GC plus loading data pro bono. Give me a jingle if you have any other questions. Still got my number? ;)

[TCLouis]

preface this with the fact that my alloy and the RCBS 325 gain boolit weighs 345 ready to shoot and the Ranch Dog group buy boolit is really 378.

23.5 4759 with RCBS 325 or RD 350 grain boolits 21.5 shot well with those boolits also. 23.5 and RCBS moves out at 1139 fps out of a 16" Contender and 1290 out of a 1886.

10.5 grains of Bartletts #105 gives 1099 fps with the RD boolit and 1105 with the RCBS.

This #105 is a big ol round greenish gray flake and Was listed as being in the AA#5 burn rate range.

I have started to do side by side tests over the chronograph but have not gotten around to it.


OH, one minor point I left off, These are very accurate at 50, never tested them at 100,I hunt in fairly thick woods.

[randyrat]

Randy, I can send you some 405's PB and 485's GC plus loading data pro bono. Give me a jingle if you have any other questions. Still got my number? ;) So far i'm good to go Adam, right now we are in a bad snow storm and it looks like for a few days. Then it's gonna take a few more days to a week before any roads are open to ranges. OHHHHH, then i usually have to make trails to the targets by foot.
I have a mold waiting, i just have to pick it up...405 PB. I still have your number BTW and i plan on calling after Christmas. Navada sounds good after today, i spent two hours working on my snow blower. Turned out it was killing because of a cracked spark plug wire shorting out, not before i cleaned the carb, cleaned the gas tank, put on a fuel filter, new spark plug and ruined my electric starter. Funny thing is, it ran this last summer just fine durring a couple test runs (the shorted wire wasen't wet then):evil: Merry Christmas every one....My snow blower runs now.

[Shooter30-06]

In the last year I purchased the Lee 340 gn mold. My favorite load thus far has been 36gn of 3031. I have no estimate of velocity but it is reasonably accurate and does not beat you to death.

[Just Duke]

So far i'm good to go Adam, right now we are in a bad snow storm and it looks like for a few days. Then it's gonna take a few more days to a week before any roads are open to ranges. OHHHHH, then i usually have to make trails to the targets by foot.
I have a mold waiting, i just have to pick it up...405 PB. I still have your number BTW and i plan on calling after Christmas. Navada sounds good after today, i spent two hours working on my snow blower. Turned out it was killing because of a cracked spark plug wire shorting out, not before i cleaned the carb, cleaned the gas tank, put on a fuel filter, new spark plug and ruined my electric starter. Funny thing is, it ran this last summer just fine durring a couple test runs (the shorted wire wasen't wet then):evil: Merry Christmas every one....My snow blower runs now.

Oh! I have so been there Randy. [smilie=b:

Oh hey I just thought I'd tell you how nice and sunny it is here.
"Barbie? Can you go get my sunglasses and my sun tan lotion?" :kidding:

[Just Duke]

Load a dummy round and see it will run in your Marlin Randy. I have the SAECO 405 grainer in it will not even load in the Marlin but works great in the 1886's.

[TCLouis]

SWAG based on Lyman Cast Bullet data 1296 fps
QuickLoad computation 1389 fps

[badge176]

"I traded with badge176 for the bullets. He has the 286 gr mold. "

It was a LEE 340g, but since I was havin a tough time finding a reasonably priced "plinker" CB mold, I asked my machinist pal to machine off the top of the mold (up to top of base groove). Sort of an experiment... turned out rather nice- just gotta load em up.:mrgreen:

[NHlever]

Hmm, I have a Lee 340 grain mold and a machinist son........

[45-70 Chevroner]

where did you find 285 gr bullets in 45/70 ? i cant find anything under 325gr

Partsman: I don't know if Lyman still makes this mould but I have a 292gr. mold I don't remember the number but I can get it for you if you would like. It's a round flat nose.