what's yer favorite powder

[BigAl52]

My advice to a guy who just bought a 41 Mag years ago was to get a big jug of Unique and a big jug of 2400. It's the same advice today. Rifles are a different story. 4350,4895.4064,3031,4198, 4831, RL7, RL22, RL15, Varget, etc, ect, ect. You can't get too many. Nobody has yet mentioned THE LOAD, 13gr Red Dot.

Bob

13gr of RED Dot under what bullet?

[bigted]

My absolute favorite load for 45-70 is a load that for eons has done it all without hurting the rifle nor the shooter. This load has brought smiles to many faces down thru the years and will continue to do so. I stumbled on this load personally by accident reading thru some very old literature and when i tried it i became very impressed.

55 grains 2Fg Ol E GOEX under a 405 grain Lee hollow base sparked with CCI large rifle primers in Winchester brass. Add 3 grains IMR 4227 under the main powder charge and walla you have a clean burning load that will be great in any rifle any time against any critter when HUNTED and getting close enough.

Try it, i bet you too will fall in love with this load

[cwlongshot]

I cannot tell you just one... as the grand ol' 45-70 wears a couple hats for me...

For the Light plinkers or Trap Door loads I like 5744 powder.
For medium to heavy stompers 4198 does this for me.

RL7 is as good for me as 4198, but 4198 doesn't cut it for the 375 Winchester. SO, RL7 goes to the 375 and 4198 to the 45/70.

CW

[Jedman]

I have over a half of dozen 45-70's mostly single shots and 1 levergun. I have shot a lot of different bullets in them down to 50 cal. lead round balls I push thru a die and size down to .460 .
One powder I have used for super light loads is AA Nitro 100, I have a big jug of it from 25 years ago when I shot a lot of clay targets. N 100 is as fast as bullseye but lights easily and 5-6 grains behind a lightweight lead bollit or ball shoots great.
I have also used red dot , green dot , 700 X, and many other shotgun powders and most of them work just as well for plinking.
Hunting loads start with powders like 2400, SR 4759, R 7, 4198 and like burn rates.
Like said many times you can load a 45-70 up to the point it's recoil is painfull but I am over that and have other calibers to use if I need that much velocity.
If I could only have one powder to load for the 45-70 plus many other big bores I have I would chose one of the
4198 powders, it's not fussy and I still find it easy and a little cheaper than the " newer" powders that are harder to find.

Jedman

[indian joe]

in the venerable 45-70 ?
I just got one (45-70) and have only tried a couple different powders
tried varget w/a 325 gr accurate molds boolit
and my favorite so far is imr 3031 w/440 gr. Hoch bullet

b l a c k !!!!!!

[greenjoytj]

I was surprised that no one mentioned or voted for Hornady LEVERevolution powder.
Maybe it’s still too new, therefore it hasn’t yet developed a fan base. Yes I noticed the 7+ year gap in this thread between posts 38 and 39.

[maglvr]

45-70 is the first round I ever loaded, and the very reason I started reloading in the first place. I simply refused to pay $32 for a box of ammo that year.
My LGS had a old C-H press for $10 and dies for $15 and the fever has spread beyond belief since that day, to include 38spl, 357(my FAVORITE caliber) 44spl, 44mag, 30-30, 401 Herters power mag, and 45COLT.
In the 45-70 I have never seen the need to look beyond UNIQUE as the propellant of choice, it just seems to do all that I require of the round, and with unsurpassed reliability and accuracy.
MagLvr