Finally got around to shooting my 45-70 Handi-rifle...

[PhilB]

loaded up some 405 gr with 9.5gr RedDot and my son and I took the Handi out to my backyard range. The gun shot well considering it was offhand and my old eyes aren't what they used to be. Today I want to mount a reflex sight on the rifle and shoot it off a rest to see just how it does. I also plan tinkering with the powder charge to see what shoots best. I want to find a good shooting sub-sonic load for my nephews to shoot(me too). Eventually I would like to load up some shells with at least trapdoor level veiocities but I don't think I want to exceed that with a light little Handi-Rifle. One of my friends has a Handi-Rifle in 500 S&W and it is a real thumper when you shoot full power loads. It makes my Mosin Nagant feel like a popgun.

[Scharfschuetze]

PhilB,

I too enjoy shooting light loads and in the 45/70. My best subsonic load with a 405 grain cast bullet has been using Hogdgon's "Tight Group" powder. This is a fairly fast pistol powder, but in large cases it exhibits very uniform ballistics and seems to be immune to powder position variations in the case. A little bit of it goes a long way, so like your Red Dot loads, but careful not to double charge!

Boolit: 405 grain cast lead, plain base, hard wax lube
Case: Winchester-Western
Primer: Standard Winchester Large Rifle (WLR)
Powder: 10.5 grains Tight Group

Velocity: 1015 fps
SD: 6.5
Accuracy: 2 MOA from an H&R replica Officer's Model Trapdoor

I don't think that I'd increase this load anymore in a Trapdoor or replica Trapdoor without some sort of factory pressure testing data.

This load works equally as well in a Marlin 1895 Rifle with Ballard Rifling.

[PhilB]

PhilB,

I too enjoy shooting light loads and in the 45/70. My best subsonic load with a 405 grain cast bullet has been using Hogdgon's "Tight Group" powder. This is a fairly fast pistol powder, but in large cases it exhibits very uniform ballistics and seems to be immune to powder position variations in the case. A little bit of it goes a long way, so like your Red Dot loads, but careful not to double charge!

Boolit: 405 grain cast lead, plain base, hard wax lube
Case: Winchester-Western
Primer: Standard Winchester Large Rifle (WLR)
Powder: 10.5 grains Tight Group

Velocity: 1015 fps
SD: 6.5
Accuracy: 2 MOA from an H&R replica Officer's Model Trapdoor

I don't think that I'd increase this load anymore in a Trapdoor or replica Trapdoor without some sort of factory pressure testing data.

This load works equally as well in a Marlin 1895 Rifle with Ballard Rifling.

Thanks for the info. Red Dot is supposed to be insensitive to powder position but I always tip the gun up before shooting to bring powder to the back of the case and I store rounds bullet up. I don't worry about double charges because I check the powder level in every case before seating the boolit. A couple weeks ago someone gave me a link to a site that gives loading tables for about 20 fast burning powders. Tight Group is one of the powders listed. I'm using Red Dot because I have a couple pounds of it and an 8lb container of Promo. Alliant says that you can use Red Dot data to load promo but to set powder charges by weight not volume since Promo is denser.