Use filler or not in 45/70 case.

[Geno51]

Fellows, I have another newb question.
I am going to try my hand at loading paper patch bullets in my Shiloh 45/70.
I have ordered some .458 PP 500gr. bullets from Montana Bullet works.
My bore diameter is .450 and groove diameter .458, per Shiloh.
My question is,

When loading a paper patch bullet in a 45/70 case with smokeless powder,
is it necessary to fill the void in the case with a filler, or wad, as in black powder loading.
I appreciate any help, many thanks.

[aspangler]

Don't know about the PP boolits but My favorite load is the Lee 405 fn over 25 gr. 2400 with the Yoke-Wonderwad seated on top of the powder to hold it in place. ES is 13 fps. This is what I use in my 45-70 Mosin nagant. Yea I did. I ordered the Green Mountain blank, turned it myself, chambered and head-spaced it, (with the help of a gunsmith friend) and cut down the stock to fit. 3 in the mad and 1 in the chamber. BTW Chronographed at 1450. Heap big medicine, low recoil for these old shoulders.

[pdawg_shooter]

I have always, without exception, had by best accuracy and velocity using a powder that gives me 100% + load density at the velocity I want No filler needed. In this way I have been able to achieve the same, or sometimes better, performance than with jacked. With a 430 gr PP and AA2495 I have gotten performance that beats any jacketed load.

[Nobade]

With loads that are in the realm of what you might use with naked boolits, I'll use some dacron fluff if the particular powder responds well to it. Like 4198. But as P Dawg says, best performance comes from a full case of the right powder if you're looking for high velocity and great accuracy.

-Nobade

[Outpost75]

Do not use inert fillers in any straight case, unless you completely filll case so there is NO airspace between filler and bullet base. Otherwise you WILL ring the chamber. Been there, Done that, Got the T-Shirt!

[Turkeygunner]

If you go by the Hogdon load data for heavy bullets, your just can't use enough powder to fill the case. Without a filler, I was getting hang-fires or flashovers and in most cases where that occurred bad accuracy as well. I proceeded to load 38 grns of Benchmark powder and used a filler. No accuracy there either, but no hang-fires. Then I bought a bag of cotton balls. They weighted 8.6 grains each, but one was too large so I cut them in two with scissors. With 40 grns of 4064 and 4.3 grains of cotton over the powder, I had three shots touching each other at 112 yards. Bullet was 450 grn paper patch that had been water-proofed and lubed with graphite flake.