It's been over two months since I ordered an 1876 Uberti Centennial Rifle in 45-75. I've put together a collection of moulds and cast some wonderful boolits for the rifle while awaiting it's arrival. My mould collection:
Lyman LA FN 457643 400 gr.
Lyman FN HP 457122 330 gr.
SAECO/Redding GC FN 61017 350 gr.
These Uberti rifles are rated for smokeless powder, unlike the original 1876 Winchesters. I'm experienced with loading black powder and perhaps that would make my headache go away trying to assemble safe, reasonable smokeless loads when published data is scarce at best. I've requested load data from a couple of major powder manufacturers. One manufacturer basically said: Obsolete cartridge, no SAMMI specifications, weak action, catastrophic failure waiting to happen. In my request I did mention published smokeless loads were contained in the Lyman #49 Handbook. His reply was "I don't know why they did that". On the other hand when I contacted another major powder manufacturer they provided me with usable data with two of their powders with four bullet weights and psi data. It's frustrating. Okay, I get that it's likely just a niche market and only what, say perhaps seven or eight thousand have been manufactured.
There are some other resources available, Mike Venturino's book "Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West" and the Cas City 1876 Forum, but really the thought of cartridge load development based upon extrapolation from other cartridges and burn rate charts has always been discouraged. Though I did mention the plethora of smokeless loads available for the Springfield Trapdoor when I replied to the manufacturer that tried to scare the **** out of me, the "fireing pin through the skull" guy. They have yet to respond.
I suppose when purchasing a historic classic reproduction this sort of frustration goes with the territory, unless I load with real Black Powder and my headache would simply disappear.
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