Have a Winchester 1886 made in 1894 and trying to find a varget load for the 45 90 with a 300 grain and 350 grain cast boolit.
Trying to find a load the duplicates the original BP velocity of 1450 fps with a 300 grain cast boolit for hunting. The 50th Lyman manual does not show any varget loads for the 45 90. The 45 70 trapdoor loads start with 53 grains of Varget for a 292 cast bullet and 48 grains of Varget for a 320 grain cast bullet.
Has anyone worked up any loads with Varget in the 45 90 ? would you start at 50 grains ?
Looks like IMR-3031 may be a better choice of powder than Varget.
Also plan to try 13 - 14 grains of trail boss for the 45 90 with the 300 grain bullet. Should be mild and fun for the kids.
Have only shot the Winchester 1886 with 45 70 brass and have tried 40, 41, 42, 45 & 46.5 grains of varget with the 405 grain cast. All shot well at 25 yards and hit the plastic bottles.
Also used 13 grains of Trail Boss in the 45 70 brass with 405 cast boolit which was really mild for the kids.
It seems like the listed trapdoor pressure for the varget is less than the trail boss.
Have some new 45 90 brass and ready to try a 45 90 load. Will be using Meister .458 cast boolits and currently use the Meister 405 grain bullets .458 bullets in the 45 70 case.
The Winchester 1886 has really smooth action with an outstanding trigger and is a joy to shoot. At some point barrel was cut down to 20 inches but that could have been done 110 years ago. Just love the rifle.
Appreciate any help you could offer, Thanks