New 1886 in 45/90

[Estacado]

I have wanted a Model 1886 Winchester for a very long time. Something always seemed to get in the way. I have come across a new 1886 in 45/90 caliber. It is at a reasonable price. I reload, but only smokeless. (Love cast bullets tho!) I have a couple of 45/70's that I love reloading for. For the guys that have a 45/90 would it be a mistake to buy this gun? Please, I do not want this to evolve into a black powder/smokeless discussion. Yes, I would buy a 1886 in 45/70 if it was at this price!

[earlmck]

Get the gun now! A fellow who reloads can make it work just fine. 45/90 brass is a little more spendy (a lot more spendy maybe) but the old Scotsman here would probably be seating my boolets out long using a 45/70 case.

[cwtebay]

I would definitely not say it's a problem! Starline 45-90 brass is around $0.95 apiece, and there are dozens of smokeless loads for use in this caliber. Also, shooting 45-70 cartridges through it is very common practice.

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[j p sixguns welldone]

i would buy it. like cwtebay said starline has brass and you can load smokeless powder in it.

[TXGunNut]

An original 1886 in 45-90 generally has more collector interest than one chambered for the 45-70. For a shooter I’d prefer the 45-70 but I have 45-90 brass on the shelf.

Mike

[NSB]

If your gun is a new Miroku made Winchester, you can just shoot 45-70 brass out of it. I bought a new Miroku/Winchester about five years ago and it wouldn’t chamber bullets of 400g and up, or some bullets with a very blunt olive. I took it to Turnbull’s (not too far away) and had them CC the gun and throat the gun to their specs. This Miroku gun is chambered to SAAMI specs with has virtually no throat to it at all. Turnbull lengthened the throat 250thou...a quarter of an inch. It shoots incredibly accurate groups and everything chambers in it. Since you can shoot 45-70s in any 45-90 chamber, you might not even be “too long” as it is. Try it and see how it shoots.

[missionary5155]

The 45-90 is a fine caliber !!! Buy it !!!!
That extra case length opens all sorts of good reloading possibilities.

[Estacado]

Thank you everyone! I was afraid there was some downside that I was not aware of.

[missionary5155]

You can have all the way from a little mouse to a roaring thunder beast !

[W.R.Buchanan]

Typically .45-90's use 300 gr boolits. It is an "Express" Caliber. But can be loaded with heavier boolits if you choose. I consider 405 gr to be max in both .45-70 and .45-90 rounds. You certainly can load bigger boolits but will not be gaining anything meaningful in performance and only destroying your shoulder in the process.

Randy

[John Taylor]

downside? Recoil.

[Estacado]

Randy, I knew it was an express round. Looking thru my bullet supply, I found several hundred gas checked 300 grain bullets. I bought them at one time or another.

John Taylor, I can get all the recoil I can stand with my 45/70's. That is one of the advantages of reloading. I have Trail Boss, 5744, IMR 4198, and Unique in abundance. I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting.

I so appreciate all the responses. Repeating myself, I was afraid there might be a downside that I was not aware of. Who knows, this might be the caliber that starts me on the black powder road.

[sharps4590]

Get it. You cannot possibly regret it. My handle....and has been for 25-26 years, is because I've been shooting a 45-90 that long. Yes, mine is in a Shiloh Sharps and loaded a lot different from a lever rifle but, it's a fine cartridge in either guise. I've never loaded a single round of smokeless but I also know that in the book "Big Bores" Mike Venturino wrote the article on the 45-90 and there's a bunch of smokeless loads listed. I don't remember all the bullet weights he listed and as it was written with a Shiloh Sharps as the test rifle there probably isn't a lot with lightweight bullets but, loads could be extrapolated. The 1958 Lyman Cast Bullet manual also lists some loads and I believe some of those are with lighter bullets.

Good luck!!!

[Tar Heel]

Get that rascal. I shoot mine with BP and the Lyman 330gr Gould Express Cast HP bullet. One should be a tad careful with smokeless loads due to the LARGE case capacity. So far I have used RL7, Accurate 5744, and Buffalo Rifle Powder. I do shoot some Lee 457-405 cast bullets through it too. COAL is the issue with this lever gun and that in itself sort of prescribes bullet weight. If you want heavier bullets, go for a Sharps single shot.

I absolutely enjoy my Miroku 1886 and she simply ROCKS with the 330gr Gould Express bullets.

Attachment 273730

[veeman]

Tar Heel, how do you like the Buffalo Rifle powder? I am getting great groups in my 86 and 76 rifles. Pretty much the same powder as 5744.

[cwtebay]

Not sure if this helps, but this seems to be a pretty good deal in Swapping and Selling. 97 pieces of 45-110 brass and dies for same (they seem to work with 45-90 with the correct finesse)

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[Tar Heel]

Tar Heel, how do you like the Buffalo Rifle powder? I am getting great groups in my 86 and 76 rifles. Pretty much the same powder as 5744.

So far so good. It does seem to mirror the performance of 5744. I have not fired over the chrono yet to see if the velocity is identical for the same weight charge. I am sure to see a little variation but it's nice to have another propellant similar to 5744 at a lower price.

I still am hesitant to load with smokeless due to the case volume and the possibility of a pressure excursion but sometimes I like to have the luxury of a delayed cleaning session if you know what I mean.

[GregLaROCHE]

If the price is right, buy it! You won’t regret it.

[veeman]

It worked rather well in my 1876 45/75, worth the effort to develop more.

[JFE]

If it’s a Miroku 1886 in 45/90 I’m fairly certain it will have the same twist as their 45/70 models. The only downside is the larger case is more expensive and you’ll need more powder to achieve the same velocity c.f. a 45/70 case. The 45/90 load data available is generally held to BP pressures whereas load data for the 45/70 is widely available.