300 Gr RNFP Rushmores, 1895G Ported, anyone ever used 4895?

[Airborne Falcon]

I'm trying to hold onto my 3031, 322 and 4198 for some hunting loads, jacketed Hornadys, (not the FTXs although I've got a bunch of FTXs but not a bunch of the new dimension brass).

I've got a bunch of hard cast Rushmore 300s RNFP (RHSS1063) (.459) with the Hi-Tek coating done really purdy ... I wanna use them for dinging metal on the range and competing against my Son with his 444.

I'm sitting on 28 pounds of 4895 ... I need to start using it up. I've switched to Vihtavouri powders for all of 30 cal rifle stuff (with the exception of my service rifle practice loads M1a) ... so I am hoping to use a bunch of this on ab0ut 500 rounds of 45-70 using these Rushmores. (Because between these Rushmores I've got, plus a bunch of others a buddy of mine cast, plus a bunch of Starline Brass ... I'm bored and wanna load a bunch of 45-70 and shoot it up for fun.)

I need a good recipe that will not blow my face off using IMR 4895 (and/or RG 4895) and those 300 grain Rushmores ... if anyone has a good one it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

PS: Or good advice. I've double and triple and quadrupled checked every source, and I have tons of old and new manuals, apps, I've been reloading for decades but here's my delima.

I'm not sure how to load for this hi-tek coating. It's really well done. It's downright purdy, gold even, but I've never loaded with these stuff before. These things are right at .459 coated. Now I've been told I can treat these like jacketed. True?

If so Sierra says I can start at 57 grains of IMR 4895 up to 61 grains.

Lee's Modern and Lyman says start much lower ... 43, 44 range. 37 for the trapdoor but mine is a fairly modern JM Stamped 1895G Ported ... 99 modelish or somewhere around there.

I've rolled-up 15 rounds, five of each 51 grains, 52 grains, 53 grains of the RG 4895 ... then I got to thinking. I know I'm good here, these are fine ... but not knowing these boolits I figured I'd better head over to the cast boolits experts guys and ask them ... they'll know.



These are ready to go ... anyone ever used 4895 before?

[TjB101]

Never used 4895 in 45-70 and looked thru my online charge tables. I saw the same 45gr Lee min charge. Most all other charges were for the really heavy pills, not lighter 300gr. For range fodder I’d be tempted to try just shy of 40 stepping down a 1/2 grain to 37 (which was a min charge for 350gr lead for 4895)

My absolute favorite range fodder charge is 11.3gr of bullseye under a 350gr pill. All day shooter (I had 8 lbs of BE so had to find a charge for my 45-70’s)

[Sgt H]

I have loaded a lot of 45/70 over the years but have never used anything slower than powders in the 4198, Reloader 7 and AA2015 range and that was with jacketed bullets. Even those performed much better with respect to extreme spreads and SD's in the mid to upper level Marlin/1886 loads. My go to for cast bullets are 2400 and 5744. A number of folks on this forum have posted light plinking loads with Unique or similar burn rate powders but I have not used anything that fast burning. IMO the pressure developed with 4895 is going to be too low for it to burn efficiently.

[farmbif]

not sure about rg 4895 but the imp and h stuff is good for downloading, if there is published data for 300 gr might try one at starting load or a couple grains less and see how it goes. that's what I did trying 8208 with cast loads in the 444 and I was off there reservation a bit because the 432640's needed to be deeply seated in order to chamber in the 444. I think I started by reducing loads by 10 percent of published starting load for same weigh jacketed bullet. worked for me anyway they all went bang with no signs of excess pressure

[TurnipEaterDown]

I have downloaded Surplus 4895, H4895, and IMR 4895. These 4895s are great to download. LEE Modern Reloading Second Edition has a section on this w/ cast bullets. Some partially combusted products do show up in residue, but not too bad. These are Very flexible and friendly powders to go exploring downloads with.

[Airborne Falcon]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. You have my gratitude and my sincerest appreciation. If I could give everyone two thumbs-up and a "like" ... I certainly would.

So TurnipEater ... I think I found what you're referring-to on page 157 of the 2007 printing under the subtitle "Reduced pressures for popular cartridges - how to use this new information" ... maybe. It's right there with cast load data for 30-30, 308 and 30-06 right there with the burn rate tables. Anyways, interesting formula and, based upon Lee's methodology I should be well within reason as far as weight and cast boolits are concerned ... especially if this hi-tek coating is similar to brass with regard to its low drag, no leading, qualities traveling down the pipe.

Interesting forumla for working-up pressures .... I'll still be glad when someone uodates a manual and includes modern coated cast boolit data. They're leaving us to break ground on this and considering it's been all the rage for a few years now you would think .... wait a second. Bullet manufacturers are not going to wwnt to support this. Probably not until Hornady or someone starts offering a factory coated boolit and putting it in their manual.

In the meantime these cast boolit makers should start publishing their own data using their coated products.

You know ... I've jumped out of airplanes in the pitch black of night in bad weather with the pilots puking and me trying to jumpmaster a bunch of cherries not to break their necks .... and it was less tedious than me fretting over working up this load using one of the 4895s. Honestly I am less worried about it blowing up in my face than I am it blowing my beloved 1895G apart ... next to my GSD and my curly headed girlfriend, not particularly in that order ... I'd really hate to lose my 1895G.