45-100 Sharps

[Boz330]

I need a starting load for a 45-100. I have Swiss in 1.5F, 2F, & 3F. Goex 1F & 3F. I have access to several molds including but not limited to the Postel, PJ Creedmore, the Nasa bullet. These belong to a friend that may have the largest selection of 45 cal boolit molds in the world.

My thoughts; Swiss 1.5F, not sure how much, the PJ Creedmore, Rem LPP, primer wad, veggie wad or poly wad, I have both along with cork and some others as well.
BTW this is a C-Sharps 74 with 34" heavy barrel.

Thanks
Bob

[August]

"An experimental rifle with an experimental load"

[montana_charlie]

Finding a starting load is always the same procedure.

Figure out your COAL. (there are several methods for that)
Figure how much of your (chosen) bullet must be in the case to get your COAL.
Fill the case to that depth with powder, place a card wad on top, and seat the bullet.
(This load will essentially have zero compression.)

To develop that load further, add two grains of powder to each new attempt until you find the 'best' load.
(As you begin to add compression to charges, use a compression die ... not the bullet.)

After you find the 'best' load, you can begin to play with other variables ... if you need to.

CM

[kokomokid]

How did the long range shoot with the 40 go?

[Boz330]

How did the long range shoot with the 40 go?

Pretty ugly! I finally got on at 800yd by accident and then shot a 66 but the guy in the butts said that the boolits were hitting side ways. Not sure how that works with any consistency. At 900yd I finally gave up after 20 sighters. Never even bothered with the 1000yd just worked the butts for the other guys on my squad.

Not making excuses but they kept calling check fires because of paradrops and airplanes taking off and landing (we were right on the end of the runway and next to the drop zone). See pictures. The temps were in the upper 90s with heat index in the triple digits. With the check fires some of the relays were 2+ hours on the line with no shade. Add to that, the fact that 2 of the pit guys on my squad were seriously hearing impaired and couldn't tell whether the rounds were coming over the berm or not. There was no back stop to judge misses so if your pit worker couldn't help, you were screwed. In short it wasn't a lot of fun and I shoot for fun.

One of the guys forced this Sharps on me (to use) with the promise that it would solve all of my problems. I don't have the time to shoot everything I own let alone, another gun, but I thought that I would give it a try. It is a very nice looking rifle. I accused him of just trying to get someone to sort it out so he could take it back.

Charlie, I thought that I would get some ideas while I'm trying to get the rest of the stuff together. All I have is the rifle and a bag full of brass at this point. Just thought I might get a little ahead of the curve from someone that has actually shot one of these things. While every rifle has it's own quirks there are little things that can hopefully speed the process a little.

Bob

[Bent Ramrod]

Mine is a Pedersoli, originally in .45-70, which the previous owner rechambered to .45-2.6. The load he developed was 77 gr Swiss 1Fg with .060" or so of wad(s) and the Paul Jones "Creedmore" boolit. No compression is done; the load components are such that the first grease groove in the boolit is just covered by the case mouth.

I messed around with other powder granulations, amounts and compressions and have gotten nothing yet that outshoots this combination.

[montana_charlie]

Charlie, I thought that I would get some ideas while I'm trying to get the rest of the stuff together.

Just thought I might get a little ahead of the curve from someone that has actually shot one of these things.
Ah! It isn't a 'starting load' you are after, but a 'pet load' that has proven good for somebody.
I can't help you there ... but I can tell you a story about pet loads.

I have shot both grease grooved and paper patch bullets in my Pedersoli, and it was the greasers that I started with.
I did about the same as what you intend. I took somebody's pet load, made a small adjustment for a slightly different bullet, and gave it a try. The results were just good enough to keep me stringing along.

I started working out 'in a spiral' from that starting point. I would load a slightly heavier charge, then try one a bit lighter (than the original).
As I 'spiraled' around, trying heavier and lighter while mixing in a lube change or two, the groups were mostly 'not bad' ... with an occasional 'purty dern good one'.

When the paper patch bug bit, I put the greasers on hold, and made sure my notes wouldn't get lost. But, if I was to go back to them today with the original program in mind ... I would still be running in circles.

Far better (in my mind) to choose a starting load that sits at one end of the probabilities, and follow a straight line toward the other end. When you hit the good one, you should recognize it .... and know how to get back to it if you go past.
That 'spiral search' is only good for finding your dropped pocketknife.

CM

[kokomokid]

Boz, thanks for a no BS report on the shoot. I think MC gave great advice on starting a basic load. Only problem in load development I have had is that I shoot them at 100yds in IDEAL conditions. A match shoot never happens with IDEAL conditions.

[Boz330]

Boz, thanks for a no BS report on the shoot. I think MC gave great advice on starting a basic load. Only problem in load development I have had is that I shoot them at 100yds in IDEAL conditions. A match shoot never happens with IDEAL conditions.

Yeh he is probably right and I think I could get the 40-65 to the point where it could be some fun as well. It is time consuming to develop good loads and by trying this thing it is backing me up with the other and if I find a good load I've got to give it back. So if I decide I need one then I have to start all over again.:violin:
I need to retire but then I can't afford to shoot, Catch 22.
BTW Charlie does that spiral thing really work for finding pocket knives, I seem to have problems holding on to them and never find them.[smilie=s:

Bob

[montana_charlie]

BTW Charlie does that spiral thing really work for finding pocket knives, I seem to have problems holding on to them and never find them.[smilie=s:

Bob
It can ... if you know exactly where to start looking.

I recently lost mine by laying it on the rear bumper of my pickup ... then forgetting to get it back before driving off. By the time I missed it, the truck had covered a fair amount of ground, and had traveled a half-mile off of our property and back.

Knowing exactly where to start looking ... and having tall, wet, grass which clearly showed the tire tracks ... I did find it after searching about 200 yards of pasture. Never had to work all the way out to the county road, thank goodness.

CM

[RMulhern]

I had good luck with 102 grs. Swiss 1F or Goex (Old) 1F shooting either GG or PP! Used a .250" BM lube cookie with WLR primers; FL resized Starline brass. Shot GG in the beginning and changed to PP for the final phase! Used no cookie with the GG; the PJ Smerker mould worked best of all for me in GG!