Best powder choice for 45/70

[brstevns]

My cousin is starting to load for his Marlin 1895G , he is wondering what would be a good powder choice for a 330gr to 350gr PP bullet.

[Shooter6br]

4759 is good. I use H322 to get 1500 fps with 350 Ranch Do no gas check. 45-70 is very flexible. i used Varget,H322, 4064,H414(not the best) trail boss, Unique. 27 g 4759 gets 1350 fps. try what you have on hand. If starting from scratch 4759 BUT .............. if is hard to use most powder measures with 4759 (bridges)

[dale2242]

My 2 favorite powders for Trapdoor 45-70 loads are 4198 and 5744....dale

[brstevns]

He said he had Imr 4198, AA2495 and some reloader 7 . He was hoping for 1700 to 1850 fps.
He also has a lb of Unique

[GH1]

I've used 14.0 gr of Trail Boss under 300 & 350 gr bullets successfully. It's a very mild load great for target use. I think it's around 1,000 FPS or so.
GH1

[frnkeore]

Don't forget 10 gr of Unique. I've gotten 13/16 groups at 100 with a 430 gr bullet (breech seated) at 972 fps in a 31" barrel.

The 350 gr bullet should go as fast in your 1895. It's a very comfortable load.

frank

[knifemaker]

If he is looking for 1700-1900 fps with a 350 gr. boolit, have him try the 4198 he has on hand. Around 44 gr. of IMR-4198 should get him in the ballpark for that velocity.

IMR-4198 and H4198 are very good powders for the 45/70 from mild trapdoor loads to heavy hitting teeth rattling loads for lever actions or even stronger Ruger #1's and converted Mausers.[smilie=w:

[paborn]

I did a lot of load development last year with group buy NOE 460350 RFGC in both the hollow point and flat point versions. 15 grains of Unique with either gave around 1300 fps in a 1895 Cowboy with accuracy of under 1.5 inches at 100 yards. 28 grains of 2400 gave the same accuracy with around 1600 fps. 47 grains of Reloader 7 gave over 1840 fps with the same accuracy. All groups were 10 shot off sandbags with a 5 power scope. I use starch based packing peanuts on top of all powder charges less than 100% loading density.

[Nobade]

I'm a big fan of IMR 3031 for the 45-70, especially with bullets in the weight range you are talking about.

[PbHurler]

I'm a big fan of IMR 3031 for the 45-70, especially with bullets in the weight range you are talking about.

+1 to what Nobade said; in fact you beat me to it. I use 3031 as my preferred powder for the 405 - 425 gr bullets as well.[/I]

[btroj]

There is no one "beat" powder for any cartridge. Many powders will work well in most applications.
For 45-70 I like 2400 for mid level velocities. This means 1200 to 1500 for me. For slower I tend towards Trailboss. For faster I have used Benchmark, H335, Varget, 4895, H322, and RE 7 all with good results.
2400 gets the mot use as it works well in a velocity range where I get good accuracy and low enough recoil to allow me to shoot as many rounds per day as I want. I don't shoot many 1500 fps plus loads as I don't need the velocity for range work. I will work up to them for hunting season but don't want the recoil much of the year.

[Stampede]

I use VithaVuori powders for my .45-70 ánd .45-120. The N120, N135 work perfect and are accurate. I even have TC-pistol (.45-70) loads. The bullet that i use is a 330gr with a gas-check.

[brstevns]

My cousin also told me, he has 2 lb of the old AA8700

[No_1]

I am a fan of 3031, 4198 & Unique. 3031 for max density loads, 4198 for loads that are less than full case and Unique for light plinking loads.

[wiljen]

3031, 4895, Varget.

[725]

I'd say no 1 is #1 for a reason. My favorite three as well. 3031, 4198, & Unique.

[brstevns]

Is his AA2495 very close to Imr 4895?

[rmcc]

H322 & imr 3031

[wiljen]

2495 is fairly close in burn rate to 4895.

[brstevns]

How much Unique for around 1600 FPS with a 330 to 350 grainer?

[bobthenailer]

Saeco # 017, 350 gr fpgc , 31 grs of 5744, very accurate from 3 different 45/70 rifles .

[tacklebury]

Reloader7 rocks in my book for the .45-70. I have loaded it down to 31 gr. with 325gr. FTX bullets for nice trap door level loads and up to 52 gr. for some real barn burners with 300 gr. HP's and now use 47gr with 350 gr. RNFP Jacketed to take game and very good accuracy. 8)

[roberto mervicini]

so far, I only try IMR 3031 in combination with 350 gr. boolit gas checks and also with 405 gr. plain bottom out of my 20" siamese mauser and satisfy of the results.
______
roberto

[stubshaft]

IMR 3031 and/or 2400. I use 3031 for my hunting loads and 2400 for plinking and close range hog shooting. I usually use 400's or 425's.

[John Boy]

Over the ages, many nitro based powders have been tried. But the loading data from a very respected source, Complete Guide to Handloading, Phillip Sharpes, 1937 has to be respected. So here are some of the loading data for powders still made currently:
300gr bullet - 13.0gr Unique - 1330fps
300gr bullet - 48gr 3031 - 1675fps
344gr bullet (350gr) - 14.0gr Unique - 1335fps
405gr bullet - 11.0gr Unique -1133fps
500gr bullet - 11.0gr Unique - 1020fps
500gr bullet - 17.2gr Unique - 1472fps

Unique is the Powder of Choice ... [smilie=s:

[Dale53]

No one has mentioned black powder (maybe because this is not the black powder thread).

However, black powder should not be automatically discounted. The 45/70 is the perfect platform for the "Holy Black".

Having said that, my actual preference is a duplex load. I routinely use 10% (by weight) of RL-7. First determine what a full load of Swiss or Goex 2f is to the base of the bullet. Then deduct 10% by weight and put that amount (by weight) of RL-7 next to the primer. I use a LDPE wad of .060" over the black powder just under the bullet. I use a compression die and compress the powder about .350" when using Goex and .085" when using Swiss.

I is important to use a black powder bullet lube. I use Emmerts Home Mix but SPG works very well if you prefer a commercial lube.

These loads shoot so clean that you can literally shoot all day without fouling issues.

You can use the same information regardless of bullet weight from 300 grs to 550 grs (the longer bullets will allow less black in the case - kind of an automatic power leveler).

After extensive testing, I use 30/1 lead/tin.

These loads have been tested to six hundred yards by me and to 1200 yards by the Canadian long range boys.

In addition several modern variations of the original black powder singleshots, I have a Ruger #3 and a Marlin lever action.

Clean up has been simple in all of them. I use a good black powder solvent and normally clean on the range. Check out the black powder boys.

I am no stranger to smokeless in these and many other guns including the "serious hitters" but it is also instructive to use other methods from time to time.

Now, to be on topic, when I load smokeless powder in various black powder rifle cases, my choice is RL-7. It bulks up nice, burns clean and seems simple to work up safe, accurate loads. Loading data is readily available. RL-7 is suitable for black powder cartridges from 25/20 through 45/90. I never use fillers and thereby remove an excellent chance to ring my chambers.

Dale53

[1Shirt]

No best for me, but do favor 2400 with cast for the majority of blt weights. It is cheap for amount shot, is pretty clean, accurate in my #1, what more can I ask?
1Shirt!:coffee:

[AussieHunter]

My cousin is starting to load for his Marlin 1895G , he is wondering what would be a good powder choice for a 330gr to 350gr PP bullet.
For Real Hunting loads any of the 4198 type powders are your best choice with medium and heavy bullets, this powder type(burning rate) will burn clean in the short 20 to 22" inch barrels of Marlins and the like, if you look at it from the point of view of good "fuel efficient" load, then any of the IMR 4198 or H4198 (AR2207) powder group are best for the least amount of powder for the most amount of Velocity, this includes RL-7 powder but I found that RL-7 Seemed to Kick a lot harder than the others so I stopped using it. For years I Used 52 Gr's of IMR3031 powder behind a 405 Grain bullet in Winchester Brass for about 1780-FPS from my 22 Inch Marlin 1895 in 45-70 calibre this was a good killing load on Asiatic Water Buffalo in Australia. This load served me well for a long time it how ever will not burn clean ( it leaves unburnt powder in the bore of short barrels indicating that IMR3031 burning rate powders are in fact to slow in their burning rate, Thus it brings us back to the 4198 group of powders which will burn clean and still give top velocities) Simply put the 4198 burning rate Group of of powders are the Best powder for the likes of the Marlin lever Guns that Have shorter barrels Say in the 22" Group of barrel lengths< Note H4198 still works well from my 26" barrel pushing a 425 Grain Ranch Dog Bullet at 1950FPS, Remember folks a Big bore needs faster powders to make it burn clean (efficiantly), As there is little restriction in a .458"Dia Bore but as the bore gets smaller and the case gets bigger you need a much slower powder to get your best velocities, Like I found that IMR4350 worked well in my .243 Win with 100Gr Pills and also IMR4350 worked well in my .270Win with 130 and 150 grain Pills, at the same time the slower IMR4831 powder worked out best in my Weatherby vangard 25-06 with 100Gr Hornady SP pills But IMR4198 worked best in my .358Win with 200Grain bullets as did the 45-70 with 300 to 400 grain bullets. While many other powders can be made to work they are NOT the MOST efficient powders for a given case and bullet weight. Every case design will have "A" particular powder burning rate that is the Most Efficent all round powder for that case/round, Do we want to run Cheap low octane fuel in our Hi-End Sports car??? NO Sir. or would we run Hi Octane Race fuel or AVGAS In Great Grand Pappys Modle T Ford again NO Sir it would simply be a waste of money with No gain in proformance, From this point of view does my point of finding the Correct (most efficiant ) burning rate of powder(fuel) for your given bore /case combo start to make sense ?? It's One of the Joys of hand loading trying to ring as much proformance as you can from your case but as cheaply as possible, simple so that you can Shoot more for the same amount or less money than you would if you used store brought Factory ammo. Thats why I roll my own, ( 42 years ago when I started rolling my own I could make 4 hand loads for every Factory round that I could Buy and get the Bullet that suited my purpose best in the bargain) Cheers from the AussieHunter

[largom]

With half a dozen 45-70's I have found that RL7, IMR4198, IMR30-31, and Varget are very accurate in all of them.

Larry

[brstevns]

Best powder choice for 45/70:

For most people they have a strong newer 45-70 1895 Marlin, Guide Gun, and there is almost no powder it can't burn safely.

If your shooting older guns like trapdoors, rolling blocks, 1881 Marlin lever actions, and you need to keep the pressure down then powders like Unique, 2400, SR4759 work really well. A good book about it is "Forty Five Years With The 45-70" , by Matthews, and "Modern Hand-loading" by George Nonte.

Shooting a marlin 1895G

[Char-Gar]

There is no "best". What you will get are what we use and what works for us.

I use 4759 or 2400 for lower loads, and 3031 for stuff with more stomp. Are they the best? Probably as good as any and they work for me.

[btroj]

Thanks Chargar. I like plain, simple truths.
I tend towards 2400 for low end shooting and any of many powders for higher end stuff.
I use 2400 because I just always have. Not because it is "best" but because it works- for me. Seems I am always more concerned with what in my guns than with what works in yours.........

[brstevns]

How about IMR 4227?

[hepburn45110]

Goex 2ff or Swiss 1 1/2

[seldridge]

have you tried N-133 in your 45-70? That is my choice of the V-V powders.

[seldridge]

Aussie, I have been loading the 45-70 for years, with cast & jacketed bullets. My favorite powder is N-133, as it gives me top velocity & accuracy in my 1886 and Ruger #1. You can load it down enough for use in trap door rifles as well. I would recommend anyone who loads this great caliber to try this powder.

[WaywardSon]

I've had good luck with both RL-7 and IMR-3031 for full power loads in my Marlin 1895 with both 350 & 405 gr. projectiles. Gotten a number of reduced loads made up with 4759 and Unique, but have not had a chance to take them to the range.

[brstevns]

2495 is fairly close in burn rate to 4895.

Thanks I will let him know. Right now he is using IMR 4198 at 35gr

[Oldtowncrew]

What is your preferred gr for the 3031 powder with an 405gr. For marlin 1895sbl. Thank you for white tail deer

[memtb]

I just started loading for the 45-70 (Marlin GG)! While I’m using a little heavier bullet (430 grain), I’m using RL7 powder and couldn’t be happier with my initial and immediate success! I’ll be looking for more RL 7, I can’t justify trying to improve on my results! memtb

[veeman]

I can’t justify trying to improve on my results! memtb

But it's the fun of trying to improve!

[memtb]

But it's the fun of trying to improve!


�� You have a good point, but....I had the rifle for 4 years before I found the time to shoot it. Sometimes life has a way of getting in the way of Life! memtb

[8x33]

My favorite loads are
12 grs Unique with an copper plated 350 grs boolit CCi large rifle primer and oal from 67,0 mm for 100 Meters;
26 grs Lovex D060 (equivalent to 5744 I think) with copper plated 400 grs boolit for 300 Meters;
or with the "Holy Black"and 520 grs boolit 56 grs of the switzer No 2 (3 Fg) oal 71,5mm even for 300 Meters.

The Unique load is soft but give me a good accuracy, but for longer distances the other loads are better.
The D060 unfortunately leaves some unburned powder in the barrel but is verry accurate.
My rifle is a Pedersoli Sporting Sharps Mod. 1874.

Reloaders be carefull and use load data at your own danger!

[GregLaROCHE]

3031 Always worked well for me. Be careful with slow powders. I had a lot of problems with incomplete burn when I experimented with them.

[chuck40219]

My cousin is starting to load for his Marlin 1895G , he is wondering what would be a good powder choice for a 330gr to 350gr PP bullet.

OP asked about: 330gr to 350gr PP bullet

Does the PP mean Paper Patched, and if so can a PP bullet be crimped in place? I have always been taught that a tube fed rifle needs its bullets crimped.

Just asking so I may understand life better.

chuck40219

[GregLaROCHE]

That’s a good question. When I read the post, I thought the PP was referring to the +P high power type rounds. The paper patched rounds I fired in my Marlin, I chambered one at a time. I was also using BP with the cartridge full and compressed. There was no place for the boolit to go but forward. To my knowledge paper patched boolits are not usually crimped. If anything a light taper crimp. So maybe they are referring to paper patched, if so they are probably chambering one at ime.

[Conditor22]

This is a 9-year-old thread, the OP is still around but the person who revived it was asking about 3031

[GregLaROCHE]

It’s funny how old threads get revived. I don’t usually look at the original dates. Maybe I should.

[rototerrier]

There is no one "beat" powder for any cartridge. Many powders will work well in most applications.
For 45-70 I like 2400 for mid level velocities. This means 1200 to 1500 for me. For slower I tend towards Trailboss. For faster I have used Benchmark, H335, Varget, 4895, H322, and RE 7 all with good results.
2400 gets the mot use as it works well in a velocity range where I get good accuracy and low enough recoil to allow me to shoot as many rounds per day as I want. I don't shoot many 1500 fps plus loads as I don't need the velocity for range work. I will work up to them for hunting season but don't want the recoil much of the year.

^^^This^^^

45/70 is an extremely versatile cartridge to load for. I use 2400 almost exclusively with 400-430gr cast boolits. I use some of the other powders when I feel like trying to detach my retinas...but I mostly stay away from them. I see no reason to punish myself, or others :)

Edit: Wow, I got fooled as well. I read this entire first page and didn't look at the second until after I posted. Oops.