45-70 Pistol Boolits???

[HEAD0001]

I am getting ready to order a 12 inch Encore barrel in 45-70. I have a good bit of experience in casting and loading for 45-70 rifles. I have no experience with the pistols. Does anyone have any suggestions? This is the first time for me to match a bullet or mold, and a loaded cartridge, to a custom barrel. I am going to have MGM build the barrel. Any general comments or suggestions would be very helpful. Is there any one out there with any experience with this type rig??? Thanks, Tom.

[leftiye]

Other than to ask you how much recoil you want to handle in a pistol, you could use any of the boolits that you're familiar with. At least you're not shooting 45-70 in a Contender - rifle or pistol they're both too light (by a bunch) for the recoil of this caliber.

If that isn't a problem then at least the Encore can withstand full house loads- if you want to shoot them. DO do a chamber cast to see what your neck, freebore, and leade looks like, some T/Cs have unusual throats. Back in about 1975 my Marlin 1895 in 45-70 kicked too much with 300 grain hot loads for my tender sensibilities. (I actually do handle recoil fairly well, believe it or not) They load 'em hotter nowadays (duh). My 30-30 Contender recoils inordinately well if you ask me.

[44man]

Not knowing the twist, it is hard to recommend a boolit weight but I would guess starting at around 300 gr's would be good. Powder choice will be the biggest problem in a 12" barrel. Those that work nice in a rifle will leave a lot of unburned powder behind and give you low velocity. I have tried all powders from as slow as 4895 to as fast as 4227 in my 10" BFR.
3031 was very accurate but super slow and the gun and cases would drop unburned powder all over. Reloader 7 wasn't good. 4198 shot decent with jacketed but gave me pressure excursions with cast. 5744 left unburned powder and dismal accuracy. 4227 shot real bad groups.
The one powder that performs flawlessly and is super accurate with as small as 50 yd groups of 9/16" is SR 4759. Accuracy holds to 500 meters but boolit drop is fun out there, I figure a 26 foot drop but can keep all shots on steel by aiming at a branch way up in a tree. Dog gone lot of fun! Deadly on deer too, easy hits to 100 yd's.
I use a 317 gr cast with 31 gr's of 4759 and the Federal large pistol mag primer.
I also have a 330 gr cast that I use 31.5 gr's with and the Hornady 300 gr likes 32.5 gr's. Velocities run over 1600 fps but I don't have figures for all boolits, bullets. I have gone to 1800 fps with the Hornady and 4198 but ES was very bad, you have to be careful with it.
I have tried heavy boolits but my gun doesn't like them.
Your gun will be a lot of fun, I know I will never part with mine.

[HEAD0001]

I have not ordered the barrel yet-so the beauty is I can specify everything. Things such as chamber size, necks, free bore, and rifle twist can all be specified. I will actually be able to match a dummy round, and a mold to my barrel. That is the reason for my question. I am trying to determine what bullet. dummy round, and possible load to build the barrel around. The smith is asking for a dummy round, before he starts the barrel. Tom.

[wiljen]

At least you're not shooting 45-70 in a Contender - rifle or pistol they're both too light (by a bunch) for the recoil of this caliber.


Not true, with taping ones wrist and wearing a Past shooting glove, the pain is only severe when shooting 500gr bullets out of the 14 inch barrel contender.

In all seriousness the 45-70 in the contender isnt that bad if loaded within reason - ie no heavier than 350gr bullets and no hotter than trapdoor loads.

I like the 300gr J-word Speer bullets over a healthy dose of 4198. Yes the recoil is stout but it is no worse in my opinion than the 454 or 475s that others here shoot.

With casts you may want to try Vihta N130 I've had good luck with it with 300s and the 340 lee

[Glen]

I'm fond of the RCBS 45-405-GC bullet in my .45-70 Contender. With Trapdoor level loads I can get 1450 fps, which is more than enough to kill anything that I'm going to point this gun at. I'm still working with powders to see which one I like best, but Re 7 seems to work pretty well.

[Dale53]

I have a friend who has a 45/70 Contender. Recoil is "tolerable" with 400 gr bullets. Recoil is "intolerable" with five hundred grain bullets. The Contender is a "trapdoor level" piece and that is JUST FINE by me. I have NO desire to shoot heavier loads.

As Glen has suggested, trapdoor level loads will do very well for most anything that you need to hunt.

Since I already had my .375 JDJ Contender pistol, I had no need for another "hard kicker".

However, I must admit that the 45/70 is a good choice for a "cruncher" in the Contender pistol. If a four hundred grain bullet at 1350-1450 won't get the job done, I don't need THAT job:-D ::-D!!

Dale53

[wiljen]

I saw one of the barrel makers was offering the 376 steyr in a 15 inch encore barrel - that should be a real thumper on both ends.

[Ricochet]

I've got an old Century .45-70 revolver. I've shot many a 300 grain Hornady JHP through it, with 30-33 grains of 2400. Recently, what I like to shoot in it are blackpowder level loads with the Lyman #457122HP Gould boolit or the Lee 457-325-F (a noncatalogued mould that they often have on their "Surplus Items" page, including now.) Very pleasant. I've outgrown trying to make a magnum out of the .45-70. They got it right in 1873.

[lovedogs]

I've no desire to shoot a .45-70 pistol but know people who do. They say the 4198's, RE7, and H322 work best but not to go too low. Above 1400 FPS works well but to go below that they get wide vel. spreads and poor long-range accuracy, this all with 300 grainers.

[wiljen]

I've heard real mixed reviews of RL7 in the 45-70. I've heard people who love it but I think every pressure excursion I've heard of in the 45-70 has been using RL7 too. Thats the reason I settled on 4198, 2400, or 4227.

[leftiye]

Wiljen, there was no pain to speak of. Except when it hit my wife in the face. She imitated my technique with one hand, and fired before I could stop her. Almost knocked her out. This is the thutty thutty were talking about. Once true pain is encountered, I've already sold the gun a month past. I'm not into self flagellation.