Filler

[monge]

Whats a good filler to use in 45-70 rounds I have heard cotton balls will work?

[oldred]

Whats a good filler to use in 45-70 rounds I have heard cotton balls will work?




The best filler is powder! What loads are you shooting? What power range are you looking for? My mid-range 405 grain 45/70 loads use a full case of either H4895 or Varget and these are relatively mild loads. I am sure someone with more experience than me can offer better advice as to material for filler but dacron tuft used for batting seems to be the most popular, I have a buddy that uses nothing but dryer lint.

[smokeywolf]

I've been fairly successful staying away from fillers by using a powder that gives at least a 70% case fill while still keeping pressures close to original specs for the firearm. IMR 3031 gives me 80 to 90+ percent case fill.

Again, what powder(s) and boolit are you using?

smokeywolf

[Larry Gibson]

The best filler is dacron, if one is really needed. I suggest you read the sticky "filler" at http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=109280

I give some quidelines for the use of dacron in my post there. It applies to the the 45-70 also. Cotton works as well but can psoe a fire hazard as the cotton burns. Solid fillers such as COW can and do raise pressures, sometimes dramatically. The The pouflon fillers work well but not better than dacron in my extensives test measuring accuracy, velocity and pressure. Dacron is the easiest to work with.

Larry Gibson

[monge]

trying to get lee 340 to be accurate at 100 yards using H4198 and red dot good at 50 no good at 100! eney suggestion. Tumble lubing and sizing to .459- .460 marllin xlr. Eneny help would be greatful Thanks Joe

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Possibly the Lee mold is casting undersized for your throat/barrel.
Filler. I use Cream of Wheat from the start of the loading program in all old rifles or one I know has a fat throat. By starting with COW you already have it in the presure factor. Corn meal can also be used... I see little difference. They both put a solid mass into a case that was designed to be full at ignition.
I also use a soft boolit. I use range scrap for rifles until I see a need to switch to 50/50. But then again the softer the mix the less diameter yopur boolit will cast. That diameter is more important to me than most other conciderations. So if I need a fatter boolit I will go to a harder aloy or open up the diameter of the mold.
I personally like 5744 in many older calibers. It takes up alot of space and ignites readily. With COW on top of the charge I try for about a 1/8 inch compression of the COW ( in cases like 38-55 or larger) when boolit is seated to depth. In short cases like 38-40 I would compress about 1/16 inch.
My rescent loading of 5744 was in a 50-95 cases with COW on top. Load shoots well and the COW added reduced the amount of unburned powder to near none in the barrel. My goal is to duplicate a 3F load using the same 350 grain boolit.
Mike in ILL.

[Nobade]

trying to get lee 340 to be accurate at 100 yards using H4198 and red dot good at 50 no good at 100! eney suggestion. Tumble lubing and sizing to .459- .460 marllin xlr. Eneny help would be greatful Thanks Joe

I never got that boolit to shoot for beans until I modified the mould. The nose was too small for the bore and the driving bands were only .457". I lapped out the bands to .460" and that helped a lot, then after I learned about paper patching I started doing that with it and it now shoots lights out. Under three inches at 200 yards with iron sights anyhow. When I started with it, it was more like a foot at 100 yards. Bullet fit is everything.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I tend to prefer ffg, but I am also partial to fffg, lol.

[jh45gun]

I never use fillers and have good luck. I use 2400 and the Lee 405 grain hollow base bullet.

[monge]

I thought hollow base were for black powder can you share some of your data please! thanks JOE