.450 marlin bfr

[stephenj]

i have a convertible 45-70 .450 marlin bfr
with the 45-70 cylinder it shoots fantastic .. however if you change the cylinder to the .450 groups open up to about twice the 45-70 groups .

anyone here ever messed with the .450 enough to figure out what it takes to make it shoot . maybe being a belted case i need to do things diferantly ?

while i would like both cylinders to shoot as good as the other .. it isnt a big deal to me .
i only have both cylinder because they came with the revolver ... and it was priced to buy

throw me any ideas you might have ....

99565

[stephenj]

timing is spot on , and cylinder throats measure exactly the same on all 10 holes .

i suspect that the belted case is the source of my problems .. i have never loaded a belted case before for a rifle .. let alone a revolver .

[44man]

Not the belted case at all. Just that the velocity is different and the ability for the large case to burn powder right in the shorter barrel.
It is just hard to work with, sort of like a .500 S&W in a 4" barrel.
As case size increases for barrel length, powder choices go way down. Even the 45-70 gave me a problem until I went to SR4759 with most other powders not working right.
Even though Varget is very slow, I got it to work in small guns and it shows promise in the 45-70 but I am out of it. That might be a powder to work on. It is a very strange powder. I needed a load that would shoot the 120 gr SSP bullet from my 7BR and 7R for deer, both 10" pistols are rifled for heavy silhouette bullets. I called Hodgdon and they told me Varget would not work.
I went ahead anyway and it is fantastic, both guns did under 1" at 50 yards with open sights, with good velocity. The 7BR does 2175 fps. I did not chrono the 7R yet.
I wish I had more to work with in the BFR and it just might work in the .450.
Just why Varget burns so good, has a high velocity and low pressures is confusing and Hodgdon does not even know what they have, leaving out so many calibers. Accuracy is supreme.

[44MAG#1]

First off what bullets, primers and the load level you have shot in the 450 as opposed to the 45/70?
With similar loads both should shoot very well.
As I have stated before RL 7 does well in handguns as well as rifles.
With a minimum of experimentation you should find a good load.

[44man]

First off what bullets, primers and the load level you have shot in the 450 as opposed to the 45/70?
With similar loads both should shoot very well.
As I have stated before RL 7 does well in handguns as well as rifles.
With a minimum of experimentation you should find a good load.
Might be a good try too. Yes, powder choice will be the answer.
The hard thing is they will not be rifle loads.

[stephenj]

I have been using the same 405 grain lyman bullet in both .
Same winchester primers .

Powders ... i am using good old 2400 in the 45-70 ... if i have a good day i can
Keep a nice 3-4 inch group at 75 yards .

.450 marlin
I have tried 2400, 4198 ,4227 ,3031 ,5744
As to power levels ... i would put them at what would be mid to uppper trapdoor levels in
The 45/70 case
My best load is with 42 grains of 3031 ... i can shoot it intoabout 6 inches at best
Muzzle flash is quite considerable .

I do have enough varget left to give it a try ... and the weather is supposed to be decentt tomarow

[44MAG#1]

Lyman doesn't list that bullet for that caliber. I would start , if I had any, around 31 gr of RL7 and work up a grain at a time until I hit 39 and see if I hit paydirt with that powder.
How high have you been with 2400?
Are your bullets hard?

[stephenj]

I havent had any rl7 for quite some time ... it is on my list to buy if i ever find any

My bullets are wheel weights ... air cooled
Its been so long since i have played with the .450 marlin that i seem to
Have forgotten where all my notes are .
But if memory serves ... i think i was up to around 25 grains of 2400.

I am using 21 grains in the 45/70 ... a nice pleasant mild load

[44MAG#1]

Water quench some, wait maybe 36 hrs and try some. I am using 25 gr 2400 with a 1.5 gr poly fill wad and am getting 1250 with a 435 gr ranch Dog bullet and that shoots well in a BFR 45/70.
Getting the bullet up to 18 to 20 BHN may cause better accuracy.

[stephenj]

Nice weather again today .. loaded up some varget in the .450 marlin

52 grains gave me the usual size groups
53 grain things started shrinking considerably ... down to about 4 inches at 75 yards .

Tonight i am going to load up some more .. starting at 52.5
And work up to about 55 and see if i can find a sweet spot .

Even if it doesnt improve i will be pretty happy with 4 inches ..i cant shoot a whole bunch better

It will be a few days to work on it ... about 20 rounds at 1 time is enough