1886 45-90 boolit weight

[enfield]

I just acquired a 1891 dated 1886 in 45-90, I read that the twist rate is quite a bit longer than a 45-70 so I assume boolit weight cannot go above a certain amount ? I realize even a 405 Gr won't cycle through the action, but will it shoot o.k if loaded single shot ? has anyone got any mould suggestions ( I see NOE has a 315 gr ) or safe loads , the bore is quite rough ahead of the chamber so I'm not sure how tricky BP clean up will be. thanks for any info.

[Guesser]

Originally the 45-90 was introduced as an "express" cartridge. All that meant in "the day" was higher velocity with a lighter bullet. The -90 case was longer to take more powder, black, and the bullet was lighter. The combination resulted in "express". Read Ken Waters Pet Loads for whole "skinny". So a 300 grain bullet is what you need. I loaded the Remington 300 gr. JHP in 45-90 for use in a Pedersoli '85 Winchester with a 34" barrel. Performed well.

[Reverend Al]

You should try the old Lyman "Gould Express" bullet, which is a 330 grain hollow point with plain base. (#457122) I suspect that it would shoot very well in your rifle. Maybe someone on here could send you a few sample bullets to test out first before you invest in another mould?

[Reverend Al]

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/Reverend_Al/Gould%20Express%20bullet_zpsu5bzkqhe.jpg (http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/Reverend_Al/media/Gould%20Express%20bullet_zpsu5bzkqhe.jpg.html)

[Guesser]

I suspect the Rev is right......

[W.R.Buchanan]

RCBS has moulds in 300,405, and 500 gr that all have the same nose length that were designed to be ran in Marlin and Winchester Leverguns. .45-300 FN, .45-405 FN and .45-500 FN. There is also he same boolits in Gas Checked versions if you are concerned about leading.

As stated above the .45-90-300 was an Express Cartridge meaning it was higher velocity using more powder and a lighter Boolit. As such, the twist rate on the barrel was considerably slower than .45-70 barrels which were generally around 1:20". I have heard varying numbers on the Winchester M86 .45-90 barrels from 1:32 to 1:36 to 1:50. Figuring out which one you have first, would be a good idea.

If the barrel is in fact 1:32 or slower it will take a pretty stout load to even remotely stabilize a 400 gr boolit. By that I mean 1800-2000fps for a 400 gr boolit.

You will not shoot that many of those unless you put a very big and soft recoil pad on it. (Limbsaver ahs nice slip on Recoil Pads which work really well and don't alter the rifle in any way.)

a beter idea would be a 300gr boolit at about 1500-1600 fps which you could shoot.

I would also suggest a Gas Check Mould as they will eliminate any possibility of leading the barrel. With a plain based boolit design fitting the boolit to the barrel will be much more critical than using a gas check. All that kind of depends on how much you plan on shooting the gun and how much you're willing to spend on Gas Checks, but they eliminate lots of headaches.

I use the .45-300FNGC in my Marlin 1895CB and with 33 gr of 5744 and the results are very good. That boolit drops at 325 gr from WW material and is big enough for pretty much anything in N/A including Short Range Silhouette Targets which I hunt once a month!

I have a friend who shoots an 1886 Short Rifle at my shoots and his is a .45-70 made in 1887. The barrel was shot so he had it relined. The gun is very accurate!

In your case it could be relined with a 1:20 twist barrel liner and be able to shoot all of the normal .45-70 boolits in .45-90 cases which would give you more accuracy and versatility as well.

The Limbsaver Slip On Recoil Pads are available at Walmart for $25 or Brownell's for $40 well worth either amount.

Randy

[enfield]

Thanks guys for the input, Rev Al what size does the Lyman mould drop bullets ( my bore is about .460 ), I see Track has the 457122 , it looks like they are plain base ( my preference ) the other option would be the NOE 315 .460 ( hopefully they would come out a little bigger ) that one I can get in a PB and GC all in one mould. so many decisions .

[runfiverun]

noe's usually come out a tick bigger than the assigned diameter if ww alloy is used.
if you plan on another alloy [20/30-1] then you need to take that into consideration.

[Reverend Al]

Hmmm ... I'm afraid that I can't remember off the top of my head what size they dropped out of the mould. I'll have to see if I have any of that particular boolit cast right now so that I can measure a couple and see ...


Thanks guys for the input, Rev Al what size does the Lyman mould drop bullets ( my bore is about .460 ), I see Track has the 457122 , it looks like they are plain base ( my preference ) the other option would be the NOE 315 .460 ( hopefully they would come out a little bigger ) that one I can get in a PB and GC all in one mould. so many decisions .