Italian 45/70govt newbie

[TigerJack]

Hi all!
First of all, sorry for my english.
Im going straight to the point: I’ve made some 320 grains FP lead bullets for my 34inch
Sharps. I used gas checks copper by Hornady.
But I used the lead that I use for my muzzleloader cal.58minie ( i can scratch it with nails)
But I haven’t black powder so I used some smokeless vihtavuori n130 ( 48 grains) and n140 ( 50 grains)
My doubts are if I can use such bullets with smokeless powder and how i can toughter the lead ( if I have to, can I use lead I can scratch with nails?)
Thank you for an answer ( and patience to read my bad language)

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Welcome "TigerJack"

Sounds like you have either a Pedersoli or Uberti 1874 Sharps. Lots of reading on a similar subject here: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?426545-Developing-a-load-for-a-Pedersoli-Sharps-1874-45-90

[Leadmad]

Hello Tiger Jack,
Congratulations on your smart purchase of the Sharps you wont look backwards with that rifle lots of fun to be had ! Ive had a Pedasoli Sharps for around 8 years now and many many thousands of rounds through it from 340-550 grains in both Black and Smokeless, A while back I realized that soft lead is good for the gun and the harder bullets didnt work as well and also the Swiss Bp was more accurate at distance that Smokeless for me anyway.

Enjoy the Ride mate

Cheers

[TigerJack]

Thanks for kind answers!
Good to hear that. So I will try shooting such loads and checking the barrel after each shot to be sure no huge amount of lead inside.
My pedersoli sharps is .457 as indicated in the rifle box near serial code. So I used a .457 mould rcbs and a lee die to size to .457, I ve greased with lee aloy and crimped the copper gas check.
Hope my sharps likes such loads! With commercial sellier&bellot 405grains sjsp I ve got wonderful results @200mt ( like 20 holes touching!) hope also with leads I get such results! Sellier&bellot are very costly, 34€ per 20 rounds!

[koger]

I would recomend 14grs of Unique powder, will run the same velocity as black powder without the mess and recoil. I shoot these a lot to 200 yds, and have taken deer with it.

[Jniedbalski]

Size the bullet .358 .359 should shoot better.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Pedersoli's own spire point boolit (middle) shoots well but suffers from lack of lube for multiple shots.

https://i.imgur.com/azoXSdK.jpg

Boolit on the left is the PGT which has 4 deep lube grooves and does coat the bore well.
For a lighter load, the Hensley & Gibbs 410gn (RHS) has the same number of lube grooves as the PGT.

[toot]

Welcome.

[Chill Wills]

Size the bullet .358 .359 should shoot better.

Hmmm. Not going to be a grease groove left on it before rattling down the barrel. :bigsmyl2:

[Outpost75]

TigerJack. I'm slightly familiar with the powders available to you in Italy.

N320 burns similarly to Alliant Unique and is well suited to plain-based, soft lead bullets at moderate velocities < 400 m/s

N110 is a slower-burning magnum pistol and revolver powder which also works well in the .45-70

Several of the Cheddite shotgun powders also work well for light loads. Cheddite Grosso Granulare burns similar to Alliant Red Dot, and CSB Shotgun No.2 can be used similarly if you stay < 400 m/s

[TigerJack]

Thanks to all for answering!
Tomorrow or Friday I’m going to the range to shot these load I made.
N130 ( it’s a powder kind of the fastest for rifles with longer barrels, faster is N120 suitable for 223rem) 48 grains, boolit lead 320grains with gas check and lot of alox lube.
From some calculations I will have about 500m/s ( imperial are about 1600/1700 fps)
I will check the barrel each shot to be sure no danger by huge lead deposits.
Next weeks should arrive lee mould for boolits 405grains and lee sizer die along with black powder Swiss (FFG) I will use then 405 grains leads with 55 grains of FFG
Due to my shop advices both will be .457 as mi rifle is.
I’m unclear to that matter of barrel diameter, in my 1911 I usually shot handloads with hard lead alloy 230 grains of .451 as thinner they are and less lead is deposited in the rifling. With 452 I remember hours to clean that barrel!

[TigerJack]

As I was posting on wrong section of this forum I continue here with my smokeless load for my pedersoli Q down under 34’ sharps.
Rifle liked even the 48grains of N130 and also the 50grains of N140. Both leaves some unburn powder residues so new loads will be with magnum primers. N140 results more accurate at 200mt and 300mt while N130 is more accurate at100mt.
I can confirm that soft lead is Ok I’ve shot a lot and no leading of the barrel, 15 min of cleaning and inner barrel shine as new.
So here my new shots: 51 grains of N140, same boolits, same gas checks and same lube, LR magnum primers. I’m happy cause I can use N140 as I use it for almost all rifles as here govt limits us the amount of powder people can have. I can’t purchase also 1kg of N130 and 1kg of black powder or I would have more quantity than the allowed.
I hope to find time to post here the results on the target!

[Wayne Smith]

Where you are shooting - the range - are there other's shooting similar firearms? Is it legally possible for a group to form a club and use that as the repository for excess powder?