New to me 45-70

[dragonfire]

Got lucky and worked a trade for a Browning 1886 45-70 SRC, Looking for info on molds ,I like lee molds(i'm a tight wad) should i go with a gc or non gc mold ?,I dont really plan on shooting much over 100 yards ,my hunting will be within the same range , so what i'm looking for is whats a good starting point on a mold and reloading for the browning 45-70,also if you happed to have some 45-70 reloading stuff i'm now in need of it lol,thanks

[little bill]

Congrats on aquiring such a fine rifle as the browning! I have loaded the 45/70 for quite a few years and I would urge you to obtain the book "Forty Years With The 45/70" by Paul Matthews. There is a wealth of info. and it is in paperback. little bill

[JesterGrin_1]

What are you going to hunt? And I agree with Little Bill on the Paul Mathews book. And you did not mention if you were going to go smokless or Black Powder?

But if you are just going to hunt with the gun and such short range then you would not need to cast a 500Gr plus BOOLIT. A good 350 to 405Gr BOOLIT would fit the bill very nice. And since you did Mention Lee Molds look at the Lee Molds that Ranch Dog sells http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/. He has a great mold for hunting and a good person to deal with. And the molds will not break the bank lol.

Also if you are going to shoot cast maybe you should look into a quality set of Dies such as the RCBS Cowboy dies as that is what they are designed for.

This is the Ranch Dog 350Gr GC BOOLIT at 100 yards. Bottom two shots are sight in and top three for group. So if you do your part they will shoot great. :) These were fired from a Marlin 1895GS in 45-70 THUMPER lol.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/IMAG0005.jpg

[largom]

I load for 5 45-70's and they all like the RCBS 405gr gas checked bullet. I would go with any gas check mold and if you don't want to use the check then don't use it, but if you don't have a gas check mold you don't have a choice.
LARRY

[dragonfire]

Thanks for the info fella's , i plan to hunt whitetail , so i don't really need a massive load , looking into both bp and smokeless ,want to keep recoil to a minimum.

[JesterGrin_1]

For Whitetail then as mentioned I would go with 350Gr Ranch Dog or up to the 405Gr. But if you are not going to shoot them fast than a good Plane Base BOOLIT would do the trick.

Before you start loading remember in most reloading books there are seperate sections. One is for the old Sharps and Rolling Blocks then the Marlin type rifle and then Single shot modern rifles such as the Ruger No 1. So Please look up all the info you can find on your rifle to see what kind of loads you can put through it with safty.

[dragonfire]

Do you need to use any fillers when loading for this round? I have a good amount of varget to use .

[JesterGrin_1]

Hodgdon Powder Company
Cartridge Load Recipe Report - 1/18/2009
data.hodgdon.com 45-70 Government (Lever Actions)*
Load Type: Rifle Powder: Varget
BW: 350

Cartridge Information
Case: Winchester Barrel Length: 24"
Twist: 1:20" Trim Length: 2.100"
Primer: CCI 200

45-70 Government (Lever Actions)*
Cartridge Load Data Starting Loads

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maximum Loads

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bullet Weight (Gr.) Powder Bullet Diam. C.O.L. Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure
350 GR. HDY JRN Varget .458" 2.540" 54.0 1786 21,800 CUP 60.0C 2013 29,500 CUP

NEVER EXCEED MAXIMUM LOADS

[JesterGrin_1]

You can go here to look up load info. http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp Plus there is the Lyman Cast Boolit reloading book as well as the Lyman 49th edition that is out now. Have fun. :)

[TCLouis]

IF you do not want to go with the RD 350 (One FINE shooting BOOLIT), then I would suggest the Lee 340 or 405 plain base boolits.

I have several molds and can say I recommend the RD boolit, but the RCBS and lee will shoot!

[Shooter6br]

I use it for my Ruger NO 1` and my Pedersoli RB.I use 4759 powder Shoot 1250 to 1450 FPS . To me 350 grains is a nice compromise in 45-79. Not too light not too heavy. Also since it is a Lee mold it cast well. Just my 2 cents

[jack19512]

I cast and reload for my Marlin 1895 CB 45/70 and use the Lee molds. I have not felt the need for a GC yet. I like the Lee 340 gr. or the 405 gr. boolit the best. Here is a pic of a 6 shot group from 50 yards. The flier to the left I am sure was my fault.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/jack19512/1895CB.jpg

[725]

+1 @ "Forty Years with the .45-70." Enjoyable, chock full of info and a very easy read.
RD boolits are hard to beat, inexpensive, but gas checked. Pretty much flawless.
Hunting loads and 100 yard performance won't require a gas checked boolit. Flat based 350's and 405's will work amazingly well.
......and in the event you run out of lead, jacketed 300's and 350's are great performers, too.

[TCLouis]

And "Forty Years with the 45-70" is available at . . .?

[Wayne Smith]

Try Amazon.com. I'm using the Lyman 457122 Gould HP in my Encore. Just looking for an accurate load, so far I know it doesn't like crimped boolits!

[afish4570]

Loads can easily be achieve as to hot for comfort with this gun ....and this is following the recommended loads. I have used alot of 3031 & Rel #7 with the mold as mentioned in Paul Matthews "40 yrs. With the 4570",457122 (a plain based flat point that weights around 335 grs. WW. Deer don't seem to know the difference between 1500 or 1750fps. My longest shot was 120 yds. afish4570:roll::roll:

[EDK]

And "Forty Years with the 45-70" is available at . . .?


Wolfe Publishing Company is the publisher. Mr. Matthews has a number of books on black powder shooting...THE PAPER JACKET is considered a classic and has been reprinted...scalpers were getting $60+ for it...I got mine from Wolfe in a package deal for about $15 several years ago. You might want to look over what is available at WOLFE and buy them all.

I like the RCBS 300 grain gas check boolit, but will be getting the 350 RANCH DOG in the near future. Michael is THE MAN with his designs for MARLIN rifles....and one of our forum members and sponsors.

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[gon2shoot]

I hav the Lee 340 and 405 gr. both, and both shoot well through my Marlin or Browning (along with a few other 405s)
I dont use GC boolits because I feel the 45-70 has proven itself sufficent in the Trapdoor to mid lever-action range loads.

I dont use Varget so I cant help there, my chosen powder is 4198, but hey, I'm old what do I know. :mrgreen:

[jack19512]

my chosen powder is 4198







My chosen powder for my 45/70 is 4198 also.

[Dan Cash]

Check the rate of twist on your 85. Marlins shoot the short 315-350 grain Gould and similar bullets well from a 1:20 twist barrel. I have a Shilo Sharps with a 1:18 that does great with long 550 grain Creedmore style bullets but does not get on with the short 350 grainers. Your 85 may have and likely does have the steeper twist of 1:18. If so you will likely find better results with a 405 grain slug as a bottom weight.

If you like a challenge, try 65 to 70 grains of 2F black powder. My 1895 Marlin does well with black.