IMR3031 and 300 gr cast

[warren5421]

A friend just gave me a LaserCast box of 500 bullets-300 gr. Looking for a loads using IMR3031as that is what's left in the powder locker, 16 pounds. The loaded round will be used in a Marlin lever gun and a C Sharps. Would like a loading fun to shoot paper 50 and 100 yards and maybe a White Tail Indian/Ohio deer. I am loading Postells so know about heavy is better but free beats the cost of lead hands down. No free WW around me.

[Larry Gibson]

3031 will prove to be not a very good powder for "Would like a loading fun to shoot paper 50 and 100 yards" with 300 gr bullets in a 45-70 the expansion ratio and light weight of the bullets is such that it won't ignite and/or burn efficiently. That means accuracy will be poor with low end "fun" loads, probably leave a lot of "unburned" debris in the barrel/actions. By the time the charge of 30-31 is upped enough where it does ignite and burn efficiently the velocity will probably be too high for "fun" or accuracy.

Sometimes what we want to use isn't really a too good. Might be better to try to trade some of the 30-31 for a faster burning powder more suitable to give you what you want.

[Sgt H]

I agree with Larry on this one. I have loaded a lot of 45/70 over the years and even faster powders like 4198 and RX7 did not get efficient until you got to the mid and upper level of the Marlin/1886 loads. Below those levels velocity extreme spreads and SD's were excessive. 3031 being slower is going to be worse.

[charlie b]

For 'fun' .45-70 loads

http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

[Kosh75287]

WARRENS, is IMR-3031 the only RIFLE powder you have, or the only propellant of ANY kind? If you have shotgun or pistol powder, you MIGHT be able to use one of those.
Black powder rifle experts, please keep me honest, here, but it seems I remember reading of cast bullet reloads in .45-70, using 10.0/Unique, or 13.0/Red Dot? Maybe these were later determined to be unsafe, for some reason, but I would THINK that with a 300 gr. cast projectile, such loads would not tax the strength of a Marlin Lever gun nor a C. Sharps.

[RickinTN]

WARRENS, is IMR-3031 the only RIFLE powder you have, or the only propellant of ANY kind? If you have shotgun or pistol powder, you MIGHT be able to use one of those.
Black powder rifle experts, please keep me honest, here, but it seems I remember reading of cast bullet reloads in .45-70, using 10.0/Unique, or 13.0/Red Dot? Maybe these were later determined to be unsafe, for some reason, but I would THINK that with a 300 gr. cast projectile, such loads would not tax the strength of a Marlin Lever gun nor a C. Sharps.


I would go the other way....13 grains Unique or 10 grains Red Dot. Red Dot is the faster of the two. The above charges should give a pretty good plinking load with the mentioned bullets, and I would lean toward the Red Dot loads. Lotsa fun!
Rick

[Midohhntr]

Don't give up on IMR3031, it's not your best for light loads but with upper end loads it works. I did some testing with this powder last month and settled on 45g behind the Noe 460-315 rf , sized to .459 just slightly heavier than yours. Did 4 shots thru a coronagraph, 1591 was highest and 1576 lowest, with my Marlin 1895. Temps were in the 20's, good consistency I would say. I've shot factory rounds that weren't as good. Accuracy wasn't the best, just over an inch at 50 yards but this is what I'm using next season for deer. Light charges of Unique and Red dot are definitely more fun to shoot..