50-95 Win Loads

[det]

The old man in red added a 50-95 Model 76 Copy to my collection. I am ordering; brass, dies and a 350 grain mold from Buffalo Arms this morning.
Does anyone have any loading data for this combination?

Det

[405]

det,
May make a difference depending on which copy? Since I don't have any Win 76 copies I can't comment on best loads for them. One thing to do is check the twist rate of the bore in your gun. Then slug it for best bullet diameter. Usually at groove diameter up to about about .001" larger than groove diameter is good rule of thumb. The originals were no doubt Express type set ups designed to shoot short light bullets a little faster with the blackpowder loadings. The original guns had very slow twists for those short bullets. The standard was something like a 300 grain bullet seated to the crimp groove in front of enough blackpowder to fill the case to the base of the bullet.... no doubt many factory loads used a thin card wad between bullet and powder. Your gun may have a faster twist to handle the longer (350gr) bullet.

I don't have a 50-95 but do have a couple of 45-75s. I've loaded FFg blackpowder to fill just above the neck/shoulder junction (inside the neck), added a card wad then seated the bullet on top. Works well.

For smokeless, COTW lists a few loads utilizing smokeless and cast. It is an area where few conservative, cautious loaders like to give recommendations given the nature of the toggle link 76 action and unknowns associated with the guns that may shoot the loads and the expertise of the reloaders putting the ammo together. No doubt most current repros use better steel than the blackpowder originals.

[StarMetal]

Here's some data off the internet:
Loading data is near non existent and I spoke to Hodgdon and Hornady on the subject and here is the advice I got: use a maximum case length of 1.890”, never use anything heavier than 300-grain bullets. A maximum velocity of 1350 fps should never be exceeded. Chris Hodgdon sent me a page from an old copy of Cartridges of the World, which gave a smokeless load of a maximum of 25-grains of IMR 4198. With blackpowder you should be able to get between 50-60 grains in the case with slight compression, but as ever I would advise you start well below this and work up.
Finding 45” calibre 300-grain bullets also proved to be a problem, as I had also been told that a diameter of 456-457” was best for the 45-60. Kranks gave me some Sierra 300-grain JHP, which I was advised would work, but at a reduced powder charge as the pressure would be increased by the copper jacket and maybe diameter too. Plus, as Sect 5 projectiles, you could not buy them for range use. I toyed with the ideas of using 405-grain hard cast lead but I was worried that they would be too heavy; again increasing pressures. If you’re into casting then making a 300-grainer is not a problem, but if you’re not, then what do you do?
The solution came from The Bullet Cache, a company who specialise in big bore projectiles. Owner Robin Shafe has sent me some examples of his work, which I put in May 2007 Products. A call to him explaining my problems produced a small selection of 300-grain bullets in a number of styles. In the end we agreed on a 300- grain round nosed hollow base with a copper gas checked to stop lead erosion. Sized at .457” they proved to be ideal.
A call to Lee Precision got me a set of 45-60 dies inside two weeks and I was then ready to proceed. Conversely you could simply grind about ¼” off a set of 45-70 dies to achieve the same end, all you are doing is reducing the length so that the case can be properly neck expanded and crimped.


Last months Guns & Ammo had a write up on this rifle with reloading data.


Joe

[EDK]

The old man in red added a 50-95 Model 76 Copy to my collection. I am ordering; brass, dies and a 350 grain mold from Buffalo Arms this morning.
Does anyone have any loading data for this combination?

Det

If you don't have a copy of Mike Venturino's SHOOTING LEVER GUNS OF THE OLD WEST, buy one. He has a couple of pages of info on loading the 50/95.

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[MtGun44]

How about 90 grains of FFg under a 300 or 350 gr boolit cast from 20:1
Pb:Sn and lubed with SPG? :-D

Bill