While not specifically “Levergun” I’ll ask here cause they’ll most likely get shot in one of my Marlins. I normally use Starline .45/70 brass with WW coming a distant second.
A friend called a while back as the proud non-reloader of a Henry .45/70 levergun and wanted to know what to shoot. My advice was light reloads or cowboy factory loads. He didn’t listen.
Then he calls back that he’d bought a rail system that apparently took gunsmith attentions to install. And an AR15 style reflex scope. My question was “have you shot it yet?”. The reply was “no, I’ll do that when the smith sends it back”.
The next communication was that the scope died, the gun kicked, there was a .243 that was too good to pass up, swapping occurred and he’d leave his empty brass on my porch.
When I got home there was a 50 caliber ammo can full of .45/70 ammo boxes sitting there. Ten Federal boxes (5 brass, 5 nickle) from 300gr softpoints and four boxes of Hornady Leverevolution with more loose Hornady brass piled in the can. All empty brass. No wonder the scope died. My shoulder and my wallet both feel the pain.
I know the Hornady is short and requires resetting dies. Has anyone worked up a simple load over Unique or 2400 using cast? I’m basically thinking load it, shoot it and leave it at our public range.
Is the Federal brass decent? I’m kinda tempted to load the nickel stuff up with my normal hunting load (NOE 360gr WFN over Varget) and keep it in the leather loops on my stock to avoid verdigris during deer season.