Last year I “thought” I had a 45/70 Springfield Trapdoor rifle purchased from a member here and then the guy starting throwing in all kinds of roadblocks – price raised, had to be shipped FFL (which it didn’t need to), etc. so I walked away from it after he said he would rather I drive too Kalifornia and pick it up (from Arizona). So . . . . I kept looking and bought one from another member here. It’s a Model 1884 – made in 1890. The purchase was a good experience and the seller said that he hadn’t shot it much but when her first got it, after firing a few, he noticed there was something wrong with the chamber and the brass showed it. My guess is that it may have been pitted. He had Bobby Hoyt sleeve the chamber and I know Bob Hoyt’s reputation from my N-SSA days so know it was done right. The bore is decent so it should be a good shooter for what I want it for.
A while back, I bought a set of dies from another member who was getting out of shooting the 45/70. A set of 5 dies which included one set up for compressing loads and several different expanding dies, etc. It was a good excuse for looking for a 45-70.
So, my question revolves around loading. I several different molds – but am going to start with the Lee 459-405 HB. I plan to load this in 45-70 and 45-55 (carbine) loads (or as close as possible). I have 1X fired Winchester brass that I FL sized to start with and I am hoping that after the initial firing, I can just reload with the boolit and put a slight taper crimp to hold it in place. If not, I can neck size and I have a good set of graduated sizes of NOE expander plugs to get the right neck tension if necessary. After the holidays, I plan on getting started – hae 2F and 3F Goex. Once I get things worked out on those two loads, I’ll be making a set of dowel “plug gauges” to check the compressed powder column height and I plan to use a .125 over the powder card so I will make a gauge to check that as well. Of course the seated boolit will determine the actual grains in the powder charge. I also have a fiber wad to use when loading the 55 grain (carbine) load. And yes, I do have J.S. & Pat Wolf’s book and am slowly making my way through it. For lube, I will be using what I have for years for my rifled muskets – a mixture of Crisco, pure beeswax and olive oil – ratios gauged by the stiffness. The Lee 459-405 will be loaded as “dropped”.
So, my question is actualy a simple one that I have been wondering about. I know some use lube cakes but I have never been a fan of them. In my BP pistol cartriges my boolit lube grooves seem to be sufficient. I plan on finger-lubing the lube grooves of the Lee HB 405 grain, but my question revolves around the hollow base. In reading a post by Larry Gibson quite a while ago, the boolit was discussed and the hollow base of the 45-70 boolit was supposed to provide “stability” during flight. I have shot rifled musket for almost 60 years now and on a hollow base minie ball, I have never lubed the lube grooves but rather just smeared lube into the hollow base – did it for years when shooting N-SSA as well. Now a hollow base minie ball is different than the 45-70 boolit with a hollow base – we all know that as the skirt of the minie expands into the rifling and the skirt of a 45-70 hollow base boolit is much thicker as it is to provide stability. BUT . . . does anyone who uses the Lee 459-405 hollow base boolit ever lube the hollow base as well as the lube grooves? Would it be a "help" or a "hindrance"? My thoughts are that it would be not much different than using a lube cake under the boolit – and even if loaded over a .125 over the powder card – or a fiber wad – by the time it leaves the muzzle, the friction of the boolit traveling through the bore and the corresponding heat would melt the lube in the base of the boolit and it be distributed throughout the bore to keep fouling soft?
I have never seen anything mentioned about it on here and if I have missed it, I apologize. It may (or may not) be addressed in Wolf’s book and I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
I know that the only way to find out is to try it, but I’m just curious if anyone here makes it a habit to lube the hollow base of the Lee boolit?
Thanks.