20:1 alloy for all my trapdoors 66 through 88. All my cartridges are standardized after the government Arsenal loads.
Have an original 1874 Sharps 50-70, and 1863 Sharps 50-70 conversion carbine and an 1870 Springfield 50-70 Trapdoor. They all shoot well with 4759. I like this propellant so much I have stocked up about 40 lbs of it.
Springfield 1870 Trapdoor 50-70 * 27 grs. 4759 Rapine 520300 300gr. sized to .518 shoots cloverleafs @ 50 yds
* 33 grs Win680 Lee 515450F sized .515 shoots 1 1/2" @ 50 yds
Sharps 1863 50-70 conversion * 33 grs Win 680 w/kapok filler Rapine 520300 300gr sized .515 1 1/2" @50yds
Sharps 1874 50-70 No.2 Sporter * 51 grs Reloader No7 Lyman 515141 2" @50yds. (stiff hunting load)
Have been casting some Lyman 515139 boolits they are dropping at 340grs. loading with 4759. They are a little easier on the shoulder than the 450 gr Lee and Lyman's. Will try them in all three rifles. Good luck PB with your loads you whip up.
StrawHat: I like 1/2" boolits too! Funny thing even though I shoot soft cast boolits; I never recover the spent projectile. Sometimes I break both shoulders and still never find my cast boolit. 1/2" entry hole and a bigger exit hole too! Deer usually don't go too far with a 50-70. Imagine how much 50-70 Govt ammo was sold off as the new 45-70 Govt 1873's came out. The bison hunter must have stocked up. The old timers always remarked that many a buffalo were taken with the 50-70 !
Great book about the buffalo hunters. He tells about getting .50 Gov't ammo at army forts but salvaging the powder and lead. You can read this little book in a few hours and its a very enjoyable read.
https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Harve...s%2C214&sr=8-1
Knowledge I take to my grave is wasted.
I prefer to use cartridges born before I was.
Success doesn't make me happy, being happy is what allows me to be successful.
Here's a smorgäsbord of .50s: From left, 325-grain flatpoint, can't recall whose mold, and loaded in a .56-50 case for use in the ArmiSport Spencer; the 450-grain Lee, loaded in a .50 Alaskan case shortened to 1.73 for 12,7X44 R Swedish rolling block, and the big 600-grain Volkswagen from Buffalo Arms, loaded for a rolling block with Green Mountain 1:24 twist barrel, .50-70. The latter load was not pleasant to shoot for more than a few rounds with a rifle with steel buttplate. I plan to order Accurate 51-350S to come close to duplicating the 12,7X44 issue round.
By the way, kudos to the Dutchman for all he has done to help us understand the Scandinavian rolling blocks!
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Last edited by Abert Rim; 07-24-2023 at 06:10 PM.
Same here, make my 12.77x44 from .50 Alaskan, chambers and extracts perfectly. Load both black powder and smokeless.
I shot a black bear with my Remington Rolling Block last year. That .50-70 dropped him in his tracks, Hit right front shoulder, and exited the left rear quarter. That was with a 500 grain cast and black powder load.
Has anyone used Hodgdon Triple 7 (FFG) in .50-70 loads. Any idea what the approximate pressure would be with 70 grains by volume and a Lyman 515141 (425 or 450gr)?
One of these days I will join the club!
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |