ruger #1 in 45-70
- Thread starter keith mokry
- Start date
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
It's what gunnutz do!
410 in 45/70
This topic seems to come up every few weeks so will do this again and perhaps the "alternative" method of having shot shells for your 45/70 will be of benefit to you.......
Have a #3 Ruger 45/70 and the 2.5" .410 will close in the action and can be shot....however extraction is by useing a cleaning rod. My Browning78 will chamber and extract fired .410's.
About 10-12 years ago I experimented with this stuff until I saw an old style "Everlast" brass shotshell in 12 ga. at a gunshow. On this premise I felt the 45/70 (and .444 Marlin) brass case would make a fine shot shell in itself. Correct caliber and always ejects!
Went to a reloading manual to find out what kind and how much propellant was used in a .410 and what the shot weight was.
Loaded the appropriate amount of Unique powder into the case and placed a gascheck on top of the powder... filled case with shot...weighed the shot charge to confirm load weight and powder should get me 900 to 1000 fps and loaded up a few dozen shot rounds to test them on paper.
So the proceedure goes like this..
Add your powder charge to a primed 45/70 case....place a .45 gas check on top of the powder..fill the case to the top with #7 shot..reversed gas check on top of shot column...slight roll crimp to keep it all together ..take to range to confirm how it prints at various distances on paper. Mine works on grouse to about 20 feet .
I use gas checks because I have them for shooting cast bullets....you can also use cardboard /felt/or poly plastic discs instead, but you'll have to "punch" them out yourself...these will work fine too but not as impervious to weather as the gascheck method IMHO..
Not sure what a .410 round costs but the shot loads I make cost me about 10-12 cents to make and the 45/70 cases last forever in these low pressure loads and always eject !
For those worrried about shot leading or harming your brl. ...
Lead pellets are much softer than barrel steel and are not an issue... If you shoot a lot of these shot loads.. just clean your barrel more often if it makes you feel better and to put your mind at ease about leading concerns.
....these type of shot loads are for Rifles only and if you have a 45/70 "Revolver " your on your own as to what might safely work...
This topic seems to come up every few weeks so will do this again and perhaps the "alternative" method of having shot shells for your 45/70 will be of benefit to you.......
Have a #3 Ruger 45/70 and the 2.5" .410 will close in the action and can be shot....however extraction is by useing a cleaning rod. My Browning78 will chamber and extract fired .410's.
About 10-12 years ago I experimented with this stuff until I saw an old style "Everlast" brass shotshell in 12 ga. at a gunshow. On this premise I felt the 45/70 (and .444 Marlin) brass case would make a fine shot shell in itself. Correct caliber and always ejects!
Went to a reloading manual to find out what kind and how much propellant was used in a .410 and what the shot weight was.
Loaded the appropriate amount of Unique powder into the case and placed a gascheck on top of the powder... filled case with shot...weighed the shot charge to confirm load weight and powder should get me 900 to 1000 fps and loaded up a few dozen shot rounds to test them on paper.
So the proceedure goes like this..
Add your powder charge to a primed 45/70 case....place a .45 gas check on top of the powder..fill the case to the top with #7 shot..reversed gas check on top of shot column...slight roll crimp to keep it all together ..take to range to confirm how it prints at various distances on paper. Mine works on grouse to about 20 feet .
I use gas checks because I have them for shooting cast bullets....you can also use cardboard /felt/or poly plastic discs instead, but you'll have to "punch" them out yourself...these will work fine too but not as impervious to weather as the gascheck method IMHO..
Not sure what a .410 round costs but the shot loads I make cost me about 10-12 cents to make and the 45/70 cases last forever in these low pressure loads and always eject !
For those worrried about shot leading or harming your brl. ...
Lead pellets are much softer than barrel steel and are not an issue... If you shoot a lot of these shot loads.. just clean your barrel more often if it makes you feel better and to put your mind at ease about leading concerns.
....these type of shot loads are for Rifles only and if you have a 45/70 "Revolver " your on your own as to what might safely work...
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Very true, however, for close range grouse, they still work.
Actually the shot is usually a "donut" pattern out of my rifles and as all shot loads, it spreads with each foot down range. The outer circle of the donut has about 60 % +/- of the shot and the rest is in the middle area.
When you test the shot shells on some paper at various distances this is quite apparant...and is not as random as you suggest. When you know the bulk of the shotload is in the outer circle you can merely hold on the grouse a bit high or low or left or right. And as a 45/70 case holds more shot than a .410 ctg. it carries enough to do the job at under 20 feet.
Most grouse I have encountered are within that range and if a bit further out nearly always allow you to get within effective range.
Have been loading these type of shotshells for over a decade now and they have so far been 100% reliable on our grouse at these short distances.
Try shooting a pop can with this load at about 12-15 feet holding slightly off and you'll usually find over 20-25 pellets have gone through it and in mine the odd gascheck too...Grouse hit at 10 feet and under are rarely salvagable and a "center" aim is advisable .
For those that like to head shoot their grouse with their 45/70...a 147 grain .458 cast Round ball and the same load of Unique will shoot to my hunting loads point of aim to 40 yards.
For those who want the best of both...250 + grains of #7 shot capped off with the 147 gr Round ball is accurate to 25 yds. too in my rifles.
......YMMVary..
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