45-70 guide rifle

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Scott Bear

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Probably been asked before but what would I need to start reloading for my 45-70 Marlin guide gun?

My buddy has a press so I need powder, primers and bullets. What types?

What else?

Thanks for helping a newbie out.

Scott.
 
You will find there will be ALOT of answers posted to the questions you asked. Reloading the .45-70 is a hugely personal decision I find.

However, you can't go wrong with some virgin Winchester or Starline brass (if you can find it).

If you intend to hunt with it... the classic cast 405gr bullet is classic choice, though im not really a fan personally. I use the Hornady 350gr RN and it has performed flawlessly. I recently loaded up some Nosler Partition 300gr loads and will see how they perform shortly. You can also go up to the 500gr. level if you load individually, as they will not cycle through the Marlin due to OAL restrictions.

Standard large rifle primers will be all you need.

As far as powder, the consensus seems to be that IMR3031 or IMR4198 are great picks. I use 3031 myself and have never found a need to change. It generally completely fills up the case and is usually a slightly compressed load.

Don't forget a set of dies, and a Lee Factory Crimp die if you intend on shooting really heavy loads. Crimp all your loads however... at least with the crimp on the seating die if you don't purchase the factory crimp die.

Also, make sure you are using Marlin 1895 specific loading data.

You can also do a search here on CGN... there have been multiple posts on this topic already.
 
The 45/70 in the Guide Gun is great to reload with because you have a lot of bullet choices and you can greatly exceed the performance of anemic factory ammo safely.

The Remington 405 gn Jacketed Soft Point is a great place to start. There are also lots of different cast bullets available in a variety of weights from places such as The Bullet Barn and others.

There are bullets as heavy as 550 gn. that will feed just fine in this rifle. (The 550 Crater available from Jae Bok Young).

The best powder for this cartridge in this gun for me so far has been Reloder 7. I think it's also the cleanest powder I've ever used. The bore looks practically unfired after a number of shots.

Right now I'm partial to a load using RL 7 and a 420 gn cast wide flat nose at 1800 fps. I might get a chance at a Moose with this load in the upcoming week in Newf.

A Lee Factory Crimp Die is nice if you plan to load some heavy stuff, as mentioned above.

I've heard Starline brass is really good, I've had no trouble so far with the Remington stuff.
 
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Powder, primers and bullets?

I'm assuming you're planning on going with jacketed bullet loads. I have a Marlin 1895GS and for lacketed loads, the components that have worked well for me are;
Bullets:
- The Speer 400gr FN
- The Remington 405gr FN
Brass:
- Winchester
- Remington
Powder:
- IMR 3031
- IMR 4198
Primers:
- CCI 200 Large Rifle

Then, chapter II, cast bullet loads;)
 
Thanks for your help.

I was also wondering, when I do go by dies what are they called? Are they sizing dies, loading dies...etc...? Is there more than one? I hear they come in a set?

Thanks again.
 
Yes they are just called Die Sets, 45-70 dies come in three die sets, meaning 3 dies in the box, while most bottle necks are two die sets. The cheapest are Lee Dies & they work just fine, never personally had a problem with them. You can however get other brands, most popular are... RCBS, Hornady, Lyman. The only brands I have ever had problems with are Lyman. I like Hornady personally but for an avergae hunting rifle it's hard to beat cheap of Lee's :):)

405 Rems are a good accurate bullet to start with unless your into dangerous bear country in which case the 350 Horn or other premium bullet might be a better choice.
My opinion is 4198 is the best powder for the 45-70 although if you plan on reloading other rifle calibers later 3031 is more versitile.
 
Start with a copy of The ABC's of Reloading. Your local gun shop or Amazon.
If your buddy doesn't have the dies, you'll need a set and a shell holder. It's a #14 from RCBS.
 
TwoTone said:
The best powder for this cartridge in this gun for me so far has been Reloder 7. I think it's also the cleanest powder I've ever used. The bore looks practically unfired after a number of shots.
Click to expand...

Ditto on that.
Until I got my powder/bullet weight ratio down the only serious problem I had was with leading.
Although I have not tried other powders to see if there is anything better. If it works, then it works I figure.
 
Given .45/70 ballistics I don't think there is any advantage to choosing a jacketed bullet provided you can get cast bullets at a reasonable price, or cast them yourself. I like MT Chambers hard cast 480 gr WFN bullet, and I doubt if postage to you from PA is any more than it is to me.
 
I don't think powder will be a problem, i like H-322, H-335, AA2015, RL-7, just pick a bullet that is a good fit in your barrel, a good fit is more important then bullet hardness. The only downside to big bullets like the M.T. Chambers(LBT) 480 wfn gc is recoil with heavy loads, the 420gr. LFN Gc (LBT) at 2000fps is a little more comfy. These are the same LBT bullets used by Garrett and/or Buffalo Bore in their factory ammo.
 
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