45-70 reloading advice

sm

sm

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Hey guys,
I`m looking at reloading for my Marlin 45-70 GS and seeking advice from those who already do.
Any preference on die sets? I currently use RCBS dies and have had good luck with them and they have great customer service. I see that they offer 2 sets of dies for the 45-70; one being the "cowboy" set and the other standard set but I cannot find what difference is between them. Redding and Hornady dies are another option and have heard good things about them also.
Also will it depend on what projectiles I plan on shooting as to the die set; cast vs jacketed, Hornady FTX ?
Thanks for all your input!
SM
 
I have the RCBS cowboy dies and a set of Lee's...they both do what they're supposed to but I really like the concept of the powder thru expanding die on the Lee's and I bought a factory crimp die to add to the set, all for 2/3 the price you would pay for the Reddings...flame suit on
Just my $0.02
 
The "Cowboy" dies have different size expanders for different size cast boolits, as well the seating die has a larger bullet clearance after the crimp stage, this allows larger bullet diameters to be seated without the crimp ring hitting the larger forward riding ring and pushing them farther into the case.
 
the 45-70 is extremely versatile. im sure you will enjoy reloading for it.
you should keep in mind the type of action you are reloading for.
the are 3 load data sets available for the 45-70, make sure you dont exceed the load data listed for your type of action.
going lower is not a problem but going higher is.

brass for the 45-70 is not readily available as 308 , 30-06 , 270 and a few others and is not cheap.
so something to consider are methods of reloading which will extend brass life when possible.
things like using a Lyman M die or neck sizing only.
 
sm said:
Hey guys,
I`m looking at reloading for my Marlin 45-70 GS and seeking advice from those who already do.
Any preference on die sets? I currently use RCBS dies and have had good luck with them and they have great customer service. I see that they offer 2 sets of dies for the 45-70; one being the "cowboy" set and the other standard set but I cannot find what difference is between them. Redding and Hornady dies are another option and have heard good things about them also.
Also will it depend on what projectiles I plan on shooting as to the die set; cast vs jacketed, Hornady FTX ?
Thanks for all your input!
SM
Click to expand...

I have a partial set of the cowboy die set... They work pretty good. I reload paper patched rounds, so, I have my decapping die set so the pin is as far down as is possible, and stop the resizing as soon as the spent primer falls from the case. As I have a tube fed marlin, I use full cases pf powder, and use the speed of the powder to adjust the speed of the bullet. IMR 4064 works really well with a mag primer. Once the case is loaded, I use a second sizing die as the crimping die. I tried the lee crimp die, but it cut the paper and that caused problems... The sizing die works quite well...

Paper patched allows you to shoot a cast bullet at the speeds of a jacketed bullet or higher with lower pressures, and no risk of leading... I'll sit and wrap bullets while watching tv... No skin off my nose...
 
I had a guide gun for a number of years and thoroughly enjoyed it. Standard RCBS 3 die set and lee factory crimp die were all I used and worked great. I had exceptional accuracy with 350 grain hornady round nose and 405 grain hard cast bullets with gas check. Powders I used were IMR 3031 and IMR 4198.

Enjoy
 
I use an older second hand set of RCBS dies with good results, powders of choice are IMR3031 and Trail boss, I like the 350gr RNSP from Hornady and a hard cast 405gr TLG from OMA or Bullet Barn.... The 45/70 is a fun cartridge to reload for, you can have anything from a bear stopper to a squirrel popper :D
 
sm said:
Hey guys,
I`m looking at reloading for my Marlin 45-70 GS and seeking advice from those who already do.
Any preference on die sets? I currently use RCBS dies and have had good luck with them and they have great customer service. I see that they offer 2 sets of dies for the 45-70; one being the "cowboy" set and the other standard set but I cannot find what difference is between them. Redding and Hornady dies are another option and have heard good things about them also.
Also will it depend on what projectiles I plan on shooting as to the die set; cast vs jacketed, Hornady FTX ?
Thanks for all your input!
SM
Click to expand...

You need a three die set of standard dies, made by any of the brand name manufacturers.
The third die is required for expanding the mouth of the case, so cast bullets will load without shaving lead. To make your brass last longer expand the case mouths as little as possible.
A vast array of powders can be used, from Unique for light loads up to any of the medium burners, like 4895, 4320, 3031, 4064 and on and on, for heavy loads. And speaking of heavy loads, it will likely be you and not your Marlin, that will determine how heavy to load!
The same seating die is used for either jacketed or cast bullets.
For cast bullets of 400 grains or over, a gas check bullet is usually not needed.
 
The "cowboy" set is marketing. Lever actions required FL resizing, but otherwise it's no different than any straight walled case.
Except, like phishroy says, there is different load data for the actions the .45-70 comes in. TrapDoor, levers and 'modern' actions. The latter are the Ruger No. 1 etc. You need the lever action or Trap Door data, not the Ruger data. Ruger No. 1's can handle .45-70 loads that are very close to the .458 Win Mag. Your Marlin can not.
 
Can you use round nose projectiles in a lever gun? It understood that you can only use flat point or the special Hornady ones with the flex tip.
SM
 
H4831 said:
You need a three die set of standard dies, made by any of the brand name manufacturers.
The third die is required for expanding the mouth of the case, so cast bullets will load without shaving lead. To make your brass last longer expand the case mouths as little as possible.
A vast array of powders can be used, from Unique for light loads up to any of the medium burners, like 4895, 4320, 3031, 4064 and on and on, for heavy loads. And speaking of heavy loads, it will likely be you and not your Marlin, that will determine how heavy to load!
The same seating die is used for either jacketed or cast bullets.
For cast bullets of 400 grains or over, a gas check bullet is usually not needed.
Click to expand...

I loaded a few so heavy that the action on my marlin was cracking the lever open a bit... I backed up from those loads... lol
 
amosfella said:
I loaded a few so heavy that the action on my marlin was cracking the lever open a bit... I backed up from those loads... lol
Click to expand...

I've had that happen, also. But it is not from heavy loads, as it will sometimes do it with light loads, too.
The 1895 Marlin is a strong action, as it is the action used for the 450 Marlin cartridge.
 
sm said:
Can you use round nose projectiles in a lever gun? It understood that you can only use flat point or the special Hornady ones with the flex tip.
SM
Click to expand...

Yup.....all my cast projectiles are round nose, no issues from a tube mag.
Other levers that this isn't an issue are detachable mags...Win 88 and Savage 99 come to mind
 
I've loaded both Hornady 350 FP and RN bullets with zero issues in tube mags. In a shorter barrel, IMR and H4198 produce near book velocity. Stick with faster powders for less recoil. I found out one day that a starting load of IMR4895 driving a 300 gr JHP to 1800 fps (book velocity, not chrono'd) and a starting load of IMR4198 driving a 350 JFP to 1950 fps had almost identical felt recoil. Trail boss makes for some easy fun too. Recoil like a .22 mag.
 
H4831 said:
I've had that happen, also. But it is not from heavy loads, as it will sometimes do it with light loads, too.
The 1895 Marlin is a strong action, as it is the action used for the 450 Marlin cartridge.
Click to expand...

Mine doesn't do that under factory loads. Had a 405 grain paper patched bullet, and IIRC 57 gr of varget... I had a few other loads for gopher hunting that day... 330 lyman hp paper patched with 55 gr of 3031. That load wasn't cracking the lever either...
 
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