45-70...will I blow myself up???

[josquin]

There are a few bullets around in the 525gr that are designed for lever gun lengths. Beartooth bullets makes one and people have been running them up to about 1500fps....

I think Camp Cook here on CGN likes the Jae-Bok Young 550 gr (?) Craters as well. They'll put serious hurt on just about anything you're likely to come across, although as H4831 mentioned, the physics of pushing heavy bullets at top velocities can do unpleasant things to your anatomy. In the US you can get the Belt Mountain Punch Solids which are turned from brass if you feel the need for even more penetration. I read an article in Rifle Magazine a while ago about a fellow that had an 1895 rechambered to 50 Alaskan (?) which he used to take an elephant with those.

But for the rest of us mere mortals, a 350-400 gr. at 1650-1750 fps. probably has more than enough oomph for anything that's likely to get pointed at in anger and won't rearrange your dentures. The Bullet Barn here in B.C. and Ben Hunchak here on CGN ("MT Chambers") have cast bullets that will do the job.

Blufton Bill, if you're looking for Hornady bullets, you might try Dave Friesen ("BC Redneck", 604.316.1910) in Chilliwack, B.C. Like everyone else he has trouble getting components but he might have some.

Stuart

 

[Meph]

Standard load would be 400 or 405 grains at 1800-1900, but I was wondering about a silly load for the hell of it.

I'm really thinking about turning a solid brass bullet that follows a subsonic low drag shape and seeing if I can feed it straight from the ejection port. Why? 'cause I want to.

Any ideas about powder loads?

There are a few bullets around in the 525gr that are designed for lever gun lengths. Beartooth bullets makes one and people have been running them up to about 1500fps.

RCBS still makes a mould for a 500gr bullet that'll work in a Marlin.

Personally I stick with the 405gr bullets in my lever guns (although I do own that RCBS mould). The longer heavier bullets I save for my single shot rifles.

Chris.

 

[senior]

RCBS still makes a mould for a 500gr bullet that'll work in a Marlin.

Personally I stick with the 405gr bullets in my lever guns (although I do own that RCBS mould). The longer heavier bullets I save for my single shot rifles.

Chris.

I have loaded from Lee's 500gn mold in a Marlin.
Works fine you just can used the crimping groove, fortunatly there's a, best described as ring sorta like 1/2 a crimping groove ahead of the normal one. You can crimp on that ring to hold the bullet & it cycles perfectly thru the Marlin.

I agree on above statement on 405s for the Marlin.

 

[hermie]

405

I use M.T. Chambers in my 450 Marlin in a BLR (essentially the same) Getting 2094fps chrono'd with 420 gr cast gas checked. Can send you the data if you PM me.

 

[MTM]

45/70

I use M.T. Chambers in my 450 Marlin in a BLR (essentially the same) Getting 2094fps chrono'd with 420 gr cast gas checked. Can send you the data if you PM me.

Holy Moly those babbies are rippin. I'm shooting the 420 MT Chambers at 1865 fps and that seems plenty. 51 1/2 grs 3031 with the 405 Rem is my accuracy load.

 

[josquin]

...I'm really thinking about turning a solid brass bullet that follows a subsonic low drag shape...

Sort of a cross betwen SSK Industries "Whisper" series and Belt Mountain, then. (Google 'em; it's a good read). Sounds more like a project for a Ruger Nº1 but what the heck. I'd guess that loads would be somewhere along the lines of other monolithic bullets like Barnes or the Frontier Spartan (see frontierbullets.co.za/spartan.htm), but you might want to ask the folks at Belt Mountain since theirs are also brass.

Stuart

 

[Meph]

I use M.T. Chambers in my 450 Marlin in a BLR (essentially the same) Getting 2094fps chrono'd with 420 gr cast gas checked. Can send you the data if you PM me.

I do want to see that load - mind posting it for the other crazies at CGN who hate their shoulders?

Sort of a cross betwen SSK Industries "Whisper" series and Belt Mountain, then. (Google 'em; it's a good read). Sounds more like a project for a Ruger Nº1 but what the heck. I'd guess that loads would be somewhere along the lines of other monolithic bullets like Barnes or the Frontier Spartan (see frontierbullets.co.za/spartan.htm), but you might want to ask the folks at Belt Mountain since theirs are also brass.

Stuart

See that's what I'm talking about! I think that even if the bullet will be seated pretty deep, from a straight walled case with no shoulder and a reduced powder load (without having the powder load be too small where the powder lays horizontally in the case and the primer flashes the powder both at the front and at the rear of the case, doing two pressure spikes and creating an overpressure - I've heard of stuff like this happening) and have the bullet's conical nose start to taper before the lands (so I can actually close the action, if the bullet is at .458 for too long, it will hit the lands before the action is closed, and I don't want to manually force a bullet into the lands), I could have a neat whisper load that would have a really really bad rainbow trajectory but hey, it would hit far out with a truckload of retained energy. Of course, would be SINGLE SHOT as it's a pointed bullet and would probably be too long for the action anyhow. Thanks for the input.

 

[bogie]

You should be using a filler if you use smokeless in a BP case which both the 45/70 and 38-55 are. BP will fill the case but smokeless is only a small part of it.
Common fillers are gun cotton or Red River Cereal. That keeps the powder close to the primer. Just getting into this myself. Some use wads under the bullet for seal too. Check out the Blackpowder and Antiques section. Lots of good stuff there and you will get better answers as the guys that do this hang out there.

 

[josquin]

I do want to see that load - mind posting it for the other crazies at CGN who hate their shoulders?...

Keep us informed... and don't forget to put CGN in your will

Stuart

 

[10x]

You should be using a filler if you use smokeless in a BP case which both the 45/70 and 38-55 are. BP will fill the case but smokeless is only a small part of it.
Common fillers are gun cotton or Red River Cereal. That keeps the powder close to the primer. Just getting into this myself. Some use wads under the bullet for seal too. Check out the Blackpowder and Antiques section. Lots of good stuff there and you will get better answers as the guys that do this hang out there.

Be very careful of what you choose for a filler.
The Lyman loading manual has loads where fillers are recommended. I have used dacron and kapok as a filler using Unique and got less velocity spread.
I have also used dacron filler with IMR 3031 and it seems to burn cleaner.
Adding 20 grains of filler is like adding 20 grains to the bullet weight and this can cause pressures to rise. Be cautious when choosing loads that use filler and the filler you do use. I have also used "Grex" which is a poly ethylene shotshell buffer for compressed loads with filler. I did compensate for the addition of the weight of the grex to the bullet weight and got acceptable accuracy. The bullet also left a trail of sparkles in bright sunlight....
Some folks mention the issue of plastic fouling right in front of the chamber with grex as well.

 

[gunlaker]

The Lyman loading manual has loads where fillers are recommended.

The newer Lyman manuals have dropped the use of fillers. I've never needed or used them.

Chris.

 

[10x]

The newer Lyman manuals have dropped the use of fillers. I've never needed or used them.

Chris.

I have used fillers in the past. Some loads with fillers gave more consistent velocities.
I do use cornmeal compressed over black powder for reduced black powder loads. it works well and with a crisco daubed in under the base of the bullet there is a unique sulfphurous breakfast smell when I shoot these loads.

 

[thebigslide]

I have used fillers in the past. Some loads with fillers gave more consistent velocities.
I do use cornmeal compressed over black powder for reduced black powder loads. it works well and with a crisco daubed in under the base of the bullet there is a unique sulfphurous breakfast smell when I shoot these loads.

One thing I always hated about using wool wads was the stink of burning hair. I'm pretty sure the smell is one of the things I just love about hitting the range.