Advice needed - reloading components for 45-70

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laughingswordfish

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Salmon Arm, BC
Looking for some advice on getting into reloading for my Marlin 1895 45-70. I've watched all sorts of reviews, I've read all I can, but I'm seeking any final advice before I go out and buy the gear.

Criteria i'm working with:

1. Will only ever be reloading 45-70, full stop
2. < 100 rounds per month
3. Trying to round up gear as inexpensive as possible since I don't know that I'll be all that into reloading - i can always go fancy and expand later if i love it
4. Already bought RCBS die set, Lee factory crimp die, remington brass, H4198 powder
5. Mainly will be plinking, target practice, and for bears out in the bush.. Not hunting, not going for the ultimate in precision, but looking to make some pretty hard hitting 350-450gr ammo

I have an idea of the differences between brands and kits but kinda looking for 'this is the way to go if you are only going to reload 45-70'. If the answer is there isn't a specific way to go in my situation then i'll just grab a kit on sale and get busy.

Thanks for any advice!
 
Get what you want, take reviews with a grain of salt. My Lee gear works just fine but I appreciate the quality of better brands. I reload .45-70 on a Lee breech lock challenger press with a Lee pacesetter die set, Lee trimmer/case length gauge/chamfer tool using Lee's sizing lube and safety powder scale. Works just fine. I also have a classic Lee loader but it doesn't get used anymore. If youre just buying the gear to do low volume loading then Lee will serve you well. So will RCBS, Redding, Dillon, Forster etc. None are best or worst suited to .45-70 aside from progressive presses.
 
<100 rounds/month I would say go with a single stage. The turret presses and progressive presses are wonderful if you are producing a lot of ammo but is a large investment that needs to be returned with high production rates. Unless we are talking 100+ rounds/week I wouldn't invest in a progressive.

Make sure you buy an "O" shaped press and not a "C" shaped press. I had the Lee "C" shaped press and it snapped off the base. Switched to an RCBS Pardner press ($80ish I think) and it works great for producing 50-300 rounds/month. My reloading is small batches of different calibres so a progressive isn't suited to my style of reloading. The RCBS Rock Chucker is of course stronger and has more features but it is also more expensive. The Lee classic cast is also pretty good and wont break the bank. There are more than enough Lee haters out there but if they didn't offer good return on investment they would have gone out of business a long time ago. RCBS beats Lee for warranty service hands down though; I've never heard anyone argue that.

I would grab whatever is on sale and run with it. If one brand offered a significantly better value per dollar they would put everyone else out of business and that isn't the case. One thing I would make sure of is to have at least two sources of load data. I use the Hodgdon online database as well as Alliant and Lyman reloading manuals. When looking at load data for a specific bullet weight/type and powder combination I cross reference multiple sources and see how different they are. I tend to start at the lowest starting value of all sources to be on the safe side when working up a load.
 
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All good points, I forgot to mention a single stage is far more cost effective for low volume and O frame is the way to go. There is no gold standard in brands, just good and better.
 
"...Will only ever be reloading 45-70..." HAHAHA. Sorry, but those words are infamous.
"...not a "C" shaped press..." Nonsense. Mine is well over 30 years old and works just fine. Mind you, it's not a Lee press.
"...as inexpensive as possible..." The absolute bare minimum is a Lee Classic kit. That'd be the kit you operate with a plastic mallet. You'd need a scale too as those daft scoops are inaccurate and calibrated in CC's. CC's are not used for reloading. The Classic is slow, but you can load completely reliable and accurate ammo with 'em. Lot of us started out with the Classic kits.
However, since you have dies etc, look around for a used press, a scale(a scale is essential) and buy a manual(Lyman's is far more versatile than any powder or bullet makers book). Buying used reloading kit is not like buying a used car. You really have to work at damaging it. Gun showsif there are any where you are.
 
Buy a mold and a melter... No where do cast bullets shine like with the 45-70.. you can equal anything you can do with cast bullets, and the hit like a mortar round....
 
The old 405 grain mould is what I'd recommend for lever gun 45-70 loads, if you like it you can play with the Gould hollow point later, Reloader 7 powder has never steared me wrong.

I prefer remington cases as they are not as flimsy as winchester brass, I have no experience with the federal brass.

Get the book "40 years with the 45-70" by paul mathews, its by far the best info on the 45-70 you will read.
 
supernova said:
Get what you want, take reviews with a grain of salt. My Lee gear works just fine but I appreciate the quality of better brands. I reload .45-70 on a Lee breech lock challenger press with a Lee pacesetter die set, Lee trimmer/case length gauge/chamfer tool using Lee's sizing lube and safety powder scale. Works just fine. I also have a classic Lee loader but it doesn't get used anymore. If youre just buying the gear to do low volume loading then Lee will serve you well. So will RCBS, Redding, Dillon, Forster etc. None are best or worst suited to .45-70 aside from progressive presses.
Click to expand...

+1 i do all my reloading (including 45/70) on a lee challenger kit, the only thing i added was a digital scale. dad had good luck with casting 340gr flat nose (lee production pot and mold) running them around 18-2100fps if memory serves me correctly (NEA single shot rifle). doing some research on the caliber the original US army loads were 400gr but they found better ballistics from 500gr. i've been working with IMR 3031 for that bullet.
 
A digital scale is a must if you will ever load other calibers. I spot check every 10th round from my powder measure. Only recall needing to recalibrate it once or twice but it's a good piece of mind. Great for batching bullets as well as they vary significantly.
 
A Lee Classic Cast press is a hulking chunk o' iron that will take back seat to not may other presses. And it's pretty painless to buy.
A used Rock Chucker or similar press would be my second recommendation. But any press is better than no press, and even the crappy looking pot metal open sided presses from Lee or anyone else, will work, and usually for a long time, too.

A Lee Auto Prime works for me.
Get an RCBS or Ohaus beam type scale. The Lee scale works, but... sketchy looking, and not confidence inspiring, to my eye.

A bud has a Marlin 45-70. IIRC there is some issues with the bore size on those. It caused some of the cast bullet guys to make a run of several molds sized particularly for them. Read up on "Ranch Dog Molds" No longer in the mold game, him, but his name will put you onto the info. You can shoot a lot of cast bullets for the price of a box of jacketed. Does not take much time to see a return on the cost of the casting gear. There are a few guys around that will cast you some too.

Cheers
Trev
 
I think Lee's challenger press would serve you just fine, a +/-400gr bullet, flat nose if hunting, and cast of soft(20:1 lead and tin) works well. You can cast very successfully with a small garage sale stainless steel cooking kettle and electric or propane hot plate. Lee's bullet sizers work as well as most, and you can hand lube with any reasonable automotive grease. The 45 70s I've shot respond well to about 25gr of 2400 or 13gr of Unique. Those might be considered plinking loads, but they aren't far off the original loading. B.C. doesn't have rhinoceros, and these loads are as accurate as any. If you want more power, a gas checked bullet will get you anything the 45 70 has to offer.
Grouch
 
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