Speciality Loads for the .45-70 Govn't

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Woodpecker_Sheriff

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Hi folks.

I recently acquired my first .45-70 (it's a guide gun) and would like to try some speciality loads with a focus on the following:

Reduced Power/Recoil loads or plinking loads (IMR 4759?)
Shot loads (28 guage or .410 components?).
3-Round Ball loads.
Black Powder loads.
And anything else you can throw in.

I have a large supply of .452 JHPs 250 gr. I know the .45-70 takes the .458, but can they be used in a low-powered load? I have heard varying comments on this one.

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Take care.
 
The Ideal Handbook, No, 38, pub 1951, gives the following loads that might interest you:

· 146 gr round ball – 5.0 gr No. 6 Pistol powder – 950 fps. (Note: DuPont is no longer in the propellant business, I believe, being taken over by Alliant some time ago. Alliant doesn’t seem to list No. 6 Pistol but might have renamed it. You could ask them.)

· 144 gr cast bullet – 5.0 gr Unique – 900 fps. (Note: Unique is still made and the bullet weight is close enough that you might be able to start a round ball test there.)

· 405 gr cast bullet – 62 gr of FFg BP - 1,400 fps. They do not list any BP loads for jacketed bullets.

Barnes’ Cartridges of the World suggests 70 grs Fg BP and a 405 gr cast bullet, giving 1,285 fps from a 30” barrel and 1,125 fps from a 20” barrel.

WRT shot loads, you might want to consider Speer’s .44 shot capsules. You buy them empty, fill them with whatever shot you want (including, perhaps, round balls) and load them like bullets. The diameter is .44 vice .45, but I think it would probably work at low velocities. Higher velocities tend to blow such little shot pattern as you get out of a rifled barrel, anyway.

Note that I have not tried any of these and cannot vouch for any of them.
 
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shot load

Here's your shot load:

For a cartridge case, I use 45-90 brass with the first .375" pushed through a .452 bullet sizing die. It will fire-form the first time you use it. Using the longer brass will protect the throat of your chamber and act like a forcing cone.

8 gr FFF black powder (not 777 - never use 777 in a duplex load)
6 gr unique (doesn't really matter what the powder is but you want a small grain size - the pressure is going to be very low)

Mix the powder somewhat. I usually mix a large portion and add 15 gr of 'mix' to each shell. More powder will open the pattern. Less will give you a tighter pattern and lower velocity. 15 seems to be a good compromise.

Add a wool wad.

Make a shot cup by wrapping paper about 3 layers thick around a .450 diameter rod and folding over the ends of the paper tube.

Compress the wool and powder charge - leaving the shot cup in the cartridge.

Add shot to just below the top of the case and compress slightly (finger pressure). #6 shot works well - #7 and smaller seems to bounce off the rifling and open up the pattern. Close up the shot cup and cover with wax. I usually heat the top of the shot a little so the wax really soaks in.

Clean all the wax off the outside of the cartridge with a scotch brite bad. This part is really important as you don't want wax to get stuck in your chamber.

These make a good shot pattern up till about 20 yards. Past that they are pretty useless.
 
Some very accurate loads for me have been 60gr IMR4895 under 350gr Hornady JFP
58.5 - 61gr H335 under 350 Hornady JFP (this is just over the book max for lever guns - it is well within spec for modern rifles though)

H335 seems very forgiving with accuracy. H4198, IMR4198 and Reloader 7 all can make accurate loads, but they seem finicky. 1gr more or less powder and the groups really open.

To load FTX bullets in standard brass, you'll need to get a wild west guns 1 piece ejector and file back the cartridge stop on the lifter .030" or so. Otherwise the nose of the bullet catches both ejecting and loading from the magazine.

If you extend the max OAL a little more, you can load barnes banded solids. 35gr H4198 under a 500gr banded solid will punch right through 4 railway ties for me :)

Your velocity with the guide gun will be about 50-60fps lower than what the book says - contrary to popular opinion.
 
13 grains of Trail Boss under a 405 grain cast bullet = @1000 ft/sec and almost no recoil.

I also really like H322 for accuracy with hotter loads, though with 335 you get a pretty impressive muzzle flash.
 
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