Strange load data discrepancy for 45/70

kevinm1980

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So just picked up a 1895sbl and brass and bullets started to make some round.. I have hornady#9 and lyman #50 was at wholesale sports only bullets they had in stock was hornady 300gr hollow points so I grabbed a box as I could not wait for my order of cast to come in, anyways lyman and hornady list a max charge of 3031 at 56.9gr and 52gr respectively, now lyman may not be using the hornady bullets for their testing.. However go to hodgdon data.. They list 64gr max and a starting load of 58gr to start with a sierra 300gr jhp.. And hodgdon velocity is way higher.. I'm just wondering of this data is safe and if lyman and hornady is just playing safe.. It's really bugging me
 
No looking for crazy loads just though the difference was so big and hodgdon trap door loads exceed lyman 1895 data.. To strange
 
I have several loading manuals and the data for 45/70 is all over the place as you have already discovered. It's an old cartridge and is very forgiving....there are very few powders that it won't work with....pick some published data and work with it.....and have fun and be safe
 
I believe Hodgkin based their data on the fact that the 1895 is also chambered in 444 Marlin and 450 Marlin. They therefore created data that was to be loaded to the same pressure levels for their 45-70 loads.

The differences had me worried as well but after seeing it explained as above in one of their manuals I have used the loads with no problems in my guide gun.
 
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