thoughts on PMC 45-70 ammo. ??

[gunrunner]

i am about to get a new 1874 rifle and wanted some test bullets , they seem reasonable and have the right loads. are these worth using. i will try and reload some of these later on but dont want to blow the gun up the first time i shoot it.

[SmokinTom]

I shoot them all the time. Good luck and good shooting.

[gunrunner]

SMokintom

do you think the recoil of these are greater than the usual handloads. i am not sure if the TYPE blackpower used would really affect recoil more so than the amount. given that both excel the bullet at smilar speeds and all. the old physics formula F=MA . thanks i didnt know if you reloaded or not.

Merry Christmas

[SmokinTom]

The recoil is mild by my standards,but I have been shooting and reloading since the late 1960`s.Remember it is a 45-70,they do recoil.My 45-70 is a Marlin 1895 and I do love to shoot it.I only shoot smokeless powder through this rifle.You are looking at a NEW 1874 rifle ?I would think the PMC load would be fine is this newer rifle.Thoughts from you other 45-70 shooters! Merry Christmas to you also.

[fal308]

Not familiar with this particular ammo but most factory ammo is loaded to one of three levels. The first is safe in any good condition firearm while the second level is not good for original firearms but is okay for modern leverguns etc while the third power level is to be used only in modern actions like the Ruger No 1 etc.
I have a rebarrelled Remington Rolling Block in .45/70 that I've been shooting for a dozen years or so but I have only shot my handloads through it. It is probably more accurate than I am if a good shooter were to shoot it.
If you're in doubt about any ammunition, write or email the manufacturer. They should be able to give you the answer as to whether or not a particular ammunition would be safe.

[gunrunner]

here is some of the text on the box, seems to sound like they are trying to reproduce old style loads and speeds. states its smokelss .45-70 GOV. faithfully reproduces the origainal which is an official military cartridge from 1873-1892 ,405 flat nose lead bullet iwth velocity of 1250 ft/sec. so seems like level one wouldnt you say. or is this your level 2. it does say smokeless so this isnt true to the BP cartridge completely, what are they doing with all that extra space.

[gunrunner]

well let me add, if you shake the cartridge you can tell there is about 1/6 of space not filled in it. i was under the impression you didnt want any free space inside the cartridge.

[Jbar4Ranch]

I use an original trapdoor Springfield for sidematches in CAS with a 405 grain cast bullet and 25.5 grains of AA5744. It's a lot cleaner than BP and Accurate Arms says these old, large capacity cases are exactly what 5744 was formulated for. This load goes over my chrono @ 25 fps less than the PMC load, is nice and easy on the old trapdoor, and is accurate enough to produce 3" groups or less at 100 yards.

[mete]

Standard loads are about 18,000psi [300 @ 1850] SAAMI specs are 27,000 psi. PMC [350 @ 2100 ] are loaded to 38,000psi. The PMC is excellent for heavier game such as elk ,more than needed for deer . I wouldn't use a PMC in any but a new Marlin, Ruger , Browning. Reproductions should stick to standard loads.

[Jbar4Ranch]

I should clarify that the above PMC load is their CAS load @ 1250 fps (The same one gunrunner describes above), and the 5744 load I specified is in the vicinity of 15,500-15,800 psi, according to Accurate Arms, and about 1220 fps or so according to my two PACT chronographs.

[gunrunner]

thanks everyone, that should get me started and see what i think of the 45-70. I will probably then use the brass and try my own loads later. sounds like Goex 2f or 3f is a smart starting point.

Happy Holidays,