45-70 Questions

badlander · November 11, 2008, 02:44 PM

I just bought A Marlin 1895 GS. Now I have to feed it.
I have been loading .45 acp. 9mm, and 038 spl.for many years.on my pistol brass I load it till it splits before I toss it. This is for target loads the hotter loads I use newer brass.
I plan to load mostly lighter 300gr loads and mabye just A few monster slayers just for kicks.
Main question is how many times do you load your 45-70 brass. and what is the best brand to start out with.Any other tips or loads will be helpful.
The gun will be used for an ocasional hog .wild cans, etc.
Thanks Badlander

steveno · November 11, 2008, 06:08 PM

I have some Federal nickel 45-70 brass that probably have 10 loads on them. I don't load it anywhere close to max though. I have a Ruger #1S and it isn't much fun to shoot with heavy loads. I have a 300 grain bullet load at about 1,450 fps and a 405 grain bullet load at about 1,550 fps.

fineredmist · November 11, 2008, 06:39 PM

You have to think of the .45-70 as a overgrown pistol cartridge and you will understand the loading process. You need to throughly clean the brass first and use a lot of lube when you full length resize. This is a very big case and you are moving a lot of metal so be careful when setting up the die. The thickness of material at the mouth of the case is usually thin so you bell only as much as you need to seat the bullet. Too much bell and the cases will split rapidly. If you crimp with the seating die then adjust so it removes the bell and maybe .002" more. The same applies if you use a separate die. Work the mouth of the case as little as possible and you will get a lot of use out of the cases.
I shoot .45-70 in a repro 1885 HighWall and have found this to be a really nice load: 28 gr 5744, 405 gr hard cast (.459" dia) seated at 2.550". The load produces 1330 fps with mild recoil and is capable of fine accuracy off a bench.
Enjoy it, it is a true classic round.

Al57 · November 11, 2008, 07:09 PM

Badlander, as the fellas have said, load it fairly lightly and you'll enjoy your range sessions a lot more. I've loaded the 45/70 for years and keep my plinking / hunting loads at trapdoor levels. Brass will also last longer in doing so. Two loads have been my favorites , and have proven to be quick stoppers on corn fed whitetail . These are just as effective as the thermo- nuclear loads you read and hear about.

300 gr. JHP and 50 grains of IMR 3031 1600 FPS

405 gr. JFN and 32 grains of IMR 4198 1350 FPS

I prefer the 405 gr. load now for 2 reasons . Cleaner burning / no unburned powder residue in bbl. and deeper penetration / much greater promise of having an exit hole for blood trails in dense cover that even Stevie Wonder could follow. Enjoy, double and triple check your steps ( esp. when powder charging ) and shoot safely. Regards

flashhole · November 12, 2008, 07:41 PM

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech...h_notes.htm/49

45Marlin carbine · November 13, 2008, 12:32 PM

badlander - is the rifle a Micro-Groove rifled bore? or Ballard rifleing?

kraigwy · November 13, 2008, 01:19 PM

I have a Browning 1895 in 45-70. I like the older 45-70 loads, more challenging. I've found the 29 grns of 4198 equals the old 405 Mil Carbine loading in velocity. But you dont have the cleaning hassles that come with black powder. Brass last a long time. I cast 405 bullets and use a veg. fiber wad over the powder.

Its accurate and I enjoy the more traditional 45-70 loads without the BP cleaning.

I have a Remington Rolling block in 44-90 Sharps Bottle Neck. I use 4198 in it too, for the same reasons listed above.

darkgael · November 13, 2008, 02:43 PM

It may be my favorite cartridge. I have a number of 45-70 rifles (four, I think). In two, I shoot BP only with loads that vary from 55 grains of FFg and a 405 FN bullet to as close to 70 grains as I can get and a PPed 480 grain bullet or the Lyman Postell bullet. Grease cookies under the bullets. The lighter load is for a Trapdoor carbine and the heavier ones for a Browning 1885 BPCR.
Smokeless loads go in a Contender carbine and a NEF Handi-rifle. The 5744 load already cited is a sweet shooter.
Pete

greenmtnguy · November 14, 2008, 12:22 AM

I like Starline brass for my reloading. It is a bit thicker and heavier, but this also means that its internal capacity is slightly less than some other mfgr brass. As long as one takes this into account, it means that you might come up with the same MV for a given bullet but with a little bit less powder in the case. I think that the thinnest walled brass (largest internal water capacity) is Winchester. Then I think it will go Remington/Federal and finally Starline - in order or average brass thickness/less internal volume.

With Starline cases, it is also easy to identify my "warmer" reloads compared to factory level ammunition.

Maj Dad · November 16, 2008, 02:27 PM

I bought my M1895 at the Ft Benning PX in 1974. After a lot of experimenting, I settled on a load of 53g 3031 under the Hornady 300gr HP. The rifle was zeroed with a Weaver K3W in 1978 and still shoots the X out of the x-ring at 100 yards with that load. It's a micro-groove bbl so I don't try to move lead slugs fast - the 405g Lyman FP is great, but with the curved buttplate it's also painful at much over 1200-1300 fps. I've never chrono'd the 3031 load but I guesstimate it's 1800-1900 fps.

I also have brass that I bought with the rifle, and a lot more that I used in my Trapdoor before the M1895 with light smokeless & BP loads (got tired of the mess in a hurry & switched to smokeless). I have had a few splits over the years, but I think it was related to excessive brass working, as mentioned above. I used to anneal the necks to try to avoid it, but I haven't kept any exacting records of the number of reloadings. Light loads = long life - slow down & enjoy ;-)

November 12, 2008, 07:41 PM	#5
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech...h_notes.htm/49 __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?

November 13, 2008, 01:19 PM	#7
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	I have a Browning 1895 in 45-70. I like the older 45-70 loads, more challenging. I've found the 29 grns of 4198 equals the old 405 Mil Carbine loading in velocity. But you dont have the cleaning hassles that come with black powder. Brass last a long time. I cast 405 bullets and use a veg. fiber wad over the powder. Its accurate and I enjoy the more traditional 45-70 loads without the BP cleaning. I have a Remington Rolling block in 44-90 Sharps Bottle Neck. I use 4198 in it too, for the same reasons listed above. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

November 13, 2008, 02:43 PM	#8
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	loads It may be my favorite cartridge. I have a number of 45-70 rifles (four, I think). In two, I shoot BP only with loads that vary from 55 grains of FFg and a 405 FN bullet to as close to 70 grains as I can get and a PPed 480 grain bullet or the Lyman Postell bullet. Grease cookies under the bullets. The lighter load is for a Trapdoor carbine and the heavier ones for a Browning 1885 BPCR. Smokeless loads go in a Contender carbine and a NEF Handi-rifle. The 5744 load already cited is a sweet shooter. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

November 16, 2008, 02:27 PM	#10
Maj Dad Junior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Location: Sumter, SC Posts: 6	Marlin 1895 I bought my M1895 at the Ft Benning PX in 1974. After a lot of experimenting, I settled on a load of 53g 3031 under the Hornady 300gr HP. The rifle was zeroed with a Weaver K3W in 1978 and still shoots the X out of the x-ring at 100 yards with that load. It's a micro-groove bbl so I don't try to move lead slugs fast - the 405g Lyman FP is great, but with the curved buttplate it's also painful at much over 1200-1300 fps. I've never chrono'd the 3031 load but I guesstimate it's 1800-1900 fps. I also have brass that I bought with the rifle, and a lot more that I used in my Trapdoor before the M1895 with light smokeless & BP loads (got tired of the mess in a hurry & switched to smokeless). I have had a few splits over the years, but I think it was related to excessive brass working, as mentioned above. I used to anneal the necks to try to avoid it, but I haven't kept any exacting records of the number of reloadings. Light loads = long life - slow down & enjoy ;-)

November 11, 2008, 02:44 PM	#1
badlander Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2008 Location: So. Fla Posts: 344	45-70 Questions I just bought A Marlin 1895 GS. Now I have to feed it. I have been loading .45 acp. 9mm, and 038 spl.for many years.on my pistol brass I load it till it splits before I toss it. This is for target loads the hotter loads I use newer brass. I plan to load mostly lighter 300gr loads and mabye just A few monster slayers just for kicks. Main question is how many times do you load your 45-70 brass. and what is the best brand to start out with.Any other tips or loads will be helpful. The gun will be used for an ocasional hog .wild cans, etc. Thanks Badlander

November 11, 2008, 06:08 PM	#2
steveno Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2004 Location: Minden , Nebraska Posts: 1,407	I have some Federal nickel 45-70 brass that probably have 10 loads on them. I don't load it anywhere close to max though. I have a Ruger #1S and it isn't much fun to shoot with heavy loads. I have a 300 grain bullet load at about 1,450 fps and a 405 grain bullet load at about 1,550 fps.

November 11, 2008, 06:39 PM	#3
fineredmist Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2008 Location: Wethersfield, ct Posts: 128	You have to think of the .45-70 as a overgrown pistol cartridge and you will understand the loading process. You need to throughly clean the brass first and use a lot of lube when you full length resize. This is a very big case and you are moving a lot of metal so be careful when setting up the die. The thickness of material at the mouth of the case is usually thin so you bell only as much as you need to seat the bullet. Too much bell and the cases will split rapidly. If you crimp with the seating die then adjust so it removes the bell and maybe .002" more. The same applies if you use a separate die. Work the mouth of the case as little as possible and you will get a lot of use out of the cases. I shoot .45-70 in a repro 1885 HighWall and have found this to be a really nice load: 28 gr 5744, 405 gr hard cast (.459" dia) seated at 2.550". The load produces 1330 fps with mild recoil and is capable of fine accuracy off a bench. Enjoy it, it is a true classic round.

November 11, 2008, 07:09 PM	#4
Al57 Member Join Date: December 5, 2006 Location: Nebraska Posts: 69	Badlander, as the fellas have said, load it fairly lightly and you'll enjoy your range sessions a lot more. I've loaded the 45/70 for years and keep my plinking / hunting loads at trapdoor levels. Brass will also last longer in doing so. Two loads have been my favorites , and have proven to be quick stoppers on corn fed whitetail . These are just as effective as the thermo- nuclear loads you read and hear about. 300 gr. JHP and 50 grains of IMR 3031 1600 FPS 405 gr. JFN and 32 grains of IMR 4198 1350 FPS I prefer the 405 gr. load now for 2 reasons . Cleaner burning / no unburned powder residue in bbl. and deeper penetration / much greater promise of having an exit hole for blood trails in dense cover that even Stevie Wonder could follow. Enjoy, double and triple check your steps ( esp. when powder charging ) and shoot safely. Regards

November 13, 2008, 12:32 PM	#6
45Marlin carbine Junior member Join Date: January 26, 2007 Location: South-Western North Carolina Posts: 1,124	badlander - is the rifle a Micro-Groove rifled bore? or Ballard rifleing?

November 14, 2008, 12:22 AM	#9
greenmtnguy Member Join Date: October 25, 2004 Posts: 37	I like Starline brass for my reloading. It is a bit thicker and heavier, but this also means that its internal capacity is slightly less than some other mfgr brass. As long as one takes this into account, it means that you might come up with the same MV for a given bullet but with a little bit less powder in the case. I think that the thinnest walled brass (largest internal water capacity) is Winchester. Then I think it will go Remington/Federal and finally Starline - in order or average brass thickness/less internal volume. With Starline cases, it is also easy to identify my "warmer" reloads compared to factory level ammunition.