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B.L.E. · February 12, 2010, 07:50 AM

The .45-70 cartridge was designed to hold a compressed load of black powder for this gun. Air space in a black powder load is a no-no so if a full charge is too much for you and you wish to shoot reduced loads, take up the space with cornmeal or wads.

I think the original load was 70 grains (that's why it was called the .45-70) but modern web-head cartridges may only have room for 60-65 grains.
One trick to get that much powder to fit in the case is to use a long drop tube to put the powder in the case, there's something about letting powder fall down a tube that makes the grains settle together and take up less space in the cartridge.

February 12, 2010, 07:50 AM	#3
B.L.E. Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Somewhere on the Southern shore of Lake Travis, TX Posts: 2,603	The .45-70 cartridge was designed to hold a compressed load of black powder for this gun. Air space in a black powder load is a no-no so if a full charge is too much for you and you wish to shoot reduced loads, take up the space with cornmeal or wads. I think the original load was 70 grains (that's why it was called the .45-70) but modern web-head cartridges may only have room for 60-65 grains. One trick to get that much powder to fit in the case is to use a long drop tube to put the powder in the case, there's something about letting powder fall down a tube that makes the grains settle together and take up less space in the cartridge.