45-70

[juliang]

Well I have no rifle yet but I have all the goodies to reload. I found 30 pieces of once fired brass for $6 and 50 new for $20. I have 100 Rem 405gr bullets. I am not going to pay $40 for 20 rounds, that is absurd.
Anyway, I have 8lbs of Benchmark, which Hodgdon lists as good for the 400 gr bullet. I will try that first, as I have it on hand, not a classic 45-70 powder but..... Hodgdon lists 55gr as a starting load, pushing the 400gr bullet to 1856 fps. I am guessing that the recoil will wake me up. Should Benchmark not make the grade, I also have 8lbs of Varget. Anybody else tried these powders in a 45-70? My only experience of shooting the caliber was with the wimpy factory loads in Hillbilly's guide gun. I am anticipating reloads will be a little stouter.

[DocHolladay]

That is one of those odd calibers. I dont think anyone on this forum has one or reloads for them.

[bigblue]

I've tried both Varget and Benchmark. I was never able to develop a good load for the 45/70 using Benchmark, but I did use Varget successfully for deer under Hornady 350gr. RNSP bullets in my H+R Buffalo Classic. It did leave a lot of unburnt powder, but had decent accuracy in that 27" barreled rifle. My Marlin likes IMR 3031 with the 405gr. Rems.
Don

[bigblue]

Mar 6, 2009 8:24:41 GMT -6 DocHolladay said:

That is one of those odd calibers. I dont think anyone on this forum has one or reloads for them.

How anyone has ever hunted without one is beyond me. The government should declare it an entitlement, for to be without a 45/70 is to be truly impoverished.
Perhaps we should contact Marlin to inquire about a group buy. If we get enough orders we can do just like Davidson's does and get it decked out the way we would like it with Tennessee Hunt and Fish logo on it and special serial numbers. We may need to purchase 500 at a shot, but you can never have too many 45/70s!
Don

[DocHolladay]

That would be kinda cool. We can check into it.

[juliang]

How many would we each have to buy? My wife is less than happy that I am buying even one!!
How much IMR3031 are you using with the 405gr Don? Any preferences on primers?

[bigblue]

Mar 7, 2009 5:26:58 GMT -6 juliang said:

How many would we each have to buy? My wife is less than happy that I am buying even one!!

Well if it's just the three of us, we each get 166.6666666...so it should cost us each about $108,333.32. Maybe we should also do a group buy on gun safes?

Mar 7, 2009 5:26:58 GMT -6 juliang said:

How much IMR3031 are you using with the 405gr Don? Any preferences on primers?

I'm using 48.1 gr. of IMR 3031, Remington cases and Winchester Large Rifle primers. I load them to a COL of 2.550". Use whatever cases and primers you have and see how it works out. I know different manufacturers cases have different capacities, but I'm not sure that it's critical.
Don

[bubbawitha4570]

I tried 3031 years ago (early 90's) and didn't like the report/recoil from the powder in my 22" Marlin. Used some Varget also, found the same as BB with the unburnt powder. Didn't really think that was helping me out too much, inconsistency with varying amount of unburnt powder left in the barrel.... I've settled on 4198 (you can use either version, they both worked the same for me. A bonus is that 4198 works VERY well in my .223 loads for my Mini-14 and some of my .308 loads.

[bubbawitha4570]

BTW, my early loadings were all done to get the "magnum" out of the cartridge. Found that normal, and even lower than normal loadings, worked just as well on deer. Still have only recovered ONE bullet from all the deer that I've shot with my Marlins. That one went from left/rear thigh through the right/front shoulder of a good sized buck...and was half way through the skin already. 405 jacketed with (I think) my old 3031 load for your info.

[bubbawitha4570]

Mar 6, 2009 8:24:41 GMT -6 DocHolladay said:

That is one of those odd calibers. I dont think anyone on this forum has one or reloads for them.

NOPE, wouldn't have anything to do with this one.....

[juliang]

I have loaded 2 different loads now in the rifle. First load is 50gr Varget with 405gr Rem bullet. Recoil is stout but manageable, approx 1600 fps, seems to hit what I have aimed at with the open sights. Penetrated an 8" TN thorn tree and splintered the exit badly.
Tried 55gr Benchmark, 1850fps approx. OUCH, one shot and the next day still have a bad shoulder. Pachmayr recoil pad arrives today, a day late and a dollar short.
Recoil, used several recoil calculators:
Common knowledge dicatates 20ft/lbs as max for average rifleman. 180gr 30-06, 140gr 7mm Rem Mag. I concur, for me this is fine.
45-70 for 7.5lb rifle:
325gr Levorlution Hornady round = 30 ft/lbs
405gr Rem, 50gr Varget = 30 ft/lbs
405gr Rem, 55gr Benchmark = 40 ft/lbs

I am sticking to 30 ft/lbs, the 40 is a killer!!! Doc wants to shoot one, go ahead punk, make my day!

[DocHolladay]

I aint skeered.

[psycho]

my 450 with a 350 gr bullet at 2100 ft/sec puts out just over 37lbs of recoil.

I kind of like it too... open sights and free handed it is accurate and very manageable

[madoktor1]

Mar 18, 2009 7:26:02 GMT -6 DocHolladay said:

I aint skeered.

Can I get in on this too? ;D If Doc can do it I know I can.

[bubbawitha4570]

During the summers, I regularly put around 50-60 rounds out of a 45/70 on a given weekend, so I definitely have no need of getting the stout load sore shoulder. As an aside, many, many years ago, I managed to make my whole shoulder area yellow for about a week by taking my Marlin prairie dog hunting with the 405gr loads.... they sure did a number on the dogs and mounds!!!! FUN, with a capital F-U-N!!! That did it for me....It was fun until the next day.