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Mild .45-70 load

9K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  kingstrider 
#1 ·
I'm looking to create a mild plinking load for the .45-70, and plan on using 300 gr swaged bullets with Trail Boss.
Does anyone have experience with this combination?
GH1 :)
 
#2 ·
Here's as close as I can come:

Oregon Trail 350gr FP cast, 14.0gr TrailBoss, CCI200, Rem cases, OAL=2.530”, crimped, RESULTS: chronographed velocity=1124fps; light cowboy load; 1.5”@50yds, excellent

That is copied from my handloading records. It's a very pleasant load to shoot, very mild. Good luck.
 
#5 ·
The Lyman 457124 gave me real good results with 10 gr unique with very mild recoil.

For the ultimate plinker in the 45-70, youneed to get some collar button boolits. Lyman 457130 mold. 10 gr Unique gives pretty good results for me. This thread has some fairly complex load data that two different guys say will give 1/2" to 3/4" accuracy with the collar buttons at 50 yards. That's a heck of a plinkin' round in my book.

I plan to play around more with the Unique and maybe some felt or fiber wads.
 
#9 ·
GH1,

Like Rowdy and the rest, I am a true Trail Boss nut for the .45-70. In fact All I load now is with that powder for the smokless rounds I use for serious shooting. The Lee 340 gr RNFP and 15.7 gr of TB is my hog load and also is a real tack driver outta my little GG at 100 to 150 yds. I can only echo what the others have said, but TB is fantastic in this round!

Wade
 
#11 ·
Yesterday I loaded 30 rounds, using 14 gr and 15gr of T.B. I had a devil of a time getting the T.B. to meter out of my RCBS Uni-Flow, however.
I ended up having to weigh a charge and then dump into a case. I then compared every case I filled to the one with the weighed charge that served as my standard.
Unfortunately, my range day was cancelled due to inclement weather. When I eventually make it to the range I'll be sure to post a full report.
GH1 :)
 
#13 ·
Forgot to tell you that TB will often bridge in some measures. In my really old Ideal #55 it will bridge a bunch! I simply built me a powder scoop that gives me the load I want and go at it! This stuff is so bulky that I found that if I just dip the same way every time, it'll give me the proper charge.

Wade
 
#14 ·
Also a big fan of TB. I chronographed it against 3031 when it first came out and now have 3lbs of 3031 getting old on my shelf. What convinced me was the extreme spread. I shot five 5-shot groups with each powder and had ES ranging from 85-120 with 3031 and 7-18 with TB. Not sure that makes much difference at a hundred yards or so but it can't hurt. I was using 16grs and a 300gr GC bullet from RCBS mold. Averaged 1240fps.

Haven't tried it in my 38-55 yet and almost hope it doesn't work so I'll have a use for the 3031 when I run out of 4227.
 
#15 ·
Dave Bulla said:
The Lyman 457124 gave me real good results with 10 gr unique with very mild recoil.

For the ultimate plinker in the 45-70, youneed to get some collar button boolits. Lyman 457130 mold. 10 gr Unique gives pretty good results for me. This thread has some fairly complex load data that two different guys say will give 1/2" to 3/4" accuracy with the collar buttons at 50 yards. That's a heck of a plinkin' round in my book.

I plan to play around more with the Unique and maybe some felt or fiber wads.
I went to the Lyman site to search for the 457130 mold and found nothing. Is this an older mold?
GH1
 
#17 ·
The 457130 has been out of print for years. The 457124 is still around and is my #1 bullet for the 405 gr. with a soft mix. A nice thumper when loaded heavy, but if you keep if above 950 FPS it will spin like a champ and can be quite acurate.

Wade
 
#18 ·
I made it to the range today and was quite impressed with the loads I made. I didn't notice any difference between 14 & 15 gr, thay both felt about the same to me. The loads were very accurate and FAR less punishing than the Federal 300 gr jacketd I shot out of it. T.B. is definately a keeper. I had no leading whatsoever, despite the soft swaged bullets.
Now I just need to make a 14 gr dipper so I can skip using the Uni-Flow altogether, it was just too tricky to get it to meter properly.
GH1 :)
 
#22 ·
GH1 said:
I'm looking to create a mild plinking load for the .45-70, and plan on using 300 gr swaged bullets with Trail Boss.
Does anyone have experience with this combination?
GH1 :)
I was looking for a similar load using H4198 ... (AR2207) something light that will shoot well to 50 yards for paper punching ... ? (dont mean to hijack the thread but thought that while you are all looking at your data you may come across something..)
 
#23 ·
Tom in Arizona said:
Were you using a large cylinder in the Uniflow? For that amount of powder I have had better results using a small cylinder.
I tried using the small cylinder first, but even with the scrwe backed nearly completely out i still wasn't near the weight I needed, due to the bulky nature of TB. I then switched to the large cylinder and it worked better, but still not great.
GH1 :)
 
#24 ·
GH1,

I believe a 3.1cc Lee Dipper will give you 14.3 gr of TB.
This will give you a starting point I suppose on a dipper.
I know that with my old Ideal #55, TB will bridge in that old measure like crazy. Must be the same with the uniflo as well huh?

Wade
 
#26 ·
I loaded up 50 rounds for my buddy yesterday, I sure hope he gets his gear set up soon. I discovered that one .38 Special cartridge + one .357 cartridge = 14 gr TB.
Unfortunately, the previous bullets were 300 gr and the ones I loaded yesterday were 350 gr. It'll be iontereting to see how the heavier ones shoot. They're also a much harder bullet, around 16 BHI, whereas the swaged were somewhere between 8-10 BHI, I think.
We plan on going to the range Sunday, so I'll post a full report.
GH1 :)
 
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