Any other .45-70 trapdoor BP shooters here?

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Just curious?

I have a Model 1873 date stamped 1884 on the cartouche and I completely love my old girl.

I've worked up a fantastic load using 59 grains 2f with a 405 grain bullet, SPG lube and a vegetable fiber card that my rifle absolutely loves. Shoots really really good. I have to admit the Trapdoor is about the coolest rifle ever. It always draws a crowd at the range and I get millions of questions with people being in awe of the .45-70 cartridge as well as the fact that my rifle is almost 130 years old. I won't shoot smokeless through her and only load BP cartridges.

I just cast 100 bullets and loaded up 50 of my empty brass today. All my cartridges are full, 150 of them ready to go. My Trapdoor gets as much work out as pretty much anything I own. I always want to grab her anytime I'm going out because it's so much fun. Seriously thinking about hunting with it this year.

Just wondering if any others have the same love?
 
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My neighbor has an 1884 trapdoor rifle, I accuse him of breaking down and stuffing in his foot locker when he mustered out.:D
It's a neat ol rifle, but I am a huge Sharps fan.My wife likes the hiwalls, and we have a couple of rollers.
It's not unusual for us to burn a couple of cases of powder a year, and the hundreds of pounds of lead that we send down range can be sort of mind boggling from time to time.:what:
 
I have an original 1884 someone cut down to an officer's model, with a Douglas barrel, and a 1976 H&R Trapdoor.I load a 405 over sixty grains of 2F Goex, for both. I cast all my own bullets, and use mostly Starline brass and Winchester primers.The Trapdoor is easily my favorite BPCR.
 
trapdoor

I use 65gr fffg w/405 or an old lyman spitzer? use as cast in 1890 dated 1884.stock has been shortened,still has buffington sight high at 100 yds.also have a Browning 1886,and a no1 roller w/win highwall bl built by Bill Morrison in Bangor Maine.Roller has a very min chamber,shoots well. oh yeah,I'm cheap so I use goex and 1000+ [ add bees wax to stiffen in warm weather].
 
I have an 1873 built in 1878 and load it with a 405 grain hollow base bullet (either from a Lee mold or an NEI double cavity mold), FFg powder (usually 70 grains) and lubed with some homebrewed stuff I like, all sparked by a large rifle primer. It shoots to the sights and is a good rifle. Better than the 1873 is the 1866 trapdoor I use. A 50-70, it uses 450 grains of lead (Lee or Lyman mold but soon to be a custom hollow based one) and 70 grains of powder, same lube , same primer. It also shoots to the sights but is much more effective on the few game animals I have on which I have used them both.

Having used both, it is easy to see why the Army made the change to the small bored 45-70, much flatter trajectory!
 
Very nice!

Straw Hat, I love your .50-70. I know you posted pics and info before and I just thought it was the neatest thing! How does the soft lead 405 bullet perform on deer?

Also, how do you get 70 grains in the shell though? At 60 I'm compressing a bit. The 59-60 grain load I use seems just right for the shell. It's a bit of compression and shoots really well. I have tried both 2f and 3f and don't really notice all that much different at the range I'm usually shooting at (anywhere between 25 out to 100). I'd love to try the Trapdoor at longer ranges, from 200-500 but just don't have the opportunity. My usual range only goes out to 100 and where I shoot privately with my cousin (his property and private range) also isn't long because of woods and terrain. I'd really like to see what it could do though reaching out.

Oh I also use only large rifle primers too and my bullet is a flat base 405 (like the military bullet) thrown from a Lyman mold.

I've posted this picture before but here's mine with a couple of friends. :)



 
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Very nice!

Straw Hat, I love your .50-70. I know you posted pics and info before and I just thought it was the neatest thing! How does the soft lead 405 bullet perform on deer?

Also, how do you get 70 grains in the shell though? At 60 I'm compressing a bit. The 59-60 grain load I use seems just right for the shell. It's a bit of compression and shoots really well. I have tried both 2f and 3f and don't really notice all that much different at the range I'm usually shooting at (anywhere between 25 out to 100). I'd love to try the Trapdoor at longer ranges, from 200-500 but just don't have the opportunity. My usual range only goes out to 100 and where I shoot privately with my cousin (his property and private range) also isn't long because of woods and terrain. I'd really like to see what it could do though reaching out.

Oh I also use only large rifle primers too and my bullet is a flat base 405 (like the military bullet) thrown from a Lyman mold.

Thank you, it is one of my favorites. PArtly because it is unique but mostly because it is merely an accurate rifle.

How do I get 70 grains in the 50-70? Well I load in Starline brass and use an empty case as a measure. Scoop up a full case of powder and drop it down a 30" tube. Seat the wad on top and then the bullet. With either the Lee or Lyman bullet, cast 30/1, it is good for 3 MOA every time I paper it. 3 MOA not good enough for you? Then you can alter the grease formulae, posder formulae, lead composition, compression figures, LOA, and a bunch of other stuff. I quit doing that years ago and found shooting to be much more enjoyable. When I get the hollow based bullet mould, I will omit the wad and I fully expect to get the same old pedestrian 3 MOA I have always gotten from this rifle.

Actually, since the 50 has come along, I find myself shooting the 45 less and less. There is something about balck powder, lead and 50 caliber that is much more accurate and exciting than the little 45. So much so that if I need the flatter trajectory I usually skip over the 45 calibers and just grab my 405 WCF.

As for reching out with the small bore, check out this article,

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/longrange/sandyhook.htm

At some point, the Army considered using a 45-80 and it is reflected in the testing but the 45-70 was no slouch either.

Does the 50 hit harder? Well, from the limited experience I have with it, yes! On game with similar shot placement, the game shot with the 50 drops sooner than game with the 45. Steel, rock and tree trunks also react more when hit with the 50 over the smaller bore. Others may not agree, but I have done enough shooting to believe what I see and report. For years, nothing could triumph over my 45-70s. Not the 30 calibers, nor even the 35s or 40s. I had single shot, doubles and bolt action 45-70s and felt confident I had the brass ring... until I fired that 1841 Conversion for the third time!

I still like the 45-70 but usually grab the 50 when going out for a walk in the woods.
 
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