45/70 and felt wads...?

[Shanghai McCoy]

I plan on doing some reloading of my 45/70 with black powder and was wondering if those lubed felt wads work. I have used them in my cap and ball revolvers with good results and I would think they would work in the cartridge case to lube and control fouling...?

 

[mainmech48]

I use regular Walters fiber wads over the powder charge in my cast bullet .45-70 loads, whether I'm loading them with Goex 1 1/2 Fg, Pyrodex C or "smokeless". I've found that this, plus using a BP-specific formula lube (SPG or Lyman BP Gold) on the bullets, virtually eliminates lead fouling in my rifles, at least when my loads don't exceed "Trapdoor" pressures.

When making higher pressure smokeless hunting loads for my Marlin 95G, I prefer to stick with jacketed bullets, but have had good results with commercially-cast 400-450 gr. slugs so long as they're provided with a gas check.

 

[BHP FAN]

I use either Wonder Wads or lube cookies over a cork card wad, on 60 gr. of 2f Goex.I use the Wonder Wads under Aloxed 385 home cast, and the lube cookies under a home cast pan lubed 405.Powder, cork card .030 wad [water/lube contaminate proofs the load] Lube cookie or Wonder Wad, bullet. Shot through 1884 rifle cut to carbine.

 

[Foto Joe]

Putting a "Lubed" wad in contact with your powder will probably lead to fouling the powder sooner or later.

Typically a "Veggie Wad" of either .060 or .030 thickness is used in cartridge loading. The lubrication would come from the lube grooves on your bullets. You can do a Google search for Big Lube bullets and come up with a number of commercially made bullets that are lubed specifically for Black Powder cartridges. Or you can always cast your own, size and lube. I'm buying them for .07 each and find it easier than casting, to each his own.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Thanks for the input Foto...

 

[TomADC]

I use a .060 veggie wad. Basically a fiber wad. Works just fine.
I ast my own but if I didn't I'd buy from this guy, I do for my Smith carbine. You may need to join catboolits but that isn't a bad thing.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=87136

 

[BHP FAN]

If you use the cork [fiber] wad it acts as a gasket, and the lube from the wonder wad or lube cookie never contacts the powder. at least, not in any of the many, many, hundreds of .45-70 loads I've made.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Thanks BHP, that makes sense to me... I need to get some of those fiber wads soon.

BTW, what part of Northern California...?

 

[FiveStrings]

I got a question about using fiber/veggie wads in .45-70 bp cartridges: what determines your choice between using a .060 or a .030 thickness?

 

[BHP FAN]

Eureka...

 

[Foto Joe]

I got a question about using fiber/veggie wads in .45-70 bp cartridges: what determines your choice between using a .060 or a .030 thickness?

Good question that I don't have an answer for. My choice is dependent upon which is hanging on the hook at Cabela's most of the time or what's available from whatever mailorder outlet I'm using for something else. It probably has something to do with how much powder you're trying to jam into the brass as well.

One other thing, I was watching a video on loading 45-70 with Black Powder on YouTube a couple of months ago. I believe the guy was loading for long range bulls eye and he was pretty meticulous. He recommended a "tissue" over the flash hole to prevent powder from entering the primer. I've never taken the time to do that and I don't really know the reasoning why. Maybe BHP Fan or mykeal might know the reasoning for the tissue.

 

[Starter52]

About eight years ago I tried using Wonder Wads in my .45/70 handloads. They worked just fine. I have since switched over to a wad of dacron which works just as well but doesn't cost nearly as much.

 

[david58]

My experience with reloading 45/70 is for the Trapdoor Springfield, which has three lands/three grooves, all shallow, equal width (basically, still Minie bullet technology barrels). 70 grains of 2F fills almost to the brim, so the powder has to be compressed. With SPG lube, to the best of my memory, this compressed load shoots pretty clean and is very close to the original load if you use the correct bullet. Takes a Federal large magnum rifle primer to set it off correctly. There was a book written by a now-departed fellow named Wolf on loading and shooting the trapdoor, using a reproduction of the federal cartridge of the time. It is a gold mine if you want to repro the old way, but your barrel's rifling will tell you if you can or not - you'll be shooting medium hard lead, about 1200fps. Shallow rifling would be the trick, and you either need to use the 500 grain rifle bullet or the 405 grain hollow base to grab the rifling right (the inertia of the 500 grain keeps you from having to have a hollow base - the base will expand by itself into the grooves when fired).

The joys of 45/70. Indescribeable...

 

[BHP FAN]

My first reloading ever was for the Trapdoor, useing the Lee Loader hand tool. I use actual dies now, and a drop tube, but that Lee Loader got me started.