45-70 bullet/dies

[Axis II]

I'm in the market for 45-70 dies and would like to go with Lee. I notice they only offer steel dies which would have to be lubed right? the die also says offers a taper to a roll crimp. how can 1 die do a taper and roll crimp? im confused on that.

As far as the bullets go what's the difference in the 300gr xtp and the 325gr ftx other than the tip?

 

[badkarmamib]

Yes, steel dies require lube. AFAIK, Lee only offers steel (no carbide) dies in their rifle dies. I just roll a little Lee lube between my fingers every other round, and coat each case below the shoulder. Can't say for sure anything about the other 2 questions, but I would wonder if the crimp was a taper that rolls at the end of the stroke, giving a better crimp for tubular magazines, but, again, I am just guessing based off your description.

 

[Bullseye]

Looking at the Hornady page, I only find a 325 red tipped .458 diameter bullet in FTX.

http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Cal-.458-325-gr-FTX/

XTP is only in handgun catagory and is pretty much a hollow point self defense bullet.
I saw your other thread about 45-70 loads last night.
I load 325 gr cast hollow point bullets and have loaded other soft point bullets too.
At 150 yds and under, I suggest you sight in at 100 yds and find what the drop will be at 150 yds.
Any of these 45-70 bullets will kill a whitetail.
I have loaded with Unique and Trail Boss with cast bullets and with Benchmark & Varget in the jacketed soft point and Hornady FTX. There are better powders to use, I am sure. This is a 45-70, it will kill any large game in the US.
I have Hornady dies, It's a three die set. Sizing, Flaring, and seating/crimp. The Hornady shell holder probably is too thick to insert in a Lee press.
The crimp is set with the seating die adjustment but I wouldn't be surprised to find a factory crimp die is available.
Yes, I lube my cases. No big deal. Don't try NOT lubing them, they'll get stuck.
This was one of my early loading experiences.


I loaded the FTX or leverevolution bullet myself.
I am pretty sure they are one in the same in this case.
I have a Marlin 1895 guide gun. The Trail Boss I loaded up for an antique trapdoor my buddy has.
I shot some and found they are nice for my guide gun too for a more relaxing session. I wouldn't choose these for deer but then I wouldn't want to be a deer and get hit with the Unique loads.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

My 45-70 dies just happen to be Hornady dies that's bought at an auction for a few dollars. (before I had a 45-70) They are very good dies and make good ammo as will most dies available today. I have used Lee, Hornady, RCBS and Lyman rifle dies, all did the same thing, made good ammo. I usually buy RCBS rifle dies because the company has treated me very well over the years. They have the best CS in the industry IMO.

The Lee seating/crimp die does both crimps. It starts with a taper crimp and progresses to a roll crimp controlled by adjusting the die.

Midway USA has the RCBS 45-70 die set on sale for $39.49 right now, a $7 discount. Good price!
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/560471/rcbs-3-die-set-45-70-government

 

[Bullseye]

I usually buy RCBS rifle dies because the company has treated me very well over the years. They have the best CS in the industry IMO.

Absolutely! RCBS has been great to me EVERY time.

I had some pics here of my loaded cartridges but my dumb SD card won't read for some reason. I'll try to get them up later.

 

[Axis II]

Looking at the Hornady page, I only find a 325 red tipped .458 diameter bullet in FTX.

http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Cal-.458-325-gr-FTX/

XTP is only in handgun catagory and is pretty much a hollow point self defense bullet.
I saw your other thread about 45-70 loads last night.
I load 325 gr cast hollow point bullets and have loaded other soft point bullets too.
At 150 yds and under, I suggest you sight in at 100 yds and find what the drop will be at 150 yds.
Any of these 45-70 bullets will kill a whitetail.
I have loaded with Unique and Trail Boss with cast bullets and with Benchmark & Varget in the jacketed soft point and Hornady FTX. There are better powders to use, I am sure. This is a 45-70, it will kill any large game in the US.
I have Hornady dies, It's a three die set. Sizing, Flaring, and seating/crimp. The Hornady shell holder probably is too thick to insert in a Lee press.
The crimp is set with the seating die adjustment but I wouldn't be surprised to find a factory crimp die is available.
Yes, I lube my cases. No big deal. Don't try NOT lubing them, they'll get stuck.
This was one of my early loading experiences.


I loaded the FTX or leverevolution bullet myself.
I am pretty sure they are one in the same in this case.
I have a Marlin 1895 guide gun. The Trail Boss I loaded up for an antique trapdoor my buddy has.
I shot some and found they are nice for my guide gun too for a more relaxing session. I wouldn't choose these for deer but then I wouldn't want to be a deer and get hit with the Unique loads.

that would be great to be able to use benchmark as my 223 loves it. I seen a FCD for the 45-70 too but what got me is midways description says taper to roll crimp in one die. I seen hornady hollow points and thought they would be xtp also but guess not.

 

[theleo]

I have a Marlin 1895 guide gun. The Trail Boss I loaded up for an antique trapdoor my buddy has.QUOTE]
Be weary of Trail Boss in antique guns, it has a tendancy to produce pressure above what it's low velocity may indicate. There's a number of powders out there that you can get you significantly more performance out of, for less pressure.

To the OP,

I'm fond of the RCBS dies but many of the others that offer a roll crimp do just as well. I wouldn't bother using a taper crimp. I do recommend using a stepped expander die like a Lyman "M" die or a NOE expander plug for the Lee Universal neck flairing tool. It saves stress on the brass that you normally get from when you "bell" the case, helps seat the bullet squarely in the case, and gives you some options for changing the case tention on the bullet to help prevent bullet set back during recoil (if you ever get a lever gun). If you end up shooting lead at some point it also helps prevent shaving the bullet as it gets seated.

 

[Bugster]

I checked my Hornady manual and the 300 gr. is a HP. No list for XTP.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I checked my Hornady manual and the 300 gr. is a HP. No list for XTP.

If you look on the Hornady site you will see they do not offer an XTP bullet in .458" for the 45-70 or any other rifle cartridge. The XTP bullet is a handgun bullet.

As for the difference between the XTP bullet and FTX bullet, the XTP bullet is an open ended HP bullet whereas the FTX bullet uses a polymer filled HP.