.45-70 in .45-110

[icebones]

This one is just for curiousity.

You can fire .38 special in .357 mag (as we all know) a .45-70 is a straight wall case so can a factroy loaded .45-70 round be safely chambered and fired in a rifle chambered for .45-110? I have been unable to find case measurements for .45-110 is it a straight walled case also?

 

[Robert]

The 110 is a 2 7/8" case, the 70 is a 2 1/10" case. Both are straight walled cases. The 110 is just longer. While the 70 CAN be fired in a 110 chamber it is not a terribly good idea. The OAL of the 70 is less so you end up with a bullet and no rifling. Though I am no expert on the matter. The forums over on the Shiloh Sharps site have tons of information.
http://www.shilohrifle.com/forum

As a side note the 110 and 70 refer to the grains of black powder normally used in each loading. The 110 tends to be harder and much, much more expensive to load for. 110 is not in production by any major company that I know of. Boxes of 20 run $120 or so. The 110 is tough to get the loading right as well.

The 70 is available in all kinds of mild to wild loadings. If you are looking at getting a Sharps style rifle I would say get a 70 unless you really want to spend time developing the right load for the 110. I would love a 110 but the 70 is just a better first Sharps. And as always, only use black powder in a Sharps style rifle

 

[icebones]

Thanks, I figured as much, just wondering (watched Quigley Down Under too many times) I though modern repro sharps were ok to use smokless powder, or is the sharps falling block not a strong action? I had always heard that trapdoors and rolling blocks didnt handle hot smokless loads too well.

As much as I want to, A nice repro Sharps with a tang sight is way too far out of my budget.:banghead:

 

[Robert]

Yeah they are cool rifles, but way out of my budget as well. The 45-70 can, I do it, be loaded with smokeless powder. I have no experience with the 110 above what I have read on the Shiloh site.

 

[Pokyman]

The 45 2 7/8 (45-110) can be loaded with smokeless, but has way too much case capacity to really be efficient with smokeless. It really is a better black powder cartridge. When I say better I mean relatively speaking.
What the 45 2 7/8 has to offer over the 45-70 is the ability to shoot heavier bullets at about the same velocities as the 45-70 with lighter bullets. A common mistake that people make is to equate the long 45 2 7/8 case with significantly higher velocities. Adding more black powder behind the bullet does not significantly increase velocity. What it does do is allow a heavier bullet to be fired at or slightly above velocities that the 45-70 does with lighter bullets. the heavier bullet has a higher ballistic coefficient which produces better down range energy and wind bucking properties.
The 45-110 is harder to load for if trying to produce accurate loads. It also is a heavy recoiling cartridge. The only thing the 45-110 will do better than the 45-90 and 45-100 is kick harder.
If you are thinking of one day owning a black powder cartridge rifle and possibly loading with smokelless, the 45-90 (45 2.4) if my pick of the lot. It will do anything the 45 110 will do with black powder and has case capacity more suitable for smokeless.

 

[bobnob]

Just check that guys, I don't know if the 45-70 is a straight walled case. I think it has a taper. Hence I imagine if you fire it in a longer taper it will "blow out". I know nothing about the 45-110 I must admit.

 

[gerald r murray]

Just starting BPCR loading

The posts are interesting about 45-70,90,100,110. I am at the beginning with a sign in my loading room. ( NO GAPS ) I have been melting wheel weights and making 535 Postel lead and using 62gr of ffg. I use the dial caliper and am confident there are no gaps. There are some slight differences in the exposed last ring on the bullets. This was due to the many times it took to make the three hundred rounds. Now when I shoot what is the best way to keep track of my efforts? I have a few duplex loads, some 550 HOCH, RNFP all compressed to keep the seated bullet at the close OAL. with the last ring exposure.
No Gaps. I have fired them all at 50 yards just to check the chamber and firing. They all seem to be good loads and shoot straight. Now I will get out to 200 yds and see what happens. As I said just beginning. I plan to shoot Buffalo gongs at 200, 300,600 yds. Since I have experienced the starting excitement of making the noise and hitting at close range. Now the refinement challenge and getting confident with the distance is at hand. I have had some good advice about the molds and the assembly of the cartridges. I have the readings and references but now the hand and eye meets the touch and feel part of ringing the gongs as we move out the distance. Since I am a pretty good shot close range does not mean I can assume I will be with out some training and experience. Any pointers about heading out on the range for a beginner would be helpful. How and what to document would be helpful as I build my book.

 

[RyeDaddy]

Just so it's out there, the 45-70 IS a tapered cartridge. The taper is slight, but it's there.

 

[Robert]

When I call the 45-70 straight walled I mean there is no shoulder like on the 30-06 or 30-30. Yes it has a slight taper and is not truly "straight".

 

[Jim Watson]

While you can fire .45-70 in .45-110, the 3/4" jump through the longer chamber is not going to help accuracy. That is something that used to be done to go hunting or just to say you had shot Grandpa's gun. There is no reason now to buy big and shoot small, components and data are available.

Let us know how it works out, gerald.
I would not have loaded 300 rounds of many different flavors, but maybe it will work for you. There was an article in BPCR News about incremental load development, changing one variable at a time.
It took me a good deal of tinkering to get my .38-55 shooting well enough for BPCR silhouettes but the .40-65 shoots well with the same load a friend uses in his gun of the same model and caliber.