.45-70 lever actions and the M1882 .45-70-500 loading

[.455_Hunter]

Am I correct in assuming that a round matching the OAL of the 500 gr M1882 .45-70 with the long-nosed hemispherical tipped bullet will NOT function in lever action guns?

Is this also why all factory .45-70, even modern 500 gr loadings (usually flatnose) have the shorter "normal" 1873 style OAL?

 

[troy fairweather]

They may feed but you don't want the pointed bullet in a tube magazine.

 

[DocRock]

Pointy bullets in tube magazine bad. And it likely won't feed.

 

[.455_Hunter]

They may feed but you don't want the pointed bullet in a tube magazine.

These bullets are not pointed, but round nose. I am not sure when the .45-70 sporting loads got flat nosed projectiles, but the early commercial cartridges (as best I can tell) seem to have round nose profiles.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Pointy bullets in tube magazine bad. And it likely won't feed.

Hemispherical round nose, not pointed.

I am interested in the OAL issue. Do the military 500 gr loadings work in repeating rifles, or did they only work in single-shots like the Trapdoor?

 

[DocRock]

Sorry, my mistake. A 500 grs round nose may well feed. Do you have a "standard" 405 grs load to compare COAL with? If it isn't much longer, it very likely will.

 

[792mauser]

I've loaded some 500gr lead for the Marlin 95cb I have.
They need to be seated deep. ~2.55" is the max in my rifle.
Loaded with trailboss pinker and the tang sight, its a fun 200 yard plinker.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Feed maybe. Eject a loaded round? Likely not.

Marlin 1895s can be modified to cycle a round of 2.7” OAL.

 

[whm1974]

The issue with using that loading in tube magazines, is that both pointed and round nose will set the primers off if the magazine is loaded and a shot is fired.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Feed maybe. Eject a loaded round? Likely not.

Marlin 1895s can be modified to cycle a round of 2.7” OAL.

Interesting. Looking online (can't find one of my actual examples to measure at the moment) the military load in question runs about 2.8" OAL. Probably wouldn't work in a 1895 action.

 

[Catman42]

i dont know what twist those rifles have but if it is slower than 1/22 or even a 1/22 the 500 grain bullets isnt for that gun. a 400 grain bullet with the right load will drop anything you want out their. why go the recoil and the stress of figuring out if a 500 grain bullet works. too much lead. that bullet is ment for single shots. in my long range buffalo rifle i use a 435 grain bullet. if you want sonething different and effective go paperpatch. i know some will say they shot 500 grain bullets in a 1/22 twist barrel. the 1/20 or 1/18 twist is better. a trial test gun springfield and i think it was a 1/19 twist shot the 500 grain round nose government bullet very well way out their. the spring field was a 1/22 twist. my buffalo custom is a 1.22 twist. i did that on purpose to shoot a paperpatched 435 grain bullet. ive even built a custom 1/28 twist 45 cal muzzleloader. it shot a 400 grain bullet very very accurate. paperpatched. check your guns twist out and go from their. the twist will tell you what to do.