First time reloading for a 45-70 (Marlin)

[RunninLate]

Just got in some Hornady 350 grn SP and 300 grn Nosler Ballistic Point for the 45-70. Also the first time loading with cowboy dies.

Lessons learned:
1. 57.7 gn of IMR 3031 takes forever to drop out of RCBS uniflow powder thrower. Had powder all over the bench.
2. IMR is a pain to use large amounts. Does not meter very well. I had to weight every round and could be off by .4 gns
3. H335 is a much easier powder to use in larger drops (63.0 gns) than 3031.
4. Using 57.7 to 63.0 gns of powder a pound of powder does not last long
5. The expander dies does expand the case a lot more than the standard dies
6. You can not be in a hurry when loading the larger caliber bullets

Now if the cast bullets ever come in I will be ready to head to the range.

I got the data for the loads from the Hornady manual and Nosler's website. The Hornady rounds I am hoping to get around 1700 F/sec and the Nosler around 2100 F/sec.

Any comments for those of you that load for a 45-70 Marlin would be welcome.

 

[eldon519]

Depends what you want to accomplish but Unique and some cast bullets will make fun plinking loads that you can churn out quickly.

 

[redbullitt]

Those will kick a little : ) then again I am pretty skinny so I am sure that doesn't help lol.

I have had my best luck with a 405 cast WFN plain base at 1500 FPS. Not too fast, good accuracy and manageable recoil. Goes through just about anything you want to put a hole in.
H4198 powder does very well. Accuracy is as good as can be expected with my sights. Never really needed to gas check anything for the 4570 FWIW.

I do load some up to 1750ish with a jacketed bullet, but man I just don't like the recoil. I have used the hornady jacketed bullets on deer at 1700ish and the Nosler 300s on deer. They hammer them to be sure. Then again, mild 405 casts do too, but just not as traumatic for me or the deer lol.

Definitely work up a light load too when you can. Great for practice, stretches powder out too. As was mentioned, get some unique if possible.

Might look into a lyman M die. Best thing I ever added to my tools when I started loading cast.

 

[stringnut]

IMR powder does drop slow. Running it through a funnel may help. Don't worry about a .4 grain variation. It is only .01 percent and not significant. Variations in case and bullet weight make little difference either. When I had my Ruger no 1 it shot everthing into 1.5 inches or less if loaded properly. This was with various ball and stick powders. All charges were thrown with a measure. Quickly learned the pitfalls of loading cast bullets to fast! A favorite load was a 300 gr jacketed of any manufacturer and a hefty charge of IMR 4198. Chronographed about 2200 fps. What a hammer at both ends. Could only shoot a dozen max in any range session. Shot under an inch if I didn't get a flinch going.

 

[gojones]

I may not understand the discussion, but the first thing I saw that raised alerts for me were using SP and ballistic tip bullets in the Marlin 1895. I only use flat point and HP bullets. I am concerned with detonation from firing the gun. ??? I think I read somewhere not to use those type bullets even though this is not a tube feed rifle. Have I learned something today?

 

[RunninLate]

gojones thanks for the concern about the Ballistic tip bullets. They are rounder than the soft tips that Hornady made for the level action guns. I think even on the Midway website it list them as a bullet for the lever action.

redbullitt, I too was concern about loading up to 2000 f/sec with the Nosler bullets but that was the light load and a light bullet. Once maybe 5 rounds are shot with each bullet, they will go back into the closet and the cast bullets (loaded around 1400 to 1500 f/sec) will be seeing some range time.

 

[BigBore44]

What wt cast boolits are you going to be using? I've stuck with 405's from MBC and LaserCast. 15 gr of Unique will give you a plinking load a child can shoot. And 41 gr of 3031 will give you a good thumping hunting round. No, 3031 doesn't meter well. But I weigh every charge no matter what powder I'm loading. I don't shoot "light" bullets in my 45-70 other than occasionally some 325 FTX LeverEvers. I've pretty much stopped using those rounds though. They will put the game down fast, but man they make a mess inside the animal. Those casts make a nice clean hole and at moderate velocities, will punch through a deer/hog from any angle. And punch through elk or bear from almost any angle depending on distance to target.

 

[otrman]

Ok, couple things here need further investigation. Hornady does not list a SP(spire point) bullet in that size, only FTX flex tip, HP(hollow point), FP(flat point), or RN(round nose). If it is a true SP, I would not use it a tube feed lever gun, except single load. And you may have an issue with the ballistic tip too. Hornady uses shorter than standard brass to load their flextip bullets to get them to an AOL feed in a lever gun. If you loaded them to length to cycle thru action you have much more bullet in the case greatly reducing capacity and could cause over-pressure. I would hate to see your first attempt be the last and most of your post makes me nervous

 

[RunninLate]

otrman, sorry it is a flat point and not soft point.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have loaded jacketed bullets with 3031 with good success and I have used 4895, 4198 and a few others. My current favorite is AA5744 with all bullets.

 

[Wis-Harpo]

45-70 Mauser

I have started to find a softer kicking load for my 45-70 Siamese Mauser. I have been shooting 50 grains of IMR 4198 behind a Hornady 350 gr. round nose bullet since 1984. I just got off of the bathroom scales with and without the rifle. I know it is not too accurate, but I came up with the same weight. Both ways came out 10 1/2 pounds. Not your typical light weight Mountain rifle !! Even with a heavy rifle the kick is getting annoying. When I went to 43 grains of IMR 4198 I expected the rifle to group low, but it shot about 5" high and off of the paper. The kick was still there, but not bad enough not to shoot 20 rounds. It kind of reminds me of how I hated to site in a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs. I want to try IMR 3031 to see how my rifle likes it. How low can IMR 4198 and IMR 3031 be loaded without any problems. I do not shoot lead cast bullets, just Hornady 350 RN and 325 FTX bullets.