Hornady 45-70 Leverevolution ammo...safe for Sharps??

[saturno_v]

Today I was browsing the ammo shelves of a sporting goods shop and I bought a box of Remington 45-70 standard 405 gr. loads. Next to it there was a stack of Hornady 45-70 flexi-tip Leverevolution 325 gr. boxes. I remember reading the published ballistic numbers of this ammo and it claims a very respectable ~3000 ft/lb at the muzzle. The boxes did not have any +P markings nor there was a warning label about not using it in a Sharps or older rifles in general.

3000 ft/lb at the muzzle for about 300 gr. bullet weight in 45-70 is not the hottest 45-70 load for a Marlin lever but it seems well over what an original Sharps or a replica of it could handle. Definitely hotter than the 45-70 offered by Federal, Winchester or Remington.

What is the scoop on this ammo?? It is SAAMI specs or a bit over SAAMI pressure numbers?

 

[DPris]

Perfectly safe in any Sharps .45-70 in good shape.
The Remington standard 405 is a mild load for the caliber.
Denis

 

[Don McDowell]

All of the ammo produced by Hornady, Remington, Winchester and Federal for the 45-70 is produced to sammi spec so it is safe to fire in any 45-70 rifle in safe shooting condition.

 

[saturno_v]

Perfectly safe in any Sharps .45-70 in good shape.
The Remington standard 405 is a mild load for the caliber.
Denis

All of the ammo produced by Hornady, Remington, Winchester and Federal for the 45-70 is produced to sammi spec so it is safe to fire in any 45-70 rifle in safe shooting condition.

Are you guys actually saying that the Federal, Remington and Winchester ammo in 45-70 are actually significantly underloaded even by SAAMI specs for the 45-70??

I'm asking because the 300 gr. load from these companies is well below 3000 ft/lb (published) at the muzzle. I believe it is about 2300 ft/lb.

The Hornady 325 gr. 450 Marlin ammo (same bullet as their 45-70 ammo) "official" figures are only 500 ft/lb higher than the Hornady 45-70 (~3500 vs ~3000)...it seems off to me that the 450 Marlin and 45-70, both by SAAMI specs, are this close in energy numbers.

 

[rcmodel]

SAAMI standard pressure for the 45-70 is 28,000 CUP, or maybe PSI now?

Factory Trap-door lead bullet loads are held to around 21,000.

The lever-action loads are within SAAMI guide-lines, and are safe in modern Sharps replica's.
(Maybe not in original iron frame Sharps black-powder guns?)

If they weren't, there would have too be +P Warnings printed in big writing all over the box.
But, there isn't.

rc

 

[DPris]

In my case, I'm saying what I said.
Denis

 

[Edster12]

Take a look at Hodgdons reloading site on the web. They list three different categories of 45-70 loads. 1)Trap Door, 2) Lever Action, and 3) Modern Rifles. If you can get your hands on Pet Loads, by Ken Waters there is a very good detailed section on the 45-70. In short not all 45-70 loads are created equal. Ken also breaks 45-70 loads into three separate categories.
The Sharps replicas, as stated from the factory are good for loads to 29,007 CUP. If you do a bit of extrapolating using info on factory ammo boxes you will soon come up with the fact that most of it shouldn't be used in a replica rifle.

 

[DPris]

Not true, as a general statement.

The replica Sharps action is stronger than the replica Trapdoor action, and a good Sharps repro can easily handle most standard factory loads.
Denis

 

[Jim Watson]

I have read that the factory 300 gr loads, while within the 28000 psi SAAMI spec, are closer to the limit than the old standard 405 and are not recommended for Trapdoor Springfields.

A real 1870s Sharps is a stronger design but of old materials. It should handle the 300s but I don't think anybody in the ammunition or gun business will recommend that you push them that hard.

A modern made Sharps repro is no doubt strong enough for anything under SAAMI. Pedersoli says so.

Shiloh has said their American made Sharps are strong enough for "Ruger Loads."