45-70 Practice Load

[Sharps40]

Messin around with my Uberti Big Game Hi Wall in 45-70, so I decided to recreate my favorite plinking load for this caliber.

Round ball. Squirrel and bunny accurate at 25 yards and at close ranges for practice, I just aim using the same scope site setting as my 1650 fps 405g HBLFN hunting loads.

Any good case, I have tons of Win and Rem left over.

LPM or LRM primer.

4.4g to 5g Unique powder. (I read other folks use much more powder than this, but i never saw the need, soft and quiet and accurate is what I wanted and what I get from this load.)

Size a .490" LRB in a Lee .461" push through sizing die. (.457 to .459 will work)

Put a good bell on the mouth of the case, something like the m-die does a fine job and also expands that portion of the case the ball will be seated in.

Seat one of the now shanked round balls flush. Start it straight or you wind up with a triangular mouthed case that has to be pulled down and resized. I use a powder compression die to start and seat the ball flush with the mouth. (I do not use a card wad or filler. Rung a brand new barrel on a sharps at the base of the bullet using card wads over powder one time. Can't recommend any form of filler at all because of my experience....its sucks cutting square bottom threads on a barrel, and having to do it twice on the same gun in one week was double suck.)

Bump the loaded round in the sizing die (decapper removed) to remove the bell or taper crimp lightly in a 45 acp/colt taper crimp die.

Smear on a tiny bit of your favorite muzzle loader bullet lube. Mine is home made for everything from muzzle loaders, pistol and 4570 black and smokeless loads.

Go shoot.

About the kick of a .22 LR. About the same noise as a .22 LR, perhaps a touch louder.

Nice to shoot.

Note, prolly ain't gonna feed in a lever action, but can still single load to plink.

Rolls cans real nice too.

 

[cold1]

That's about the same load I use for my 4570 plinking.

I found an old gallery load in an old reloading manual. It used red dot. I got one of the NOE collar button molds so I cast them instead of using round balls.

 

[Catfish]

Tell me about that homemade muzzle loader lube recipe?

 

[Sharps40]

Recipee is on the lid. Throw it all in a double boiler. If you want it stiffer, remelt and add paraffin or more beeswax.

Dont over think low velocity lube. Bullet fit makes more difference. This works for me and ok for black powder too as it moistens the fouling. A simpler bp only lube is 50/50 beeswax and vasoline.

 

[LinuxGuru]

That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing! May I ask the weigh of the round balls you were using?
I literally just started reloading for my wife's 45-70 Marlin last week (first rifle reloads ever). She handles the rifle like a champ, but wanted some lighter loads for practice/plinking that didn't kill her shoulder. I started off 350gr RN plated bullets over 43.5 grains of IMR3031 (well below starting for the 1895) thinking that would be super light and was surprised by how stout that load was.
I didn't even think you could go as low as 4.4 grains of Unique. That's a bit under what I've used for some of my light .45 ACP loads.

 

[Sharps40]

.490 rb should be 177ish grains. I use same charge with a 240g lead roundnose from a cap and ball revolver mold alsp sized .461

 

[Sharps40]

40 rounds fired today. 3 misses. 20 yards. Off hand. Trimming the stock (other thread) sightly changed my point of impact. I'll have to recheck and rezero the hunting load, but that was expected. Quite happy with the latest iteration of my favorite practice load though. Loaded 50 more this morning for another afternoons plinking practice......deer season is just around the corner.



Roundball on steel.....Its why I like pure lead ball in the muzzleloader......they do this in deer shoulders with a hunting charge. Now that these balls have learned how to fly, I'll have to recast them, they'll be my lucky bullets in the muzzleloader this year.