Help Need CHEAP!!!!

[KotaWood]

im about to get a 45-120, and naturally like most humans alive in america i can not afford to pay 100+ dollars for 20 rounds, and i dont wana pay that much on a reloader, i wana get a lee classic loader in this caliber, problem is its never been made, so how am i suppose to remedy that? i heard on a different thread some guy was using his 45-70 LL to reload 45-120,how can this be done safely and simply? ad 45 cal. I.D. pipe cut in a length to case holder or what? please help

[kevinsmith5]

I'm not sure with the 25-120, but my 45-70 lee loader will load 45-90 with 405 grain loads unmodified. Haven't tried heavier loads.

[necchi]

Modifying loading equipment is a bad idea in my opinion, a recipie for disaster.
 
Spend a little more and get the handheld and dies, you'll be very close to that 100 you mention and will save in the future.
 AND, have all your fingers and facial features as well as your gun still intact for years to come.
  http://www.google.com/search?q=lee+hand+held+press&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGIH

[Catfish]

I would think that you should be able to just drill a hole in a piece of steel the correct thickness to get you the lenth you need.

[curator]

I loaded several black powder cartridges for many years before buying ANY dies or reloading equipment except for a bullet mould. No reason why you need to resize your .45-120 cases to reload them if you are loading with black powder. Simply punch out the old primer with an ice pick. Seat the primer with a wood dowel, measure powder add an over powder wad and the bullet. Once the recoil of the full case of 120 grains of black powder tenderizes your shoulder, you can cut the charge by as much as half and replace the extra powder with corn meal of better yet, cream of wheat cereal. Just make sure the charge column is slightly compressed and you have a real "black powder" lube on the bullets.

[mechanic]

I'm thinkin' you can use the Lee loader unmodified.  That is if the primer punch is long enough...if not that would be an easy fix.
 
I've loaded 357 max. on my 38 Lee loader.
 
Ben

[shot1]

Like has been said you don't need to resize your case if using BP. You can use a lee 45-70 if you want because it only neck sizes a case but you will need to only drive the case in as far as it will go to neck size. I would not fool with it myself because with BP loading you don't need to. You can make your own primer punch out tool with a piece of metal rod long enough. Drill a hole in one end just deep enough to hold a RCBS replacement primer pin and epoxy it in place. Use a piece of wood 2 inches thick and drill a hole the size of the rim of the case half way through and then drill a hole in the center of that hole large enough to allow the primer to be punched through. Get a Lee hand primer tool to seat the primers with if you don't feel safe using a piece of dowel rod placed inside the case and sticking a primer in the primer pocket and holding it down on a piece of wood and tapping on the dowel rod to seat the primer. You can use a piece of 2 inch thick wood and drill a hole with a flat bottom bit half way through to use as your primer seating base and if you had a primer go off it would contain things.
To load a BP round you need to fill the case up to the point of where you can seat your bullet on top of a flat wad cut from waxed milk carton or tablet backing or cereal box, or just purchase you some 30 thousands thick Walters fiber wards which is best in the long run, and be able to compress the powder down about 10 thousands of an inch when seating the bullet. This will be around 115 grs FG by weight if you use a bullet like Lyman #457125 500 gr. I would also suggest that you use FG powder and a hot primer like Federal 215. Lube your bullets with a proper black powder cartridge lube like SPG or a mixture of 50% bees wax and 50% olive oil for a homemade lube. This is to keep the fouling soft in the bore so the next bullet pushes it out of the way as it goes down. Regular lube made for smokeless powder will not do this and the fouling will be rock hard and it will cause the bullet to strip the rifling and be very inaccurate. By the way Sharps never made a case this large. The longest case they actually made was the 2 7/8 inch called 45-110. Also before you shoot this rifle I would go to the dentist and make sure you don't have any fillings loose because they will come out after a few shots. Get a past recoil shield or you will get the flinches really quick.   

[Smokin Joe]

Sharps Firearms by Frank Sellers page 337 2nd column ,2nd paragraph. quote "For many years writers have attempted to ascribe various 3-1/4 inch cases to the Sharps Rifle Co. EXCEPT for one Model 1878 rifle, chambered for some experimental cartridges for A.C. Hobbs of the Union Mettallic Cartridge Co, there were no Sharps rifles chambered by the factory for any 3-1/4inch cases.  These experimental cartridges were not sucessful, and it was not until 1884 that UMC and Winchester brought out their first 3-1/4 inch cases."
       Sharps closed in 1882 so the ONE 1878 model was chambered for a  3-1/4" case before they closed in 82.

[quickdtoo]

I loaded up several 45-120 rounds using the 45-70 Lee Loader, it works, but I don't think they'd be real accurate, bullet runout averaged over .010" compared to .003"-.004" for the  45-70 using 405gr Rem jacketed bullets in both. The body of the Lee Loader doesn't support the case head to align it, so bullets aren't seated straight, have too much yaw.  Go for the Lee hand press and a set of dies, I think you'll be much happier with the results IMO. 

Tim

[KotaWood]

thanx yall im thinkn the tube idea will work the best thanx

[.22-5-40]

Hello, KotaWood.  If you ever get a chance to buy or have a look..at Sellers book on the Sharps rifles.
   You would be surprised at what this company put on the market for a loading tool..basically it was what your ideal is..a simple steel tube..some had just a closed end & charged & bulleted case was merely pushed in to a non-adjustable stop...very crude IMO.
   If you have acess to a lathe or know a machienest, a simple straight-line type seater is easily made..just look at the Wilson type chamber seaters made today..an adjustable seater is easily made for varying seat depth. 
   If nothing else, give Buffalo Arms Company a call..nice catalog..full of items you will need for loading & shooting.  Best of luck!

[KotaWood]

Hello, KotaWood.  If you ever get a chance to buy or have a look..at Sellers book on the Sharps rifles.
   You would be surprised at what this company put on the market for a loading tool..basically it was what your ideal is..a simple steel tube..some had just a closed end & charged & bulleted case was merely pushed in to a non-adjustable stop...very crude IMO.
   If you have acess to a lathe or know a machienest, a simple straight-line type seater is easily made..just look at the Wilson type chamber seaters made today..an adjustable seater is easily made for varying seat depth. 
   If nothing else, give Buffalo Arms Company a call..nice catalog..full of items you will need for loading & shooting.  Best of luck!

i agree a tube is very crude i was meaning a tube in conjunction with a lee 45-70 loader, if at the proper length it will displace the shell size that u just drop the shell in lyk u do the normal lee loader but i wud drop it through the tube onto the bottom piece of the loader u seat the shell on, and guys im not loading BP im wildcatting a 45/210, a 5 inch shell, it will allow for reduced pressures when i load it with smokeless it has reduced recoil and pressures exherted on the chamber, and will push lead out at a higher velocity via my research, plus ill have braggin rights on a big ass cartridge LOL

[Smokin Joe]

and guys im not loading BP im wildcatting a 45/210, a 5 inch shell

Just curious.........where do you find a 5" .45-210?

Help Need CHEAP!!!!

There is nothing cheap about any of this.

[KotaWood]

Bell basic 45 comes in that size runs 4.50 a brass and are extremely rare im talking to zhat and a few other brass producers starline as well, i have 5 4.5 inch brass in 45 caliber that my grampa gave me, my issue is with the loads and all the math im using it says the pressures will be to high for the firearm i have using a 5 inch brass will lower the pressures and strains on the gun