45-70 Handi rifle starting loads

[flattail]

This post is kind of a continuation to the post I recently made on crimping hunting loads.  In that post, I think I got us off track by a question I asked in the middle of the thread.  Because the answer is important to me, I am going to restate the question in a form that hopefully is clearer.

My handi 45-70 was manufactured in 2005.  My understanding is that it will handle pressures and loads at least in the Marlin 1895 levels.
For that reason, I think my starting loads (assuming they are from good sources and cross-checked against other sources), can be taken from load data for starting loads for the Marlin 1895 (that there is no reason for me to start with trapdoor level loads).  Am I correct in assuming this?

Thank you for your help.

flattail

[stimpylu32]

Granted every rifle is diffrent and every shooter has his own recoil level , you can start at lever gun loads if you chose , i shoot from bottom trapdoor to bottom of the ruger level with no ill efects other than a sore sholder from the upper loads .

I have found that i shoot better groups at the trapdoor level , maybe it is the flinch factor , taking a pounding from 40 or 50 hot loads in a days time tends to do that . 

stimpy

[Ranger J]

The 45/70 is a great caliber.  You have three levels of loads to choose from.  What are you using the gun for?  If you are just shooting paper and your gun shoots well with trapdoor levels, why load to the Marlin level.
   My wife and I belong to a black powder club that holds a monthly shoot.  Sue doesn’t get a lot of time to shoot her .50 but always ends up in the upper half of the scores.  She shoots 40G of powder under her lead ball.  It kills that paper just as dead as a bunch of the guys in the club that are shooting 90G.  The difference is that by the time they have set off a few the recoil, concussion and smoke has them flinching each time they shoot.  If you can’t shoot well, shoot hard doesn’t work in pool and it usually doesn’t work with guns.  With my Handi I shoot a load of Re#7 and a Remington 300HP.  This I s a very good combo and is very accurate in the Handi.  With my 1895 the same bullet pushed to Marlin levels is more accurate than the trapdoor load.  Either one would probably dispatch a deer at the distances I usually get a shot at them in the Missouri Ozarks.  I personally haven’t tried anything above Marlin levels in either the Handi or my Marlin because I have this thing against pain.    The Handi may be capable of shooting in the low third level but I’m not and really don’t have any reason to.  The last Mastodon died in this area about ten thousand years ago give or take a thousand years.   Generally the Handi will take more than your shoulder will.
RJ

[flattail]

Stimpy and RJ, thanks for your help.   I don't plan to load hot. Just wanted to know if I could.  I probably won't go above the max trapdoor loads. And, for a variety of reasons, I am working up to those in 1/2 grain increments. I'm more worried about me making a bonehead mistake than anything else.

[PlacitasSlim]

Just a comment, but my Buffalo Classic won't stabilize a lead bullet much above 1300fps which is just fine with my shoulder.

[quickdtoo]

Slim, you need to slug the bore and use the proper sized bullet, I shoot  525gr BTB Piledrivers at 1800fps  in my .45-120 BC, the 1:20" twist rate does just fine. A bunch of us shoot big stuff in them, shooting cast bullets that are a tad bigger than the bore is all it takes, .459" in mine works good, but so do most .458"s, the 550gr Saeco #20 also shoots very well at 1700fps. Use a #8 soft lead egg sinker to slug the .45-70.

Tim

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm