45/70 and Hard Cast bullets

[Fat NDN]

I give up on trying to load 300 gr Hornady bullets. Now I am going to try 350 gr. Oregon Trail silver bullets.
On the jacketed bullets I was loading around 55 grn H4198.  My Oregon Trail book shows 30 gr. to
be MAX load. Have any of you guys load these things and what are your Powder load amounts, preferably
H4198 powder. ??

[RugerNo3]

You can work up loads with gas-checked cast bullets to equal jacketed velocities. If Oregon Trail is recommending 30gr as max that would be max for a plain based bullet, unless you like to clean lead out of gun barrels. Around 1600 fps velocity is max for plain based cast. Only guidelines, but I wouldn't use any IMR type powder on plain based cast bullets.

[Florida Jim]

Don't give up on 300 gr jacketed. Try Nosler partitions. I was disappointed with 300 HP performance. But I'm very pleased with the
300 gr Nosler. They are very accurate in my #3 Ruger.

[wgr]

may i ask why not imr powders on plain base bullets

[NickSS]

IMR stick powders burn hotter than some powders.  However, I have used plain based bullets with IMR 4198 amd IMR 3031 with good results.  These bullets were cast from wheelweights in a Lyman 457124 mold.  Results were great in everything I tried it in.  I typically got unter one inch three shot groups at 100 yards using this bullet and 42 gr of 3031.  It kicked hard in my Marlin 95 and my Ruger No. 3.

[Fat NDN]

IMR stick powders burn hotter than some powders.  However, I have used plain based bullets with IMR 4198 amd IMR 3031 with good results.  These bullets were cast from wheelweights in a Lyman 457124 mold.  Results were great in everything I tried it in.  I typically got unter one inch three shot groups at 100 yards using this bullet and 42 gr of 3031.  It kicked hard in my Marlin 95 and my Ruger No. 3.

I am using H4198.

[Graycg]

It would probably help if we knew  what you wanted to do with the load and what you are shooting it out of, Targets, hunting Deer, killing T-rexs, from a trapdoor, a Marlin, a Ruger, etc.  I plays with lots of different 45-70 loads and the truly beautiful thing is that I can find very accurate cast loads at 950 fps that will shot sub inch groups or I can push jacketed 300's and even heavier at 2200 fps that will kill anything on this continent.  I find that for mild target loads, unique and 2400 are great, for pretty hot loads RL 7 is great, 4198s are always good.

v.r.
Graycg

[Fat NDN]

It would probably help if we knew  what you wanted to do with the load and what you are shooting it out of, Targets, hunting Deer, killing T-rexs, from a trapdoor, a Marlin, a Ruger, etc.  I plays with lots of different 45-70 loads and the truly beautiful thing is that I can find very accurate cast loads at 950 fps that will shot sub inch groups or I can push jacketed 300's and even heavier at 2200 fps that will kill anything on this continent.  I find that for mild target loads, unique and 2400 are great, for pretty hot loads RL 7 is great, 4198s are always good.

v.r.
Graycg

  I am shooting a H&R 45/70 22" barrel.  Shooting targets and White Tail Deer. Been trying Varget and H4198. My next loads are 30grs h4198 with 350gr  Oregon Trail Laser cast bullets

[GrampaMike]

Fat NDN:  I use the Oregon Trail True Shot 430 gr. GC bullet in my 22" H&R 45-70.  36.5 grains of H4198 gives me 1576 fps over the Chrony.  Accuracy is just one big ragged hole at 50 yards.  Mike

[Freightman]

I went to the range yesterday and shot 40 500 g HC bullets from two of my 45/70's, one is a Shiloh Sharps with a 34" Hex- heavy barrel 16+ # shot the same load in both. The other was a scoped Buffalo Classic, the Sharps has a MVT tang with a bubble front sight at 100 (which is just a warmup with a 500g bullet) the Sharps shot 1.7" and the BC shot 1.25" five shot. I loaded 28g SR 4759 in Starline brass, the recoil was very managable in both rifles. You would expect the Shiloh at 16# 34" barrel to be very good in that reguard and it was, but the BC was also quite good about double the Shiloh at 8#.
Try some 405, they shoot well in the BC, not as well with the Shiloh, the heaver bullet works better for me, but I also cast my ownand they are fit to the chamber/bore of each rifle.