45-70 range report

[Frank V]

JCN there are small compact loders that will load very good ammo & pack away in a small area. The Lee hand loader comes to mind it's kind of like a pair of pliars & will load very good ammo. There isn't a lot of leverage, but the .45-70 & most handgun ctgs. don't require a lot of leverage. Look over Lee's selection of compact loading toos. They take standard threaded dies too 7/8X14 threads. One thing I wouldn't skimp on is a good scale, I don't prefer the digital scales, but like the balance beam scales. All of them come in a nice box that will serve as a storage box too.

http://www.leeprecision.com

Go to single stage presses The Breechlock Hand Press is the one I'm thinking of. See what you think.

[JCN]

Thanks. I will do some research and ask for further advice in the reloading forum here.

[Hitman]

JCN, you really need one. I can tell you a fun load is a good 405gr lead bullet over 35grs of IMR3031. It clocks 1088 for me & is beyond pleasant to shoot. It still leaves a BIG hole in the target & stirrs up a lot of dust when it lands.
Have we got you convinsed yet???????

Frank V I stole your load of 35 grains of 3031 with a 405 great coated bullet. Loaded a few this afternoon while my grandson was napping and after we took him home this afternoon I had a little time and went out on our front deck and shot 1 at 50 yds and 2 at 100 yds. What a sweet shooting bullet. I have a H010B with a brass butt plate and it was very mild and still hit a 10 inch plate very hard.
Quite impressed. Thanks for sharing.

[Frank V]

JCN, you really need one. I can tell you a fun load is a good 405gr lead bullet over 35grs of IMR3031. It clocks 1088 for me & is beyond pleasant to shoot. It still leaves a BIG hole in the target & stirrs up a lot of dust when it lands.
Have we got you convinsed yet???????

Frank V I stole your load of 35 grains of 3031 with a 405 great coated bullet. Loaded a few this afternoon while my grandson was napping and after we took him home this afternoon I had a little time and went out on our front deck and shot 1 at 50 yds and 2 at 100 yds. What a sweet shooting bullet. I have a H010B with a brass butt plate and it was very mild and still hit a 10 inch plate very hard.
Quite impressed. Thanks for sharing.

Glad you enjoyed it, I've found it a LOT of fun to shoot, & accurate. I do get unburned powder in the bbl. but it doesn't affect function or accuracy.
Thanks for sharing. It's a light trapdoor load.

[Frank V]

JEBar, how's it going with your rifle?

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JCN how's your research going find anythig interesting? I would really suggest your first purchase would be a good Reloading manual, Three I like are the Lyman Reloaders Handbook 49th edition, it has data for both cast & jacketed bullets, The Speer Reloading Manual #9, & the Hornaday Reloading Manual 9th edition. Those three are great.

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Hitman, glad you enjoyed that load, I've used it for years & it always is pleasing to shoot.

[JCN]

Nothing new yet... I feel like I need the rifle first!

[JEBar]

JEBar, how's it going with your rifle?

as this is being typed we currently parked in Fenton, MO as part of our travel from South Dakota where we spent the summer to our home in North Carolina .... early last June when we were packing for this trip I put in our 45-70 with the intent of shooting a couple of hundred rounds at Jay Henges ===> http://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-natur ... s-shooting <=== yep, I have over 500 rounds (400+ Cowboy Action Loads and 100+ full power dangerous game loads) on hand that I've been itching to run through it .... unfortunately, I've been having some cardiac issues and don't know if I can physically handle it right now .... after a summer of great weather in South Dakota, the high heat hand high humidity seems to be stifling .... I won't know more until in the morning .... if it doesn't work out tomorrow, we have a private range near out home that I can use .... there I can drive right out to the shooting area and don't have to physically haul the rife and other gear more than a few steps .... as a side note, I have called Mag-Na-Port and spoken to them about having them port our 45-70 ===> http://magnaport.com/rifle.html <=== we plan to be traveling through there area early next June and hope to drop by for them to take care of it while we wait .... they have worked on several other rifles and one Ruger Redhawk for us, we have been delighted with the results ....

[CT_Shooter]

just checked the price for factory 500 grain ammo ....https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l ... tail&p=154.. .. I did show my wife that if we order 12 boxes they come with free shipping .. .. that didn't help .. .. any that size will be hand loads for sure ... :sack:

Yup! Hand loads.

[JEBar]

the ones I have were HMS factory rounds purchased from Cabela's .... bought them because our reloading stuff is still boxed up from when one of our sons moved from St Louis back home to NC .... also, with 45-/0 being a new caliber to our family, after firing them, we will have casings available for reloading

[Frank V]

JEBar, sorry to hear of your issues. Hope you get those .45-70s fitted to suit you.
I have a really light load I load if you're interested, it's a lead 405gr bullet at 1088fps & a LOT of fun to shoot.

[CT_Shooter]

... unfortunately, I've been having some cardiac issues and don't know if I can physically handle it right now ....

I'm sorry to read this, Jebar. Please be careful.

[JEBar]

... unfortunately, I've been having some cardiac issues and don't know if I can physically handle it right now ....

I'm sorry to read this, Jebar. Please be careful.

hopefully, no need for major concern .... circumstances beyond our control (rain) has drastically lowered our chances of getting out to the range today .... already have a full day of testing at our cardiologist on tap for a few days after we get back home

[JEBar]

Henry officially list the, out of the box, weight of a Color Case Hardened 45-70 as 10.1 lbs but ours has always seemed heavy to me .... for hunting and at a range, whenever possible, I prefer to shoot from a rest .... I guess that is a good thing because today I weighed ours .... as it sits, without ammo, it weighs 13.7 lbs .... I'm pretty sure with the weight of 5 shells would put it close to, if not over, 14 lbs ...

[RanchRoper]

That's a heavy rifle for sure. I think my 1860 loaded is about 10lbs or just over. Almost too heavy for a saddle gun, so I'm sure the 45-70 would be a tough one to pack all day. My saddle would drift sideways...

[JEBar]

I didn't weigh her when she came out of the box but I'm sure Henry is right and she weighed 10 pounds ... the additional weight comes from adding a very solid Nikon, upgrading the recoil pad and having the largest Mercury Recoil Suppressor installed in the stock .... I don't regret any of it, she shoots like a dream, you won't hear too many (sober) folks say their 45-70 is fun to fire with full power loads .. .. the reality is, my days of toting a rifle way back into the woods ... any hunting I do will involve riding a 4-wheeler to a stand, climbing up and taking a seat ...