Powder for medium 45-70 loads

[m.wun]

Looking to start some 45-70 reloading. Cast or jacketed are both open but not sure what powder would be my best choice for 15-16000fps. I do have to find a lead free hunting load also to be legal here.

[fordwannabe]

For easy shooting but lots of power a 350 grain cast bullet with 10.- 11.0 grains of Unique is pretty hard to beat. What's the rifle?

[model55]

http://barnesbullets.com/files/2014/11/ ... 895Web.pdf

[Sixgun]

5744

[Bullard4075]

5744

+1

[mark]

I like H4895, 40gns behind a 405gn lead bullet.

Other than that, 15gns of Blue Dot.

It depends what you have in stock.

Cheers Mark

[M. M. Wright]

I too like 5744.

[jeepnik]

Like both the H4895, but for a while I found it hard to find. I did find a fair amount of 5744 and it worked well.

[3leggedturtle]

I've been using 2400 for my loads that range from 1450 to 1600fps with 300-405gr cast bullets. Todd/3leg

[piller]

I use IMR 3031 for my trapdoor level loads in .45-70 since I always keep some on hand for my .30-30 loads. It has always given good results for me and I have not tried many other powders for those 2 cartridges due to good accuracy and ease of finding IMR 3031 even when other powders were in short supply. 45.5 grains behind a 405 grain soft nose jacketed Remington or similar bullet is supposed to give about 1600 fps. In my short barreled Guide Gun it is about 1500 fps. That load is not too bad at the range and hardly noticeable when hunting. That big soft bullet expands a lot and still pushes its way through a lot of animal for a good chance at a one shot stop on a running animal even when it has the throttle firewalled with the adrenalin afterburner lit.

[6pt-sika]

I used and still sometimes use SR4759 although the powders no longer produced .

Also had very good luck with XMP5744 .

[Old Ironsights]

I find it somewhat funny that these days what was a "full power"/"Military"/"Buffalo Hunter" Trap Door loading is now a "Medium" to "Low" power .45-70 load...

[Buck Elliott]

H-335.
56 grains under a 405 gr hard-cast, in my Winchester '86 extra light.
MV ~1950 fps. Very accurate

[m.wun]

I will be shooting these out of the Henry all steel 18" barrel. I like the idea with the Unique because of the small amount of powder . For hunting I'll like the Barnes just because I have to. The lead free is actually a very good setup, just expensive.I'd go all Hardcast if I could hunt with it.

[Pisgah]

Looking to start some 45-70 reloading. Cast or jacketed are both open but not sure what powder would be my best choice for 15-16000fps. I do have to find a lead free hunting load also to be legal here.

I'm gonna suggest that at 16,000 fps the recoil will be unpleasant...

[m.wun]

Oops! Not looking for the Garrett loads.

[Old Ironsights]

Looking to start some 45-70 reloading. Cast or jacketed are both open but not sure what powder would be my best choice for 15-16000fps. I do have to find a lead free hunting load also to be legal here.

I'm gonna suggest that at 16,000 fps the recoil will be unpleasant...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygE01sOhzz0

[Sixgun]

Don't forget that a 400 grain 45 caliber bullet traveling 1200 will shoot lengthwise through a buffalo. 30 grains of 5744 and a 400 gr. bullet made of anything will do the job out to 150 meters.....and if your good at estimating range, will do fine out to 500.

Medium to slow burning powders are fine..in the warm weather.....try shooting a light to medium load of 4895 with a cast bullet at 10-30 degrees.....pop....fizz...or maybe bang!.....not a good gamble. 5744 or Unique will work at the desired temps with light to medium loads.......got something to do with that high nitro content. ----6

[Grizz]

I use H322 in my loads, which are famously moderate.

What I think I recall but might me wrong again, is that H322 produces the velocity the bullets like at lower pressure than other powders.

As I said, this might be real, so it's worth checking out just for the record.

For the record, all my reloading records are around 1200 miles out of reach.

GN All

[Blaine]

I've only ever used H4198. 30-ish grains is a nice, mild amount under a 405. 43 grains is my go to with the 405....1650-ish fps.
I got pretty bold once with some 50 grain loads of the H4198 with some 300 grain Nosler Partitions that were 2000-2100 fps and nothing I'd care to shoot anymore, but very accurate and when sighted in 1 inch high at 100 yards only dropped about 9 inches at 200....This is off the top of my head, and YMMV.

[m.wun]

How about RL 7 ? It looks similar to 3031. Gonna look for some 5744. As far as bullets just looking for a decent price for something readily available. For a lead free load ( only CA hunting ) I'll likely just buy a couple boxes of barnes ammo just for that.

[Old Savage]

25-30 grs. 2400.

[piller]

How about RL 7 ? It looks similar to 3031. Gonna look for some 5744. As far as bullets just looking for a decent price for something readily available. For a lead free load ( only CA hunting ) I'll likely just buy a couple boxes of barnes ammo just for that.

The burn rate of Reloader 7 is closer to IMR 4198. I can't say if the volumes are similar for similar velocity. I use published recipes for anything I reload because I don't know enough to experiment with any degree of safety.

[marlinman93]

I personally don't consider 1500-1600 fps a medium load. In most guns that velocity and a 400 gr. bullet will thump you pretty good. And in some rifle actions, that's a max load, or over. I like mine milder and keep my loads in the 1300 fps range for medium loads, and lighter for plinker loads.

[3leggedturtle]

What marlinman said. ^^^^^*** I shot 15 of each, 350's at 1550 and 405's at 1450fps, by the 26th round I was getting recoil shy from the bench. Wasn't too bad for the first 15-20 but went down hill quick from there. Todd/3leg

[m.wun]

I am buying factory loads of different types and velocities. Suppose I'll get a feel of what types of power levels I need to shoot. By then I will have some brass to load. Now what to do for sights, skinner!

[Lefty Dude]

5744 or SR4759