45/70 casting & reloading questions

[iMigraine]

Well, thinking about a Henry 45/70 compared to 30-30 for general mayhem use. I reload (starting to) 30-30 for my sister's Marlin 336 that she purchased in the early 90's. However, I know I would need another mold, reloading dies for a new caliber, i.e. 45/70.

BUT,

My hypothesis, is that a 45/70 being a straight walled brass would be very similar to revolver brass like 357 Mag or 44 Mag. So annealing might not be a big deal since there is no neck on the brass like 30-30 brass. Also, if I reload mid or light loads, wouldn't the brass last longer too?

Imagining ringing steel at 100 to 150 yards would sound awesome too compared to 30-30 or 223.

[hambam105]

Reloading for 45-70 for all our lesser experienced reloader is akin to taking your driving test on congested city streets while driving a Ford F250 manual transmission with 8' bed and extended cab.

Contact your local friendly Cowboy inAction Shooting League, go to one of their matches, there you should find a half dozen experienced 45-70 reloaders who can give you some non-innerweb 1st hand experience with that particular caliber.

[javithewrench]

45/70 is actually tapered and not straight wall but it's easy to reload, it was my first caliber when I learned how to reload. I don't cast due to time but there are plenty of bullet choices for reloading. I don't care for Henry rifles due to them not having a loading gate but that's just my preference. 45/70 is one of my favorite calibers, I currently own 7 of them. Once you buy one, you'll buy more!

[socal147]

Easy to reload
Have a small moving box full of reloads.
Waiting for dinosaur apocalypse ...

[Carcassonne]

The 45-70 brass case has a very thin wall. You have to guide each case into the resizer slowly, or you will damage it. That is one reason why I sold my 45-70 and kept my 450.

SAAMI spec 45-70 is rather weak because it must reliably work in a gun made in the 1800's without blowing up.

You can load 45-70 to 450 Marlin specs, but you can only shoot it in modern guns like a Marlin.




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[Tom-ADC]

I cast the 405 gr bullet a 500 & 535 gr for the 45-70, the 405 I shoot in all 3 of my 45-70 rifles, the two heavier ones I usually load with Swiss 1.5 Fg BP for my Sharps. It's a very easy round to load for have fun. Marlin 1895' a Trapdoor & Sharps.
Variety is a good smokeless powder, I did try Unique but it left a lot of empty space in tha case. Trail boss was good also.
Take a look at Lyman molds.

[prop carver]

The 45-70 is the first rifle cartridge I ever reloaded. Pretty much a piece of cake. IMR 4895 works well for me and the IMR site has recipes for everything from conservative Trap Door loads to modern levers and single shots.

http://live-hodgdonreloading.pantheonsite.io/data/rifle

Other than the need to lube the cases I didn't notice much difference between loading the 45-70 and the 45 Colt other than charge and projectile weights. I've been happy with the starting recommendation for Trapdoor loads with a 300 grain LFP. Punches paper and rings the bell on steel targets without beating up my shoulder.

Regards,

[Carcassonne]

5744 powder works good, but I had a bad batch that ate the brass. If you do use that powder, shoot what you reloaded within a year.

Here is some Ranchdog molds load data (for modern Marlin rifles):

http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/bin/TLC460360RF/data/loadnotes01.pdf

http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/bin/TLC460310RF/data/loadnotes01.pdf

http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/bin/TLC460435RF/data/loadnotes01.pdf

http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/

[Johneracer]

45-70 is piece of cake to load. I have a Marlin 1895 load mild to wild. You just resize full case or it won't feed. Lube the case, full resize, factory crimp and your good to go. Don't worry about annealing, lead bulets are cheap. Make sure that your rifle does not scratch the case. Mine had a slight burr that scratched about 10 caes. Lots of load data for that cartridge.

[Psychbiker]

How about casting and reloading for a 45 Colt lever rifle?

I have a 45 Colt revolver and want to get a level 45 Colt so I can cast and shoot for both.

[Johneracer]

Same as 45/70. 45 colt is straight walled so no lube necessary. I use factory lee dies and it's a piece of cake. I use the auto dispenser, cheap and good enough for 45 colt. Load H110 and that 45 colt will be enough to hunt and I use it in rifle and pistol. My all time favorite cartridge. Just keep in mind 45 colt .452" and 45/70 is .458" so you should not interchange the bullets.