Reloading help bfr 45-70.

[God Bless America]

I fail to see the difference in reloading a 223 vs 45/70. The process is still the same.

The .45-70 bullet weighs more than a loaded 223

The 223 is the little pointy one

LR vs. SR primers

For starters....

And there is no danger of double-charging a 223, could happen with pistol loads in a 45-70.

But you know all this already.

So why bother us? If you want to brag, just show us pics of that biggest, finest revolver.

[Handshaker]

No, i really have some questions about bullet choice, i see some .458 bullets but they are listed on the website for 300 blackout. I wasnt sure if that was a typo or they can be used for 45-70. Since you asked....

[maxx03]

^^^ That is a typo. 300 blackout uses 308 caliber bullets.
FMJ or plated .45-70 will use .458 caliber bullets.
Lead bullets for .45-70 will range from .457 to .459 depending on YOUR guns barrel.

[Handshaker]

Ya i saw that and talked to nosler, they said its for 458 socom.The ballistic tips will work fine with a revolver but not a lever for obvious reasons. I ordered the 300gr ballistic tips.
thanks

[Win231]

Recoil is not as bad as you might think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFD1_ESbpM&t=167s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnv9E_QeOa8&t=472s

[God Bless America]

No, i really have some questions about bullet choice, i see some .458 bullets but they are listed on the website for 300 blackout. I wasnt sure if that was a typo or they can be used for 45-70. Since you asked....

Very nice.

Sierra makes a 300 gr hp, might be a good start. I would start there, with 5744 or trail boss.

Lots of cast options out there too.

[mjmagee67]

I'd shoot coated bullets only. The 45-70 is a perfect velocity for coated bullets. They are cheap and work great.

[Whiterabbit]

Use a light bullet and a light powder charge for the pistol. There is no data for the pistol that I can quickly think of. The pistol and rifle data would be the same. I would suggest level 1 (trapdoor) loads. 5744 powder is one to look at.

I disagree. I suggest a heavy bullet and healthy powder charge. Otherwise, may as well be shooting a 45 colt.

My 460 BFR loves 425 grain cast bullets over 30+ grains of IMR-4198. Speed is about 1430 fps. It's a handful, but very accurate.

[Whiterabbit]

I have a bfr 45-70 coming and want to order some bullets for reloading, i have never reloaded 45/70 and am a beginner in reloading. I have a lee turret press.
Which of these 50 count boxes bullets would you choose? I already purchased some 405gr bullet from sportsmans warehouse.
thanks for any help.
https://anthonysfirearmwarehouse.com...n=product_srch

IMO no need to pick anything. You have the perfect bullet already. 405 grain, hopefully hard cast. Or just cast. use the right powder and the right velocity and it will be accurate to hundreds of yards if you can hold it. I would be shooting for a speed between 1200 and 1500 fps, and develop it by just shooting for groups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcvS6GrGwHI

I hear 4759 is the go-to powder for this. I also suggest trying 4198. I suspect with this information alone you'll be bale to find a good place to be.

I like the leupold 2.5-8 as it weighs alot and takes/tames recoil well. I broke a burris 2-6, but it took a long time to break. For red dots, the TRS-25 is a good choice as is the ultradot if you buy direct (warranty is hard to get for the UD, it's not "no questions asked")

[Capt.Dunsel]

W 630 for heavy weights ( 405 gr) , IMR 4227 for mid weight (350 gr 400 gr ) , RL 7 for wimpy ?(300 gr)

[TheJacko]

I'd try 300 gr round nose flat points and trail boss powder. This is my go to 45 70 plinking rd.

[Wrangler John]

Speaking as a guy that underestimated the effect of shooting hand canons for metallic silhouette competition, I will caution that recoil and blast has an accumulative effect on our physiology, except when it doesn't and the injury is immediate. My first introduction to ouch was from a Contender chambered for the .357 Herrett cartridge, a .30-30 case reformed to fire .357" bullets. That number has more energy on a 180 grain bullet remaining at 100 yards than the .44 Magnum at the muzzle (29.0 grains of A-1680 drives it @ 1890 fps). When I fired the first test load, recoil split the web between my thumb and forefinger, which caused copious bleeding and a sting similar to shaking hands with a kicking mule. This made men next to me queasy, and disturbed women behind the firing line. I soon learned that a shooting glove was necessary, as was an elbow pad when laying on my back shooting from the prone Creedmoor position. At the first match, they had to C-clamp the rams down 200 meters away as the wind was toppling them. That .357 bullet hit with enough energy that it slid the rams out from under the C-clamps and toppled them anyway. Great fun, I shot a perfect score, and suffered only minor bruising.

Next, came the later development of the .480 Ruger for which I had a custom five-shot Ruger Blackhawk built and purchased a Ruger Super Redhawk. Both handguns had to be held on to tenaciously, if I relaxed as usual ignoring recoil, the SRH would wind up on my chest, with me scrambling to get it back. Either triggerguard would cut my middle finger from recoil, and again I bled all over the shooting table, so the glove was necessary. To test accuracy (and this cartridge is one of the most accurate available) I installed a Burris posilock scope on the SRH. After a few shots my cloverleaf group shifted right, and I found that the windage turret had parted company with the scope tube. Burris repaired the scope.

The other thing beside recoil is blast. Muzzle blast from short barrels has the effect of knocking acoustic ceiling tiles down from the range overhead, and actually bouncing roofing gravel off to scatter in front of the firing position. A 10" 7mm TCU Contender loaded with 130 grain bullets and Ball-C2 powder was the worse, but even the 15" Wichita Silhouette Pistol in 7mm IHMSA and 140 grain bullets over H322 powder would do the same, and even mow the weeds from the prone position. That blast is heinous, it will cause a minor concussion headache, even with ear plugs under muffs, as it travels through the nose, sinuses, and bones to cause accumulative damage.

So keep all this in mind, but remember I fired thousands of rounds in experimentation, worked for years full time at a public firing range, and now feel the effects. My hearing aids are around $6,000 a pair, even though I wore custom fitted ear plugs and muffs. Be safe, have fun.