.45-70 Government

[Crusader]

My grandfather recently gave me his father's first and only firearm; a Springfield 1878 Trapdoor rifle, Cadet Model.

I want to buy some BP or BP-equivalent ammunition so my father and I can take it to the range. Does anyone know where I can get some?

I must stress that the ammo must either be BP or loaded to BP pressures, as if I destroy my one and only true family heirloom I think I'll snap.

[Blue]

I picked some up at a fun show a while back, I think the company was Load X from Santa Rosa? If you call and talk with them they'll be able to hook you up with a lighter load. My uncle has put like 300 of their reloads down his old trapdoor with zero problems too date.

[ivanimal]

Read up they are easy tyo make for yourself and then you KNOW they are correct. I can help with the equipment if you decide that that is the way to go. I love reloading for the 45-70, its my fave.

[Blue]

Read up they are easy tyo make for yourself and then you KNOW they are correct. I can help with the equipment if you decide that that is the way to go. I love reloading for the 45-70, its my fave.

How many grains are the projectiles that you're using? I've got a bunch of 45cal 245gr projectiles, but nothing to load them into. Think there's load data for a light projectile like that for 45-70?

[JacobCR03]

I think the standard for a trapdoor is a 405gr. lead flat-point. (The later models took a heavier bullet, but the pre-loaded cart's mainly come with 405 gr.). I've had good luck with Ultramax, PMC, Black Hills, and Remington in my Trapdoors. They're all 405gr. lighter loads with smokeless made for Trapdoors, Rolling Blocks, etc.

[rkt88edmo]

How many grains are the projectiles that you're using? I've got a bunch of 45cal 245gr projectiles, but nothing to load them into. Think there's load data for a light projectile like that for 45-70?

CAREFUL!
45-70 is .458
.45ACP is .452

[tankerman]

I would not use jacketed bullets in that rifle, stick with lead.

Slug the barrel first.

[Texas Boy]

Black hills makes unjacketed (lead only) 45-70 in black powder equivalent loads. Hang on....yep, got some right here.....405 GR FPL, .45-70. Don't see any part number on the box. This box is probably 6 years old and still has the price tag - $23.99 for a box of 20. I'm afraid they are going to cost a bit more now.

Reloading is really the way to go for .45-70. Otherwise it is just too expensive to shoot. Even still, the projectiles aren't cheap, so some guys will even cast their own from wheel weights, but that's more work than I care to do.

Here is a recipe a SAS shooter friend of mine gave me for .45-70. I haven't tried it yet, but it is WAAAAYYYYY below even the min loads in my books, but still high enough that there should be no problem getting the bullet out of the barrel.

305 gr cast lead bullet
22 gr Alliant 2400

He claims this is a very accurate load out to 100 yards and perfect for action shooting and plinking. Again, I haven't tried it (mainly because I can't find any 2400).

Enjoy your rifle. Old lever guns are my favorite firearms and 45-70 is one of my favorite cartridges.

[xzw151]

Just to nit pick your rifle is a Model 1873 Rifle. There is no 1878 rifle and while I have no doubt the breech block looks like it says 1878 in the proper light and magnification I promise it will say 1873. There must have been a malformed die or something at Springfield because that's not uncommon.

If you are looking to shoot your 1873 just once or twice and hang it on the wall a box of commercial jacketed ammo wont hurt the rifle as long as it is marked safe for Springfields. If you want to shoot stick with lead, you will get better accuracy and wont have to worry about the wear of the jacketed bullet in the soft steel barrel. Reloading is best for serious trapdoor shooting.

[Sunwolf]

Read up they are easy tyo make for yourself and then you KNOW they are correct. I can help with the equipment if you decide that that is the way to go. I love reloading for the 45-70, its my fave.

I can see why,loading for the .22 cal centerfires is a pain.When I want to relax,I load 30-06, lots easier to handle.Son wanted to get a .17 Remington and have me load the thing but I dodged a bullet and convinced him to get the .17 HMR.!

[B Strong]

My grandfather recently gave me his father's first and only firearm; a Springfield 1878 Trapdoor rifle, Cadet Model.

I want to buy some BP or BP-equivalent ammunition so my father and I can take it to the range. Does anyone know where I can get some?

I must stress that the ammo must either be BP or loaded to BP pressures, as if I destroy my one and only true family heirloom I think I'll snap.

Roll your own with Triple-7 & a 405 grain lead slug. It will just about what the original Gov. loading was.

[Blue]

CAREFUL!
45-70 is .458
.45ACP is .452

Bah. I think these were for 45 long colt. But I didn't think far enough ahead to think of bore diameter.

[gunboat]

Lot of suitable cast bullets available for the trapdoor from 140gr to 500gr -

You might check out castboolits website often small lots of bullets are for sale there.

a nice load would be #457124 400gr plain base with about 20gr of 2400, 22gr 4227, 23gr 4198 or 11-12gr of unique. -- I often use a tuft of kapok, or toilet paper as a filler.
The trapdoor, while certainly not strong like an 86 or #3 ruger is not as weak as some of its other contemporaries.
Commercial ammo used to be loaded with the trapdoor pressures in mind but I am not sure about todays practice -- my ha-penny

[DC45]

Or.. you can try some "gallery loads" with commonly available .457 lead round balls.
Also, try Ten-X ammo. www.tenxammo.com
I think it's available thru Midway and Cabela's too.

[shadowofnight]

The 45-70 is my favorite cartridge to load for, something about that huge hunk of lead hitting the target no matter what the velocity...from mild to wild...puts a smile on your face

My absolute favorite bullet are the Laser Cast from the Oregon Trail bullet company , they are inexpensive...extremely accurate....and will not lead your bore.

For your precious older rifle. "The Load " would be perfect.....I actually use Unique or Trail Boss...no need for fillers whatsover with either one.

I started using the light loads in my 45-70 T/C Contender pistol barrel when I had surgery on my right arm, found them to be so nice to shoot that I bought a 4 pound canister of Unique and just had to buy another one ( Actually went 8 pounder this time ) because the light loads were so fun to shoot it drained the 4 pound canister. And when you are only using 13 to 16 grains a pop...thats a lot of rounds ( I use the 13gr of Unique with the 405's and 16gr of Unique with the 300's )

I experimented ( With the chronograph ) with tilting the barrel up/down before firing ( To move the charge towards and away from the primer ) and the fps all stayed +/- 10fps...basically the same as just pulling cartridges out of the box ....no need for fillers whatsoever.

Here is the link for the Laser Cast....as mentioned before in the thread ONLY use the .458 ( In the case of cast lead , they usually go .001 oversize @ .459 ) bullets....Laser Cast labels their .459 specifically for the 45-70 on the bottom of this page... http://www.laser-cast.com/45Cal.html ....they are awesome bullets and cheap to shoot.