Long story short;I own a couple 45-70 rifles.My favorite,a Pedersoli Billy Dixon Sharps(altough I still love my Ruger no 1).
A certain Mr Harris recommends a light load for a 350gr cast bullet.
I shot several of this load(13.0 gr of Unique)and the thing kept piling them one on top of the other and this for many groups..
This is not being said so as to try to impress you...most of you guys can shoot like that!Just that I'm so ecstatic that I thought I should share with persons who know what this means.

It really made my day!I love it when a plan comes together!

Let's see some pictures

No shame in having a great day shooting and sharing it with others who can appreciate it!! Particularly when it is a day shooting great groups with a favorite gun.

That recipe sounds like a winner for one of my favorite calibers!
I've taken a black bear and a hog with it, by the way.
My shooters include:
-a modern customized Marlin 1895
-a circa 1870 customized Remington RRB
-an 1884 Trapdoor Carbine
-a mint 1873 Trapdoor Rifle

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Pics or it didn't happen...

Chris, how about some pics of those?
ETA:
All are cool but 'd love to have a nice RRB.

For someone with a High-Wall on her wish list, stop teasing and put up some pics.

Did someone ask about a High Wall? How about a Browning High Wall Black Powder Cartridge Rifle in 45-70 (top) and a Farmingdale, NY Shiloh Sharps? The Browning was a great shooter from the start. The Sharps needed some experimentation. I mostly use an Lyman/Ideal 385 grain cast bullet (457124) in both.

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IMG_0021.jpg (45.8 KB, 152 views)

Suhweettt!

Ok guys;let me retrieve some targets(I write down the results and throw them in the trash can)and I'll post some pics!

45-70 is my favorite rifle cartridge. I still use the old black powder loads and make lots of smoke. Bagged an elk, mule deer, antelope, and numerous pests with these two.

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Eccentric old coot

I love those tang apertures. The depth of field make my eyes feel young again.

Sorry it took so long;my back went out and it was a week before I could walk into the ''Sheriff's office''(my reloading shop).As I usually do,I had destroyed all but one target;I note down in my book what's to remember and put them in the shredding bin.I had kept but one.
The interesting point here is that I've[ATTACH] had better groups before but only one out of 3 or 4 while this load was consistent from one target to the next;I feel I've got something to start developping here which was not the case previously!

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Sharps 45-70.jpg (69.4 KB, 76 views)

Previous photo,the nail;this one is the hammer used!Pedersoli Billy Dixon.

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sharp's 45-70.jpg (126.1 KB, 60 views)

That's some fair to middlin' shootin' right there. Somewhere I've got 3 paper patched 530 grainers welded together. They hit in a dirt bank behind a target I was shooting at 100 yards.. That's the best group I ever got.

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Eccentric old coot

I have " longed " for a 45-70 for yrs . I have it's " lil brother " , 38-55 in a old Winchester 1894 , made in 1897 . I will keep looking and waiting . I already have a set of dies and a bullet mold , LBT 460 gr made to fit Marlins . Regards, Paul

YAY! Another excuse to post single shots. Here's a 1884 Trapdoor with bayonet and a .45-70 Shiloh half octagon #3 Sporter. I made a point of ordering a half octagon just because I like them. There's a .45-70 and a .45-90 cases, and a bullet dug up at Adobe Walls and given to me.

I have always wanted a Sharps, but somehow never get around to buying one.

I do own several firearms chambered in 45-70 . . . There are both 14" and 16" barrels for my Thompson Center Contender and I have one of the Marlin Custom Cowboy Limited lever guns with the 26" barrel . . . i need to get around to taking some photos of those

in 2012 Colt brought an 1866 Bull-Dog Gatling gun to the SHOT show
While it was very cool to see this old world piece of art, what was even better is that Colt also brought along 15,000 rounds of 45-70 ammunition and on the day before the SHOT show the media had the opportunity to actually shoot it
What really hurt me was that being a hand loader I had to walk away from that HUGE pile of once fired 45-70 brass

I have a C. Sharps Long Range Express in 45 2 4/10 (45-90 to the Winchester peeps).


My "Plinking" load is 17.0gr of Trail Boss under a 405gr cast bullet.


A few years back in the 4th of July a friend of mine brought his six boys ranging from 6 to 18 over. I had a bunch of brass loaded up to fire form cases so we took them out to the range and let them brun that ammo up. Far from a full house load but still had a pretty good punch to them, each boy proudly sported a slightly bruised shoulder the next day. My buddy figured I saved him about $200 in fireworks that day.

I used to have one,made in 1908;sold it a few months ago to make room for its replacement;a 1885 in 38-55.I too have the dies,brass and bullet mould.If I can only manage now to scrounge up the $3K for it.
You'll know when I do because I'll be writing all over that forum to ask for loads!

I had an 1895 CB 26" tapered octagon barrel-the old Marlin-that I shot 350 grain JHP's out of-and liked that weight bullet, but I used the IMR favored for this round-can't quite recall...But I wish I had tried Unique instead-I'm a big fan of Unique, and was aware that there was a recipe for 45-70-15 gr I think-I just never tried it! Shoot!

What!?


No bears?








Don't come looking for me. I'm not here anymore.

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Expect the unexpected

Bears are kinda scarce out here. Although I did see one on the ranch but it warn't bear season and he was plumb lost.

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Eccentric old coot

I love 45-70 Gov't (45, 2 1/10" Sharp's) too.

I threw together a plinking load of 16.3 gr Trail boss over a 300 gr. Lead Flat Nose Bear Creek Moly coated bullet. Velocity is a little below Black Powder at 1285 fps out of my Farmingdale, Shiloh Sharps. It shoots very well at 50 & 100 yards. Out of the Marlin Guide Gun, It makes cloverleaf groups as a 50 yard Speed Rifle load!

I love the tang ladder sights, but my 62 year old eyes just won't work with peeps!

Ivan

Even scarcer were I live. Someone killed the last bear in this Country somewhere in the XVIIth Century.

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Expect the unexpected

The only "Bears" here are in the zoo or wear overalls with the nickname Bear. So many calibers and so little time and money. How does 45-70 ballistic performance compare to 308? Henry has some new single shot rifles, including a 45-70 that look like interesting shooters for under $500.

The 45/70 is slow like a locomotive. Trajectory like a rainbow, but you can eat an inch from the bullet path.

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Eccentric old coot

With black powder loads, 45-70 can shoot clear through a Buffalo's shoulders at over 100 yards. (Smokeless loads can be even faster!) I don't think any 308 load will come close!

Ivan

I have an older Shiloh Sharps, a No. 1 Deluxe New York rifle, in 45-70. It has the original style long throat for paper patched bullets so I used to cast them at 500 gr., patch them and load them over a full case of FFG and a grease cookie. That was the only rifle I hunted with for about 10 years. Killed 3 elk with it and I don’t even know how many deer and antelope, and I never had a bullet stop in any of them - including one bull elk where it went nearly full length. Those ol’ Sharps will penetrate better than just about any modern rifle ‘cept maybe a .458 Win Mag with 500 FMJ bullets, and even then it would be pretty close.

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Everybody could shoot