45-70 advice

[Ivan the Butcher]

AA5744 and Trail Boss are great for regular non-magnum loads. The large lead slugs at 1300 and lower MV, almost made buffalo extinct! I used a 5744 load with a Lyman 292 gr cast in a speed rifle match. 10 shots, less than 4 seconds, 100 yards (iron sights), 1 1/4" group I won by a wide margin! Ivan

 

[Jessie]

In the magazines you'll always see loads with 4198 or R?7? (i think) & 3031. You might just look on your shelf and use whatever you may already be using for another cartridge and if the manuals have used to develop a load then you're good, i.e. if you already are using 4198 for something, use that.

3031 is an old favorite for 45-70 and it works fine. You can fill it up to the bottom of most slugs usually around 53 grains depending on bullet.

IMHO --I feel like trying to duplicate a factory's load is ---well---so what.

If you get adequate velocity to make the round work---you've done fine and you do not have to have super duper duper velocity for any round---just appropriate velocity for the cartridge and the bullet without stretching it or being on the ragged edge.

The deceased animal does not know whether it was struck at 1600 fps or 1800fps.

I hear ya, but I've sighted in with the Hornady's and like how it performs downrange. I just don't care for the price of them.

 

[Jessie]

45-70 government ...
the cartridge I keep falling deeper in love with lately.
the FTX kinda has me scratching my head in this application.
there will always be something better for launching spire points from.
The name of its game is baseball sized chunks of lead with great authority. It may be one of the most brilliant cast lead launch platforms ever committed to wood and steel. Save yourself some money and find some cast lead to feed it.
this is what it has done best since the 1870's

I like the extended range and a little flatter shooting. Not so much like a mortar.

 

[Neumann]

I'm not a fan of the Hornady FTX bullet. It has a longer ogive, and can only be seated properly if the case is shortened by nearly 1/10". Furthermore, there is no evidence it is any more effective on game than a jacketed soft point, or for that matter, a hard cast RNFP, which fit in a standard case.

.45-70 is not a long-range cartridge. It is a slow, heavy round with awesome penetration, used mainly at 150 yards or less. I've used gummy-tip (aka FTX) bullets in .308, because they offer slightly better ballistics than match-type boat-tail hollow points. It doesn't seem to matter at 300 yards or less.

I enjoy shooting and loading for the .45-70, but so far have no hunting experience with it. I'm sticking to traditional 405 grain RNFP bullets from Oregon Trails. I'm using Varget (while it lasts), but 4198 and 3031 are often cited in loading tables.

 

[rburg]

.45-70 is not a long-range cartridge.

There sure are a bunch of Injuns who would disagree with that. Buffalo, too. I don't agree because we used to shoot in a gravel pit. There was a Buick out at about 1000 yards. It had seen better days before we started shelling it. Even with the family Springfield, you could get hits with most shots if you tried. If we moved to 500 yards, it was dead meat with every shot. They used it at Camp Perry, too. It was the preferred long range cartridge.

 

[Biggfoot44]

I get it that Hornaday is going for max bang for the promotional buck by creating a common brand identity for the FTX . Some of them make a meaningful improvement over existing loads. But a 325gr .458 bullet is still an inherently stubby bullet. It has a bit more horsepower than the typical RemFedChester 300gr JHP @ 1800-ish.

With a Marlin you can safely propell the 300/325/350 jacketed bullet to vels higher than the FTX (if desired) with several different powders.

As mentioned before , a .45-70 with cast bullets at black powder vels can penetrate a bison at 1000yd . The light bullets at higher vels is just to try to flaten the "point blank distance". But it's not like its possable to make a .45-70 shoot as PBR flat-ish as a .30-30 , much less anything of '06 class.

I wasn't around then , but in his writings Elmer Keith made frequent mention of the changed playing field when 2400 was introduced in circa 1935 .

And while today I would recomend other powders , I had a nice load for 300jhp and 2400, and I'm sure its as good as it used to be.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I get it that Hornaday is going for max bang for the promotional buck by creating a common brand identity for the FTX . Some of them make a meaningful improvement over existing loads. But a 325gr .458 bullet is still an inherently stubby bullet. It has a bit more horsepower than the typical RemFedChester 300gr JHP @ 1800-ish.

With a Marlin you can safely propell the 300/325/350 jacketed bullet to vels higher than the FTX (if desired) with several different powders.

As mentioned before , a .45-70 with cast bullets at black powder vels can penetrate a bison at 1000yd . The light bullets at higher vels is just to try to flaten the "point blank distance". But it's not like its possable to make a .45-70 shoot as PBR flat-ish as a .30-30 , much less anything of '06 class.

I wasn't around then , but in his writings Elmer Keith made frequent mention of the changed playing field when 2400 was introduced in circa 1935 .

And while today I would recomend other powders , I had a nice load for 300jhp and 2400, and I'm sure its as good as it used to be.

Way back when, when there were only a few powders available and 2400 was labeled "Hercules 2400 rifle Power" unless you were loading black Powder a lot of 45-70 ammo was loaded with Unique and 2400. For many Decades A LOT of families were fed with that ammo. Like said above, these days there are powders that will do a better job but that doesn't erase the fact 2400 is still a powder that will do the job.

 

[venomballistics]

I like the extended range and a little flatter shooting. Not so much like a mortar.

Kinda like a 338?
I like the rainbow trajectory. The skills required to master it separate the men from the boys.
I load mine with a 405 grain powder coated bullet.
Some are done with a bright zombie apocalypse green that makes something of a safe and legal tracer in good sunlight.
It's not hard to figure out hold over when you have this kind of visual feedback.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I see what the OP means by saying the 45-70 isn't much of a long range round. In my 30" Shiloh Sharps, bullets lighter than 450 grain have too much drop for any of my sights to work at 1000 yards, including my 15x 2" Unirtil scope. However with the higher BC 500 grain and heavier round nose and semi-spitzer cast bullets, we are getting 1 to 1.5 MOA 4 shot groups at 1000 and 1035 yards. Yes my long range 223 and 308 shoot .5 MOA or smaller groups at that distance, but they won't drop a Buffalo out there! Ivan

 

[ruggyh]

5 shoots Ruger #1 @ 100 yards
Reloads using IMR 4198 under the 325 FTX duplicating Factory LeverRevolution Ammo

 

[rburg]

You don't need tracers or green paint to see the bullet go out at long range. Its common to fire a few and realize you actually can see the ghost moving down range. The problem with it is you become more interested in watching the bullet than hitting or anything else.

 

[venomballistics]

You don't need tracers or green paint to see the bullet go out at long range. Its common to fire a few and realize you actually can see the ghost moving down range. The problem with it is you become more interested in watching the bullet than hitting or anything else.

largely true.
thing is, most folks will never see it, or disregard this visual aid thinking they are hallucinating.
making it more visible can help you use the trace to hone your follow through and correct mistakes, and develop hold overs at various ranges, faster than without the visual feedback.
If you can see it, you'll know if the shot was true ... or not ... long before you see the target react.
The green powder coat assists this reasonably well, though its primary function is to act as a full plastic jacket