C Younger
Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2017
- Messages
- 216
This is kind of long, so thank you in advance for reading it through.
I've been loading the 45-70 for about a year now and am having a ton of fun as well as a ton of frustration. After discovering that Accurate 5744 was my most accurate powder, I continued to tinker with different loads to get it just right. Initially I was testing with Missouri Bullet 405 gr and Starline un-trimmed brass (about 2.105"). I don't recall getting any leading unless I increased the charge over 28 gr using a WLR primer. This was fine because my most accurate load came from 25 gr with the same primer at about 1250 fps.
In an attempt to get a more consistent load, I began trimming my brass to 2.095" to ensure my crimp was the same on every cartridge. I don't know whether it is related, but at about the same time, I began getting leading in the first one or so inches of barrel immediately in front of the chamber. The first time I noticed it was shooting un-crimped loads that I was testing for bullet movement while in the lever actions tube. My initial thought was that not using a crimp was the cause of the leading. I then tried a light crimp, a tight crimp, and even annealing my brass. I've tried both Missouri Bullets and Laser Cast (both 405 gr) with the same results. I get no leading using H4895 (never tested beyond 48 gr), but my loads aren't as accurate as they are with the 5744.
The only possible causes that I am able to come up with are:
The leading was always there after using this bullet powder combo and I never noticed it while cleaning (not likely, as I'm pretty meticulous);
I was clearing the leading with my other test loads of H4895 (I didn't always keep records of which load I shot first);
Somehow, trimming the brass .01" is the cause of the leading;
Missouri Bullet's sent me a batch with a slightly different alloy or lube composition, or diameter (never tested Laser Cast before the leading started), or
I've somehow bulged my barrel immediately in front of the chamber, allowing hot gas to get around the bullet (pretty sure this in not it).
This leading isn't unbearably hard to clean, and I will continue to use this load if I can't find a suitable substitute, but would really like to get this solved.
Any suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated.
I've been loading the 45-70 for about a year now and am having a ton of fun as well as a ton of frustration. After discovering that Accurate 5744 was my most accurate powder, I continued to tinker with different loads to get it just right. Initially I was testing with Missouri Bullet 405 gr and Starline un-trimmed brass (about 2.105"). I don't recall getting any leading unless I increased the charge over 28 gr using a WLR primer. This was fine because my most accurate load came from 25 gr with the same primer at about 1250 fps.
In an attempt to get a more consistent load, I began trimming my brass to 2.095" to ensure my crimp was the same on every cartridge. I don't know whether it is related, but at about the same time, I began getting leading in the first one or so inches of barrel immediately in front of the chamber. The first time I noticed it was shooting un-crimped loads that I was testing for bullet movement while in the lever actions tube. My initial thought was that not using a crimp was the cause of the leading. I then tried a light crimp, a tight crimp, and even annealing my brass. I've tried both Missouri Bullets and Laser Cast (both 405 gr) with the same results. I get no leading using H4895 (never tested beyond 48 gr), but my loads aren't as accurate as they are with the 5744.
The only possible causes that I am able to come up with are:
The leading was always there after using this bullet powder combo and I never noticed it while cleaning (not likely, as I'm pretty meticulous);
I was clearing the leading with my other test loads of H4895 (I didn't always keep records of which load I shot first);
Somehow, trimming the brass .01" is the cause of the leading;
Missouri Bullet's sent me a batch with a slightly different alloy or lube composition, or diameter (never tested Laser Cast before the leading started), or
I've somehow bulged my barrel immediately in front of the chamber, allowing hot gas to get around the bullet (pretty sure this in not it).
This leading isn't unbearably hard to clean, and I will continue to use this load if I can't find a suitable substitute, but would really like to get this solved.
Any suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated.