black powder cartridge loads

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picked up 3 rifles over the last week or so. 10.4x47r italian vetterli, custom remington no.1 rolling block in 45-100 and a trapdoor springfield that was cut down like a carbine in 50-70. have brass for all, need to pick up a 50 mold, have the lee 459-500-3r for the 45-100 and will use 44 bullets for the 10.4, will get a 300gr 44 mold soon.

if anyone loads black powder for these or has data in books please share, i may use pyrodex rs, bp is hard to get here. i think the 45-100 may need 1 1/2 bp. thanks. troy.

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My latest attempt at bp cartridge reloading was for 45/70. I filled the case to the top with BlackMZ and seated a 350 grain round nosed bullet over it. Took it to the range and shot at 600 yards, shot minute of garbage can so I was more or less pleased with load.
 
I've loaded for the 45-70 in a Navy Arms Rolling Block and a H&R Buffalo Classic. I use 3F Goex, a 405 grain bullet, a standard large rifle primer and a lubed felt wad (the same I use in C&B revolvers). Don't recall the BP amount but I fill the case with enough powder and the wad so the bullet slightly compresses the load when seated. It will reliably hit a 12 inch square at 200 yards if I do my part. (Not a given, darn it.)

Jeff
 
I shot BPCR at silhouettes (200-500 metres) and midrange (200-600 yards).
I used Swiss 1 1/2 which does well with light compression, so I loaded only enough to be compressed (with a die, not by mashing a soft bullet down hard) only about the thickness of a .030" card wad. That got me 40.6 gr in .38-55 with 335 gr bullet and 56 gr in .40-65 with 404 gr bullet (powder dropped through a 30" tube to settle.)

On the other hand, the Goex field representative said the starting load with his brand should be to dump a case full of loose powder and weigh it to see what you got. In actual loading, use a drop tube or vibrator to settle the powder in the case, then a compression die to make room for a bullet seated down on a card wad with no airspace but no heavy seating force.

I always used Walters fibre wads, no grease cookie required with SPG on the bullets.

If using fake powder, follow the maker's directions.
 
This is what happened here: One of the problems of slugging bores on Springfield's was dealing with three lands and groves. Bores appear to be larger than .458 on most specimens. I had decent accuracy on my 50-70 with handloads. Sorry, I do not recall the details. The bullet was 340 Lyman using 5744. For the 45-70's my go to bullet is the 405 gr. Lee hollow base. I lubed these bullets by hand (shot as cast) using SPG. My last TD had a .462 grove diameter. The Lee bullet gave very accuracy. This bullet was designed specifically for Trapdoors. I load these old guns differently than JW who is exactly right on match type loads for modern rifles.
 
A friend has one of those Sharps carbines, percussion to cartridge conversions. It is at the maximum groove diameter they would reuse, anything larger would be relined. Accuracy is about minute of hostile, or maybe his horse. A larger or hollowbase bullet would likely work better, but he only shoots it on "ceremonial occasions" and great accuracy is not required.
 
I have loaded an shot for several older blackpowder military rifles. Specs in that day for groove diameter wad greater than anything done today. The 45-70 Lee hollow base bullet was designed by a Trapdoor authority to take into consideration the wide swings in groove diameter. These old guns can shoot well but it's necessary to have time and resources for the undertaking. I have have attempted to shoot .458 diameter bullets in a Trapdoor and had the bullets keyhole at fifty yards. The Lee bullet is a place to start. A friend has two of the 50-70 Sharps carbines. Can't get him to shoot them.
 
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