Seeking input for 45-70 Govt for an old trapdoor

[tejohnson]

Hi All,

It has been a rather long time since I have been over here, I hope all is well with folks.

I am loading up about 110 rounds of 45-70 Govt for a Springfield Trapdoor, and I was curious to get some input on the safety of the load (which I believe should be rather mild).

What I am working with:

CCI 200 Large Rifle Primers
Somewhat old, but virgin Remington brass inspected and trimmed to 2.095"
40 grains of Varget
Remington 405 grain JSP
OAL of 2.550"

After quite a bit of research, I am under the impression that the pressures should be below 20,000 CUP, but I'm not positive. I would prefer to not have the action explode in the shooters face. Any thoughts?

[flyingirish04]

Varget is a bit fast for old trapdoors. I usually use H4198 for those types of loads in 45-70. THat being said, I would start at 36 grains and work up from there seeing if there are signs of overpressure.

[ddouglas]

Shame on you, tejohnson! Shame! Shame! Shame! Black powder is the ONLY proper way to load for the 45-70. I've got a Sharps and using anything but black powder would be a crime against history. 63 grains of Swiss 2 1/2 F with a 530 grain Montana Bullet Works Postell is a good load, and accurate in my rifle.

[tejohnson]

Thanks for the input. While I was out today I picked up some IMR 4064 as a backup, but I am still prepping the brass.

I will see if I can score some H4198 tomorrow, and as a backup, are there any concerns with IMR-4198? Starting load in the Lyman Reloading Handbook (49th Ed.) is 31.5 (which was the most accurate load).

I am also looking for options, as I am limited by local sources of powder due to a time constraint. The rounds are being loaded up for someone else as a stocking stuffer, so time is more my constraint, but I also want to keep it safe.

Thanks again!

Shame on you, tejohnson! Shame! Shame! Shame! Black powder is the ONLY proper way to load for the 45-70. I've got a Sharps and using anything but black powder would be a crime against history. 63 grains of Swiss 2 1/2 F with a 530 grain Montana Bullet Works Postell is a good load, and accurate in my rifle.

HA! Perhaps, but I get a bit nervous around anything other than smokeless powders. I think it is more my ignorance. Perhaps over time I will experiment more in the future...

[flyingirish04]

IMR4198 is ok. H4198 works much better. It is my go to 45-70 powder.

[tejohnson]

Thanks!

[tejohnson]

Again, thanks for the input! Loading the rounds up right now. I decided to go with:

CCI 200 Large Rifle Primers
Somewhat old, but virgin Remington brass inspected and trimmed to 2.095"
32 grains of H4198
Remington 405 grain JSP
OAL of 2.545" with a slight crimp


The Hornady customm dies are working out awesome. I like the projectile alignment mechanism. All seating depths are within +/- 0.002!

I'm using my dispenser with a built in electronic scale and a beam scale to measure each load (much like I do my .308).