Getting something to play with...SSK 45-70 and looking to stoke it for elk this fall. On hand I've got about any powder you can imagine and 300gr Hornady HP's, 350gr Hornady RN's but would like to try some case bullets you anyone has some pet loads. If you can post them would be great...then maybe take a minute and add them to the database. Thanks..........Dan

Cool, that should be a shooter. I shoot the TC Hunter model. My barrel likes the 300grn Sierra JHP the best so far. I'm shooting 37grn of IMR4198 with Fed 210 Primers. I get 1420fps from this load. It's not a speed demon but I have taken two whitetail with it and a hog. It's always Boom, Flop. I may try some cast myself from Beartooth bullets. They said they had a good bullet for the 45-70.

Mike

I have the 16" barrel for my contender, this load shoot great in mine. Re #7 46.6grs 300gr Sierra, Fed 210, win.brass, Load is from Sierra. I also shoot a 370gr spitzer cast bullet from Penn Bullets. 29gr 5744, Fed 210 primers, win. brass. Good groups at 100yds. By the way Dan the load you gave me for the 22-250 shoots great in my encore. Jim

jimmylee...great on the 22-250 load! I finally clocked the 35gr Varget and 50gr V-Max...the Oehler is telling me 3310fps. Which fits perfect w/ the drop charts I made...dilaing in to 500 yards...it is dead on!!

Keep the 45-70 loads comin' fellas!

I have no direct experience with the 45-70 in a TC but load and shoot my guide gun a lot. Powders are the norm, 3031, 4198 and RL-7. I really like shooting light loads of various 405 cast bullets at 1700 fps.

What calibers would you compare the recoil of a TC 45-70 (with these type of loads) to?

This one is for you buddy!!

Dan,
I have an SSK barrel, you'll love it. I'm shooting a 300-grain Sierra HP over 47.0-grains of RL #7 and it shoots great. I also load a 400-grain Speer over 43.0-grains of RL #7 for 1546 fps and the same bullet over 45.0-grains of H322 for 1459 fps. I'm using a Stareline case and Remington 9 1/2 primers. My barrel is a 14" and is Mag-na-ported. Let me know what shoots good for you. I'm still working with mine and always looking for a good load for the 45-70. It is one of my best barrels. A real Hog slammer!!

Sorry, real men don't shoot 45-70's! They shoot 416 Rigby's. I load a very stiff charge of either 3031 or 4198 behing a very hard cast 350GC. I can be more specific in PM. I do know JD chambers long throats for the bigger slugs. It will hold under 2" at 100yd very easily. I'll bring it in April! It kicks almost, but not quite like the 416, but the 416 is mush faster. What can one say about a .458 caliber hole in and out?

I'd like to shoot the Rigby w/ the new brake to see how much it helped!! My 45-70 should arrive this week and I can get started w/ testing.

I'll have four guns ready for the elk trip in November...the SSK 45-70, SSK .375 JDJ, SSK .338JDJ#2 and the Allen Precision Shooting .284 Win XP-100. The only SSK product in the safe I'm not taking is the SS 14" .22LR!!

I made it to the range today with the first test loads for my .45-70. My barrel is a 14" (12" w/Hunter brake). I used H4198, CCI 200 primers and 300 grain Hornady JHP. The load that grouped best used 50 grains of H4198. This load averaged 1,894 fps and grouped 5 shots at 1.079"X.781" (.621"X.323" group less the bullet diameter of .458"). This was at a 30 yard bay, the 100 yard bays were packed. According to the Hodgdon data I based this load on, I am guessing this load to be around 22,000 CUP. I think this will make a good mule deer/antelope load. For elk I plan on working up a load with 300 grain Partitions.

Holy Moly....1800fps from a 12" rifled barrel!! Need to get me some'a that!! Did some testing on Sunday...best accuracy I got was 3" at 100 yards using AA5744 and 300gr Hornady HP's...1400fps. I'm getting powders kernels laying in the barrel after I shoot...that's with any powder I have tried...IMR4198, AA5744, RL-7 so far.

Is anyone else getting this??

Dan, I shoot vintage MilSurp 405 factory loads left over and found on one of Custer's wagon trains. They smoke a lot, but they sure are a hoot to shoot! Mine are even stamped 'US 7th Cav'! Do you think thye're original? I love shooting this MilSup stuff! Actchurly, My 'Chronied' 12" Hunter 444 Marlin sends a 300gr Sierra through the light traps at 1840fps. That is with a very stiff charge of 4198. You shot that same load from my Katahdin and as you recall, it is a pussy cat compared to the 350gr Rigby, but then again, it was going at 2350fps!

Dan, my second best load grouped .889"X1.25" (without subtracting the .458" bullet diameter). This could have been me since this was my 7th five round group off the bench. This load used 52.5 grains of H4198 averaging 1999 fps. Hodgdon shows a max load in a 15" barrel (Encore?) with 55 grains H4198 using a 300 grain Sierra JHP at 2076 fps with 27,600 CUP. I will stick with my 50 grain load. I'm not going to worry about the 100 fps difference when I don't plan on taking a shot over 150 yards. It will be a little easier on the gun and me when practicing all summer. All the loads I shot today left a few kernals of powder behind, but not nearly as much as factory loads. I fired the last of my Winchester JHP factory loads today and they came in around 1,676 fps.

Dan, probably not what you are looking for but I use 55 gr. of H4895 in front of the Speer and Swift 400s and I get around 1650 fps from an SSK 14" magnaported bbl. Believe that 56 gr. is generally considered max for Contender in that load. I tried some 56gr loads and got 1700, but I am never really comfortable pushing the envelope so I backed off a hair.

Thinking of dropping to 350s now that Swift is making a .45-70 bullet. Not sure what load I am going to be looking at for the 350s though.

I tried H4895 with 400 grain Speers today and I was very impressed. I only loaded up to 52.5 grains, but my barrel seemed to like 50.5 grains. This load averaged 1360 fps through my TC 14" Hunter barrel. H4895 leaves a few more kernals of powder in the barrel than my 300 grain load with H4198 but it is very accurate. The first three shots were touching with the fourth shot 1/4" to the right at 50 yards.

I had to limit the COL to 2.496 in order to close the frame on this round. The powder from the 52.5 grain load was just touching the base of the bullet. This load came in around 1480 fps.

I don't think I would want to shoot a hotter load in my gun. There is quite a bit more recoil off the bench with 400 grain bullets @ 1480 fps than there is with 300 grain bullets @ 1900 fps. Pachmayer grips help, but they also removed some skin from my thumb by the web of my hand.

If this load shoots well out to 150 yards then I think I have my elk load.

pab, I tried a 400 gr Speer and 50 gr of H4895 in a non-ported barrel - know what you mean by recoil. Hurt my wrist so bad I sold the barrel, and got a ported one. I have the Pachmeyers and having shot a .375 JDJ until I have about worn out the rifling, I am used to recoil. But the .45-70 with heavy bullets is still a handful.

Like yours mine is very accurate with H4895. Not sure it is quite MOA, but close. At any reasonable range that is good enough.

Good luck with yours.

Rob, I see in your post that you were getting 1650 fps. That load must have been a handful! Even with the lower velocities I am shooting, I worry about whether it is stressing the frame.

With no throat in the barrel I have to seat the bullet slightly deeper than the COL from the load data. H4895 data shows low pressure with 400 gr bullets. I just wonder if this is causing excessive pressure.

Did you take any game with the 400 gr Speer?

pab, haven't been around much so just seeing your post. FYI my barrel is an SSK version with a long throat set up to shoot 500 gr. bullets. That may make a significant difference. Probably should have pointed that out in my previous post. Don't have my reloading notes at work, so can't tell you my oal.

Rob, no problem, I was back at the range today firing some test loads using 300 grain Nosler Partitions. I am getting a little more velocity with my Contender than Winchester lists for their Partition load from a rifle. I'll go with this load for elk this year.