My first 45-70

peterk123

NES Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2016
Messages
5,052
Likes
14,278
Location
Formerly Massachusetts but now MONTANA!
Feedback: 5 / 0 / 0
Just picked up my Marlin 45-70 Guide gun. So, needed something to shoot out of it. Soft loads only because I could not find the powder I want here locally. So, I used some Alliant 2400; 24 grains to be exact. Actually shot quite nicely. Man, that is a fun gun. Let's call these the lipstick rounds :)

20200118_152650.jpg
 
Just picked up my Marlin 45-70 Guide gun. So, needed something to shoot out of it. Soft loads only because I could not find the powder I want here locally. So, I used some Alliant 2400; 24 grains to be exact. Actually shot quite nicely. Man, that is a fun gun. Let's call these the lipstick rounds :)

View attachment 325441

Love it!
I’m a big fan of 12 grains of Unique for plinking loads.
32 grains of H4198 with a 405 for trapdoor loads.
Anything above that gets exciting quick!
 
What are those bullets? I'm cheap and just shoot cast but maybe i should try these coated ones.

I wish straight walled cartridges were legal for deer in Ma.
I'm with you about the hunting. At the lower end this not much different than my inline, and the Marlin is certainly more accurate.

I am loading Missouri Bullet Company Hitek bullets. These are 405 grains. I use the same bullets for 9mm, 38sp and 357 mag. I think the 45-70 was $43 for 250 rounds. You get 500 for the same price in the smaller calibers. Assuming I get plenty of use out of the brass, I bet I will load these for less than 30 cents per round. Sure beats two bucks at Cabelas! And the loads you can develop seem endless. Pete
 
Love it!
I’m a big fan of 12 grains of Unique for plinking loads.
32 grains of H4198 with a 405 for trapdoor loads.
Anything above that gets exciting quick!

12gr of Unique?

Wouldn’t that get lost in a 45-70 case?
Im just asking here I don’t reload 45-70.
It seems like a huge case for such a small amount of powder?
No issue with all the empty space?
 
12gr of Unique?

Wouldn’t that get lost in a 45-70 case?
Im just asking here I don’t reload 45-70.
It seems like a huge case for such a small amount of powder?
No issue with all the empty space?
Not at all. 32 grains of H4198 takes up the same amount of space as 12 grains of Unique.
I was loading with Unique and switched over to H4198 and dropped my first charge to see how much I needed to crank up the powder measure. Hardly had to move it at all. It’s only off by about 1/2 grain or so
Fills the case plenty.
 
12gr of Unique?

Wouldn’t that get lost in a 45-70 case?
Im just asking here I don’t reload 45-70.
It seems like a huge case for such a small amount of powder?
No issue with all the empty space?

Not a problem at all. I use I think 12.5gr of Unique in my 345gr trapdoor loads. Works great, never an issue with the empty space. Unique is apparently not susceptible to that issue like other powders.
 
I have several .45/70s and like the caliber. I just loaded some light loads for use in the trapdoor. The Sharps shoots heavier loads and some of the 1886 loads are not pleasant to shoot. The cartridge can be loaded from very light to just shy of the .458 Winchester. It is very dependent on what gun you're shooting them out of.
 
Found IMR 3031 at Cabelas! Okay it is time to crank it up, just a bit :)

Hey, not sure if you guys have run into this, and I probably should post this as a new thread. The retention spring on my Hornady LNL would keep popping out of its flush position in station one where you feed the first casing. The issue I found was caused by the smaller groove on the bottom of the shell plate (#14), compared say to a 9mm. I ended up grinding my base a bit, as well as rounding the leading edge of shell slot, ever so slightly. Now it works like a charm. Here is a pic of my grind on the base of my press. I suspect this is an issue with any shell plate that is 45 caliber or larger. Pete

20200119_135830.jpg
 
The Marlin 1895 is a very strong rifle and will handle loads that are heavier than you'll want to shoot. I believe it has Ballard rifling instead of micro-groove so will shoot lead bullets as well as jacketed. Yes, it uses large rifle primers.
 
Found IMR 3031 at Cabelas! Okay it is time to crank it up, just a bit :)

Hey, not sure if you guys have run into this, and I probably should post this as a new thread. The retention spring on my Hornady LNL would keep popping out of its flush position in station one where you feed the first casing. The issue I found was caused by the smaller groove on the bottom of the shell plate (#14), compared say to a 9mm. I ended up grinding my base a bit, as well as rounding the leading edge of shell slot, ever so slightly. Now it works like a charm. Here is a pic of my grind on the base of my press. I suspect this is an issue with any shell plate that is 45 caliber or larger. Pete

View attachment 325851
It’s because your press is the wrong color ;)
The Marlin 1895 is a very strong rifle and will handle loads that are heavier than you'll want to shoot. I believe it has Ballard rifling instead of micro-groove so will shoot lead bullets as well as jacketed. Yes, it uses large rifle primers.
I have micro groove in all 4 of my Marlins
38/357
44 Russian/Special
30/30
45/70
They have all proven accurate with lead. So if you ever run into one with MG rifling don’t hesitate to buy it Gerry
 
The Marlin 1895 is a very strong rifle and will handle loads that are heavier than you'll want to shoot. I believe it has Ballard rifling instead of micro-groove so will shoot lead bullets as well as jacketed. Yes, it uses large rifle primers.

My Marlin was made in 1991 and has the micro groove rifling. As does my 1894 in .44 Mag.
 
Found IMR 3031 at Cabelas! Okay it is time to crank it up, just a bit :)

Hey, not sure if you guys have run into this, and I probably should post this as a new thread. The retention spring on my Hornady LNL would keep popping out of its flush position in station one where you feed the first casing. The issue I found was caused by the smaller groove on the bottom of the shell plate (#14), compared say to a 9mm. I ended up grinding my base a bit, as well as rounding the leading edge of shell slot, ever so slightly. Now it works like a charm. Here is a pic of my grind on the base of my press. I suspect this is an issue with any shell plate that is 45 caliber or larger. Pete

View attachment 325851
Interesting. Never ran into that with my LNL. Though 44 mag would be the closest caliber I have to 45.
 
I just recently bought a Marlin 1895SS and have been looking for some affordable ammunition. I may have to take a look at these. Do these loads use large rifle primers?
Damn. No way I’d buy a 45-70 unless I planned on reloading. Or if it was strictly a hunting rifle that only gets a box of ammo every year....
 
I knew that I would end up reloading for this at some point. But when you find something you want which is relatively scarce, you buy it then.
45/70 is so easy to load for
Get a lee loader or a Lyman 310 and you will be fine.
There are some more detailed videos out there but this one shows the simplicity of it.
I’ve loaded a bunch of 45/70 this way and even though I shoot a ton of it I wouldn’t feel under gunned with just a lee loader


View: https://youtu.be/3duhNVjAu6E
 
45/70 is so easy to load for
Get a lee loader or a Lyman 310 and you will be fine.
There are some more detailed videos out there but this one shows the simplicity of it.
I’ve loaded a bunch of 45/70 this way and even though I shoot a ton of it I wouldn’t feel under gunned with just a lee loader


View: https://youtu.be/3duhNVjAu6E

Okay, I think he took less time than I do with all my fancy reloading stuff. I'm tumbling, then lubing, then resizing, then tumbling, then priming, then hand weighing the charges, back to the basement to press the bullet and crimp it. Uggh. Oh, and somewhere along the line I probably should measure the OAL of the casing and probably trim them all to size.

I love this cartridge though, and I only have about 75 reloads under my belt.

Already looking at loading some lighter bullets and trying some other powders. I also ordered the Skinner peep sight so I can actually hopefully begin to at least hit the broad side of the barn (really can't see crap with those iron sights, aging eyes and bifocals). Everything goes right and I am taking this thing coyote hunting soon. I think it just may have enough kinetic energy to take one down :)
 
Thanks for posting this. Good information. Plus, I like the rifle he has.

45/70 is so easy to load for
Get a lee loader or a Lyman 310 and you will be fine.
There are some more detailed videos out there but this one shows the simplicity of it.
I’ve loaded a bunch of 45/70 this way and even though I shoot a ton of it I wouldn’t feel under gunned with just a lee loader


View: https://youtu.be/3duhNVjAu6E
 
Okay, I think he took less time than I do with all my fancy reloading stuff. I'm tumbling, then lubing, then resizing, then tumbling, then priming, then hand weighing the charges, back to the basement to press the bullet and crimp it. Uggh. Oh, and somewhere along the line I probably should measure the OAL of the casing and probably trim them all to size.

I love this cartridge though, and I only have about 75 reloads under my belt.

Already looking at loading some lighter bullets and trying some other powders. I also ordered the Skinner peep sight so I can actually hopefully begin to at least hit the broad side of the barn (really can't see crap with those iron sights, aging eyes and bifocals). Everything goes right and I am taking this thing coyote hunting soon. I think it just may have enough kinetic energy to take one down :)
Yeah that’s the beauty of it. It just works. He has another video where he loads it with an old nail and that’s about it.
Thanks for posting this. Good information. Plus, I like the rifle he has.
No problem. Yeah his old Cowboy 1895 is sexy.
The black powder shooters will tell you all you need is a powder scoop and seat the bullet with finger pressure in an unsized case.
 
That tang rear sight was wreaking havoc on me so I ordered a skinner peep. Darn things are expensive but it is a thing of beauty. Looks like it was always part of the gun. I think I am going to like it.

View attachment 326892

No toes were injured in the pic below :)

View attachment 326893
I like the skinners. One of these days I’ll order a proper Vernier tang sight for mine.
 
The Marlin website says that the 1895s have Ballard rifling. I know that at one time all Marlin rifles had micro groove rifling. Maybe they recently smartened up..

Microgroove wasn't actually a problem, it was that there was a mistaken perception that it was a problem. That's why they ended up going back.

I have a couple with microgroove and they handle lead just as well as jacketed.
 
Microgroove wasn't actually a problem, it was that there was a mistaken perception that it was a problem. That's why they ended up going back.

I have a couple with microgroove and they handle lead just as well as jacketed.

Agreed
 
Back
Top Bottom