45-70 handi rifle reloading?

[Sitting Bull]

I have a beautiful 45-70 Handi that I was going to sell, but have now decided to keep. I have only shot 1/2 box through it with open sights. I would like to reload for it but I don't really know where to start with bullet selection. Can you help me please?
What brand bullets and weight do you recommend for general hunting and at the range?
The powders that I have are 4198 and 4895

Thanks for the help

[dogslayer403]

Originally Posted by Sitting Bull

I have a beautiful 45-70 Handi that I was going to sell, but have now decided to keep. I have only shot 1/2 box through it with open sights. I would like to reload for it but I don't really know where to start with bullet selection. Can you help me please?
What brand bullets and weight do you recommend for general hunting and at the range?
The powders that I have are 4198 and 4895

Thanks for the help

I really like 405g hardcast Flat Nose in my marlin imr3031 is my go to but 4198 is an excellent choice

[Unregistered user]

I shoot Leverevolutions 8n my 1895, using data from the Hodgdon website.

[Battle Rat]

I've had great success in regards of accuracy and penetration with Bullet Barn 405 gas checked.
Not that 405 grains required and the 350 Hornady will do fine as well.
Their round nose bullet has worked fine for a long time.
If you know the distance, you will have enough energy to get the job done a any reasonable distance,.

[Boogerfart]

I've got a couple different Lee molds that work good in my H&R, both 405gr, one plain base and the other hollow base. Send me a pm if you'd like to try a few, I'm always happy to meet fellow AO'ers and talk reloading.

[Dean2]

That Handi is NOT a Marlin or a Ruger. Make sure you use the trapdoor loads when you are loading for it. Any break action rifle should not be loaded to the full power Marlin loads. Even the side by side Baikal 45-70 I had, which is a stronger action than the Handi, I limited to Trap Door loads.

The 350 grain Horn are very accurate, penetrate real well and are effective on Deer to moose. They are my all round choice. If you want to shoot the cheaper cast, Bullet Barn makes a couple that shoot very well. I have a bunch if you want to try loading up a few before ordering a full order.

[Sitting Bull]

Thanks Dean, I was looking through the Lyman manual last night , and could not figure out where the H&R fell as far as the category . I was not even looking at the Springfield Trapdoor loads.

[Sitting Bull]

What are the differences between using a jacketed bullet vs a cast alloy lead bullet? Why do you choose to cast your own bullets?

[360hunt]

Originally Posted by Sitting Bull

What are the differences between using a jacketed bullet vs a cast alloy lead bullet? Why do you choose to cast your own bullets?

I have several 45-70's and I am using jacketed as well as cast bullets.

Once set up for casting bullets it's the way to go for this caliber. By far cheaper and casts can be loaded hot or mild depending on what your doing with them.
Hunting or plinking?

I load 325, 340, 405 and 500 grain casts. With the heavier bullets I'm using imr4198 and lighter Unique.
I pan lube if velocity is over 1200 fps other wise I just powder coat them and load them.
Seems like a lot of work at first but when you start to realize the cost savings and endless supply of bullets you begin to appreciate it.

[Boogerfart]

Casting is the way to go for 45-70, it was originally designed to function best with a heavy cast bullet and BP after all. Casting lets you save a fortune on bullets and fine tune your loads based on bore dimensions to acheive excellent accuracy for pennies a round. Theres no need to push it past 1800fps anyway so unless you're loading for a Ruger #1 or other stout rifle theres no real need for jacketed bullets in my mind. Everyones certianly intitled to their own opinion though.
I usually use H4198 for trapdoor level loads, going past that with a H&R will kill your shoulder anyway.
Casting also lets you try different lubes to see what your rifle likes, I've been successfully playing with different wax blends and recently started powder coating as well, if I'd known how simple it was I would've done it sooner! If you're just looking for quick cheap loads tumble lubing works good too.

Where are you finding Unique? I've got a partial can I've been saving as I can't find more...

[Sitting Bull]

Should we be concerned about the health risks associated with the handling of lead as well as hunting with lead as opposed to a mono bullet?
When a lead cast bullet hits an animal, does it mushroom and shed petals like a jacketed bullet?
Sorry for what might be silly questions but I have never seen a lead bullets performance.

[Boogerfart]

Casting is best done outdoors or in a well ventilated area, wash your hands after handling lead, etc. Cast bullets typically hold together extremely well unless you're using hollow points or high velocity.

[360hunt]

Originally Posted by Boogerfart

Casting is the way to go for 45-70, it was originally designed to function best with a heavy cast bullet and BP after all. Casting lets you save a fortune on bullets and fine tune your loads based on bore dimensions to acheive excellent accuracy for pennies a round. Theres no need to push it past 1800fps anyway so unless you're loading for a Ruger #1 or other stout rifle theres no real need for jacketed bullets in my mind. Everyones certianly intitled to their own opinion though.
I usually use H4198 for trapdoor level loads, going past that with a H&R will kill your shoulder anyway.
Casting also lets you try different lubes to see what your rifle likes, I've been successfully playing with different wax blends and recently started powder coating as well, if I'd known how simple it was I would've done it sooner! If you're just looking for quick cheap loads tumble lubing works good too.

Where are you finding Unique? I've got a partial can I've been saving as I can't find more...

I have been buying Unique from SFRC and Henry's shooting supply. Henry's has a great selection for casting supplies

[360hunt]

Correction.....its Henry's Budget shooting supplies.

[Boogerfart]

Thanks!!

[fps plus]

Many years ago a fella asked me to ream his 45-70 rifle to 458win mag I told him” I would not do it”. He was kinda mad at me . He came back probably 6 months later and ask if I could fix his handi rifle 45-70 that had been reamed to 458 mag as it keeps opening when firing . He had found someone to do it

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by Sitting Bull

Thanks Dean, I was looking through the Lyman manual last night , and could not figure out where the H&R fell as far as the category . I was not even looking at the Springfield Trapdoor loads.

Compare the loads side by side, Trap Door Versus Marlin/Lever and you will find something very interesting. What you get for the extra ten to fifteen grains of powder is 2X or 3X the pressure and about 3X the kick, for about 100-150 FPS more speed at the top loads.

Really poor trade off in a gun that kills because of the big hole it makes, not because of hydrostatic shock. A 350 Grain Hornady will go clear through a bear length wise, or through both shoulders of a moose and exit, even at 1600 FPS. Speeding them up makes them a tad flatter but they don't kill any better.

I use the Hodgdon data a lot and always try to pick the lowest pressure load with the highest or close to it published velocity in any particular cartridge, at least as the first powder to try.

[Huntsman]

Guy,
I’ll cast you some Lee 405gr boolits when I get home in 2 weeks. As for mushrooming, here is the result of my 38-55 Lyman mould with gas check that I recovered.

[tikka250]

Originally Posted by Sitting Bull

Should we be concerned about the health risks associated with the handling of lead as well as hunting with lead as opposed to a mono bullet?
When a lead cast bullet hits an animal, does it mushroom and shed petals like a jacketed bullet?
Sorry for what might be silly questions but I have never seen a lead bullets performance.

I shot a doe last year with a handi and a 405 gr hardcast from bullet barn loaded with a light trapdoor load. At 50 yards that bullet blew through a shoulder and ribs with no sign of stopping and she piled up in 10 yards. Meat damage was minimal enough to say that It is better on meat than my 270 shooting partitions.

[elkhunter11]

I had great results in my Marlin with the Hornady 350gr flat point. Excellent accuracy, but recoil was harsh.

[colroggal]

Handi-rifles came in 2 flavors - sb1 and sb2. The sb2 frame was built to handle high intensity center fire cartridges. They will handle modern 45-70 loads, but not ruger #1 loads. If they'll handle the pressure of a .308 and the thrust of a 12g magnum, they'll handle whatever your shoulder can handle.

But not an sb1 frame.

Besides, you don't need to push them. Anything much more than trap door levels in that rifle would be quite unpleasant.

Colin

[Slash8]

I shoot 425 and 350 gr gas checked hard casts I buy from a fellow in Wetaskewin who makes them. Jet Bullets. Terry is his name, he has a website.

http://www.jetbullets.com

Both of my Marlin prefer the 425's and I usually only load them to Trap Door velocities (1300 toi 1500 fps). I've taken Deer and Moose with both rifles. Both are 1895's, one is a Guide Gun. Dean2 pretty much summed it up on the velocity description. You don't need a ton of velocity to kill with this cartridge. It's like tapping a Whiskey barrel from any direction on both sides. Not too much will stop a hard cast bullet from punching clean through. Range is limited but how often does and average hunter shoot over 200 meters anyway. Everything I dropped with mine so far have been 125ish and under.

For powder I generally use IMR 3031

Have fun, they're fun to shoot.