Thread: Cast bullet Varminting / Medium game Project

Black powder it is then Micky, i didnt know that . . so i am thinking a soft Lead alloy would be best, No gas check and a soft lube, i have a Beeswax/Lithium mix that should do the job

.45/70/405

.45 calibre
70grns black powder
405 grn projectile

this WAS it as a military cartridge,which incidentally held the longest recorded sniper/sharpshooter kill for many many years till beaten by canadian chap with a .50 BMG.....
I can get 60grn max of the bulky black stuff inside case behind projectile seated to lube groove....now when you put 5-6-7 grains of some modern smokeless inbehind 50grns of black smelly stuff..the velocity goes up slightly and the amount of cleaning needed goes down considerably....straight smokeless is good too,just not as much fun....keeping those loads as my for big game business meaning loads...easy to do /tell apart as use the Hornady cases for that,the flexitip factory offerings have case thats 1/4" shorter than normal...too easy.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

.45/70/405

.45 calibre
70grns black powder
405 grn projectile

this WAS it as a military cartridge,which incidentally held the longest recorded sniper/sharpshooter kill for many many years till beaten by canadian chap with a .50 BMG.....
I can get 60grn max of the bulky black stuff inside case behind projectile seated to lube groove....now when you put 5-6-7 grains of some modern smokeless inbehind 50grns of black smelly stuff..the velocity goes up slightly and the amount of cleaning needed goes down considerably....straight smokeless is good too,just not as much fun....keeping those loads as my for big game business meaning loads...easy to do /tell apart as use the Hornady cases for that,the flexitip factory offerings have case thats 1/4" shorter than normal...too easy.

so whats the story with the longest 45/70 sniper/sharpshooter incident ? i have never heard of it

fella with feathers in his hair in USA...waay back in bad old days,something like a mile away on his horse up on ridge as them fellas were prone to do...the sharp shooter lined him up and managed to drill him fair n square.will see if can find link.

You could be thinking of the Adobe Wells fort standoff . . 1500+ yards with a Buffalo rifle chambered in 50/90
I was reading about the guy that took the shot recentley . . he was envolved in another stand off later with 5 other scouts against a war party of Indians that lasted 3 days in which the Medal of Honour was awarded to all of them.
I'll track it down later . .

the number 19 for distance was with 45cal witworth according to chart I just looked at.

either which way thems a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way to lob a lump of lead..them ol boys knew how to shoot.

yes men were men back then,that is for sure and for certain.

pages were taken from this book . . 687 pages

has a big section on the American Civil War with lots of mentions of the Whitworth and the men and their exploits

theyre done MickyD
be interested in your loading technegue with Black powder and the results.
i have done some reading on the subject of using Holy Black over the years and tried a few shots in a .45/70 converted Martini . . the cleanup put me off But maybe i need to look at it again.
Homemade powder certainly sounds good if it performs.

k

I prime a case...then stuff it full of powder..tamping it in with an empty .223 case...I do use scales to weigh charge...when it is just inside case I seat projectile to compress it completely.

the home made stuff is bulkier than commercial as it hasnt been through a press.

drop down the black powder charge by say 10% and add smokless just a little bit UNDER the black stuff...I used 7grns of 2219 just cause I had some on hand and it looks right on paper...and the results are much cleaner burn with HEAPS less residue in barrel.
those projectiles look awesome,cant wait to try some out.

projectiles arrived today (thanks @rossi.45) are a doddle to seat due to the rebated rim,so easy infact I kept looking to make sure I hadnt done something wrong,they drop about 2mm into case all by them selves,slightly flared case will be helping here too,a lot like seating boat tail cup n core. they look great loaded up with either 45grns of AR 2208 in shorter case (thanks @Ftx325) or7 grns AR2219 underneath 50grn of black powder.
now to stop working every spare minute of the day and go and shoot something with them...will find time to poke holes in cardboard box some time,and if not too bad may even remember to take photos to post up.