Posted on 02/14/2017 5:01:54 AM PST by w1n1
If you are starting out with black powder cartridge shooting, the .45-70 is a great place to begin.
Most of what we've heard or read about black powder cartridge shooting seems to focus on long-range action. Those stories either include long-range target shooting, especially in "Quigley style" competition, or hunting, such as the tales of the buffalo hunters. While those tales of longrange heroics are often very true, with credits positively earned, black powder cartridges are right at home with shorter range shooting too. Some folks might consider this to be "goin' slow," but it really is the best place to start.
IF YOU ARE JUST BEGINNING to get into black powder cartridge shooting or are even just thinking about it, the good old .45-70 is a fine and logical entry point to this type of shooting. One good reason for that is because there are so many things, including guns and accessories, available for the .45-70 caliber. Ammunition is readily available too, but that’s less of an issue because for black powder shooting we’d be loading our own, for either single shot or repeating rifles.
On the other hand, lever-action rifles have a maximum overall cartridge length, generally just over 2½ inches, so the cartridges can cycle through the actions. Also, the trapdoor single shots might not accept cartridges quite as long as the Sharps or rolling block because their cartridges must be initially loaded at an angle. And those trapdoors and repeaters might actually chamber cartridges that are too long for them to eject if still loaded, so to unload the rifle, those long cartridges will have to be fired. Read the rest of the black powder story here.
50-140
And let us not forget the 184 grain round ball load which is so pleasant to shoot.
There are so many ways to load a 45-70 it is like owning 3 or 4 rifles.
It also is very nice to be able to clean your gun with Windex and cold water from the hose if you shoot black powder. None of the $132.00 gallon hi-tech tactical cleaning solution nonsense.
I’ve been shooting .45-70 for a long time but never tried black powder.I use mostly SR4759 and IMR3031.I do cast all the bullets however.
Black powder in a a real blast. Much more fun than modern powder. Very easy to clean up to. About two minutes to clean up.
The low pitched bang, the smoke and the stench are great and the rounds are very reliable, more so than the factory ammunition I used for a while when I first got it.
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