The .45-70 Govt cartridge

The .45-70 Govt cartridge is one of the legal cartridges in Louisiana this year for the primitive weapons hunting season, as long as it is used in one of the approved rifles.

If I hunt the special season and decide to use a cartridge arm, the .45-70 will get the nod, for two reasons. First and foremost is that I have it. There is a fair amount of .45-70 brass on my bench. The second reason would be that I've done the load development for it. I've got a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't work for the old government warhorse.

Junior has done all the Handi-rifle work and shows here how to get the most out of the Handi-Rifle. I've done load development for the cartridge and know how to load like the old-timers loaded. Click on the links and enjoy.

If you want the flavor of the old cartridge, you should try loading it with black powder or a substitute like Pyrodex. It's very cool to shoot the old warhorse with something approaching the original load. It also gives you an idea of the late 1800s, which was an exciting time in firearm and cartridge development.

Of course, you could just go down to the store and buy a box of whatever flavor cartridge you prefer. That's another option. When you do, save your brass. One of these days you'll want to load some blackpowder. Everyone who shoots the cartridge does eventually.