Then, we switched to the Winchester 94 in .30-30. This rifle is one that I use as a loaner and grandkid rifle. I mounted a Willams FP sight, with a firesight front. It shoots okay, but I'm not satisfied with the load for that rifle. I've been trying to work up a 170 grain load, and the old standard, with 30 grains of IMR3031 and a Remington 170 grain round nose bullet, just doesn't shoot well in that rifle. I get groups in the neighborhood of 5 inches at 50 yards, centered on the bull. For any of these rifles, I eschewed the sandbags today, being content with resting my elbows on the bench and shooting them like I hunt. The sight on this rifle, again, completely subtends the bullseye, but I'd like to think that this load/rifle combination would do better than 5 inches, but alas. It would certainly knock a deer over, but I'm not happy with the accuracy of that rifle. More work is necessary.
The third rifle today was the Handi-Rifle in .45-70. It likewise sports a Williams peep sight and a front Firesight. Like the other two rifles, that Firesight subtends the 6" circle at 50 yards.
With my Sharps, I'm able to keep a 500 grain bullet inside two inches at 100 yards. For some reason, the Handi-Rifle doesn't like that load combination, so I went down to the 405 grain soft lead bullet that I cast from a Lee mold. I load it over 2.5 ccs of IMR 4895 with a tuft of pillow Dacron betwixt the bullet and the powder.
I haven't put this load over the chronograph yet, but I will soon. Recoil is stiff in the little Handi-Rifle, almost punishing. I hadn't sighted the little rifle with this load, indeed, this was the first time I've tried IMR4895 in this caliber.
The more I use IMR 4895 the more I am amazed at the versatility of the powder. Originally designed as a military powder for the .30-06, it is one of those sleeper powders that you turn to when you want a versatile, reliable powder. I've used it in .30-06, .308, .243, .25.06, .30-30, .35 Remington and now in .45-70. It may not be the best powder for every application, but it is a good powder in a lot of applications. Before supplies of surplus powder ran out, I bought an eight pound jug. I've got a little over half of it left.
I should have bought five of those jugs. At any rate, I'm pleased with the .45-70 load in the Handi-Rifle and I'm through with load development for that rifle. Next time I take it to the range, I'll take the chrony so that I can get some figures, but with the little rifle shooting into 1.5 inches, I'm satisfied with it as a deep-woods rifle. Did I mention that the recoil of this load is fairly stiff?
5 comments:
Nice shooting and good comparison on the loads. It just proves some rifles like a particular load and others don't!
Re: 30-30 & 30 grs 3031 w/170 gr jacketed bullet. That's probably too hot. Slow the bullet down. Start with 29 grs 3031, and go down in 1/2 gr increments. Or use 4895 for sub-2000 fps velocities.
I really like IMR4895 for making 30.06 to shoot in an M-1 Garand.
It lets you find the pressure and velocity to mimic the military ammo.
Took my Savage 99E in .308 Winchester to Boomershoot, and using a handload of 40 grains of 3031 behind a Sierra 165-gr SPBT, got very good performance, almost as good as Black Hills Match in 165-grain.
I was ringing 6" steel at 380 yards almost every time sighting through my Weaver K-4, which most at the event laughed at.
You shoot with what you bring, and the Savage did just fine, thank you. It DID run out of gas when I tried to hit some steel at 575. I couldn't raise the sights enough to keep it out of the dirt in front of the target. Max range for that load was probably 450 yards.
I've no chrony, but the field performance validated my loading methods, which are very slow and deliberate, making maybe 50 rounds in an afternoon.
My other rifle, a Winchester M70 hunter in .243 Winchester, outperformed the .308. The best load I shot in that was Federal Fusion in 95-grain, and with that, I hit 7 boomers at 380 yards (only exploded 3 though, the other 4 were duds), and one boomer at 575, after which I grinned as wide as Clearwater County and put the rifle away.
I had a grand time out there, except for it was still the freezin' season and got into the low-mid 20's every night, and I camped in an old 1963 tent trailer with zero insulation.
PawPaw,
May I ask your advice.
I'm just getting into the .45-70. I just picked up a Springfield Trapdoor made in 1891. I would like to develop a black powder load, and, eventually, a light smokeless powder load. However, the bullet size has me puzzled. I slugged the barrel and it came out around .456-.458, but the Lee mold I have ordered says it throws a 405 grain .459 bullet, with a hollow base. Would an "over-sized" lead bullet like that cause pressure problems?
Also, I see that some people use some kind of "wadding" over the powder, what's the purpose of that.
Thanks for your help.
Flintlock Tom
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