picked up a marlin 45/70 anyone here load for one. Where to find cast bullets maybe in north central IN. What about gas checks? good - bad what are the advantage, or not. Probaly not full house loads for now.
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I've had great luck with Rainer copper plated if you keep it to mild to medium loads. Also done well with hard cast lead w/o gas checks. I usually stick to the "Springfield" loads for the un-checked lead bullets. For the hot stuff, go for jacketed bullets.
I usually get bullets through Midway.
Do you have dies? I have an extra set of Lee. PM me if you need them.
I load 45-70 all the time. I shoot a sharps and also have a marlin 1894 guide gun. For cast bullets try Missouri Bullet Company I have had really good luck with the 405gr #1 buffalo and they are cheap. I have shot the expensive cast bullets too and can't tell a difference for 2x the money. Also have loaded some Speer and Hornady jacketed bullets for the hotter rounds. I use Accurate 5744 powder or black powder for fun sometimes. I wouldn't bother with the gas checks. Have fun it's a great round!
I've got 20 pieces of remington 45-70 brass that's once fired that anyone is welcome to have if you want to pick it up in ft wayne. I love the idea of a 45-70, but the 1895 & 1895G never shot well so they were sold.
405 grains of lead over 27 grains of H4198. Nice, sweet load. But then, I am shooting an 1873 trapdoor carbine (I'm out of 300 grain jacketed). One day, I may pick up a modern 45-70 lever rifle, or maybe one of those Bison Bull revolvers. Imagine shooting that hog!
I reload for my Marlin 1895 using cast lead bullets without gas checks. I don't load them hot enough to worry about using gas checks. For good cast bullets in north central Indiana, check with B.K. Bullets in Peru IN. Call Bob at 765-473-2881 for information. I use his 300 gr bullets over Trail Boss powder for cowboy action. You can start out as soft as you like and work your way up. I also use IMR 4198 for jacketed bullets. Good luck
40-45 grains of IMR-3031 is a little light for a 300 grain cast but it should get the job done. A lot of shooters like the IMR-4198, RL-7 and Varget too.