Primers for 45-70

[Wildcat Will]

I have been shootin' Goex for main matches 'bout a year now and have ooooh and aaahhhhed many a folk with my loads.  Drives the RO and spotters crazy!  LOL

Anyway I am planning on loading some 45-70 BP loads for the Va State match in Oct and need some advice from my friends on the darkside.  I am planning on loading 60 gns FF Goex under the Big Lube 45-390 booolet.  Here is the question.  Should I use a standard large rifle primer or a magnum large rifle primer?

Also ifn ya have any good loads for this boolet I would appreciate any info.  I will be shootin' them outa a Marlin 1895 and a HR repro trapdoor. 

Thanks ahead a time fur your help.

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Bill,

Shot a 600 yard match today.  Didn't impress anybody, but had a great time.  Anyway, I've shot 45-70 Big Lube™ boolits over the graph and don't see any advantage from hot primers.  Since we can't shoot duplex loads, I'd just use whatever primers you have on your bench in large rifle size.

Black powder ain't hard to lite.  Some folks like to bore out the flash holes and use magnum sparkplugs.  I've not seen any advantage.  Also, if you bore out the flash holes, don't ever use that brass for heathen fad smokeyless powder.  The pressures can get high enug to burn thru the primer and give you a new scar on yer lovely face. . . .

DD-DLoS

[Wildcat Will]

I droped about 40 rounds out of the mold I got from you DD about a month ago.  They sure look purty.  I appreciate the input on the boring out of the primer pockets.  I have some I did that to based on something I read a few years ago.  Think I will get rid of them. 

I have both mag and standard large rifle primers.  I think I will try a batch of each and see if it makes a difference in my rifles.  Got 'm  might just as well use 'm.

[Dick Dastardly]

Clean dry brass means more than the sparkplug.  One thing that may, or may not, help is to champfer the flash holes inside and out to make sure they don't have no burrs.

Other than that, the manufacturers kind of know what works.  It's goin' to be a long haul tryin' to improve on their flash holes.

When shoon'n' long distance, TAKE NOTES.  Everything is important.  Sooner or later, you'll find a recipe for yerself and yer gun that gets the job dun.  Till that becomes 2nd nature, take notes and read 'em before ya shoot again.  Yer yer own best teacher.  This long range stuff ain't nuthin' like bustin a 16x16 iron varment from Twelve yards.

You kin do it, but it's not automatic.  There's no easy trail to success.

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

I use the Fed. 215's, my gun seems to burn a bit cleaner with them, however the deburring the flash holes seems to have helped more.  It helped enough I also do it with my 22 Hornet and 243 also.  Some of them, but not a lot have some rather nasty burrs on them.